Royal gramma aggression towards firefish

[yOyOYoo]

Our royal gramma bullied and chased our red firefish repeatedly until the firefish jumped through the 1/4” mesh lid and died. I have a feeling we cannot add another red firefish again. Our royal gramma has no issues with our yellow coris wrasse.

Do you think it would be safe to try adding a purple firefish? Photo of the bully:

 

[John Neuzil]

Our royal gramma bullied and chased our red firefish repeatedly until the firefish jumped through the 1/4” mesh lid and died. I have a feeling we cannot add another red firefish again. Our royal gramma has no issues with our yellow coris wrasse.

Do you think it would be safe to try adding a purple firefish? Photo of the bully:

Gramma can be monsters. Note firefish and gobies will indeed jump right through 1/4". I had to change to 1/8"

 

[The Ugly Phase]

up 2 you but it will probs play out the same

 

[Tahoe61]

Similar body shapes and coloration may lead to aggression. Royal gramma are one on my favorite fish. They can be territorial, a breeder box is a good tool.

 

[yOyOYoo]

Our royal gramma bullied and chased our red firefish repeatedly until the firefish jumped through the 1/4” mesh lid and died. I have a feeling we cannot add another red firefish again. Our royal gramma has no issues with our yellow coris wrasse.

Do you think it would be safe to try adding a purple firefish? Photo of the bully:

Gramma can be monsters. Note firefish and gobies will indeed jump right through 1/4". I had to change to 1/8"

Wow didn’t know I could get a net with 1/8” openings. Does it block light / reduce PAR?

 

[John Neuzil]

Wow didn’t know I could get a net with 1/8” openings. Does it block light / reduce PAR?

Not to any meaningful extent than 1/4" does. I got it from brs

 

[yOyOYoo]

Similar body shapes and coloration may lead to aggression. Royal gramma are one on my favorite fish. They can be territorial, a breeder box is a good tool.

I do have an acclimation box but there’s no way I can catch this fish, it’s too fast and already has an established hole in the rock it has claimed.

Would putting a new fish in the acclimation box help to reduce aggression? Or just stress out the fish in the box?

 

[MDahms]

Royal Gramma usually find a cave and then stake out a territory around that and defend it. Was your Firefish able to have its own place, a cave or hole and area to hover in the water column near by that wasn’t encroaching on the Royal Grammms territory?
I keep a Royal Gramma with a Firefish and four other Dartfish and they are fine but they have room to have their own respective territories. If you can’t offer that by adding or changing up your rock scape then it’s likely any new fish will be noticed by the Gramma and end up being stressed. Sometimes their territorial display is short lived and last only a day or two but that can still be enough to cause a new fish to jump or be stressed.

 

[yOyOYoo]

Royal Gramma usually find a cave and then stake out a territory around that and defend it. Was your Firefish able to have its own place, a cave or hole and area to hover in the water column near by that wasn’t encroaching on the Royal Grammms territory?
I keep a Royal Gramma with a Firefish and four other Dartfish and they are fine but they have room to have their own respective territories. If you can’t offer that by adding or changing up your rock scape then it’s likely any new fish will be noticed by the Gramma and end up being stressed. Sometimes their territorial display is short lived and last only a day or two but that can still be enough to cause a new fish to jump or be stressed.

Our firefish definitely had a place far from the royal gramma’s preferred cave. The firefish slept on the sand at the opposite end of the tank. Just kept getting chased around until it jumped .

 

[MDahms]

That’s very unusual for a Firefish or any Dartfish to sleep in the open. They prefer to have a tunnel in the sand under a rock or some other secure place to take refuge. Maybe you just need to add more rock to help make a place for that type of fish.

 

[Bear22]

I my tank the Exquisite Fire Fish is the boss of the Royal Gramma.

 

[yOyOYoo]

That’s very unusual for a Firefish or any Dartfish to sleep in the open. They prefer to have a tunnel in the sand under a rock or some other secure place to take refuge. Maybe you just need to add more rock to help make a place for that type of fish.

Yea he slept on the sand for the 4-5 months I had it. There is a bunch of dragon’s breath in that area that provided some seclusion.