Tusk & Emperor - Not Playing Nice

Irenicus · 09/18/2012, 12:46 PM

I added a Tusk (6") and kept the lights off for a day. When I turned on the lights the next day the Emperor Angel (6") now nips at him whenever one of them is in proximity of each other. The Angel does not treat any other additions like this. I've had similar interactions with Tusk's and Emperor Angels but in the past the Tusk would just zip away.

Right now they are in a 210 gallon tank with light aquascaping. After 3 days the Tusk just hangs out vertically in the back corner of the tank with his head above the surface of the water. There are a couple nips to the tail.

Any idea on how to mitigate this? I was thinking of adding some live more live rock. The towers and caves at this point are fixed but I have room to create some cavernous landscape on on third of the tank.

Any advice on past successes would be very valuable to me.

Dr Colliebreath · 09/18/2012, 01:18 PM

Any way to remove the emperor until the tusk settles in? Alternatively, the second best choice would be to build an acclimation box from eggcrate and put the tusk in for a few days until the angel gets used to having it around.

If the tusk wasn't quarantined, it would be a good idea to put it in a separate tank and let it recover and start eating aquarium food.

It sounds like your tusk is in a bad situation and may die if you don't get it some relief soon.

MrTuskfish · 09/18/2012, 01:22 PM

Too bad the Tusk won't fight back with those great blue teeth. IMO & IME, When an Emperor (or similar fish) is the Alpha Fish and takes a real dislike to an individual; the only remedy may be to put the Alpha fish into the QT for a few weeks and re-introduce him. This works better with fish that are more territorial than aggressive; the Emperor is probably both. You may want to nurse the tusk back to prime health in the QT before switching them.

Irenicus · 09/18/2012, 02:47 PM

The Tusk was quarantined. I left the QT up just in case a situation like this arose. Right now he is not close to death, he just seems stressed (which will no doubt end in death.)

How much success have you had with removing the aggressor for a extended time period and reintroducing.

Dr Colliebreath · 09/18/2012, 05:40 PM

It really is up to the individual fish. I had a pbt completely ignore a regal angel that it tried to kill after the regal was in an acclimation box for a few days. Other times the aggressor just takes up where it left off. I think you have a better chance if the emperor is just putting the tusk in its place and a lesser chance if the emperor is constantly hassling the tusk, but who knows.

I would move the emperor to the qt for a couple of weeks, and re-arrange the rockwork a good bit and let the tusk settle in to the new arrangement, and then try the emperor.

I agree with getting the tusk healthy in the qt first, particularly if you have any other fish that might bother the tusk. It was comfortable in the qt and may not be so comfortable in the dt right now given the beating it is taking.

MrTuskfish · 09/19/2012, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irenicus

How much success have you had with removing the aggressor for a extended time period and reintroducing.

Better than 50/50. If the Emperor is gone, a new may fish may become the Alpha fish and leave the Tusk alone. Regardless; there will be some squabbles when the Emp. returns, hopefully not involving the Tusk. Fish like these always have a pecking order; but usually it will not result in real damage. I'm surprised your Tusk was the victim. IME, they are usually left alone, possibly because they are usually so mellow and not see as a threat. I have a tank with a Sohal and the Tusk is the only fish that always gets a free pass from King Sohal.

You've had more than your share of Tusk trouble; I hope this works out. Also, glad to see the Pack bounce back. The Bears were a gimme and the 49ers were (and are) really tough. Packers should be fine; with some fine-tuning----IMO.

Irenicus · 09/24/2012, 10:29 AM

Sorry for the delayed response, I had a notification but it fell off my radar.

Yeah... my past two Tusks have been an odd bunch. The last one was blind and perished. This current one acts weird, has food targeting issues, but definitely isn't blind as it responds to light and when the Emperor comes near.

Right now the Tusk sits in the top back corner of the tank. There are noticeable nips to the tail from the Emperor but nothing I would categorize as severe. The Tusk won't outwardly seek food out but it will swim to the front of the tank if I hold a Silverside or Krill at the top of the water.

The Emperor doesn't relentlessly pursue the Tusk, it only Grunts and Nips when close to the fish as it's looking to assert authority.

I ordered some Marco Rock bonding and plan to bond some leftover liverock into caves and towers. I then plan feed all the fish heartily, turn off the lights and add that new rock work to the tank in an attempt to break up laid claims. After three to four days I will turn the lights on and see what happens. If the aggression persists, I will proceed to remove the Emperor to QT for a few weeks to see if some time in the "hole" will straighten him out.

Has anyone had success with approach one? Any tips or advice would be extremely welcome.

@ Tuskfish... the NFC North got a hell of a lot more interesting after the Vikings victory over San Fran. I'm nervous about the Seattle game but I think the Packers will come out on top provided that stick to what they are good at. It certainly was nice to see the defense return to the Packers during the Chicago game... I really hope that wasn't just a flash in the plan. I miss defense haha.

09/18/2012, 12:46 PM	#1
Irenicus Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: River Falls, WI Posts: 293	Tusk & Emperor - Not Playing Nice I added a Tusk (6") and kept the lights off for a day. When I turned on the lights the next day the Emperor Angel (6") now nips at him whenever one of them is in proximity of each other. The Angel does not treat any other additions like this. I've had similar interactions with Tusk's and Emperor Angels but in the past the Tusk would just zip away. Right now they are in a 210 gallon tank with light aquascaping. After 3 days the Tusk just hangs out vertically in the back corner of the tank with his head above the surface of the water. There are a couple nips to the tail. Any idea on how to mitigate this? I was thinking of adding some live more live rock. The towers and caves at this point are fixed but I have room to create some cavernous landscape on on third of the tank. Any advice on past successes would be very valuable to me.

09/18/2012, 01:18 PM	#2
Dr Colliebreath Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: DC Vicinity Posts: 1,813	Any way to remove the emperor until the tusk settles in? Alternatively, the second best choice would be to build an acclimation box from eggcrate and put the tusk in for a few days until the angel gets used to having it around. If the tusk wasn't quarantined, it would be a good idea to put it in a separate tank and let it recover and start eating aquarium food. It sounds like your tusk is in a bad situation and may die if you don't get it some relief soon. __________________ Frank Current Tank Info: 110 Oceanic RR w/35 gal sump and SRO XP2000 int

09/18/2012, 01:22 PM	#3
MrTuskfish Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: The Wild Blue Yonder Posts: 8,887	Too bad the Tusk won't fight back with those great blue teeth. IMO & IME, When an Emperor (or similar fish) is the Alpha Fish and takes a real dislike to an individual; the only remedy may be to put the Alpha fish into the QT for a few weeks and re-introduce him. This works better with fish that are more territorial than aggressive; the Emperor is probably both. You may want to nurse the tusk back to prime health in the QT before switching them. __________________ If God didn't want us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat. Steve Current Tank Info: 180, 2-240 FOWLRs, 240 reef

09/18/2012, 05:40 PM	#5
Dr Colliebreath Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: DC Vicinity Posts: 1,813	It really is up to the individual fish. I had a pbt completely ignore a regal angel that it tried to kill after the regal was in an acclimation box for a few days. Other times the aggressor just takes up where it left off. I think you have a better chance if the emperor is just putting the tusk in its place and a lesser chance if the emperor is constantly hassling the tusk, but who knows. I would move the emperor to the qt for a couple of weeks, and re-arrange the rockwork a good bit and let the tusk settle in to the new arrangement, and then try the emperor. I agree with getting the tusk healthy in the qt first, particularly if you have any other fish that might bother the tusk. It was comfortable in the qt and may not be so comfortable in the dt right now given the beating it is taking. __________________ Frank Current Tank Info: 110 Oceanic RR w/35 gal sump and SRO XP2000 int

09/18/2012, 02:47 PM	#4
Irenicus Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: River Falls, WI Posts: 293	The Tusk was quarantined. I left the QT up just in case a situation like this arose. Right now he is not close to death, he just seems stressed (which will no doubt end in death.) How much success have you had with removing the aggressor for a extended time period and reintroducing.

09/24/2012, 10:29 AM	#7
Irenicus Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: River Falls, WI Posts: 293	Sorry for the delayed response, I had a notification but it fell off my radar. Yeah... my past two Tusks have been an odd bunch. The last one was blind and perished. This current one acts weird, has food targeting issues, but definitely isn't blind as it responds to light and when the Emperor comes near. Right now the Tusk sits in the top back corner of the tank. There are noticeable nips to the tail from the Emperor but nothing I would categorize as severe. The Tusk won't outwardly seek food out but it will swim to the front of the tank if I hold a Silverside or Krill at the top of the water. The Emperor doesn't relentlessly pursue the Tusk, it only Grunts and Nips when close to the fish as it's looking to assert authority. I ordered some Marco Rock bonding and plan to bond some leftover liverock into caves and towers. I then plan feed all the fish heartily, turn off the lights and add that new rock work to the tank in an attempt to break up laid claims. After three to four days I will turn the lights on and see what happens. If the aggression persists, I will proceed to remove the Emperor to QT for a few weeks to see if some time in the "hole" will straighten him out. Has anyone had success with approach one? Any tips or advice would be extremely welcome. @ Tuskfish... the NFC North got a hell of a lot more interesting after the Vikings victory over San Fran. I'm nervous about the Seattle game but I think the Packers will come out on top provided that stick to what they are good at. It certainly was nice to see the defense return to the Packers during the Chicago game... I really hope that wasn't just a flash in the plan. I miss defense haha.