Help, Flame angel became a menace over night!

[lagatbezan]

Need a little advice. I have had a flame angel and bicolor angel both living in harmony in my 300g for the past two years with no issues. They never even looked twice at each other until the past couple of days where the flame has suddenly become extremely aggressive toward the bicolor. It doesn’t even allow it to come out of its hiding spot. No issues with any of the other fish in the tank. I have gone dark with the lights to try to calm the situation currently.
Catching him is going to be extremely impossible but even if I manage getting him will a few weeks out of the display help when added back in? Anyone experience this or can offer Any advice?

 

[mjreefs]

What are the other tankmates? Was there anything changed in the tank (even something as trivial as feeding, lighting, etc.) that caused it?

 

[lagatbezan]

currently have:
Emperor angel
Queen angel
powder blue tang
purple tang
yellow tang
scopas tang
hippo tang
clown fish
Foxface
racoon butterfly
Heniochus butterfly
Nothing new added or any changes I can think of. I also feed heavily usually 2-3x a day so they are all as fat as can be. they only thing new is I started using carbon in a reactor last week to clear up the water. but I have run it in the past many times with no issues.

 

[mjreefs]

currently have:
Emperor angel
Queen angel
powder blue tang
purple tang
yellow tang
scopas tang
hippo tang
clown fish
Foxface
racoon butterfly
Heniochus butterfly
Nothing new added or any changes I can think of. I also feed heavily usually 2-3x a day so they are all as fat as can be. they only thing new is I started using carbon in a reactor last week to clear up the water. but I have run it in the past many times with no issues.

Hmm odd, but I do remember a post about carbon or maybe water change that resulted in aggression. I have to dig that up.

 

[happyhourhero]

I just trapped 2 dwarf angels in my reef. Wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

 

[OrionN]

I think your Bicolor may have change sex and enraged your residence male Flame angel.
I would remove the Bicolor and consider adding 2 or three female Flame Angel to for harem (or you can remove the Flame and add more Bicolor angels.
In a 300 gal, you shold be able to keep a harem of dwarf Angels. IMO, it is much more intresting to keep breeding units of small fish if you can, rather than one specimen of each species. I like to observer the natural, spawning behavior over looking at the variety of colors.

 

[lagatbezan]

I just trapped 2 dwarf angels in my reef. Wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Okay so I spend over two hours the other night trying to catch either one of them with no lock. The bicolor hides under one of my foundation rocks almost the whole time and gets his A$* whopped every time it even peaks his head out. The Flame just goes between the rocks making it impossible to catch. I setup a trap the other night but so far no luck.

I think your Bicolor may have change sex and enraged your residence male Flame angel.
I would remove the Bicolor and consider adding 2 or three female Flame Angel to for harem (or you can remove the Flame and add more Bicolor angels.
In a 300 gal, you shold be able to keep a harem of dwarf Angels. IMO, it is much more interesting to keep breeding units of small fish if you can, rather than one specimen of each species. I like to observer the natural, spawning behavior over looking at the variety of colors.

I think you are absolutely right here Never thought about it that way. No aggression at all up until a week ago. My first guess was that it was my queen since the flame is usually so careless about anything in the tank but I was wrong.
I was always under the impression that only one of each species should be kept and they will kill each other if there were more. I know there is a way to know with flames which one is male or female, but no way with bicolors right? just get the new ones much smaller in size?
you think I would have the same issue if I take the flame out for a few weeks and then reintroduce back? maybe with a few females at the same time?

 

[OrionN]

You need to set a trap and feed the fish in it. Bait it with an oyster on the 1/2 shell or some nice food like that.
Watch and release the trap door when the fish you want get in it.

 

[lagatbezan]

update:
So I was unable to catch either fish even with a fish trap. I even started feeding food inside the fish trap and every single one of my fish went inside it except the two angels lol and I gave up after a week of trying.
I started feeding extremely heavy and the aggression seems to have gotten a lot better. There is still some chasing going on occasionally but the bicolor just ignores it and stays out of the flames way. The flame is so fat that it looks like it has a hard time swimming sometimes or to keep up with bicolor lol.

 

[Saltyanimals]

Not easy fish to catch. Was one of my last fish that I couldn't catch so I could empty the tank to QT all fish. Ended up having to go nuclear option and removing rock and coral to catch him.