Just picked up two Longfin Phantom Clowns - acclimation + fighting HELP

[Bellamy803]

I've been watching two Longfin Phantom clowns at my lfs (4-6 weeks). They were in their main display reef tank. They were always around each other with minimum cause for concern.

They bagged them together and it was about 3-4 hours before I got home. In the bag they def were rough with each other and specially if watching them. Covered them for a while to make it dark and they did calm down a bit. Rough I mean full out tumble wrestling ( I am not finding marks on the fish or destroyed fins)

Drip acclimated them for 1 hour last night in the same bucket together. Some aggression but nothing like they were in the bag. I have the largest eshopps acclimation box they are in now. I have 3 small pvc pieces in there for them to hide. The larger of the two is extremely active while the slightly smaller one is trying to hide. Every time that slightly larger one sees the other one its an all out war for what seems like last forever.....

Question is......go ahead and release them in the DT...give them room to spread out? (Theres a Wrasse and Purple tang which are also both very young) they will be meeting. OR split them up in the acclimation box for a little while?????

Overreacting or reason for concern?!!?

 

[count krunk]

Could you include a picture of them? I'm curious what they look like.

If they are beating each other up a bit in the acclimation box, I would go ahead and add to dt.

Easier on the new fish to add when the lights are off as well.

 

[Cell]

I'd let the smaller one out first and keep the bully in jail for a bit.

 

[Bellamy803]

Could you include a picture of them? I'm curious what they look like.

If they are beating each other up a bit in the acclimation box, I would go ahead and add to dt.

Easier on the new fish to add when the lights are off as well.

Pics coming in 2 minutes. I have livestream cam setup on my Nest system at the house so Ive been watching them. I couldnt take it anymore so I had my GF go slide a divider in the acclimation box. Shes getting pics now.

 

[Bellamy803]

Could you include a picture of them? I'm curious what they look like.

If they are beating each other up a bit in the acclimation box, I would go ahead and add to dt.

Easier on the new fish to add when the lights are off as well.

 

[count krunk]

Very cool! Are the fins nipped up or do they just look like that?

 

[count krunk]

Also your user name is or isn't related to One Piece?

 

[Bellamy803]

Also your user name is or isn't related to One Piece?

Not related.

Also, I’ve seen adult longfins with tattered flowing fins and more uniform fins. But most younger longfins almost always loom this way from what I have seen. Even doing search online many of them look this way. I cannot say for certain though....

 

[Peter A]

What was the end result? Are they getting along now?

 

[Bellamy803]

What was the end result? Are they getting along now?

Unfortunately no. It’s so crazy they have been together so long prior to me having them ans now they cannot be kept together. A few days ago the smaller of the two was beat up enough I put him in the acclimation box. Fed him well a couple days and let the fins repair a bit and tried one last time. Still straight at it with non stop fighting so I took the larger of the two and aggressor and put her in the acclimation box where she has been now for 3 days. Released her just to clean the box with the same results. They are not going to be able to be kept together. They both get along with all of the other fish though. Just not each other....I’m going to sell one of them. Listing today.

 

[Bigfish of La.]

I see you didn’t QT, but that would not eliminated you problem. QT is an absolute must, there is a possibility to infect Fish in the DT

 

[Bellamy803]

I haven’t visited this thread in quite some time. Update on the Phantoms. After a few weeks they settled in together with my massive Purple Tip nem. They no longer fight abs have both nearly doubled in size. They are so peaceful and look out for each other. Amazing watching the transformation.

 

[Df1577]

Fantastic that it worked out, especially since last update you were planning on selling one. It may have just been the smaller one wasn't submitting to the larger female after the move so kept getting attacked until it gave in.