Fish Unwelcoming To New Tank Mate

[RWH1986]

I recently purchased a Pearlscale Butterfly to go along with my Yellow Tang and Clown Fish. However the tang every so often will become aggressive towards the butterfly and chase it around the tank. I tried everything that I could think of i.e. rearranging all my rocks, introduce with lights off and fed before introduction however I don't think those have helped. The tang has never acted this way to other new inhabitants until this one. What should I do or is there anything that I should try that I haven't yet?

[Oppee]

Maybe worth a try is to put the tang in qt for a couple weeks let the butterfly set up a territory then reintroduce the tang. I have not kept a yellow in a long time but when i did he had a problem with a long nose butterfly i introduced i ended up re homing the tang.

[Maaka]

What Oppee said has worked for me too, but I would still rearrange the rock just to be sure.

If you don't want the go that route you can try to catch the tang and get it out of the tank, then rearrange the rock. That has worked for me with an aggressive dottyback in the past. only had the dottyback out of the tank for 10 minutes and when i put it back in it was shy as could be. But your tank might be smarter than my dottyback lol.

[Shaummy]

How big is the tank? Is there sufficient room for them to get away from each other for a while?

Does the aggression only happen when they get close to a particular area that the tang has adopted as it's own?

[sponger0]

Keep in mind Yellow tangs have been known to be an aggressor

[RWH1986]

How big is the tank? Is there sufficient room for them to get away from each other for a while?

Does the aggression only happen when they get close to a particular area that the tang has adopted as it's own?

Currently I have a 29gal which I only keep about 2-3 fish. They tend to find hiding spots away from each other I rearranged the rocks relocating the tangs cave that he favors but the tang will pick on him all over the tank. I am considering rearranging the rocks without the tang in the tank doing away with the cave formation to see if that might help.

[Sk8r]

The tang is way crowded: that's why he's panicking and attacking. That fish needs about a hundred gallons around him to quiet down. A 30 gallon is way too small for what you're trying to keep: concentrate on blennies and gobies, royal gramma, pearly jawfish, that size fish, and you will not have these troubles.

[MrTuskfish]

The tang is way crowded: that's why he's panicking and attacking. That fish needs about a hundred gallons around him to quiet down. A 30 gallon is way too small for what you're trying to keep: concentrate on blennies and gobies, royal gramma, pearly jawfish, that size fish, and you will not have these troubles.

Sure. The hobby will be a lot more fun if you research fish before buying. YTs are aggressive fish and the cramped quarters make the aggression much worse. Your tank is nowhere near big enough for any tang or any butterfly fish; keeping both is making it even worse.

[sponger0]

Agree with sk8r and Mr Tusk. Find the yellow tang a new home.

[Shaummy]

+1 more with the rest of the folks here. You can have these fish co-exist provided they have enough space to get away from each other for a while.

Even if it's for a small amount of time, aggression will subside for that moment, and may not flare up the next time they swim by each other. With 29gal of space..they are nose to nose essentially all the time, and unlikely any amount of rock (or re-arranging) is going to calm that situation down.

Sorry...but you will likely have to choose who stays and who goes...but ultimately tangs really need the swimming room eventually..even if they are small now...