Got a bully, need advice

[mikelly02]

Hi,
I recently added a coral beauty angel to my tank with a false percula and a yellow tang. These two have been the only fish in the tank for almost a year (it's a 125 gallon) due to a little mishap last year where I lost everything but the clown, then added the tang after a couple of months of watching the poor thing swim around the tank alone. I felt sorry for him! Anyway, they've always gotten along beautifully but now the tang is picking on the angel and I'm not sure what to do, his fins are a wreck and he is dominating when and where the angel can swim, etc. He (the tang) was VERY shy before this, always hiding when anyone came near the tank--now he's all over the place. I'm realatively new at this and would probably have given up completely hadn't the clown fish survived that little heat wave last summer. I thought we need to move the angel so it can heal and then return it after a couple of weeks when it's better but my husband says maybe we should move the tang and let the angel establish it's "territory" then return that. Or should one go permanently? My other thought was to go out and buy a new fish to get the attention off the angel but that didn't go over too well!!! J/K
Any advice would be appreciated,
Kelly

 

[aquaguy24]

have u tried moving ur rocks around...yellow tangs can be aggresive toward new tank mates...after a while they usually leave the new fish alone...its just tryin to let the new fish know "whos boss"

 

[fau8]

I agree tangs are funny once they get established. I would also move the rocks around before lights out and put some algea on a clip to occupy him in the morning. If it dosen't work I would pull out the tang for a week and move the rocks agin before putting him back. Getting the tang out is not going to be easy if you have alot of rock work. I had to get a yellow out of my tank and it took 3 people to do it.

 

[janscott23]

I had a simular problem when I added my second snow flake eel the first established eel would fight over terrotory I solved this problem by removing both eels into a quaratine tank and rearanged the rock in my display tank and reintraduced both eels at the same time problem solved.
Try removing the tang leave the angel in the 125gal and rearanged the rocks after a few days reintraduce the tang this should help

 

[mikelly02]

I wasn't going to bed tonight until someone answered!! Actually no, I haven't moved the rocks around, I guess there is probably 80-100 lbs in there, lots of caves & such. I really don't want to move them because my cute little clown has his "bed", ( a curved rock that almost resembles a hammock) and it stays there until I turn the lights back on in the morning, it is SOOOO cute and I would hate to have ANOTHER angry fish on my hands. The tang doesn't really have ONE space, you know, he usually just hides. I turned the lights out about 1/2 hour ago and have been "spying" on the fish. The tang seems to have settled in behind some rocks for the night, I hope. and the angel is out in the open to the right side of the tank--with his busted fins... I'll keep watching for a little while & go from there, I guess. Thanks again for the responses, I'm just at a loss b/c this is a side of the tang I've never seen before, they really do have their own little personalities don't they? I hope you are right and he will eventually leave him alone, I've been afraid he won't stop until the angel dies. Which brings me to me next problem, how will I ever be able to safely add new fish? Get mean ones?
Kelly

 

[valeram]

As I read and stated by others, move the rocks around everytime you introduce a new fish. I am also new to SWA and their advice are sound and logical.

 

[2batrigger]

I agree with all the advice and ideas of rock switching and or removing the tang and adding it back after a day of two. i also have had this experience and it is quite possible the situation will settle down on it's own. adding new fish in the future is possible but again the best thing you can do is rearrange the rock to put the new fish on equal ground when introduced. Also just so you know the coral beauty is amazing in the healing department. Once the tang decides to stop you will see the angel's fins heal up with in days-literally- as if its fins were never damaged.

 

[mikelly02]

Also just so you know the coral beauty is amazing in the healing department. Once the tang decides to stop you will see the angel's fins heal up with in days-literally- as if its fins were never damaged.
Well that's a relief at least, I'm feeling pretty responsible here as I put the angel in their in the first place--he was fine till he came to my tank!!! I will try that & see how it goes. I wonder if I should add more fish before I put the tang back so I don't have to repeat the process. How many fish can you add at once? Just trying to save steps...Thanks for the help,
Kelly