Bangaii Cardinal Advice (1 Viewer)

[billw]

Banggai Cardinal Advice

new reefer here. My first tank (RSM 250) has just completed cycle 2 weeks ago. I started out with 4 Banggai cardinals last Saturday. The goal being to end up with a pair. The first few days they stuck together in the tank and were very calm. I assume they were getting over the stress of a 2nd move in about a week. They started eating on Tuesday and the largest one started getting a bit aggressive. The next day one was dead. The aggression still was isolated so I was suspecting something like a bacterial attach (foggy, swollen eye). Since they the aggression has become more intense. No doubt my research was inadequate as I was not expecting this intensity. There are plenty of hiding places in the pukani, but it appears that this may be a chronic situation. I am leaving the lights off for the time being which seems to make them more comfortable.

Any advice on turning this situation around short of going the fish trap route and removing the targets of the aggression?

 

[webster1234]

Strange behavior for that size of tank. I have 8 of them in a 400 and while I have seen some aggression, it is usually the cardinal chasing another fish away from his territory, but not towards other cardinals. Mine have all paired up so they seem to run in pairs now, each having their own area. It's possible that you have one aggressive one that is trying to stake out his tank. He may need to be removed and isolated for a while. Then reintroduce after the others have established their pecking order.

 

[billw]

It's 250 liter capacity, not gallon. The display area is 50 gallon and change.

posted using Tapatalk and Android Speak and Spell, please ignore horrendous grammar

 

[billw]

It's 250 liter capacity, not gallon. The display area is 50 gallon and change. That is what I've been thinking. Remove the aggressor for a bit and leave things settle down. Catching him is going to be fun .

Sorry about dupe post.

posted using Tapatalk and Android Speak and Spell, please ignore horrendous grammar



posted using Tapatalk and Android Speak and Spell, please ignore horrendous grammar

 

[LSUFireGal]

I have 2 pair in my 220g and they have a spat every now and again. Unless they are very young I wouldn't try anything other than a male female pair in a 50g tank.

 

[webster1234]

Yea, I can't say that I have ever had success keeping multiple cardinals in that size of tank. Tried 3 of them in a 35, and 3 again in a 60. Always lost at least 1. I think it is a territorial issue with those guys. Kind of like Green Chromis. As they mature, they will keep killing the weakest one until there is one left it seems. Not saying that is so with the Banggai's, but my experience with them suggest so. Not sure if it mattered or not but my recent success was also with tank raised vs wild caught, and I got them when they were not much bigger than my thumb nail. I realize that doesn't help your situation, so I would try taking the aggressor out. These are one of the easier fish to get to go into a trap if you can borrow one. If you don't have a tank to put him in for a few weeks, I'm in Pearland. I keep 3 QT tanks running at all times. Bring him up here if you need to.

 

[jhill9]

I have always heard that you can only keep a male/female pair. They will keep killing off the others till you get to the pair. I have a pair in my 58g and have no issues with them at all.