280g Inwall

[Delphinus]

The last week did have a few downers.

On Tuesday I picked up a new Signanus doliatus rabbitfish from globaldesigns. He went into the tank and settled in nicely. On Wednesday I caught my own out of the cube and moved him over. So for a few days there the two rabbits were in the 280g together.

Unfortunately, to catch mine, I had to remove most of the rock from the 115g. When replacing the rock, at one point I noticed that one of the butterflies had swam under a rock and it had shifted and toppled on top of him. It was a heart stopping moment when I noticed just the tail sticking out under the rock squished into the sand. But I was able to get the rock off him and he swam away as if nothing was the matter. But karma caught up to me because I think my dottyback might have been in one of the rocks that was taken out. It's been almost 10 days now and there has been no sign of him. So I think I likely killed him somehow.

The bad news doesn't end there. I had always wanted a pair of doliatus - I thought I had I read they do better in pairs or small schools. Well, maybe that's true if they're small together. Unfortunately the two started fighting badly. At first I thought, well, there's always this in the first day or two - I'll wait it out and see how it goes. In the past it's always been a sort of magic period of 3 days - after 3 days the aggression settles and things are fine. Well, sadly, on day 3, the smaller one I had gotten from globaldesigns died. So, that was an error of judgment on my part.

I decided that I could not accept the risk that the larger rabbit could haze the tangs and angels when the time comes to move them over - so I rehomed him on the weekend. The only other time I've had a fish literally kill another - was a sixline wrasse - and I don't miss that sixline in the least now that's he's passed on. Hazing is one thing (because it eventually stops) but when a fish kills another - they're done for me. As much as I love the look of those rabbitfish I doubt I will ever try another now that I know what they are capable of.

Aaaannd, I had a rose BTA in there who had a history of letting go of the rock he was on and letting the current take him to new places. Well unfortunately his luck ran out, on Monday this week I found what was left of him stuck inside one of the Tunze covers. Sigh.

So I'm not sure when I will move the rest of the fish over. Seeing as it was a major rock removing event to catch the one fish - I'm tempted to do them all at once and get the mayhem over with as soon as possible. So maybe on the weekend, I'll see if I have the energy to start chasing fish with nets and see how it goes.

To be moved are 3 tangs (Red Sea sailfin, lavender, and lieutenant), 3 angels (potters and a pair of bellus) and a canary wrasse. The butterflies and eel will stay put until their new tank is ready.