tank politics

[baddfish]

Hi everyone. I have a mated pair of bangaii cardinals I have some questions about...

I have 6 fish in my 80 gal, the pair of cardinals, one spotted cardinal, a pair of perculas and a yellow headed sleeper goby, which are all healthy and eat well. The last several months the bangaiis have been going thru their breeding cycle over and over. Sometimes the eggs make it all the way, and the fry get eaten right away, and other times the male goes for a few days, and then starts eating food again until the next cycle.
The problem is, they get very aggressive and bossy during their cycle, especially the female during the time the male has the eggs. Its not so bad that it causes the other fish to hide and not eat, but they've pretty much got the other fish banished to their designated areas most of the day. The spotted cardinal endures most of the wrath by hovering in his corner beneath a powerhead. The goby couldn't care less, but that doesn't stop the cardinals from darting at him.
I know this is natural behavior, but its messing up the chi of my tank! I'm wondering if there's another fish I could put in there that would disrupt their reign over the tank, or if the behavior would just continue because of their breeding?
I'm cycling a 20gal with sand and live rock right now...maybe I could put the pair in the 20gal by themselves? Thx for any ideas.

 

[ErinCahir]

I'd remove them. I don't think it would be a good idea to add another fish just to mess with what they do naturally.

 

[wontonflip]

If he removes the banggais, though, they might freak and stop mating for a while.

 

[ErinCahir]

Hm... that is a good point. He doesn't say if he wants to raise the babies, though.
And really if he adds another fish that could throw them off, too.

 

[baddfish]

I don't really want to go to all the trouble involved in raising and feeding the babies. The bangaiis were our first fish, and I wasn't aware you could get them to breed so easily, and thought them to be peaceful and laid back all the time. Even if I put them in a 20gal alone, from what I understand I'd still have to seperate the fry from the parents to keep them from being eaten. If they could do well alone in the 20gal once it finishes cycling, I'll probably do that. I intended to put a small fish or two in the 20gal, and have some inverts that aren't reef safe in there...I could probably still do this with the pair of cardinals? They're pretty good sized...

 

[Smitty]

I'd remove the cardinals to their own tank...and get another fish to take their place in the 80gal. If they're breeding now, they'll breed again, it just may take them awhile to get used to their new tank, but they'll love having their own space to get their freak on in private. :mrgreen:

 

[Toolman]

Bangaiis need a Tubal ligation :Cheers:

 

[wontonflip]

Well, hell, if you don't want the babies, move 'em :) Toss some spermicide in your tank :D

 

[baddfish]

Bangaiis need a Tubal ligation :Cheers:

That's funny, something along those lines actually crossed my mind. The first few months I had them they were very peaceful...eating and growing quickly, and all their tankmates swam the whole tank. Now with their breeding habits, the other fish spend the day in their cubicles, and the two bangaiis dart around the tank fretfully, as if they're worried someone might be swimming where they're not supposed to.
Like smitty suggested, I'll probably wait for the 20gal to come around, and put them in there. Then they can do their thing (behavior and all) in their own space, and I'll have room for another fish in the main tank. I'm not looking forward to catching them though, I'm not even sure if I can.
I wonder if the other fish will slowly go back to swimming around more...

Maybe if they start breeding again in the smaller tank, I could look at keeping a place where I could try feeding and raising the fry, but it sounds like an awful lot of work and attention, let alone the expense of having a tank exclusively for them.
My daughter thinks its horrible of me to allow those cute little babies (they're all eyeball and fins) to be eaten, and not do something about it!