Help! Fish violence during breeding!

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

fishfreak2009

in the fishroom
Jul 12, 2010
91
0
0
Rochester, Michigan
Real Name
Ashton
Help me! I don't know what to do! My tank is a five foot 187 gallon tank. I have a school of five yellow tailed blue damsels, 3 smithi damsels, a bicolor angelfish, a royal gramma, a PJ cardinal, and a pair of true percula clownfish. Yesterday I came home to find the biggest 2 yellowtailed blue damsels laying a batch of eggs behind one of the rocks. I just went downstairs and I found the biggest yellowtailed blue (the one that was guarding the eggs) all chewed up, fins frayed, and bloody patches of missing scales! :swear: I netted him and put him in a quarantine tank, but the clowns were attacking him as he was trying to hide and now they have a clutch of eggs behind the rock were the damsel eggs were. The clowns are being alot more aggressive than they usually are, keeping all the other fish on the left half of the tank. What should I do? Should I just let the clowns keep going at it? I'd really rather not move them. Help Me!
 

greech

AC Moderators
May 13, 2009
4,193
1
38
52
Tallahassee, FL
Real Name
Graham
Are you sure the YTs laid the eggs and they weren't the clowns to start with? You are going to have that kind of aggression when two different sets of fish spawning at the same time. Especially damsels and clowns (aka damsels with racing stripes). Unless you want to tear apart your tank and stress everything out to catch whatever fish you would want to remove, you're probably best to leave things be. I might not reintroduce the damsel once it heals up.

The only other thing I can think of is trying to set up some type of tank divider. Good luck. Pretty cool you have all that going though.
 

fishfreak2009

in the fishroom
Jul 12, 2010
91
0
0
Rochester, Michigan
Real Name
Ashton
positive it was the yellow tailed blue damsels first, I came downstairs yesterday and saw them actually laying the eggs on the wall. I think it is because that is usually where the clowns lay their eggs. I was extremely excited. I guess I'm just going to leave it be, but when the damsel heals up I'll reintroduce him (hopefully around the same time as the tank redo, because I found out I'm going to get at least $45 in November at a 4 hour job thing, plus my birthday present in November). I also managed to find dry aragonite at $17.00 for 30 lbs. at a LFS.
 

greech

AC Moderators
May 13, 2009
4,193
1
38
52
Tallahassee, FL
Real Name
Graham
If the "tank redo" includes rearranging the rock work that might help too. Not sure if the clowns have an anemone but that might help too (provided your tank can support one).
 

fishfreak2009

in the fishroom
Jul 12, 2010
91
0
0
Rochester, Michigan
Real Name
Ashton
Unfortunately, the little guy did not make the night :shakehead: I don't know if I would consider this good or bad, but the snails did get all the eggs last night.

They don't have an anemone yet, but when the tank is redone they will be getting one as I will be upgrading to halides (probably 2, 400 watt bulbs). As for the rock being rearranged, all of it will be coming out because the crushed coral bottom is being replaced with aragonite. Plus the tank will have to be completely drained, dismantled, moved, and set back up so I know the rockwork will look different.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store