Help! Neon Dottyback

[fredjr]

I made a impulse buy. Maybe a big mistake but I brought a Neon Dottyback. I have him in my QT tank for now not sure if he'll get alone with the other tank mates if I put him in the DT. I have a redsea reefer 350. It's around 73 gals in the DT and 93 gal total with the sump. Here is what I have in there so far.

2 nice size clowns
Yellow watchman goby with pistol shrimp
Ruby headed wrasse
Fire shrimp
Royal Blue Damse
Six line wrasse
coral beauty angle fish
purple lobster
Clam
and some snails and 2 emerald crab.
My question is do you think there will be trouble in paradise if I add him?

 

[WV Reefer]

I made a impulse buy. Maybe a big mistake but I brought a Neon Dottyback. I have him in my QT tank for now not sure if he'll get alone with the other tank mates if I put him in the DT. I have a redsea reefer 350. It's around 73 gals in the DT and 93 gal total with the sump. Here is what I have in there so far.

2 nice size clowns
Yellow watchman goby with pistol shrimp
Ruby headed wrasse
Fire shrimp
Royal Blue Damse
Six line wrasse
coral beauty angle fish
purple lobster
Clam
and some snails and 2 emerald crab.
My question is do you think there will be trouble in paradise if I add him?

Maybe, maybe not.

You already have some bold fish so hopefully it can hold it’s own.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

We had one, mean little guy, but we had him in a 32 Biocube. Maybe yours will be better in a larger tank.

 

[eatbreakfast]

In a tank that size aggression will be diffused, but unfortunately sixlines and dottybacks are not a good mix.

 

[Mikedawg]

Like above suggestions, I had to separate my neon and six line after day one; hard to predict outcome of putting them together and very hard to catch and remove one if they don't get along.

 

[alton]

Neon Dottyback - I had one for a couple weeks, cleaner shrimp kept dying for no reason, I went through four. Finally I caught him at it. He would pluck the eyes from the shrimp and nothing else, did not bite or peck at them. Once the eyes where gone never went near them. One fish that should not be captive bred!

 

[fredjr]

Like above suggestions, I had to separate my neon and six line after day one; hard to predict outcome of putting them together and very hard to catch and remove one if they don't get along.

Which one did you have in the tank first?

 

[fredjr]

Neon Dottyback - I had one for a couple weeks, cleaner shrimp kept dying for no reason, I went through four. Finally I caught him at it. He would pluck the eyes from the shrimp and nothing else, did not bite or peck at them. Once the eyes where gone never went near them. One fish that should not be captive bred!

Wow that is strange

 

[4FordFamily]

In a tank that size aggression will be diffused, but unfortunately sixlines and dottybacks are not a good mix.

Agree 100%. One is likely to kill the other.

 

[fredjr]

Agree 100%. One is likely to kill the other.

The funny part is that the dottyback was in a tank with some six line wrasses I the LFS

 

[Mikedawg]

Which one did you have in the tank first?

Six line had established his territory and that was probably the problem

 

[Mikedawg]

The funny part is that the dottyback was in a tank with some six line wrasses I the LFS

I think that sometimes, under such conditions, all the fish are acclimating to their environment and, especially if there are no places for them to defend/hide, their aggression is diffused. Then again, I'm convinced that some individuals have a different "personality" than others, may be more or less aggressive, etc.

 

[eatbreakfast]

The funny part is that the dottyback was in a tank with some six line wrasses I the LFS

Social dynamics are always off at a dealer tank.

 

[Mikedawg]

Social dynamics are always off at a dealer tank.

Couldn't have said it better.

 

[fredjr]

Six line had established his territory and that was probably the problem

What I may do is put the dottyback in my fish trap and see how the other fish respond.

 

[fredjr]

What I may do is put the dottyback in my fish trap and see how the other fish respond.

Yea you’re probably right about that.

 

[Mikedawg]

Yea you’re probably right about that.

Some reefers move rocks, etc. around when introducing a new fish to a tank with aggressors to give them all a "fair" chance at setting up territories, although this is a lot of effort and still may not result in peace.
BTW I just put a fork tailed fang blenny in with a molly miller and inadvertently started WW III; fortunately, the fang showed his stuff and the mm decided to retreat. Depending on the species, they'll work it out.
Good luck

 

[fredjr]

Some reefers move rocks, etc. around when introducing a new fish to a tank with aggressors to give them all a "fair" chance at setting up territories, although this is a lot of effort and still may not result in peace.
BTW I just put a fork tailed fang blenny in with a molly miller and inadvertently started WW III; fortunately, the fang showed his stuff and the mm decided to retreat. Depending on the species, they'll work it out.
Good luck

Well I’m not going to move the rocks around. I’ll try putting him in the fish trap and see how that goes

 

[eatbreakfast]

Well I’m not going to move the rocks around. I’ll try putting him in the fish trap and see how that goes

TBH I don't think that will help much because the sixline views the rockwork as his territory. But in the fish trap the dottyback won't challenge the siixline's territory, but once he is released he is going to want to claim some of the rockwork as well.

Unless the tank is huge dottybacks and sixlines are not good tankmates.

 

[fredjr]

TBH I don't think that will help much because the sixline views the rockwork as his territory. But in the fish trap the dottyback won't challenge the siixline's territory, but once he is released he is going to want to claim some of the rockwork as well.

Unless the tank is huge dottybacks and sixlines are not good tankmates.

I hate to admit it but you’re probably right.