An epic battle continues in my reef tank

Monday, June 30th, 2008
by Brian Daniel Eisenberg

Day 5? 6? 7? I lost track. I think my Achilles Tang has been in my tank for a little over a week now and WOW what a week it’s been. Day after day of fighting for dominance over my Magnificant Foxface, Purple Tank, Clarkii Clownfish, Coral Beauty, and assorted Damsel fish.

The Achilles has been punctured no fewer than 10 times by the Foxface, whose dorsal spines contain a deadly neurotoxin, which, while clearly effective, does not deliver a fatal blow to the Achilles Tang. Sure it’s pretty beat up in its belly, fin, eye, and other areas of its body, but it has been steadfast and held its ground. It may emerge as the new dominant fish in my tank - IF - it can survive a bout of the Ick. There are lots of parasites on the body of the Achilles and I’ve only got one cleaner shrimp, so tomorrow, I’m off to the fish store to get a few more cleaner shrimp to help control the Ick.

I’ve got some video footage of the action that I need to edit, and you can always check out the action on my Reef Tank Live page here.