Multiple fish with ripped fins

[Aparker2005]

Hey everyone. Here lately I've had something starting I've never had in all my years of fish keeping - multiple fish with ripped fins.

Over the last month we lost a copperband - due to aggression from a bellus angel we removed

Firefish - ripped fins

Gold assessor - ripped fins

And just now found our Royal Gramma with her fins shredded but trying to hang on.

What in the world could be causing this? Water parameters are good. The fish we currently have in this 125 are:

Foxface
2 clowns
Midas Blenny
2 Blue Chromis
3 Lyretail Anthias
Melanaurus Wrasse
2 Banghai Cardinals
Yellow Watchman Goby
Orange Stripe Goby

Cleaner shrimp
Blood red shrimp
3 peppermint shrimp
10-15 blue leg hermits
2 pistol shrimp
3 pitho crabs
Snails of all sorts

I recently added 3 Pitho crabs, and 5 very small blue leg hermits. The Pitho crabs have only been touching algae which is what we got them for. We also had a friend drop off a Red Pistol Shrimp, but it usually stays in its cave.

Any ideas on what could be happening? This is getting annoying quickly.

 

[KrisReef]

You removed the apex predator (Angelfish) and now the clowns (?) are in charge and beating everyone up to establish their rule. The Angel had been keeping them in check.

 

[i cant think]

Hey everyone. Here lately I've had something starting I've never had in all my years of fish keeping - multiple fish with ripped fins.

Over the last month we lost a copperband - due to aggression from a bellus angel we removed

Firefish - ripped fins

Gold assessor - ripped fins

And just now found our Royal Gramma with her fins shredded but trying to hang on.

What in the world could be causing this? Water parameters are good. The fish we currently have in this 125 are:

Foxface
2 clowns
Midas Blenny
2 Blue Chromis
3 Lyretail Anthias
Melanaurus Wrasse
2 Banghai Cardinals
Yellow Watchman Goby
Orange Stripe Goby

Cleaner shrimp
Blood red shrimp
3 peppermint shrimp
10-15 blue leg hermits
2 pistol shrimp
3 pitho crabs
Snails of all sorts

I recently added 3 Pitho crabs, and 5 very small blue leg hermits. The Pitho crabs have only been touching algae which is what we got them for. We also had a friend drop off a Red Pistol Shrimp, but it usually stays in its cave.

Any ideas on what could be happening? This is getting annoying quickly.

My vote goes to the blenny. Here’s the damage my blenny did to my Cirrhilabrus naokoae back in august - The blenny was moved a week before the naokoae however the naoko was too badly injured to risk leaving him in an unstable tank.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Finding the culprit is often difficult - the fish all behave fine while you're in the room watching them. Also, the aggression may only take place once or twice a day, making it difficult to catch.

One trick that sometimes works is to set up your phone to video the tank and then leave the room.

I also suspect the blenny though.

Jay

 

[Aparker2005]

Didn't ever think it was the blenny, but I'm betting yall are right. Our last starry blenny was an absolute terror as well.

This hobby, as enjoyable as it is, makes you want to just give up at times with how much goes wrong and the cost to replace/fix lol

 

[i cant think]

Didn't ever think it was the blenny, but I'm betting yall are right. Our last starry blenny was an absolute terror as well.

This hobby, as enjoyable as it is, makes you want to just give up at times with how much goes wrong and the cost to replace/fix lol

I’m sure we’ve all been through the pain of having to replace something that’s been with us for a while. But hey, that’s also the joy of the hobby, we can always find something we wanted and know we will love just as much!

 

[Aparker2005]

Hopefully it'll be easier to catch than the bellus was but I have my doubts lol

 

[i cant think]

Hopefully it'll be easier to catch than the bellus was but I have my doubts lol

So, what’s the next Angel in the planning?

 

[Aparker2005]

So, what’s the next Angel in the planning?

After the "peaceful" bellus destroyed our copperband and was being a bully to everyone else, we're likely not gonna try another. This will be the 5th fish we've had to ditch due to aggression:

Starcki Damsel
Starry blenny
Powder blue tang
Bellus Angel
Midas Blenny

 

[Aparker2005]

Although I'd love a wantanabei angel!

 

[KrisReef]

Although I'd love a wantanabei angel!

This thread has been moving along nicely.
To catch fish in a 125 can take less than 20 minutes ime. You need 3 brute trash cans and a good submersible pump. Good means high gpm so after you drain the tank and pick the offender off the bottom you can refill from the Brutes quickly, just like a tsunami or low tide event it's over before the rock, coral, and fish know what happened.
I've done this a few times and the trick is to dig a low spot in the tank where you want the fish to gather at low tide. Once in awhile the fish can be netted once 1/2 the water is removed and the ability to dodge the net is much lower than a full tank. If you have to remove 90% the fish gather in the low spot and they don't like it but they forget quickly once the water comes back. Never lost a fish or coral doing this, but I have done large water changes at the same time successfully also, just match the parameter (and boost the ones that need increases!)

And when you release the Bellus everyone will wonder where it came from and be terrified that it can drain a tank at will!

 

[Aparker2005]

This thread has been moving along nicely.
To catch fish in a 125 can take less than 20 minutes ime. You need 3 brute trash cans and a good submersible pump. Good means high gpm so after you drain the tank and pick the offender off the bottom you can refill from the Brutes quickly, just like a tsunami or low tide event it's over before the rock, coral, and fish know what happened.
I've done this a few times and the trick is to dig a low spot in the tank where you want the fish to gather at low tide. Once in awhile the fish can be netted once 1/2 the water is removed and the ability to dodge the net is much lower than a full tank. If you have to remove 90% the fish gather in the low spot and they don't like it but they forget quickly once the water comes back. Never lost a fish or coral doing this, but I have done large water changes at the same time successfully also, just match the parameter (and boost the ones that need increases!)

And when you release the Bellus everyone will wonder where it came from and be terrified that it can drain a tank at will!

We have so many caves and crevices with huge pieces of rock glued together I'm sure this thing will get inside a cave where I can't get to even with the water drained

 

[Aparker2005]

And the royal gramma and now an anthias are dead with ripped dorsal and tail fins. The royal gramma had bite marks on it as well

 

[Aparker2005]

Wife is very disappointed and discouraged at the whole thing today. She does a lot of research and all her picks she had, had them as co-existing and rather peaceful. Two fish have taken out hundreds of dollars worth of fish already.

I am about to the point where she is and thinking this hobby may just not be for us and to go back to freshwater. We never had this amount of time and money invested just to lose it with fresh. Coral is an entirely same story. Just seems like a huge money pit sometimes were wasting on when we could be putting that towards something much more investment worthy. We love the salt tanks, but.

Maybe we need to read forums more, but you also never know how one fish will react.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Wife is very disappointed and discouraged at the whole thing today. She does a lot of research and all her picks she had, had them as co-existing and rather peaceful. Two fish have taken out hundreds of dollars worth of fish already.

I am about to the point where she is and thinking this hobby may just not be for us and to go back to freshwater. We never had this amount of time and money invested just to lose it with fresh. Coral is an entirely same story. Just seems like a huge money pit sometimes were wasting on when we could be putting that towards something much more investment worthy. We love the salt tanks, but.

Maybe we need to read forums more, but you also never know how one fish will react.

Sorry to hear your frustrations.
Most of the people who drop out of the hobby cite uncontrolled animal loss as the reason. Typically this is disease or problems with poor quality animals (cyanide collection).
Fish compatibility is difficult to forecast, but it usually isn’t as much of an issue as you’ve seen.
I once created a computer program that tried to calculate risk of mixing different fishes….it didn’t work very well, too many variables.
Jay

 

[KrisReef]

I hope my idea of draining the tank didn't result in you draining and refilling with fresh water? Sorry about the fish war that broke out.

 

[blaxsun]

After the "peaceful" bellus destroyed our copperband and was being a bully to everyone else, we're likely not gonna try another. This will be the 5th fish we've had to ditch due to aggression.

I have a heavily overstocked tank (50 fish), and to-date the only aggression is the occasional rearranging of the reef to their liking by toppling corals.

I believe aquascaping is key: you need to have more than enough sleeping and hiding spots for your fish. Dottybacks love teeny caves and blennies love barnacles.

If you check my build thread (skip to the end, then go back a few pages) you'll find a post with my current reef inhabitants. Many of these fish shouldn't get along - but do. With the exception of the clownfish and neon dottyback - they're all wild caught.

 

[Aparker2005]

Here's our 125 before the craziness went down

 

[Aparker2005]

Midas is out of the 125! Somehow caught it with a net