Help with fish aggression!

[hazmat319]

Hey fellow CT reefers!

I have a 75 with 2 picasso clowns and a Kole Tang. I just got a McCoskers wrasse from DD on Thursday. The Kole Tang has chased the wrasse since I got it. I have an area where some rocks come together and form a sort of "den". The wrasse has been staying in there. It did come out to eat when I fed the tank. I'm sure the Kole was too busy trying to pig out.

So....what are my options? I have a fuge but it's not huge. I wouldn't think to put the wrasse in there. Is my only option to get rid of one of the fish? If so I guess it has to be the Tang. I love him (his name is Roscoe. Remember Roscoe P. Coletrain from the Dukes of Hazzard? His name is Roscoe P. Kole Tang!:lol2:) but if he's going to be aggressive to all my new fish he has to go. I've just began to stock my tank!
Any ideas? Or does a fish need to go? I had a Kole Tang before and it was fine with all my other fish.
Thanks.

[renogaw]

they will stop, don't worry about it. my kole beat on my foxface before they became good friends

[mylifeismyown66]

My powder brown does the same thing. Chases down a new fish for a few hours to a day, then theyre fine. I did have a yellow coris die though once. It was smaller and the stress must have gotten to him.

[hazmat319]

I just fed the tank hoping to get a look at the wrasse and make sure he's not getting hurt or anything. But the Tang kept chasing him back into the hole. Last time he didn't pay any attention to him. Today he kept after him.
I'm probably over paranoid about it. I feel like the wrasse is going to never be able to come out into the open.
How long did it take for them to work it out? Days? Weeks? Granted...the wrasse has only been in the tank since Thursday. And the Tang has been in the tank for probably 2 months.
My clowns don't give a squat about anyone or anything except hanging in their own corners. They are SO pretty but such dull fish if they are not hosting anything.
Thanks for the responses.

[hazmat319]

they will stop, don't worry about it. my kole beat on my foxface before they became good friends

Oh yeah....I saw you were getting rid of your Kole due to downsizing. They are fun fish! Always swimming around.
I hear you about the whole tank thing. My husband says I give more attention to my fish tank than I do him. Poor baby:lmao:

[scottbythesea]

If you find that you need to get him out heres a little trick.


Fly fish hook 22-25 size,and a peice of shrimp. Have your hemostats ready and you got him.

East to unhook the tough part is tying the hook on to a thread or 2x leader mat'l

[hazmat319]

If you find that you need to get him out heres a little trick.


Fly fish hook 22-25 size,and a peice of shrimp. Have your hemostats ready and you got him.

East to unhook the tough part is tying the hook on to a thread or 2x leader mat'l

OMG I can't imagine doing that! I have my fish net in the tank already just hanging there so he gets used to it. And he will come eat food off of my tongs so I think I would be able to catch him (knock on wood again!)

I'm just not sure what to do. Joe at Puppy center said he would take him. Or I guess I could offer him on here to someone. Ugh! Not a easy choice to make since I like all my fish.

[RT65]

Wait about a week. My Kole tang chased my mccosker for about a week before he stopped, and now they swim around the tank together and appear to be the best of friends. Also the mccosker is the only fish he has ever bothered

[hazmat319]

Wait about a week. My Kole tang chased my mccosker for about a week before he stopped, and now they swim around the tank together and appear to be the best of friends. Also the mccosker is the only fish he has ever bothered

OK, thanks. That makes me feel a little better. I was going to try putting my Kole Tang in the sump for a few days to give the wrasse a break. I'll see what happens tomorrow. I put a mirror up against the glass hoping to distract him away from the wrasse for awhile. I came home to see him and both clowns just going at it against the glass. I guess it worked in a sense:eek1:

[scottbythesea]

Hooking them isn;t that bad. the hooks are a 1/8 th inch long ans 1/16th wide. probably smaller.

If you have a lot of rock thats mounted or grown over it works great. I used to catch hundreds of four inch or smaller brook trout when I was a younger person and it works great for catch and release. Wet hands before you scoop them out.

Get a skilled fish person to help you, I'm sure someone close to you could help you out if it comes to that.

Snagging corals and stress out the tank is not so good sometimes this takes 10 seconds to do.

Best Fishes

[Gillundr]

a couple things you can do...let it ride and they will more than likely work it out..
Re work your aquascape, this often times "resets" territories and calms things down. Or put the Kole into a qt or another tank (maybe your fuge is it's big enough) for a week or so. That way when he goes back in to the main tank he needs to re-establish his territory but the wrasse will have established his by then.
Just a couple other things you can try if you don't want to get rid of the fish. If you do decide to get rid of the Kole send me a PM, I'm looking for one =)

[hazmat319]

Well, I have an update.....

I ended up moving a couple of rocks. Not because of the fish but because my washing machine seems to vibrate my entire house and a couple of my rocks were not steady.

I didn't even really move anything major and didn't touch where my Tang sleeps but all of a sudden the fish are getting along fine.:bounce2:. I mean it went from the Tang chasing the wrasse this morning to everyone swimming out in the open this afternoon. I fed the tank and the wrasse ate really well. No aggression on the part of the Kole at all. Right now the wrasse is "flashing" at the glass in the left side of my tank.
Yea!!!! Peace again:dance:
Thanks to everyone that gave me advice.

[hazmat319]

Hooking them isn;t that bad. the hooks are a 1/8 th inch long ans 1/16th wide. probably smaller.

If you have a lot of rock thats mounted or grown over it works great. I used to catch hundreds of four inch or smaller brook trout when I was a younger person and it works great for catch and release. Wet hands before you scoop them out.

Get a skilled fish person to help you, I'm sure someone close to you could help you out if it comes to that.

Snagging corals and stress out the tank is not so good sometimes this takes 10 seconds to do.

Best Fishes

Trying to catch the Tang was not as easy as I thought it was going to be. I tried catching him yesterday when he was really going after the wrasse. I was going to throw him in the fuge for a couple of days. I couldn't even get near him with the net. Even while holding food. So I just gave up. So now I know how to do it. Although I still can't imagine myself hooking one of my "pets". ha ha.

[RMR RaC3R]

get a mirror..
this works wonders. the tang will be so into playing king of the tank, it will see a reflection, go nuts and attack that. keep this going every day for a couple hours and watch the aggression slow down. it will be hunting for its onw reflection rather than your wrasse.

hopefully your wrasse will be hiding and the tang will see the reflection.

worked for me