chris-s
06-11-06, 14:14
We added a Royal Gramma to our tank at the weekend only for it to get beaten up and harrassed to death by a Pyjama Wrasse. This was quite unexpected from what we had read and been informed. The LFS kept copper in the water, so it was acclimatised outside the tank and then netted straight in, had I any suspicion over the combination I could have used a floating breeding trap or something.
I would not have thought that the tank space was a problem, it's a six year old 6x2x2 with two tangs, a clown and the wrasse.
We have had the wrasse for just over a month, and this was the first fish we have introduced since then.
Have we been mislead, are these two commonly incompatible?
The million dollar question is, was this the result of the wrasse's lack of afinity for the Royal Gramma in particular or any new arrival, in which case, sounds like it could be a problem for the future?
The RG was smaller than the wrasse, would we have been better to acquire a larger one?
Assuming that they are not just totally incompatible, what tips do you have for introducing another one?
Re-arranging all the rockwork really isn't practical, but what about using a separator in the main tank and monitoring them for a period of time, at least I could return the introductee to the LFS?
Alternatively, I have a pretty successful home made fish trap, I reckon I could trap the wrasse and then either move it to the sump or behind a separator for a while. In this situation, would it be better to have an opaque separator in the hope that the wrasse would 'forget' it's territory, but how long is this likely to take? Perhaps it should be re-introduced via a transparent separator first?
I know there are few hard and fast rules when it comes to fish compatability, but I would be interested to hear some ideas on what might work best.
Chris
I would not have thought that the tank space was a problem, it's a six year old 6x2x2 with two tangs, a clown and the wrasse.
We have had the wrasse for just over a month, and this was the first fish we have introduced since then.
Have we been mislead, are these two commonly incompatible?
The million dollar question is, was this the result of the wrasse's lack of afinity for the Royal Gramma in particular or any new arrival, in which case, sounds like it could be a problem for the future?
The RG was smaller than the wrasse, would we have been better to acquire a larger one?
Assuming that they are not just totally incompatible, what tips do you have for introducing another one?
Re-arranging all the rockwork really isn't practical, but what about using a separator in the main tank and monitoring them for a period of time, at least I could return the introductee to the LFS?
Alternatively, I have a pretty successful home made fish trap, I reckon I could trap the wrasse and then either move it to the sump or behind a separator for a while. In this situation, would it be better to have an opaque separator in the hope that the wrasse would 'forget' it's territory, but how long is this likely to take? Perhaps it should be re-introduced via a transparent separator first?
I know there are few hard and fast rules when it comes to fish compatability, but I would be interested to hear some ideas on what might work best.
Chris