firefish got beat up, anything i can do to help?

sabazerehi · 01/28/2008, 11:57 AM

my purple firefish looks like it got beat up last night, it's fins look a little torn up and it was completely fine yesterday. it's still eating but it's just sitting on the rocks and breathing heavily. it's in a 30g with a pink spotted watchman goby, six line wrasse, and a coral banded shrimp. the goby showed some aggression towards it when i first put it in the tank but since then (it's been a few weeks) everybody's been fine. anything i can do to help it heal or prevent it from dying? i know they're supposed to be very hardy fish and i would hate to lose it.

sabazerehi · 01/28/2008, 11:58 AM

oh i also have a hitchhiker crab in the tank that i haven't been able to catch, some kind of xanthid crab about in inch across that could also be the culprit

Sk8r · 01/28/2008, 12:02 PM

Get the coral banded shrimp out of there. Tha's your likely culprit: they are fish-eaters.
The crab may be an alternative suspect: firefish go into rocks for the night, and you have two real dangerous items in that tank that might try for the fish.

sabazerehi · 01/28/2008, 12:03 PM

even if it's never shown any aggression to any fish i've had in the past? i've had it for about a year

Sk8r · 01/28/2008, 12:06 PM

well, maybe it is the crab. But I wouldn't trust that shrimp, myself, not for a bit. Aggression is where two fish posture and fuss: sometimes meal-getting is much more deliberate, like: it's here and it's edible: surely it was put in here as my dinner. No aggression, no display, just lunch.
But the crab should be job #1.

sabazerehi · 01/28/2008, 12:24 PM

trust me i'm working on it, apparently it's smarter than me though. anything i can do mean while to help the firefish because it really doesn't look to good

kimsie · 01/28/2008, 12:36 PM

I saw someone else did this - haven't tried it but it seems to be a good 'crab' trap... put a tall shot glass with a piece of shimp in the bottom leaned against the rock the crab lives in... He should crawl in to get the shrimp and not be able to get back out...

sabazerehi · 01/28/2008, 01:00 PM

sounds good, i've tried the inverted bottle one with no luck.

DrBegalke · 01/28/2008, 02:12 PM

Personally, I think its the wrasse.

I had a helfrichi in with a a 6-line for about a month without a problem... Then one day I came home and noticed the firefish wasn't out, it would always swim right in the flow of the return pump...

So I feed the tank, saw the firefish dart out to eat, its dorsal fin was torn, and once the 6-line saw it out, it immediately attacked it.

So, the 6-line was promptly relocated. I would suggest the same for you.

I suppose the shrimp is possible, but I've kept firefish with CBS before. The crab should also come out.

sabazerehi · 01/28/2008, 02:21 PM

you saw your six line attack the firefish, mine has never shown any aggression towards it and this happened at night and my six line usually disappears at night and keeps to itself as far as i can tell.

Norward · 01/28/2008, 07:07 PM

If it wasn't Ms Coral Banded with the Claw in the corner, Mr. Crab with the pincher in the LR, Sixline with the slim fin in the cave, or Goby with the jaw in the substrate, then the only answer is to save the Firefish and relocate it to a very peaceful community tank. Seriously, it could be any of your other occupants... best bet is to find FF a new home.

tmz · 01/28/2008, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Norward
If it wasn't Ms Coral Banded with the Claw in the corner, Mr. Crab with the pincher in the LR, Sixline with the slim fin in the cave, or Goby with the jaw in the substrate, then the only answer is to save the Firefish and relocate it to a very peaceful community tank. Seriously, it could be any of your other occupants... best bet is to find FF a new home.

Exactly a babe in the woods full of aggressive animals.

sabazerehi · 01/29/2008, 12:44 AM

thanks for all the help but it died already. i think that's it for me as far as fish is concerned for some time

01/28/2008, 12:02 PM	#3
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Get the coral banded shrimp out of there. Tha's your likely culprit: they are fish-eaters. The crab may be an alternative suspect: firefish go into rocks for the night, and you have two real dangerous items in that tank that might try for the fish. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/28/2008, 12:06 PM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	well, maybe it is the crab. But I wouldn't trust that shrimp, myself, not for a bit. Aggression is where two fish posture and fuss: sometimes meal-getting is much more deliberate, like: it's here and it's edible: surely it was put in here as my dinner. No aggression, no display, just lunch. But the crab should be job #1. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/28/2008, 12:36 PM	#7
kimsie Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Columbia, IL Posts: 1,173	I saw someone else did this - haven't tried it but it seems to be a good 'crab' trap... put a tall shot glass with a piece of shimp in the bottom leaned against the rock the crab lives in... He should crawl in to get the shrimp and not be able to get back out... __________________ -- Kim

01/28/2008, 02:12 PM	#9
DrBegalke Go Buckeyes! Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Phoenix area, AZ Posts: 2,599	Personally, I think its the wrasse. I had a helfrichi in with a a 6-line for about a month without a problem... Then one day I came home and noticed the firefish wasn't out, it would always swim right in the flow of the return pump... So I feed the tank, saw the firefish dart out to eat, its dorsal fin was torn, and once the 6-line saw it out, it immediately attacked it. So, the 6-line was promptly relocated. I would suggest the same for you. I suppose the shrimp is possible, but I've kept firefish with CBS before. The crab should also come out. __________________ ~Jason Begalke Current Tank Info: Latest project: JBJ Cubey

01/28/2008, 07:07 PM	#11
Norward Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Little Rock Posts: 407	Aquarium CLUE If it wasn't Ms Coral Banded with the Claw in the corner, Mr. Crab with the pincher in the LR, Sixline with the slim fin in the cave, or Goby with the jaw in the substrate, then the only answer is to save the Firefish and relocate it to a very peaceful community tank. Seriously, it could be any of your other occupants... best bet is to find FF a new home.

01/28/2008, 11:57 AM	#1
sabazerehi Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Los Angeles, 90049 Posts: 2,491	firefish got beat up, anything i can do to help? my purple firefish looks like it got beat up last night, it's fins look a little torn up and it was completely fine yesterday. it's still eating but it's just sitting on the rocks and breathing heavily. it's in a 30g with a pink spotted watchman goby, six line wrasse, and a coral banded shrimp. the goby showed some aggression towards it when i first put it in the tank but since then (it's been a few weeks) everybody's been fine. anything i can do to help it heal or prevent it from dying? i know they're supposed to be very hardy fish and i would hate to lose it.

01/28/2008, 11:58 AM	#2
sabazerehi Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Los Angeles, 90049 Posts: 2,491	oh i also have a hitchhiker crab in the tank that i haven't been able to catch, some kind of xanthid crab about in inch across that could also be the culprit

01/28/2008, 12:03 PM	#4
sabazerehi Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Los Angeles, 90049 Posts: 2,491	even if it's never shown any aggression to any fish i've had in the past? i've had it for about a year

01/28/2008, 12:24 PM	#6
sabazerehi Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Los Angeles, 90049 Posts: 2,491	trust me i'm working on it, apparently it's smarter than me though. anything i can do mean while to help the firefish because it really doesn't look to good

01/28/2008, 01:00 PM	#8
sabazerehi Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Los Angeles, 90049 Posts: 2,491	sounds good, i've tried the inverted bottle one with no luck.

01/28/2008, 02:21 PM	#10
sabazerehi Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Los Angeles, 90049 Posts: 2,491	you saw your six line attack the firefish, mine has never shown any aggression towards it and this happened at night and my six line usually disappears at night and keeps to itself as far as i can tell.

01/29/2008, 12:44 AM	#13
sabazerehi Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Los Angeles, 90049 Posts: 2,491	thanks for all the help but it died already. i think that's it for me as far as fish is concerned for some time