YWG with shreading/missing dorsal fin

[FollyFish]

Hello

 

Two days ago I added a Yellow Watching Goby to my 25G reef tank. I had a Yellowfin Flasher Wrasse, a Black Ice Clownfish, a Tail-spot Blenny, a Fire Shrimp and Emerald Crab in the tank. The YWG is about half the size of the other fish, when I asked about the size difference at my LFS they said that the YWG would be fine and there should be no problems with the fish that I already had. Turned out that wasn't the case. The Wrasse went after him with a vengeance and tore off most of the dorsal fin on the YWG. It was too late to take him out and back to the store and I am unable to change the rockwork in the tank due to coral placements, so I killed the lights and made sure everyone went to sleep. The next morning I got up and got some PVC elbows and "T" connectors to bury in the sand. Big enough for him but with openings too small for the Wrasse to get in. The poor guy was so scared and stressed that I didn't even get the first one buried before he went inside it.

 

My questions are 1) Will he be safe or should I still try to take him back to the LFS.

2) Is the PVC a temporary fix or a solution? Is there something else I can do to help him?

3) Will he grow back his dorsal fin, is there anything I can do to help him heal?

 

I haven't seen the YWG eat, I can understand why he didn't on the first day. The second day I injected some mysis with garlic into the PVC he was in but couldn't see him eat. I have not fed today as I feed at night. 

[lkoechle]

Interesting.

 

He might be fine.  I say might because I don't know your fish.  A flasher wrasse is probably feeling cramped in a 25 gallon.  They are incredibly active.

 

My flasher wrasse would occassionaly harass other fish but he was in a 4 ft long 85 gallon tank.  Since yours is probably cramped given their activity level, he might pick a fight.  

[FollyFish]

Well just found out that I was wrong.

 

Tonight I couldn't find my Wrasse and thought that he had just went to his sleeping area. Check the PVC that my YWG hides in and found the Wrasse in the pipe. I picked it up and shook the Wrasse out and placed the PVC back but now I'm not sure if the PVC will be enough. The PVC is a half inch in diameter if that helps, it was the smallest I could find at the hardware store.

 

BTW I'm pretty sure that tonight my YWG was eating the food I put into the PVC.

[Clown79]

I have a peaceful wrasse, pink streaked. It harassed my ywg and it died in 2 days.

 

As stated, the wrasse may be cramped in that size tank and becoming territorial/restless.

 

Maybe you should try to trade in the wrasse

[FollyFish]

Update

 

Today I decided that my Wrasse was too aggressive for my tank, I don't know if it's just his personality or if my tank is too small for it. Either way I caught him and took him to my LFS.

[Clown79]

Wrasse can get aggressive, especially in smaller tanks

[FollyFish]

Update again

 

So after taking the Wrasse to the LFS I didn't see the YWG for two weeks. On my water change day I decided to have a really good look around, took some of the rocks out and lifted and moved the others, no YWG anywhere and no body. I don't know if he jumped and the cat got him or if he died and the scavengers ate him. So no YWG.

 

Yesterday I went back to the LFS and got another YWG twice the size of the first one. He looked fine if a little grey in colour, not a bright yellow and there were a small red dot under each eye that later turned into a tear-streak beside the mouth. I was told by the LFS that he might have ran into the glass but he would be ok.  I did a half hour in the tank to match the temp and then a hour drip. I added him to the tank with no lights waited an hour, turned the lights on and fed the fish. The other fish didn't even give him a second look, no chasing or fighting or following...nothing. This morning I found him near the glasses alive and hanging out.  12 hours later I come back from work and find him dead. I know he is dead, I pulled out the body.

 

Do you think that there is something in my tank killing my fish?

Tailspot Blenny

Black Ice Clownfish

Emerald Crab

Fire Shrimp

Snails

Softy and LPS corals

 

Water Check was done as well

cal - 480 or 24 drops

KH - 179 or 10 drops

Phos - 0

Ammonia - 0

Nitrite - 0

Nitrate - 5ppm

PH - 7.8 (tested at night - moonlights on for 2.5 hours)

salt - 1.025

 

Any help would be wonderful, for now I'm at a loss. Maybe my 25G cube is only big enough for 2 fish instead of the 3 or 4 I had planed.

 

So far my failures are

Lubbock Fairy Wrasse - jumped and the cat got him

Yellowfin Flasher Wrasse - given away as too agressive

Yellow Watchman Goby - one missing presumed to have jumped/died, one found dead (unknown cause)

[Clown79]

The first ywg may have died in the rockwork due to stress. Mine did that after being harassed by my wrasse.

 

The second one. I'd call back the fish store. They sold you a fish that had injury to it.  Red blood streaks is not a good sign.

 

I wouldn't advise buying a fish that has physical injury, between the injury, the stress of catching it, travel, acclimation, new home...

 

I've had 3 fish in a 15g. You should be able to have 4 small in a 25g.

[FollyFish]

I went back to the LFS and they gave me a credit for a new YWG when they get some more in. Since the one I got was injured and didn't make it.