Buffering Bullies: How do you deal with bullies in your tank?

[AlyciaMarie]

Sometimes, despite our best efforts and planning, bullying can happen in our seemingly happy tanks. Some fish are more prone to territorial or aggressive behaviors, while others are more prone to taking the brunt of the frustration. Even "peaceful" fish can sour at times! But is it possible for the tank bullies to have a change of heart? Let's discuss it!

We should try to be as proactive as possible when introducing these fish with anger issues into our tanks, but when the sand hits the fan...
How do you deal with bullies in your tank?

 

[Dburr1014]

I've never dealt with a bully but I'm starting to add wrasse now. I have a melanurus in QT. I've heard they can be bullies to new acquired fish or new wrasse. We will see...

 

[stewy14]

chose other:
I love my bully, its the fish I had from the start...
hes killed fish
ummmmm...
he's commited assault and battery
so
I kinda just scold him
but what am I supposed to do in such a small tank?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a purple tang and blue jaw trigger in sump right now and has been three weeks. My message to them- " This is my tank- not yours" and you can chase your reflection, not my collection

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I am thankful we deal with no reefing bullies in our tank. Except for our snail, sometimes he bulldozes coral.

 

[Dburr1014]

Oh, i forgot about my blue legged hermit. I banished him to the sump well over a year ago. He kept killing my turbo snails. He's the last blue leg I own and he's getting big and old. I now have a couple scarlet's.

 

[Slocke]

None of the above. I have the sunshine and rainbows tank for all the peace loving hippy fish. And the dragons den tank full of all the ______.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

I haven’t tried this, I always used a Mirror. I had someone tell me the Mirror wasn’t working, so they dropped an Air-stone in the Aquarium. Stopped the Aggression immediately, they just slowly reduced the Air.

 

[MnFish1]

Sometimes, despite our best efforts and planning, bullying can happen in our seemingly happy tanks. Some fish are more prone to territorial or aggressive behaviors, while others are more prone to taking the brunt of the frustration. Even "peaceful" fish can sour at times! But is it possible for the tank bullies to have a change of heart? Let's discuss it!

We should try to be as proactive as possible when introducing these fish with anger issues into our tanks, but when the sand hits the fan...
How do you deal with bullies in your tank?

I have never had a 'bully' that didn't resolve the situation in the tank without doing anything. Usually things resolve within a couple days. However, bullies seem to be most problematic when added slowly over weeks as compared to trying to add multiple fish at once

 

[littlefoxx]

Sometimes, despite our best efforts and planning, bullying can happen in our seemingly happy tanks. Some fish are more prone to territorial or aggressive behaviors, while others are more prone to taking the brunt of the frustration. Even "peaceful" fish can sour at times! But is it possible for the tank bullies to have a change of heart? Let's discuss it!

We should try to be as proactive as possible when introducing these fish with anger issues into our tanks, but when the sand hits the fan...
How do you deal with bullies in your tank?

I use my no no box. Or what yall call an acclamation box lol

 

[EricR]

So far, I do nothing and hope it'll work itself out.
...but I have two fish that were fine for almost 2 years with the same group of others and, just recently, have started being "that guy" (or gal) to a specific target. (Each has a different target and never bothers anyone else)

 

[FernBluffReef]

Don’t know how you all are catching to put in the no no box, sump, or whatever? Figure I might catch one and that’s a big might. Catch a second time lol. To smart for that.

I have a scopas tang that beat up my sailfin upon arrival. Now the tables are turned and the salifin rules the roost and likes to chase the scopas in circles. So far the sailfin has not caused any physical harm only mental which is better that I can say the scopas did to the sailfin early on. The powder blue is actually pretty calm save if a newcomer is added expect all hell to break out against the newcomers… I don’t expect I’m going to do a lot about it until / if things turn real brutal and then probably talking rehoming if I can catch but so far have not had to go there.

So for now I vote other

 

[KrisReef]

I have not tried to use these techniques but I am thinking about it.

Inside the Archive of an LSD Researcher With Ties to the CIA’s MKUltra Mind Control Project

Louis Jolyon West seems to have used chemicals and hypnosis liberally in his medical practice, possibly leading to the death of a child and the execution of an innocent man.

theintercept.com

https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c84j0hcd/entire_text/

You never really know who is posting on here until you pull back the curtains.

 

[Joe.D]

I have a whitetail Bristletooth Tang that’s a bit of a jerk. My question is, how do you catch them without tearing down or moving rockwork (not an option)? I’ve tried to net him and end up just chasing him around the tank.

 

[crazyfishmom]

I have a tank full of tangs and dwarf angels. My trick has been to introduce fish in particular patterns and because there’s so many aggressive fish they have fallen into an amiable pattern. It’s awesome and I love them all.

 

[UtahReefer]

Careful fish selection and the order in which you introduce them. I have always kept tangs. Over the years I've had success by introducing juveniles all at the same time. After a few week someone always becomes dominant. At that point I introduce the last tang which is quite a bit larger than the rest. The bully soon realizes that there's a new sheriff in town that won't take his crap. No one challenges the larger tang and he keeps the peace.

 

[MnFish1]

chose other:
I love my bully, its the fish I had from the start...
hes killed fish
ummmmm...
he's commited assault and battery
so
I kinda just scold him
but what am I supposed to do in such a small tank?

Its hard to tell in you're situation since you're kind of making a tongue in cheek comment - but - if there is a recurrent bullying problem - one of the fish should be removed - if all of the methods above 'other' have been tried

 

[Simnpson]

I have a bully tank, it’s interesting . This is my first marine set up that actually started fresh ,but I did the common practice of buying two “cute leopard puffers” only to find out they are very aggressive and prefer salt water .. so a converted tank , two puffers (Lemon Sour and Banana Sour), some live rock and a reef crab later.. they don’t mess with each other. Guess the trick is to not have any docile fish or have all docile fish lol

 

[nano reef]

I was heart broken when I put my bully fig blue devil damsel in the sump and he died! I loved that fish even though he was a bully but he wasnt always like that! He was left alone for a while. I was just about to put him back in and I found him dead after a water change. Not sure what happend but I felt like I had lost my dog almost for weeks!