Establishing New Livestock Territories.

[linda lee]

Combining a 90g and a 125g. Should we add all fish on the same day? Or stagger them with least aggressive fish first and ending with the top of the pecking order? If staggered, how long would a fish need to establish territory before additing the next tankmate?

Here are the fish:

Queen Angelfish (125g)
Yellow Tang, Large (125g)
6Line Wrasse (90g)
Yellow Tail Damsel Pair (90g)
Bangaii Cardinal Pair (90g)
BiColored Blenny (90g)
Potters Angelfish, Large (90g)
Psychedelic Mandarin (90g)
Golden Dwarf Moray Eel (90g)
Clownfish Pair (12g)
Shrimp Goby/Pistol Shrimp (12g)
Swallowtail Angelfish pair (not yet picked up from LFS)

Or should we just dump them all in at once and let 'em duke it out?

 

[dave green]

it's kinda ironic that I'm answering this one... it's sorta like ray-yay-yainnnn on your wedding day.

i tried the dump-'em-all-in approach more than once (i'm a little thick-headed...) and learned expensive lessons each time.

hopefully you've got some time to work with, and if you do, i'd start with the non-aggressive guys and let them get situated first. then i'd add the aggressive ones gradually, more aggressive with each round of additions.

the collective wisdom i've seen here says a couple weeks between additions. sure it's a long time, but if you can stick it out (i.e. run three tanks and/or leave some guys with some folks to fish-sit for you) then that's the best way.

if you don't have the time, then dumping them all in may be the way to go, but somebody's probably gonna get hurt.

 

[stickx911]

I was going to say something similar. I would assume adding all the livestock at once would be tough on your bio-load as well.

 

[linda lee]

Most of the fish have been together in my 90g for a long time. Only fish from the 125g are a yellow tang and a queen angel. New fish that are in Q/T right now and eventually will be added are are a pair of sleeper gobies and a clown tang.

I actually added the queen angel to the 90g crew this evening, and the potters angel is not at all pleased. I thought it might be like *neutral ground*, since the contents of the 90g have been moved into a 100g stock tank for holding pending the 180g move-in.

I turned the lights out and will check again in the a.m. I may have to intervene and remove an angel.

 

[eddie b_]

Linda if you add new tank mates and they are not getting along with each other .once evrybody is in move some rocks around if possible this will cause all the fish to find new territotry to claim, good luck.

 

[linda lee]

Eddie B.;298943 wrote: Linda if you add new tank mates and they are not getting along with each other .once evrybody is in move some rocks around if possible this will cause all the fish to find new territotry to claim, good luck.

Thanks! I was going to do that first thing this a.m., but now it looks like I'll be moving the rocks around with the purpose of catching the queen. She's looking for a new home.

What's odd to me is, I thought for sure the queen angelfish would be the aggressor, but it's Colonel Potter who's doing the harassing. No mild-mannered wuss is this guy!!