When Fish Murder

[Biokabe]

I don't know about you guys, but the worst thing that ever happens to me is when my wife calls me at work. Not that I dislike talking to her, but if she's calling, it's almost always because something bad is happening. Well, sure enough, I got the call today... "So, the hawkfish just murdered the damselfish." Though with considerably more distress in her voice. Apparently she had just gone in to clean up a spill, when she saw our Japanese Golden Hawkfish dash at our sapphire damselfish, and proceeded to rip off most of his tail.

Not an emergency situation, since I doubt there's much that can be done. If I were home, I might have been able to net the damsel and put him in a hospital tank... but even so, it's not running at the moment, so it would have to be topped off and heated up, and the shock of moving might have done him in anyhow. Apparently Mr. Hawk kept going after the damsel even after the initial attack... I imagine there won't be anything to do for the damsel but offer him an honorable burial beneath the rose bush.

C'est la vie. I'll still get the hospital tank up and running, if only to put Mr. Hawk into it ahead of finding him a new home. He was just doing as his instincts told him to, but I value the peacefulness of the tank and can't keep something in it that has demonstrated lethal aggressiveness to a tank mate. Shame, too, he was a fun fish.

On the plus side, at least he didn't kill a $500 fish.

 

[Don_Jorge]

I always hate having to get rid of a fish, RIP

 

[Crashjack]

Hawkfish will often eat what they can catch and get in their mouths. I'm pretty sure my long nosed hawk ate a fairly small long-finned fairy wrasse. Upon release, the wrasse was fine and swimming around out away from the rockwork. I then noticed it hiding (where I could see it) looking as if it had been spooked. It then disappeared, and my long nose hawk had a mysterious bulge in its stomach. This all happened within 2-3 hours of releasing the wrasse. My long nose hawk also went after my Azure damsels for some time after I released them (also small). The Azures were fast and alert enough to get out of the way-- picture a rodeo clown dodging a bull if the clown was as fast/quick as a cat. It was kind of neat in that the failed attacks didn't phase the Azures or even send them into hiding. They just dodged out of the way and didn't seem to really care. The long nose hawk no longer pays any attention to the Azures.