About 10 days ago I added a Hoeven's wrasse to my DT, the fish swam around for a little came face to face with my pygmy angel (about the size of a quarter) and casually burrowed. Fast forward and I've only seen this guy twice, it only comes out in the morning before the lights come on for about 10 seconds each then the damsel comes to investigate. I know my damsel is a jerk but I haven't seen any aggression towards anyone but the angel. I plan on removing the damsel soon because I am worried about wrasse. Only other fish now are a pygmy angel (super tiny and care free) and a firefish. If the wrasse comes out of hiding should I ever re-introduce the damsel or will it be permanently banished like my coral eating blenny?
aggressive fish removal and re-introduction
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nautical_nathaniel
Indecision may or may not be my problem.
The wrasse is still getting used to the tank, as long as it is coming out to eat it will be fine. They take a few days to adjust to a new tank and also need to adjust their sleeping schedule to the lighting schedule of the tank. Eventually the damsel will get over the new wrasse and act normal again. Melanurus wrasses are also pretty tough and eventually it won't be bothered by the damsel at all.
I don't think it is out long enough to eat more than a few pods. It is also possible that its out more than I see. My pompom crab has had one rock its home for almost 2 months and I saw it yesterday on the opposite side of the tank (farthest from where the wrasse has been seen).
nautical_nathaniel
Indecision may or may not be my problem.
If you offer it mysis when it is out swimming around, I'm sure it would start being out more often and when you're home around the tank.
RobZilla04
Well-Known Member
Depending on your preference one thing you can try is adjusting the aquascape. This tends to place all the fish in a sort of "what the heck" state. Now all are trying to adjust rather than just the new addition. On occasion a few pieces of new live rock can accomplish this as well.
There shouldn't be any compatibility issues with those fishes.
Was it eating at the store, or in qt?
What is the tank size, by the way?
Was it eating at the store, or in qt?
What is the tank size, by the way?
I wouldn’t reintroduce damsel. They’re mostly just used for getting tank started. Some have good color and they swim around a lot but they are aggressive. Worst thing that could happen is buy an expensive fish and I️t gets picked on by the 5$ damsel. I’d just remove him permanently or throw him in sump.
eatbreakfast
Fish Nerd
If it were just adjusting to the tank lights and is coming out, the hoevans would be out for awhile, not just 10sec, it's cycle would just be off. The fact that it buries when approached by the damsel is very telling. What kind of damsel is it?
I would say do not worry about it yet. If it was eating at the store then eventually it will get hungry enough to come out for food. When I first added my wrasse, it hid for the for the first three days but from what I read online they can stay buried for up to a month. After the first three days, I noticed that the wrasse came out almost exactly 5 minutes before I fed the tank and it went to bed at almost the same time each day, so if you are not by the tank all day you can easily miss when the fish is out.
eatbreakfast
Fish Nerd
While Halichoeres wrasses can and do stay buried for extended times, that is NOT what is happening here. The OP describes the wrasse as being out briefly. This is a case of the wrasse being intimidated.
The damsel is the one in my avatar. I believe its a Yellow Tail Demoiselle or potentially "regal" (liveaquaria). Right now its in a 40B I realize its on the small size for this fish. After setting it up I quickly realized I really should have just bit the bullet and set up my 90. Also this fish was a PIG at the store out and about with some tangs other wrasses and a Large angel. I have set up a camera just to monitor the situation while at work.
Hmm. It's not the C. parasema yellow tail. Maybe a Pomacentrus of some kind. Hard to tell. Damsels can freak out in smaller tanks. And it's best to know their latin name and make sure you get peaceful ones, like the first one I mentioned.
It seems you may be dealing with tank size/aggression issues. Your 90 gallons really would be much better for the melanurus wrasse as well.
It seems you may be dealing with tank size/aggression issues. Your 90 gallons really would be much better for the melanurus wrasse as well.
If I had to choose the wrasse wins every day. I will attempt to remove the "problem" tonight and see where that gets me. If I can't catch it for a few days should I stay away from water changes or just siphoning the sand to limit stress?
eatbreakfast
Fish Nerd
Yes, it's a Neopomacentrus species. There are a few that look alike. They can get pretty aggressive.
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I think you have your answer there. Get rid of the Damsel or you will be stuck with your current stock. The good news is that your Pygmy Angel will give that Damsel what for when it gets bigger. I agree that the wrasse takes precedence over the Damsel. For the life of me I don't get people's obsession with Damsels, they don't have the color variety of other fish and are in general just dbags. I won't ever put one in my tank, that's for sure.
Never really planned to get a wrasse for this tank until I started reading the wrasse lovers thread. Saw a few different ones at the LFS and then wanted to get an active fish to replace my blenny when it decided to start munching SPS
Forsaken77
Valuable Member
Just be careful siphoning the sand. Some wrasses will immediately dive under the sand when you start cleaning the tank. I accidentally damaged one of my wrasses (lightly) because he was under where I was vacuuming and they move through the sand like a race car. He just happened to be where I first put the syphon down and I squished him a bit.
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That would be the first I have heard of a blenny being a coral muncher.
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