Purple tang aggression towards new additions

[tundraguy1106]

Hey so I have a purple tang in my DT. He’s approximately 4-5” not aggressive at all towards any other tank mates. I just added a new magnificent Foxface and a half black tang. He was really beating up on the tang. I already have a mirror taped to the tang which keeps my Kole tang occupied but the purple was just aggressively beating up on the tiny half black mimic. I

I captured the purple and currently have him in an acclimation box inside of the DT. I did have the Foxface and mimic in the acclimation box for over a week and still didn’t help.

should I pull the purple and place in my hospital tank for a little while and the. Reintroduce? Not sure what my other options are besides selling him off which I have zero desire to do.

fish in my tank (120 gallon 4x2x2) 40 gallon sump
Pair of clowns
Pair of royal grammas
Pair of bellus angels
Leopard wrasse
Randali gobe
Golden Midas blenny
Magnificent foxface
Mimic tang (half black)
Purple tang
Mystery wrasse

 

[Uncle99]

At the end of the day, they have to work it out, one way or another for order to once again exist.
Bumping flashing and all that display stuff is OK while the new order is established, but biting and constant harassment is not.

 

[tundraguy1106]

At the end of the day, they have to work it out, one way or another for order to once again exist.
Bumping flashing and all that display stuff is OK while the new order is established, but biting and constant harassment is not.

They were some mean whips enough to leave marks. I understand what you’re saying but the significant size difference is what concerns me. The half black is 2.5-3” at best. I feel the purple would have no issues coming back into the DT after the new guys are established. Just my thought process. Always Appreciate the input.

 

[i cant think]

Hey so I have a purple tang in my DT. He’s approximately 4-5” not aggressive at all towards any other tank mates. I just added a new magnificent Foxface and a half black tang. He was really beating up on the tang. I already have a mirror taped to the tang which keeps my Kole tang occupied but the purple was just aggressively beating up on the tiny half black mimic. I

I captured the purple and currently have him in an acclimation box inside of the DT. I did have the Foxface and mimic in the acclimation box for over a week and still didn’t help.

should I pull the purple and place in my hospital tank for a little while and the. Reintroduce? Not sure what my other options are besides selling him off which I have zero desire to do.

fish in my tank (120 gallon 4x2x2) 40 gallon sump
Pair of clowns
Pair of royal grammas
Pair of bellus angels
Leopard wrasse
Randali gobe
Golden Midas blenny
Magnificent foxface
Mimic tang (half black)
Purple tang
Mystery wrasse

I do have to say that’s a rather heavily stocked 4’ tank. I’m really not surprised at the aggression.

Unfortunately you will eventually have to sell off some of those fish (most likely one of the two angels, The mimic tang and the Purple as well). Purely because they all get large, aggressive and will need swimming room. Once you have the aggressive tang, it doesn’t get better at all and remains aggressive.

And in a 4’ tank the only tang that will actually live in the tank size forever is a Ctenochaetus species (not the Striatus or Chevron). The Angel is again, the same story and only one will really be able to stay with you long term.

P.S. When I say it seems heavily stocked, I mean it seems you have many large fish for this tank size. I have the same size tank with 13 fish in it however there are only 3 that will get into the range of 8” and 2 of those three generally max out closer to 6 inches. All my other fish will stay in the 2-4 inch range. Here’s an FTS of my tank so you get an idea of the swim room I try to keep open as well as the territory.

 

[FIN&BONEZ]

I would try to trade him for a smaller one, time outs don't usually help a bully once they develop that mindset. Especially a purple.

 

[tundraguy1106]

I would try to trade him for a smaller one, time outs don't usually help a bully once they develop that mindset. Especially a purple.

Do they develop a mind set in an hour?

 

[i cant think]

Do they develop a mind set in an hour?

They can yes, I’ve seen fish that behaved incredibly for years just ‘snap’ within what seems like just a few minutes.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

They can yes, I’ve seen fish that behaved incredibly for years just ‘snap’ within what seems like just a few minutes.

This. My tomini was totally peaceful until I introduced a baby yellow tang. Even though the yellow was only 1.5" roughly and the tomini was about 5", AND the yellow was in an acclimation box for 2 weeks, the tomini still went after it pretty hard. It even started going after my flame hawkfish. Like it got irritated and just grumpy very fast. The tangs did eventually get along but only after upgrading to a much larger tank.

 

[tundraguy1106]

This. My tomini was totally peaceful until I introduced a baby yellow tang. Even though the yellow was only 1.5" roughly and the tomini was about 5", AND the yellow was in an acclimation box for 2 weeks, the tomini still went after it pretty hard. It even started going after my flame hawkfish. Like it got irritated and just grumpy very fast. The tangs did eventually get along but only after upgrading to a much larger tank.

Purple is in my frag tank now. The mimic died shortly after this post and after I pulled the purple, my one leopard wrasse that I’ve had for years was dead on the sand half eaten in a few hours. What a chain of events!

 

[exnisstech]

I added a half black mimic less than a year ago and it did not end well. This was in a 6ft 180g with quite a bit of rock and caves. I ran the mimic through QT, heathy, eating etc. I introduced the mimic just after lights out with room lighting on so the tank wasn't totally dark. My purple attacked the mimic and chased it into a cave. Unfortunately it was a cave with a single entrance / exit. I no longer have any of those. I now try to have a large entrance and a smaller exit so smaller fish can escape and the larger bully can't follow. Anyway my 6" purple trapped the mimic in the cave. I figure hey its lights out so let them calm down overnight and see how things go in the morning and I go to bed with all lights in the room out. I never saw the mimic again. Not a glimpse of it or even any remains. Gotta love a good clean up crew right? Fast forward to a few months ago I found a 3-4" Hawaiian yellow tang that came into my lfs on trade. I lost my two that I had to a velvet outbreak last year so I'm pumped. I buy it and bring it home and into QT is goes. A few days later I go back to the lfs and they have another yellow that came in from a tank tear down. Now I'm supper pumped and of course I buy it and into QT it goes. QT went great. Both fish in a single tank with a eggcrate divider but now its time to introduce them to the DT. After thinking things over I decided to pull the purple and put him in timeout in a tank I keep running in the basement for misfits and trouble makers. I then brought the two yellows over. My naso accepted them without so much as a tail smack. My hippo not so much. She was a butthead but got over it after a day or two. My convict on the other hand tail smacked them for days. Poor guy is not too bright and doesn't realize he doesn't have a scalpel. Back on track, sorry. I brought the purple back up after 2 weeks and things have been fine ever since. So IMO timeouts removing the aggressive resident can work.

The tang gang

 

[tundraguy1106]

I added a half black mimic less than a year ago and it did not end well. This was in a 6ft 180g with quite a bit of rock and caves. I ran the mimic through QT, heathy, eating etc. I introduced the mimic just after lights out with room lighting on so the tank wasn't totally dark. My purple attacked the mimic and chased it into a cave. Unfortunately it was a cave with a single entrance / exit. I no longer have any of those. I now try to have a large entrance and a smaller exit so smaller fish can escape and the larger bully can't follow. Anyway my 6" purple trapped the mimic in the cave. I figure hey its lights out so let them calm down overnight and see how things go in the morning and I go to bed with all lights in the room out. I never saw the mimic again. Not a glimpse of it or even any remains. Gotta love a good clean up crew right? Fast forward to a few months ago I found a 3-4" Hawaiian yellow tang that came into my lfs on trade. I lost my two that I had to a velvet outbreak last year so I'm pumped. I buy it and bring it home and into QT is goes. A few days later I go back to the lfs and they have another yellow that came in from a tank tear down. Now I'm supper pumped and of course I buy it and into QT it goes. QT went great. Both fish in a single tank with a eggcrate divider but now its time to introduce them to the DT. After thinking things over I decided to pull the purple and put him in timeout in a tank I keep running in the basement for misfits and trouble makers. I then brought the two yellows over. My naso accepted them without so much as a tail smack. My hippo not so much. She was a butthead but got over it after a day or two. My convict on the other hand tail smacked them for days. Poor guy is not too bright and doesn't realize he doesn't have a scalpel. Back on track, sorry. I brought the purple back up after 2 weeks and things have been fine ever since. So IMO timeouts removing the aggressive resident can work.

At this point, there should be no reaso the purple can’t come back. It’s only the Foxface which I’ve been told should have zero issues with tangs. Maybe I’ll give it a try in a week. I want the Foxface healed up fully. His dorsal spine is still missing some flesh.

 

[i cant think]

Purple is in my frag tank now. The mimic died shortly after this post and after I pulled the purple, my one leopard wrasse that I’ve had for years was dead on the sand half eaten in a few hours. What a chain of events!

I’ll put any bet that your mystery wrasse has matured and ended up killing the leopard.

You could reintroduce the purple however I would still sell it off. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to add any new fish into the tank after the purple is reintroduced. Your tank just isn’t large enough for a tang outside of Ctenochaetus.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

I’ll put any bet that your mystery wrasse has matured and ended up killing the leopard.

You could reintroduce the purple however I would still sell it off. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to add any new fish into the tank after the purple is reintroduced. Your tank just isn’t large enough for a tang outside of Ctenochaetus.

Wait do mystery wrasses have a tendency to become aggressive to other wrasses? Maybe I won't consider the one at my lfs... hmm...

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

I added a half black mimic less than a year ago and it did not end well. This was in a 6ft 180g with quite a bit of rock and caves. I ran the mimic through QT, heathy, eating etc. I introduced the mimic just after lights out with room lighting on so the tank wasn't totally dark. My purple attacked the mimic and chased it into a cave. Unfortunately it was a cave with a single entrance / exit. I no longer have any of those. I now try to have a large entrance and a smaller exit so smaller fish can escape and the larger bully can't follow. Anyway my 6" purple trapped the mimic in the cave. I figure hey its lights out so let them calm down overnight and see how things go in the morning and I go to bed with all lights in the room out. I never saw the mimic again. Not a glimpse of it or even any remains. Gotta love a good clean up crew right? Fast forward to a few months ago I found a 3-4" Hawaiian yellow tang that came into my lfs on trade. I lost my two that I had to a velvet outbreak last year so I'm pumped. I buy it and bring it home and into QT is goes. A few days later I go back to the lfs and they have another yellow that came in from a tank tear down. Now I'm supper pumped and of course I buy it and into QT it goes. QT went great. Both fish in a single tank with a eggcrate divider but now its time to introduce them to the DT. After thinking things over I decided to pull the purple and put him in timeout in a tank I keep running in the basement for misfits and trouble makers. I then brought the two yellows over. My naso accepted them without so much as a tail smack. My hippo not so much. She was a butthead but got over it after a day or two. My convict on the other hand tail smacked them for days. Poor guy is not too bright and doesn't realize he doesn't have a scalpel. Back on track, sorry. I brought the purple back up after 2 weeks and things have been fine ever since. So IMO timeouts removing the aggressive resident can work.

The tang gang

Ok off topic, but I love your background and that bubble coral is amazing! I was going to do a background like that for a cichlid tank. Still might, lol.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Purple is in my frag tank now. The mimic died shortly after this post and after I pulled the purple, my one leopard wrasse that I’ve had for years was dead on the sand half eaten in a few hours. What a chain of events!

That's awful, sorry to hear! I don't know that I'd reintroduce that purple honestly...

 

[vetteguy53081]

Purple tend to be Very uninviting and is my tank jerk. I always suggest to make it the last addition to your tank.

 

[exnisstech]

Ok off topic, but I love your background and that bubble coral is amazing! I was going to do a background like that for a cichlid tank. Still might, lol.

Thanks. That tank actually used to house South American cichlids. I just left the background in since I wasn't drilling the tank. The bubble is my oldest coral. Starting its 8th year under my care.

 

[i cant think]

Wait do mystery wrasses have a tendency to become aggressive to other wrasses? Maybe I won't consider the one at my lfs... hmm...

Any wrasse in the genus Pseudocheilinus is known for being aggressive and when they are, they tend to not stop until the fish they’re chasing is dead.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Thanks. That tank actually used to house South American cichlids. I just left the background in since I wasn't drilling the tank. The bubble is my oldest coral. Starting its 8th year under my care.

That's awesome!

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Any wrasse in the genus Pseudocheilinus is known for being aggressive and when they are, they tend to not stop until the fish they’re chasing is dead.

Didn't realize they were in the same genus as the notorious six line, lol - makes sense. I don't want to chance anyone beating up on my melanurus. He's one of my top 2 most peaceful fish, so don't want to stress him. I'm sure I asked this before, but a fairy wrasse would probably be ok to add? The orange back specifically is the one I'm drawn to.