Help! Trying to catch Whitetail Bristletooth gone rogue!

[Eva Rose]

My whitetail bristletooth was bullying my Midas blenny. So I bought a fish trap and kept watch. The Midas is hiding so now the bristletooth is really aggressive. It is like without the blenny, he is amping up the bullying more. He is leaving my other tangs alone. But today he started going after (chasing, spanking) my other fish.
Dang fish trap turned out to be piece of junk. It won't shut quickly to catch fish. So I am using it as a social acclimation box for the fish he tried to terrorize today.
I am very upset because I don't see my favorite fish - my jawfish. The jawfish was perfectly fine last night. I hope he just is hiding.


1). I am trying not to stress, but would love any suggestions.
I will buy a better fish trap if you know one that works. Any suggestions at all are appreciated.

2) Also - how long will my other fish handle being inside the social acc box? I can feed him in the box etc. But I can't let it out. I'm afraid the bristletooth would kill it. It already hit its dorsal fin a bit.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Wait until its been dark for some time and try to catch the tang suddenly before it has a chance to wake up out of its sleep trance. That worked for me one time with a damselfish. You'll just need to know where it hangs out at night and do it quickly after turning the lights on.

 

[Eva Rose]

Wait until its been dark for some time and try to catch the tang suddenly before it has a chance to wake up out of its sleep trance. That worked for me one time with a damselfish. You'll just need to know where it hangs out at night and do it quickly after turning the lights on.

I will try -- he keeps hitting the social acc box so maybe he will wear himself out. I can only hope.
By the way I'm from Pensacola- love your avatar.

 

[Eva Rose]

Any other suggestions? Trapping methods?

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I will try -- he keeps hitting the social acc box so maybe he will wear himself out. I can only hope.
By the way I'm from Pensacola- love your avatar.

Oh, that's neat! Thanks and it's nice to see someone else from P'cola on here!

 

[eatbreakfast]

If you have open space in a front corner, I have used a mirror in the corner. Then I got a few pieces of eggcrate and sectioned off smaller and smaller parts of the tank. Though this only works if there is sufficient open space.

 

[Xanthurum]

I have had great success using chicken wire. It's flexible enough to shape it around rocks and corals. I used several pieces to section off the tank and every time I shrink the containment area until the fish is backed into a corner. Once that is done just net the offender and remove the chicken wire. If he is small enough to swim through the holes you can use the metal mesh screen the same way.

 

[Eva Rose]

Woo-hoo!!!!! Whitetail bristletooth is caught & awaiting a new home! He is beautiful and I really regret I had to pull him out of my tank. But my midas blenny, pixy hawk and other fish are happy.
I wanted to thank everyone who responded to this post (@pensacola-aquarist, @Xanthurum, etc.). He would have harassed several fish to death. Your tips are much appreciated.
Special thanks to @eatbreakfast , @4FordFamily and @Maritimer . On a earlier post you helped me identify what was making my Midas hide. With your advice I kept watching the bristletooth & ordered a fish trap a month ago in case bullying continued or worsened.
Thanks to you I was prepared when he went totally rogue. I used the trap to rescue 2 fish he started attacking first. Then I caught the bristletooth in less that 24 hours. Your knowledge, experience and caring attitude prevented what would have quickly escalated into a disaster.
Any members reading this I wanted to share that it has helped me to really be guided by advice from experienced members. It is easy to be in denial when you have long awaited a species in your tank , then enjoy it for a couple of years only to realize it has matured into a problematic fish. The best advice is sometimes the very thing you don't want to hear, but by following it you can have the optional outcome.
Thanks again!!!

 

[4FordFamily]

So glad it worked out!!! Well done