horrible biting fish

zappbrannigan

zappbrannigan

Member
hello, i have a fish, i think it is a lyretail wrasse, its about 6-8 centimeters long. and it is a horrible awful fish. It always bites me, if i open the lid of the tank it comes up and spits water at me and jumps to try and bite my fingers, it is really awful. I am afraid to put my hands into the tank to ajust pipes or heaters because i am always afraid to be bitten, it hurts. the fish is just completely out of control. how can i get this fish to behavior itself. I think feeding it more often can calm it but i also dont want to put too much food in the tank, What can I do? besides get rid of it.
thanks
oh god, as soon as i finished typing this i went to adjust my skimmer and the damn thing got me in the webbing between my fingers and drew blood and scared the crap out of me, i really want to fix that stupid fish
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

You can not change a fishes behavior, they are not like dogs. Once a fish gets that mean over territory it will also kill any other critter you try and add.
I see this problem mostly with damsels. All you can do is remove the little demon, and get rid of it.
 
ryancw01

ryancw01

Member
Sounds like you like the fish so get some gloves...I don't remember who makes them, but I have a pair of purple and orange gloves that are extra thick so nothing can penetrate them. You have to show him that just because he bites you that you are not going to stop what you are doing. Show him that you are the boss and get those gloves...
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Ryancw01
http:///forum/post/3181026
Sounds like you like the fish so get some gloves...I don't remember who makes them, but I have a pair of purple and orange gloves that are extra thick so nothing can penetrate them. You have to show him that just because he bites you that you are not going to stop what you are doing. Show him that you are the boss and get those gloves...

This little demon is still going to kill any other fish added to the tank. Any new fish you add cannot wear gloves. Gloves will protect your hands but not "teach" the dumb fish anything. You will NEVER show a fish you are boss. Who wants a nasty little nipper and nothing else in the tank?
Getting rid of it is a kindness, because I would kill it.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

Originally Posted by Ryancw01
http:///forum/post/3181036
I didnt see anything about him trying to add any other fish?

No, but do you think that he will never add another fish? The thing is biting the blood out of him. What do you think will happen in the future if he tries to add anything else?
Do you really think he wants nothing in his tank but this nipper? Because if he keeps it, he will have to wear gloves to do anything with the tank. The fish will never learn to give up because he wears gloves, it will just bite the glove and anything else that invades HIS space (the whole tank).
 
zappbrannigan

zappbrannigan

Member
oh, no he doesnt attack other fish, he is my second most peacefull fish after my clown. he never shows any agression except to me even when i added new fish. I really think he isnt trying to be evil, he just wants my attention so that i will give him food. because after i give him food and he is full he calms down. actually somtimes my brown tang bullies him but only a little. I am pretty sure the problem is related to food.
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
No fish is trying to be evil. They are just trying to protect their space to ensure a good supply of food, mates and shelter.
What you have is a lunare, right? They are not "nice" fish, I'm afraid to say. You're seeing the beginnings of it's aggressive behaviour and it won't stop at just harassing you.
You can't fix this fish. It will not turn into a gentle fish but will become increasingly more aggressive with your other tank mates.
Any chance of a picture if you aren't sure what it is?
 
mermaidgrrl13

mermaidgrrl13

Member
Just a thought do you "handfeed" your fish? I for one never think its a good idea to handfeed anything (unless its a baby bird or something that needs to be hand fed). I know its cool to see animals take food from your hands, but ive also seen it back fire and this is one of the ways, hand nippers. When they see your hand they automatically think FOOD and take a bite weather there is food in your hand or not. Im glad to see that hes not aggressive to his tankmates and that part of your solution isnt offing him. I think gloves would help alot. And if you are handfeeding stop. good luck with your fish.
 
zappbrannigan

zappbrannigan

Member
Originally Posted by mermaidgrrl13
http:///forum/post/3181075
Just a thought do you "handfeed" your fish? I for one never think its a good idea to handfeed anything (unless its a baby bird or something that needs to be hand fed). I know its cool to see animals take food from your hands, but ive also seen it back fire and this is one of the ways, hand nippers. When they see your hand they automatically think FOOD and take a bite weather there is food in your hand or not. Im glad to see that hes not aggressive to his tankmates and that part of your solution isnt offing him. I think gloves would help alot. And if you are handfeeding stop. good luck with your fish.
god no! id never hand feed fish, that would be terrifying. I just pour some marine formula pellets in. Im actualy pretty scared of fish, I even dont like to touch dead fish at the fish market. im always afraid as soon as i touch it it will move lol.
this is the fish
http://www.***********.com/product/p...346&pcatid=346
 
zappbrannigan

zappbrannigan

Member
Originally Posted by Cranberry
http:///forum/post/3181089
Those are aggressive.... it's only going to get worse.
but its so colorful... i dont want to lose this fish, but at the same time i want to be able to add some shrimps or a clam.
Those big clams Tridacna maxima http://www.***********.com/product/p...38&pcatid=2138
I made a deal with the LFS, he said hed give me 3 of them for 10 dollars. they are all bigger than 4 inches. do you think this fish would mess with them if they are all at least 4 inches?
 
doggie

doggie

Member
Wow, my lunare was a big wimp. I agree a very pretty fish.
I had one that was about 5 inches long. But then the eel got it.
I agree with the post about the feeding. It probably sees your hand as "feeding time"
 
mermaidgrrl13

mermaidgrrl13

Member
yep hand feeding anything is a big ol can of worms to open IMO.(In some situations it has its place for breif periods of time) The sad thing is the animal ends up looking like the bad guy. Look at the sting rays and sharks at the tourist places all around the world that people are allowed to hand feed or feed period. People have been bit or injured there. Bottom line is think about every action you take to care for your pet and how it will effect you down the road.
sorry i got kinda off subject there..and glad to see you werent hand feeding. Have you thought about possibly trading your fish? If he will get more aggressive as cran says (I personally hold her opinion in the highest regard..she knows her stuff), you could be touching alot of dead fish...and thats something none of us here like..especially you. (Im sure you that EXTRA good care of yours huh?
 
rlablan

rlablan

Active Member
I serviced saltwater tanks for some Dr.'s offices and the like, and my boss (who set up the systems) insisted on putting lunare wrasses in EVERY SINGLE one. It was frustrating because the client liked them but they didn't have to service and clean the tanks.
I dealt with 5+ of these fish in different systems of differing sizes, and with different tank mates.
The long and short of it is that they were all aggressive, and these fish didn't care who you were or what you were doing.
And no, they were not hand fed by the clients or myself, EVER!
This is just the fish, it's the way they were made. If you don't want to trade it in, maybe try removing him from the tank temporarily and moving the rocks around, then adding him back in with the lights out. He will lose his territory and hopefully lose some aggression. The problem is once he gets his territory reestablished, he will become aggressive again.
 
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