My foxface needs an attitude adjustment.

[SallyWho]

My previous post was about a couple of missing fish. I'm now convinced they are really good and gone- I should have seen them during a major cleaning and I didn't. So now all I have is a one spot foxface who is easily 5" long, and whom I strongly suspect is guilty in the deaths of my coris wrasse and firefish. I just this past week added the clown pair that I've had in QT. But this son of a jackal is being a jerkwad (how creative with insults can I get without triggering the profanity filter? ;Joyful ) and keeps them pinned in a small corner. I had planned on adding some anthias next, but with the loss of my wrasse I was thinking of getting another coris wrasse to replace Sassafras the Wrasse. However, should I instead throw a wrench in my stocking plans and add one of the semi-aggressive fish on my stock list (yellow eye kole tang, and dwarf flame angel) next instead? I think I need a fish that can put my gaping sphincter of a foxface in his place, or at least stand up to him. What are your thoughts? Will adding a semi-aggressive fish to adjust my spiny monster's attitude shoot me in the foot later when I do want to add other less aggressive fish like anthias and whatnot? Would I need to add both the tang and the dwarf angel simultaneously to keep one from establishing a territory?

 

[Murica]

My previous post was about a couple of missing fish. I'm now convinced they are really good and gone- I should have seen them during a major cleaning and I didn't. So now all I have is a one spot foxface who is easily 5" long, and whom I strongly suspect is guilty in the deaths of my coris wrasse and firefish. I just this past week added the clown pair that I've had in QT. But this son of a jackal is being a jerkwad (how creative with insults can I get without triggering the profanity filter? ;Joyful ) and keeps them pinned in a small corner. I had planned on adding some anthias next, but with the loss of my wrasse I was thinking of getting another coris wrasse to replace Sassafras the Wrasse. However, should I instead throw a wrench in my stocking plans and add one of the semi-aggressive fish on my stock list (yellow eye kole tang, and dwarf flame angel) next instead? I think I need a fish that can put my gaping sphincter of a foxface in his place, or at least stand up to him. What are your thoughts? Will adding a semi-aggressive fish to adjust my spiny monster's attitude shoot me in the foot later when I do want to add other less aggressive fish like anthias and whatnot? Would I need to add both the tang and the dwarf angel simultaneously to keep one from establishing a territory?

To be honest, it’s really hit or miss. Adding aggressive fish last is always the better option, but what works for 100 people may not work for you.

How big is your tank and what’s your current livestock list? Your foxface May submit with another aggressive fish in there, but it could also lead to many other problems to include stressing the inhabitants out. The biggest cause for fish aggression is territory infringement. Depending on the fish, you can add whatever you want but if it’s in their territory, they may always attack.

The mirror trick works great, but that’s usually for new additions. May be worth a try though

 

[Crabs McJones]

Sorry to hear about your loss I have a fox face and she’s an absolute coward. Messes with nobody. But each fish have their own personality I have a yellow, kole, and a tomini and the three get along famously. Add the fish in at night after your foxface has already gone to its sleeping spot. Might help.

 

[SallyWho]

To be honest, it’s really hit or miss. Adding aggressive fish last is always the better option, but what works for 100 people may not work for you.

How big is your tank and what’s your current livestock list? Your foxface May submit with another aggressive fish in there, but it could also lead to many other problems to include stressing the inhabitants out. The biggest cause for fish aggression is territory infringement. Depending on the fish, you can add whatever you want but if it’s in their territory, they may always attack.

The mirror trick works great, but that’s usually for new additions. May be worth a try though

It's a 120g (4x2x2), and at the time of the crime, it was just the foxface, the firefish, and the yellow coris wrasse. The firefish hid 95% of the time anyway, and the wrasse ignored the other two. For about a week or so, it was just the foxface in there, and then I added the clown pair in the evening. So there's just the three of them in that 120g. I know if I added a semi aggressive fish there would be some squabbling, but it might straighten the foxface out. But there are other fish I want to add, too, and I'd hate to jeopardize all that. :/ Total eventual list would hopefully be the clown pair, the foxface, some anthias (specific species pending), a couple wrasses, the tang, the dwarf angel, and the mandarin. Do you think that's too much for a 120g?

 

[Murica]

No, i don’t. Hmmm are your parameters in check? The fox face eating ok? That’s weird, they’re usually not that problematic

 

[SallyWho]

My parameters were okay last week when I tested- zero ammonia, zero nitrites, zero nitrates, 0.08 phos. Still battling cyano, so trying to ease my nitrates up a smidge while keeping phosphates steady. And he eats like a pig! Pellets, nori sheets on a clip, and a frozen mysis and spirulina mix. The clowns are still getting settled in (and trying to find a spot where the foxface will leave them alone), so I have to kind of target feed them with a turkey baster to make sure they get something, but they are eating. The foxface likes to get within 6" of the pair, usually below them, but then just hover there, tilted sideways to stare them down, while changing colors and flaring his spikes until they move somewhere else.

 

[Jesterrace]

How long has the foxface been in there? If it's a well established fish that has gone some time without new additions then this is possible. My One Spot has basically ignored my new Lyretail Anthias addition (although my Coral Beauty has given it a bit of a hard time). I concur on the mirror to help keep the Foxface occupied.

 

[SallyWho]

The firefish was the first addition, and the foxface and coris wrasse were added simultaneously a month later about a year ago. I don't know what might have caused it to become a bully. I do have a small mirror, and will hang it tomorrow to see if it'll keep him occupied for a bit! Thanks, guys!

 

[JumboShrimp]

My One-Spot Foxface is a sissy. Hides, and stays a frightened, pale shade of yellow all the time. I've had him at least a year, maybe more, and he's my least favorite fish. Boo-Hiss.

 

[minus9]

You can try and give the foxface a time out in an acclimation box or QT? You can also move you scape around to change the setting before you reintroduce it back into the display, this sometimes works? (if you can?) My one spot is even bigger than yours and he’s a model citizen in my 90g. He hangs with the yellow tang and usually scurries to the back of the tank when I approach.
A friend is moving and setting up a larger tank, so he’ll move to his forever home soon, probably with his yellow buddy.
I would avoid adding an aggressive fish to tame another aggressive fish. As mentioned above, this could lead to even more issues and more unhappiness.
Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[KrisReef]

The only way to deal with your Foxface is with a net. Your description, if it is accurate is of a fish that will dominate almost any other fish you add unless you add a 7" Panther grouper or something similar with a mouth big enough to engulf that yellow spawn of the devil.

So the net can be used to chase and harass the yellow fish around the tank or just remove it. I use my hand to pursue wayward fishes at home and the fish in my tank live in fear of the hand. Once the hand has established dominance amongst the fish then the hand can request that evil fish like your yellow spawn behave. If they don't learn, then the net removes the offender and they never come back. Removing a fish has a chilling impact upon the fish that are left behind. ( I think they figure the missing fish was eaten?)

I have a pair of maroon clowns, the female is just starting to mature. I moved their anemone rock this evening, she thought about attacking the hand but she has been trained since the hand put her and her mate in the tank that the hand is the law. She did not bite, she was a good fish and I told her thank you as I removed the hand from the tank.

So, with your wayward spiked demon, you can't put your hand in a tank with a poisonous spiked fish without serious risk to your hand, so the net has to chase the fish around and establish order or the net will have to remove the offender if you want to have control of your 120.

Fish can be tamed, trained, and taught to coexist but you have to set the rules for them or else they will dominate in the order of their own choosing. Net that Foxface for the good of the order.

 

[codycolina707]

My previous post was about a couple of missing fish. I'm now convinced they are really good and gone- I should have seen them during a major cleaning and I didn't. So now all I have is a one spot foxface who is easily 5" long, and whom I strongly suspect is guilty in the deaths of my coris wrasse and firefish. I just this past week added the clown pair that I've had in QT. But this son of a jackal is being a jerkwad (how creative with insults can I get without triggering the profanity filter? ;Joyful ) and keeps them pinned in a small corner. I had planned on adding some anthias next, but with the loss of my wrasse I was thinking of getting another coris wrasse to replace Sassafras the Wrasse. However, should I instead throw a wrench in my stocking plans and add one of the semi-aggressive fish on my stock list (yellow eye kole tang, and dwarf flame angel) next instead? I think I need a fish that can put my gaping sphincter of a foxface in his place, or at least stand up to him. What are your thoughts? Will adding a semi-aggressive fish to adjust my spiny monster's attitude shoot me in the foot later when I do want to add other less aggressive fish like anthias and whatnot? Would I need to add both the tang and the dwarf angel simultaneously to keep one from establishing a territory?

Not sure how well it will work I got a really aggressive kole tang and had the same idea added a scopas about twice his size they fought for a day pretty hard and calmed down but every once in awhile the kole tang would chase the scopas around until he killed him or at least sure he killed him found stuck in rocks dead one morning now hes back to attack my diamond goby and lawnmower blenny have a mirror up which hes been attacking the last 2 days take it down and about 30 mins later hes back to going crazy

 

[najer]

I would remove the ff, sounds like it needs to go play with some big fish to me.

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Are you using an acclimation box when you introduce new fish? My Foxface is a model citizen, but my Clarkii Clownfish aren’t named Bonnie and Clyde for nothing. They ATE the eyeball off a Columbian Shark resulting in its death and pretty much spend hours chasing any new additions. Using an acclimation box ensured that my next Columbian Shark, a White Tail Bristletooth tang and a Melanarus Wrasse weren’t harassed to death when release into the tank. I kept them in the box for anywhere from 3 days to a week depending on how much interest the clowns showed. When they got bored I released the new fish.

If you look on Amazon, there is a critter keeper that has vented sides. It’s nice and big, the vents give it plenty of flow, and it costs about $15. I use a Mag Float to attach it to the side of the tank near the top so it’s easy to feed the occupants. It could be used as fish jail too.