Tank Mates for a Neon Dottyback and 2 Clownfishes (Possible Dottyback aggression)

[craiginphoenix]

So a week ago I added an adult Neon Dottyback to my new 90 gallon mixed reef tank (+ 20 gallon sump) with 2 Ocellaris clownfish and a Lawnmower Blenny and I think the Neon Dottyback may have killed or harassed the Blenny to death.

The Blenny spent his days up by my AI Nero after adding the Dottyback and while I hoped he was just being a character, I posted a thread here asking about it because I was concerned because he started spending his daytime hours by the wavemaker the day I added the Dottyback. Granted I had only had him for a week prior as I have been slowly adding new fish, and when the reef lights went off the blenny would head to the rocks to eat algae and hide and seemed fine, and I never saw the Dottyback so much as give it the time of day so I assumed he just found a place he liked to spend his days.

Today, the Blenny was stuck to the Nero dead, with part of its top fin ripped off.

It may have got clipped by the wavemaker too, maybe this is most likely, like hanging around near a power line, but I am concerned about adding other fish because of dottyback aggression issues I have read about since adding it.

I had a Sunrise Dottyback for years and it was the most timid fish ever so I got the Neon Dottyback and assumed it would be fine. Yeah, I know that was my mistake after reading about Dottyback aggression (I should have added him last at minimum).

But I obviously want to add more than 3 fish to my new tank.

So I am asking for thoughts and suggestions.

Is it possible (or likely) the Blenny just got caught in the wavemaker and it wasn't dottyback aggression? (see the linked thread for pictures). Again, i watch my tank a lot and never saw any aggressive activity. The Dottyback never bothered the Blenny even once that I saw.

What sort of tank mates could I build around it if it is a cold blooded killer? Are there more aggressive fish that I can add and instead to make a more aggressive tank? Are there other peaceful fish I could add that the dottyback might not harrass?

I promised my son a Tomini tang that my LFS finally just got in stock but I am very worried about spending that much money on a fish only for the dottyback to harrass and kill it. Tangs are fairly aggressive themselves from what I have read. Would the Tang be able to hold it's own?

The dottyback doesn't mess with my cleaner shrimp and have even watched the shrimp chase the Dottyback around the tank but the shrimp predates everyone else in the tank by months.

Finally should I just cut my losses and get rid of the dottyback? (Only concern there is my wife loves that fish and the way it looks)

Let me know your thoughts and suggestions on how you think I can or should proceed forward.

 

[blecki]

Something equally aggressive could keep the dottyback in check. I have a neon dottyback in a 25 gallon tank with 2 clowns and a six line wrasse. But every fish is an individual. And did you take any steps to curb aggression like rescaping or mirrors?

 

[Salty_Northerner]

Something equally aggressive could keep the dottyback in check. I have a neon dottyback in a 25 gallon tank with 2 clowns and a six line wrasse. But every fish is an individual. And did you take any steps to curb aggression like rescaping or mirrors?

These fish are quite Territorial and can be a terror to other tank mates.

And really what is going to be equally aggressive towards the Dottieback when these things will take on other fish in the wild 10 times their size. Don't hold me to 10 times in size but it was on an article I read a number of years ago on how aggressive they can be especially when other fish come into their area.

 

[Rageb1t]

I have two clowns, an orchid dottyback, and a coral beauty in my 32-gallon tank. The coral beauty is the monster in my tank. The dottyback hides out most of the time until feeding time.

 

[craiginphoenix]

Something equally aggressive could keep the dottyback in check. I have a neon dottyback in a 25 gallon tank with 2 clowns and a six line wrasse. But every fish is an individual. And did you take any steps to curb aggression like rescaping or mirrors?

I didn't take any steps because the dottyback was the most recent addition and other than the odd behavior by the blenny, which I had read they can do very odd things and are characters, I have not seen any aggressive behavior.

I still don't know if the dottyback did anything and am basing my assumption solely on it's reputation.

 

[1112-425XL]

I have an electric indigo dottyback. If I could catch it, it would be gone. It constantly harrasses my tailspot blenny and orange spotted goby and I believe it's responsible for the death of a royal gramma. Fortunately my melanurus wrasse and male lyretail anthia keep it in line now, but if the opportunity arises it's out.

 

[blecki]

And really what is going to be equally aggressive towards the Dottieback when these things will take on other fish in the wild 10 times their size.

In my experience, a six line wrasse. Those things are the chihuahuas of the fish world.

 

[craiginphoenix]

So I went to my LFS and they recommended adding more aggressive species with the dottyback, such as damsels. They said the bristletooth tang would be fine. So I will probably have:

Bristletooth tang
Neon dottyback
2-3 damsels
Wrasse of some kind (REALLY want a leopard)
2 Ocellaris clownfish

Thoughts?

Are they all going to kill each other?

 

[1112-425XL]

Either that or live happily ever after...

 

[craiginphoenix]

Either that or live happily ever after...

Which do you think is more likely?

Do you think it would be better to introduce peaceful fish and have a survival of the fittest scenario or introduce damsels and more aggressive fish?

 

[1112-425XL]

I have a Bristletooth Tomini tang. The dottyback doesn't bother it at all. My melanurus wrasse is a model citizen. He goes under the sand every night 5 minutes before lights out. It probably just depends on the damsels and dottyback. My clowns never leave their giant hammer.

 

[craiginphoenix]

I have two clowns, an orchid dottyback, and a coral beauty in my 32-gallon tank. The coral beauty is the monster in my tank. The dottyback hides out most of the time until feeding time.

That was my experience with dottybacks. I had a 36 gallon tank with 2 clowns and a dottyback for a year and the dottyback was the meekest fish. If you walked in front of the tank during feeding time it would bolt to the rocks and not eat that day. It was scared of it's own shadow.

 

[craiginphoenix]

I have a Bristletooth Tomini tang. The dottyback doesn't bother it at all. My melanurus wrasse is a model citizen. He goes under the sand every night 5 minutes before lights out. It probably just depends on the damsels and dottyback. My clowns never leave their giant hammer.

How would you recommend adding damsels, wrasses, and a tang? Almost all of them say "they should be the last fish you add to the tank" (too late for the dottyback, which also gets that tag).

Should I add the wrasse first, then the tang, and then the damsels?

 

[1112-425XL]

Other than the dottyback, who seems to have claimed all 90g the damsels are the ones id worry about. So ya, they go last.

 

[craiginphoenix]

Thank you so much for the reply!

 

[steveschuerger]

I had a Splendid Dotty that I had to remove cause it was harassing a Melanurus that I added(60 gallon IM). Yeah you’re going to either need an equally aggressive tank mate or rehome the Dotty. My recommendation is the latter.

 

[1112-425XL]

Any chance you can sump the Dottyback for awhile without ending up in the dog house?

 

[craiginphoenix]

Any chance you can sump the Dottyback for awhile without ending up in the dog house?

If I could catch him!

As an update, I am starting to think he wasn't the reason my Blenny died. I went and got a Bristletooth Tang today and was very concerned and watched their interaction and there was no aggression but the first thing the Bristletooth did was move into the cave that I specifically built for (and was formerly occupied by) the Dottyback. And Dottyback has moved back into the crappy secondary cave I originally made for him.

Maybe it is just a pecking order thing and Tang is higher than dottyback and dottyback is higher than Blenny or maybe the dottyback is plotting his next move, but also maybe the Blenny was a weirdo who liked to hang around wavemakers and paid the price for it.

We will see!

 

[Roatan Reef]

I have a Bristletooth Tomini tang. The dottyback doesn't bother it at all. My melanurus wrasse is a model citizen. He goes under the sand every night 5 minutes before lights out. It probably just depends on the damsels and dottyback. My clowns never leave their giant hammer.

I tried a Royal Gramma...I have a Mated Pair of Snowflake and Gladiator Clowns, a Midas Blenni, and a Bristletooth Tang...the Tang was butthole and chased the Gramma all over, decided he would need both hidey holes, needless to say, he died within 24 hours. He was a bit small though, bit my next attempt may be a Neon Dottyback...


Thoughts??

 

[craiginphoenix]

As an update (not that anyone cares), I absolutely do not think my dottyback is aggressive. As I mentioned yesterday, the Bristletooth Tang that I added took its cave last night, and in their first day they were in the tank together, the bristletooth followed it around, much to the dottybacks ire. Seemed to want to be it's friend vs aggressive actions, but the dottyback wasn't having it.

Not sure what happened to the Blenny, but I am doubtful that the dottyback did anything to it.