Mean Yellow Tang, HELP!

[saltwater]

I just bought a "butterfly" fish and my yellow tang hates his guts. Tang keeps chasing him around the tank. I have a 55 gal. and already tried moving the rocks around but the chasing is still going on. Any suggestions out there? Thanks a bunch

 

[utahcutter]

Those darn yellow tangs can be a lot more aggressive than people seam to think they are. I would act pretty quickly, butterflys are extremely picky and if the tang gets him good with that tail of his to many times you may have a case of ich on your hands, not to mention the stress. If I thought the butterfly could fight back I would advise you to leave them alone. My tang always would mellow out after he got nipped back, but how is a butterfly supposed to nip hard enough to make a point? Also I've never personally owned a butterfly so make sure to get some other opinions. Maybe stick one in a QT tank for a bit until you figure out what to do.

 

[loganj]

Tangs are very aggressive toward any fish that resembles them either in color or body shape. Especially if the tang has been in the tank long enough to establish a territory. I'd take the tang out for a while, rearrange the rock, and give the butterfly time to establish its own territory. You might be able to have them both in the tank that way. One thing I should point out is that a 55 isn't really large enough for long term housing of a yellow tang...you need at least a 75 g tank. Also, due to their agressive nature, tangs are usually the last fish added to the tank. Is returning the butterfly an option?

 

[saltwater]

Thanks for the advice to both of you. I did place the tang in a quarantine tank just for a short time, if this does not work then butterfly has to go back to pet shop.