Remove dottyback?

[nipper]

I have a bicolored dottyback in my FO/LR tank. The tank is 45gal. It bullies my three spot wrasse incessantly! I also have a flame hawk, a maroon clown, and a small damsel. The LFS recommended the dottyback, but he has made most of the tank his territory. All my other fish get along fine, but this one is ruining the harmony...what should I do? Thanks for any help.
Tina

 

[schroder_reef]

You are not the only one with this problem. Out Bi-colored dottyback also bullies all the fish, crabs, and snails in our 46 gal reef tank. He stalks the crabs, waits for them to climb high on the rock and nips them so they tumble to the ground. It was funny at first but now I always have to turn these little guys back over
Maybe take him back to the LFS, we're considering this if we can catch him.

 

[viking]

ya i have read that bicolors are by far the most agressive dottyback and ounce per ounce one of the most agressive fish in the hobby.

 

[lionfish]

LionFish says........
I would strongly suggest that you remove that fish as soon as possible. Those suckers have one nasty attitude and can do serious damage to a lot of fish. I wanted one in my 50 gallon reef but after I noticed that the one I wanted at the LFS was in a tank by itself, I got the picture. They're very colorful fish but it is a rarity to find one that is compatible with most fish. They usually only bother fish that are the same size or smaller than them. They are also a constant attacker. They are relentless until they manage to kill the fish. I personally would get it out. I would never think about putting one in my tank because I have a Black-cap Basslet and a Swissguard Basslet and all hell would break loose then. Get that fish outta there and fast before he goes after another fish.

 

[corky]

Nipper, I tried just about everything I could imagine over a period of several months to remove a neon dottyback from my 75 gal. reef. I finally succeeded after I built a large trap out of plexiglass with a sliding door attached to a string which was manually released once the fish entered the trap(similiar to ones sold on the market). (If you do a search for neon dottybacks you could probably find my story.) My conclusion is that these guys are very cautious and very hard to catch. I wish you the best!!! Let us know of your progress.

 

[nipper]

Thank you all for your quick replies. As I watched the dottyback attack my newly molted cleaner shrimp, I got angrier and angrier. After reading your replies, I knew what had to be done! So, I got out a large spoon, and my net, and began a hunt. I found him in a rock, and I was able to flush him out into my net. I took him back to my LFS. Now all of the fish and inverts seem much happier! The shrimp came out of hiding almost immediately! Thanks for the advice...problem solved!
Tina

 

[corky]

Congratulations!!! It seems you were able to get him quite quickly (very rare). I can can hear your sigh of relief.

 

[justlooking]

I got rid of my neon dottyback too. My jawfish was much happier. He bothered other stuff too but he was a VERY interesting fish and VERY colorful. I regretted returning him but had no choice.