Aggressive Fox Face Help!!!!!!!

[cakester]

Hi guys bought a fox faced rabbit fish the other day and was told by the guys in the shop that they are peaceful, also did some reaserch which suggested the same. It has been in my tank for a couple of days and has started being aggresive towards my scooter blenny and my crabs i don't know what to do i really like my new fish but don't want my other fish to suffer as a result any suggestions would be greatly appreciated thanks.

 

[NaH2O]

cakester - what size tank is it? How big is the foxface? I have a magnificant foxface that likes to be the boss of the tank, but other than showing off her spines and nipping at the tang (on occasion over the same spot on the rock), she is pretty laid back. How many days has the foxface been in the tank now?

 

[plack]

I only know that if the tank is on the small size for that fish or any fish for that matter they would get more aggressive. You would think the fish that have been in longer would be more territorial also . If theres not enoughp hiding places or swimming space then territory becomes important and if he wants the space where the blenny is and he is bigger than he may fight for it. I hope this helps explain his actions?

 

[shallowreef]

I saw a foxface in a 300 attack a moorish idol and must have stung it because the moorish died a week later.

 

[FairyDogmother]

This is a rare occurance, because I cannot find any information about aggressive foxface rabbit fish.

We have a 350 gallon tank with not more than 10 fish, a few inverts and lots of corals. There is also tons of live rock for fish to hide in too. We have the same problem. On occasion, our big-fat-foxface will become very aggressive. He beat the living hell out of our Sailfin Tang and the poor tang had huge chunks of flesh torn away. Luckily, he healed very well and he's okay now. We have tried to catch the fox face, but it is sly (like a fox!).

It doesn't help that the tank dimensions make it hard for us to capture fish and it is great for fish trying to hide...Luckily, we're having a new stand built and we'll be breaking down the tank and we will be trading in the foxface and the sailfin because the sailfin is kind of an antagonizer anyway.

It kind of upsets me too because this foxface is so big and fat and happy, but it's a damn bully!

We give our fish a great varied diet and they are happy and healthy most of the time. But these occasional confrontations have stressed out the rest of our tank! I'm very interested in hearing more stories like this. What is up with these "peaceful" fish!

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF "fairydogmother"!

 

[FairyDogmother]

Thanks!

Thank you for the warm welcome Krish! I'm looking forward to exploring all that "Reef Frontiers" has to offer!