How Long Does It Take Fish To Forget?

[VictorMeldrew]

Hi all

I added a large sailfin tang and a lipstick tang to my tank yesterday and my super aggressive yellow tang who thinks it is boss started attacking the lipstick non stop and was no doubt going to kill it very soon (it killed another tang i added a while back) so in a mad panic I pulled the reef apart to catch the YT and put it in my nano tank. I have rescaped but am still worried that the YT will still regonise parts of the tank. How long should I leave the YT in the nano before putting it back in. I was thinking a couple of weeks but am not sure, what do you think?

Thanks
VM

 

[ben1987]

im not sure mate, i would say a week or so

 

[VictorMeldrew]

Hi Ben, I think you might be right mate, I do not want to leave it to long and then end up with the lipstick taking over the tank and then having problems that way aswell, nightmere adding fish is'nt it.

 

[SkiFletch]

Can be a real pain adding them especially when some get established and aggressive. I'd say at least a week but if the Tang is doing OK in the nano, I might push it to two

 

[VictorMeldrew]

Hi Ski

It seems very happy in the little tank, just him and a firefish so i will see how it goes i suppose.

Why can't they just get on

 

[jtnova13]

I had a fish one time who would take over the tank no matter how many times i aquascaped. Some fish are just like that.

You may have to buy a new yellow tang, but i hope your aquascaping will solve the problem!

Sucks it's a reef tank, or i'd say you could aquascape and run it with the lights off for about a week with the YT in and see if he forgets his territory.

That was a common trick for freshwater!