The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Don't worry about the prize. Pass it on to a newb on my behalf. I had an unfair advantage once you gave me the price range and knew it wasn't a tang or a wrasse. I kept in mind you have a reef and that limits the fish vastly. If you would have said the $20-30 range, I would have gone with a Coral Beauty as I had already figured it to be an Angel.

There is a trick I always used that worked very well for my customers and for me when I acclimated fish and the other tank mates were aggressive towards it. Can you catch either of them?
If you can, get a plastic 1/2 gallon container at Walmart, with a lid, sort of like a juice container with a somewhat wide opening. Drill holes all over it to allow water flow. Stick the aggressor in there as he is the most acclimated and hardiest at this point. Place him behind a rock or around a rock so he can feel some comfort. Leave him there for a day or two. He will be the most docile pup ever when he gets out. That will have given the flame ample opportunity to get around the tank, find a home and let the tang see him and not be able to bully him.
In the future, if you can't catch the bully, place the new on in the container and place him against a rock for comfort. All others will come around the container and try to rough it up. In time (a day or so, or more if needed), they will get use to the new fish and leave it alone. You can then release with no problems.
Some may say this stresses the fish. I say it stresses them more to be roughed up and chased all over a new environment.

BTW,
Trick to catching a fish in a reef.

Go to Home Depot and buy a large piece of plexiglass that is tall enough to stick outside of your tank for you to grasp onto it.
Get it wide enough to cover at least 1/3 of the tank going across the front.
Either clamp it to the side wall of the tank or hold it with your hands and try to stay away so the fish don't get scared.
You place it in front of the rocks, leaving ample room between it and the front panel of the tank, creating an area, with the reef closed off/partioned behind it.
Wait a bit for the tank to settle and all to get use to it.
Best to not have fed for a day but go ahead and feed them, letting the food concentrate and stay in that area created by the plexiglass.
Best to drop it right down the front corner of the tank.
They will go in there as they are dumb and hungry.
If a tang, even easier as you just clip some veggie onto the glass and they will go nuts for it.
When the one you want is in there, even if others are in there too, close off the part of the panel that is in the middle of the tank towards the front wall, creating a triangle housing your fish.
Grab a net with the other hand and scoop him out.
Works like a charm as long as they are hungry.