Tang warfare

reeferious · #1 03-18-2009, 11:27 PM

my purple and blue tangs have been almost inseparable. except for initial flareups when first introduced, they are swimming together most days and part only when light about to go off which they seem to sense. lol i get a kick out of seeing them wedging themselves into holes 5 to 10 mins b/4 lights go off. come to think of it i think their different body shapes are what keep them peaceful.

fishytime · #2 03-18-2009, 11:43 PM

Its the sohal.....they have a reputation for being aggressive. He probably sees the sailfin as his biggest competition for food and dominance and will likely not stop his assault until its "Mission completed". I have heard about and read about many nasty tang fights.

my2rotties · #3 03-19-2009, 12:14 AM

Yeah I know it's Sunny (sohal) he has been a jerk to everyone for the past two weeks. When we bought him, I knew they had the potential for aggression. There were several sohals at the store and I watched them all for over an hour. Sunny was very mellow. The sailfin has grown very rapidly as well Sunny.

As for shapes, Sunny and the sailfin look very different. He picks on the foxface these days too, grabbing her by the spikes and tipping her over.

I sure hoped he would work out, but I guess I might have to try to get him out of the tank... wish me luck since I did such a great job of making caves, tunnels and hiding spots. Hopefully the fish trap pans out but I have no place to put him after that.

Maybe it is breeding time in the ocean for these fish and perhaps this is why he has turned into suck a jerk. Perhaps they have a biological clock that ticks which would make perfect sense. I love this fish, he is so beautiful, one of my favorites.

I hope he doesn't end up killing the sailfin before I manage to get him out. She is staying out of his way, and prior to being split open, she was fighting back. I still hope the issue has been resolved now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishytime

Its the sohal.....they have a reputation for being aggressive. He probably sees the sailfin as his biggest competition for food and dominance and will likely not stop his assault until its "Mission completed". I have heard about and read about many nasty tang fights.

naesco · #4 03-19-2009, 12:39 AM

IME you need to remove one of the two tangs from your tank.
IMO your sailfin is doomed unless you do so.\
You should remove the sailfin to a QT in any event.

Razz · #5 03-19-2009, 03:00 AM

I would let them go for now, if you can shift a bit of rock for one of them (sailfin) to get behind it may work it self out. You are still running a sizeable tank so a little seperation and a bit of real estate ownership transfer may just solve it. Try to keep the front to back seperated for them, I had a powder blue chase a sail for over three months but next thing they are together go figure?

my2rotties · #6 03-19-2009, 03:32 AM

Hello stranger!!! Believe me with all the awesome rock I had bought from you, I have so much real estate and nooks and crannys for the fish to hide in. I have to admit the sailfin was being a little monster and infuriating the Sohal. She would make him mad so he would chase her into a rock he could not fit into, as he was at the entry she would slap him back and forth across the head with her tail. It would put him in a rage. It looked pretty hilarious and he would be looking all over for her and she would hide out. I guess he caught up to her today.

I am just hoping she got put into her place and will accept the pecking order. With all my fish they have always worked things out themselves even though it was a rough couple of days. As bad as she was filleted this morning it's already healing up and she seems alright.

Nobody bothers with the awesome rabbitfish you gave me. She has grown a lot since she came home... I think we can eat her soon. My husband calls her "the tuna"...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razz

I would let them go for now, if you can shift a bit of rock for one of them (sailfin) to get behind it may work it self out. You are still running a sizeable tank so a little seperation and a bit of real estate ownership transfer may just solve it. Try to keep the front to back seperated for them, I had a powder blue chase a sail for over three months but next thing they are together go figure?

Haloreef · #7 03-19-2009, 04:07 AM

I have had a few tang fights over the years! Seems like every time I add a new tang "it's on like Donkey Kong!"
The trick I use, and it has worked every time for me, is to tape a small mirror on to the outside of your tank. It seems that the only thing A tang hates more than another tang is a tang of it's own ilk. After a couple of days fighting that pesky tang in the mirror it will be used to seeing the other and, leave it alone.
As I said it has worked for me.
Hope this helps.