cMidd Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Put a VERY healthy "red fin" brisletooth in with my sailfin tang and working 10 min the sailfin had effectively shredded the dorsal and the back fin to slithers with snips and his spike. I couldn't interfere due to this all happening within the rockwork. Both fish are the same size...the bristle didn't even fight back! WHAT DO I DO? Let nature play it's role and most likely lose my new bristletooth!!!!??!?!!? I really hate for this to be happening. Someone please have good advice for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Turn out all the lights, once its dark they will stop. Try again tomorrow. I always introduce fish with the lights off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Agree with the lights out for now. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cMidd Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 I did turn them off. He's hiding now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Tomorrow you might just turn on the lights in the room where your tank is in and leave off the tank lights at least until tomorrow afternoon. If my fish are fighting really bad I sometimes stick a net in the tank which makes everyone go hide, this breaks them up for a little while at least. If you can take out the sailfin for a few days and put him back that might do the trick. And you never know, they may be fine tomorrow but I doubt it. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cMidd Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 I did turn them off. He's hiding now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad and Belinda Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Tomorrow you might just turn on the lights in the room where your tank is in and leave off the tank lights at least until tomorrow afternoon. If my fish are fighting really bad I sometimes stick a net in the tank which makes everyone go hide, this breaks them up for a little while at least. If you can take out the sailfin for a few days and put him back that might do the trick. And you never know, they may be fine tomorrow but I doubt it. Good luck. This is a very good idea. Just don't wait too long. I did this once with 2 tangs. I introduced our new purple tang into the tank with our yellow tang. The yellow tang almost killed him before I got the yellow out. I put the yellow in another tank for a week or so. When I put him back, the purple tang almost killed him. If your lucky enough to get him out, try not to let it go for more than a few days. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cMidd Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 So what to do...I don't want the poor thing to die. It won't even fight back. Is there a chance it will submit to the sailfin and they'll be buds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizzy Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I recommend this right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Can you catch either of them? Id give it a 50% chance, it might work out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cMidd Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 I may be able to catch. Would it be better to move the very hurt one? I can nurse him back in a 30g reef with only 2 firefish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Oh Collin...I'm so sorry!! LMK if I can do anything to help you...all your great advice has been given!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Yikes! Good luck! I would start with the hurt one. He may be the easier one to catch from the sounds of it... So sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cMidd Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 (edited) Idk what to do...they're both asleep right now. Te hurt one is in his own cave...but "Finny" the sailfin can actually get him no matter where he goes. Gah I feel helpless. Truly hate when this happens. The next fish I'm getting is a shark-teach him whose boss. (kidding) Edited January 27, 2011 by Collin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cMidd Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 So- I can't reach either of the tangs. They are asleep. Hoping the sailfin effectively took out his aggression on the poor bristletooth. If he is being hassled tomorrow I will move him to a temporary 30g and go from there. This has thoroughly puzzled me-the sailfin is the personality of the tank an is the "protector" of the new fish usually from my angel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Good luck hope it all works out... yeah usually my sailfin is buds with everyone... guess I have a lucky fish I actually have 5 tangs living very happily together.... hope it all works out... sailfins are good protectors though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cMidd Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 No problems this morning. The hurt one is just hiding. Now I am worried about him getting food. Should I stick some dried seaweed down for him? Or turkey Bastet some food at him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I'd catch the sailfin and get rid of it. He will just beat up on the next guy, and the next guy...... I always remove aggressive fish from my tank, I like things as calm as they can be. In fact I've got my fish trap in my tank right now to catch a yellow tang that is starting to be a bully my purple....funny thing is that it is the smallest tang in the tank! If you sold the the tang to someone else who has bigger fish it would probably fall right in line without any problems. My 10" black tank would show him a thing or 2. Also if you try to catch the new tang you are going to just stress it out even more, it may die from it as sensitive as some of the tangs are. The sailfin can handle being caught and moved better than the new fish. I'd tell the sailfin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 No problems this morning. The hurt one is just hiding. Now I am worried about him getting food. Should I stick some dried seaweed down for him? Or turkey Bastet some food at him? Fish can go days without eating and it won't hurt them a bit, I would just leave him alone and keep the lights down. If you have several lights over you tank try and turn off the one above where he is hiding. If they start to fight drop a net in the tank, that will usually send the fish hiding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 If your sailfin ripped up the fins on the bristletooth that quick I doubt you're going to have much luck getting them to cohabitate. I think the best chance you have is taking the sailfin out for a week or two. Even if this works it may only be short term, I've had three instances where tangs that had been together for months or years became intolerant of each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cMidd Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Thanks for all the awesome advice. I will think about catching the sailfin-it wouldn't be hard. I just am not sure I would want to sell it-idk if the bristletooth can live. I see him-he is breathing normally-just scared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Just wait to see if they go at it again. As long as the bristletooth doesn't break out in ich, doesn't get beat up on much more, and starts to eat he will be fine. I doubt that he was damaged that much in the fight although he might look bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cMidd Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Thanks a ton Hydro. The other problem is the sailfin is the girlfriends fish. She picked him out. Haha. I hope he chills...a of right now there has been no other fighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cMidd Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Fed some spirulina and the bristletooth managed to snag a peice! The sailfin got the rest . Pretty happy now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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