Catching aggressive Yellow Candy Hogfish

phillygeeks · Sep 30, 2017

I have an established Yellow Candy Hogfish and recently added a Melanarus Wrasse. The Hogfish has been peaceful with other inhabitants. However, it is quite aggressive toward the Melanarus Wrasse. It is not an incessant badgering that the wrasse cannot eat or have some peaceful times, but it is to the point the wrasse I'm sure will not survive over time. That being said I would like to catch the hogfish and donate or trade. I tried placing some mysis shrimp in a plastic bottle trap which didn't work.

Any advice on catching the fish or lessening the aggression?

Maritimer · Sep 30, 2017

Have you tried placing a mirror at one end of the tank?

The hogfish is likely to focus on the immediate "threat" of what appears to be another hogfish in the tank, and will have less attention to devote to the melanurus.

~Bruce

phillygeeks · Sep 30, 2017

Much appreciated. I will give that a shot and see how it pans out

Salty1962 · Sep 30, 2017

If the mirror doesn't work, AquaMedic's fish catcher has saved me more than once before. Leave it in the tank for 3-4 days and feed from it before trying to catch it.

JAWS 32 · Oct 1, 2017

I had a candy hogfish, who for almost 4 years was fine in the tank w/ everyone, then all of a sudden he became a terror. He decided he did not like my chalk bass and had him living in a rock ( I thought he died because I hadn't seen him in months, then one day I noticed a pair of eyes in one of my rocks, so I started to watch the rock and saw that every time the chalk bass tried to come, the hogfish would bee line it over to the rock and stay there for a good couple of minutes, watching to make sure he didn't come out). He started picking on a few other fish as well. I was planning on how I was going to take him out and then I saw him go into the rock he used to sleep in and I swooped in the tank and grabbed the rock out and put it in a bucket of water. I had to jiggle the rock a little, but he came out and off to the LFS he went. He happily resides in one of their reef tanks. He was a great fish before that, always out and about too.

phillygeeks · Oct 1, 2017

Salty1962 said:
If the mirror doesn't work, AquaMedic's fish catcher has saved me more than once before. Leave it in the tank for 3-4 days and feed from it before trying to catch it.

Seems like a good tool to have. I may just try this anyway

JAWS 32 said:
I was planning on how I was going to take him out and then I saw him go into the rock he used to sleep in and I swooped in the tank and grabbed the rock out and put it in a bucket of water. I had to jiggle the rock a little, but he came out and off to the LFS he went. He happily resides in one of their reef tanks. He was a great fish before that, always out and about too.

I'm happy that worked for you. It seems like an intimidating task for me

JAWS 32 · Oct 1, 2017

I tried the mirror as well. I thought I was good because he continuously would hit the glass where the mirror was determined to get his reflection, but that lasted only a few days. And he was still terrorizing the tank. His reflection didn't hide or swim away in fear from him, so I guess he moved on. I got lucky just having to remove two rocks to get to him. Once before I had an ultra aggressive wrasse that had to come out ,and I had no other choice but to remove ALL of my rock (and I have over 200lbs of LR) only for him to dive in the sand and I didn't know where he went. I had to put all the rock back and then stalk the tank to see where in went in the sand. I saw his hiding spot and out came the rocks again, and I had my kids holding giant nets across the tank, my husband with the flashlight, while I poked the sand where he went. He jumped superfast out of the sand and straight into the net, and off to the LFS he went.. It was not fun all and since then, I ordered a fish trap, which I hope never to have to use. It totally stinks having to remove a fish. Good luck!