Readers Respond: Which fish do you wish you had never put in your tank?

Years ago (before we knew better), we caught a cute little White Spot Damsel and put it in our 55g FOWLR tank. It was about the size of a dime and had this really bright blue slash across its eyes. It would bob up and down in the aquarium like a little elevator. Really cute.

As time went on, it got bigger and bigger, turned totally ugly (lost its blue slash) and tore up any other fish we put in the tank. The size of the new fish didn't matter.

We finally dispatched it back to the reef when it started tearing up our Flame Angel. Your fish from hell?

Clarki Clown

Awesome fish when had anemone then anemone died and started hosting feather duster. Got freakin aggressive fast. Nice to mean in one day. Bit me and killed 3 out of 4 of other fish

—Guest xXReefXx

Betta from the 12th circle of hell.

I had a 150 gallon tank with 10 neon tetra, 12 glolight tetras, 5 honeycomb tatias, 5 endlers livebearers and a trio of rescued painted glassfish. I purchased a betta and put him in a separate bowl that was about 2 feet away from the open tank top. I went to collect a package from work and when I came back an hour later, he was in the main tank and all of my tetras had their eyes and brain eaten, my tatias were in hiding with large open sores, the glassfish had been trapped beneath the bubble chest lid, and the endlers had their fins ripped off. The betta was promptly returned to the store where I found out that the person who sold me the betta had sold me the owner's fish, who had lived alone for 4 years, could jump and was highly aggressive even towards his owner! The owner profusely apologized and helped me replenish my tank. Only 2 of the glassfish and 2 of the tatias are still alive, and I keep them in a separate 25 gallon tank. Needless to say, I won't be getting another betta.

—Guest Sarah

Black shark from the ninth layer of hell

Put my 6 in freshwater black shark in my 6ft with my family of mbuna(1m 4 f) and horde of female convicts( about 8), all adults, and he ate them all within 72 hours!! I thought they were supposed to be algae grazers!

—Guest Eddie

The Ones I Can Never Catch

My vote goes to all the fish I can never catch without destroying the entire reef in order to catch them. Seriously, though . . . when I first started my 150 gallon reef tank, I had 7 yellow-tailed blue damsels in there. As my tank became more seasoned I wanted to give them away and get other fish. Caught 4 of the little suckers within 10 minutes using a trap made out of a plastic soda bottle. The other 3 must be Einsteins . . . I could never get them to go near the trap. I got tired of chasing them around with the net and finally gave up. They now live peacefully in my tank with all the other inhabitants and each yellow-tailed damsel has their own territory.

—sp1ker_man

maroon clown

Maroon clown is the only fish I regret getting. When she first added to the tank (i assumed female) she was peaceful and quiet as time passes, she become overly aggressive and very territorial and would bite tank mates even my hand when come near her green long tentacle anemone. She rearranged my rocks, corals and swept of the sand bed. T_T . One day I got a new white sebae about 4 inches long my maroon is about 4 1/2 inches. She constantly harassing it, even pulled it right off the rock and tried to drag it next to her green anemone. The next morning, I found my white sebae half of the fluffy tentacle totally gone, totally been ripped off. I guess from the pulling and dragging. My poor sebae turned grey and shrunk to about the size of a golf ball. It took me one whole day to catch my maroon. I had to remove most of the live rocks out!!! I moved her to my FOWLER tank which I have mostly agressive fishes there. Picasso, Niger, two tomato clowns, big and fat stripe damsel, yellow tang.

—Guest Amy111

Betta From Hell

One day I decided to get a betta fish. The trouble was he attacked a hatchetfish and then had a go at my african dwarf frog

—Guest Ralf Crawshaw

damsel

A Bow tie damsel. It has bullied everything else, so no other fish come out of hiding. It's now about 3 in. & I can't catch it, without tearing apart the tank.

—Guest Matt K.

Fish I wish I never got but wont get rid

Altantic Blue Tang - grows too fast and a bully but so attractive I will keep him

—Guest Woskor

Yikes!

Adult size queen angel. I was told "females" won't eat your corals. They eat EVERYTHING! Shrimp, snails and of course corals. They poop a LOT so extensive water changes, hair algea control, and special food are necessary. Other fish in the tank get territorial because the angel is so big and dominant. Finally sent it back to the store. A year later, still working on getting the tank back to where it was. Beautiful fish, but even in a 200+ gallon tank, yikes!

—Guest Seth

Yellow Tail Damsel

i went o my LFS and bought two of these pests and ever since they picked on and killed any other fish i put in the ank.... untill i got an anemone and it ate um..... sad but good at the same time

—Guest ky aquarium

Viscious fish

I bought a cute little tomato clown that turned into a pirranah! Every time I had to do something in the tank it would bite me... even took out a chunk on my finger... that was the last time! Into it's own tank until I can find some one who would like this 'nice' fish. Anyone for a free tomato??? LOL!

—Guest DesertWindOrchid

Good Fish?

I introduced an anemone into the aquarium for a little (average size) clown fish. I believe it was purple tip. I was told this anemone would accept a clown and it ate it. Within 3 days the anemone devoured a dwarf octopus, six line wrasse and a clown fish. This particular anemone was extremely aggressive. It was supposed to be a good fish?

—Guest reefer

Bicolor Pseudochromis

I had one; It took over the entire reef and wouldn't allow anything else near the rocks, regardless of size, and would attack my hand when I was placing new corals in the tank. I even caught him carrying a hermit out of the rockwork and spitting it against the front glass! That was one fish that definitely had to go.

—Bill.N

Maroon Clown

The Maroon Clownfish is a rogue and loves to pick on other Clowns, to the point of death.

—Guest Membername

Damnsel from hell

Years ago (before we knew better), we caught a cute little White Spot Damsel and put it in our 55g FOWLR tank. It was about the size of a dime and had this really bright blue slash across its eyes. It would bob up and down in the aquarium like a little elevator. Really cute. As time went on, it got bigger and bigger, turned totally ugly (lost its blue slash) and tore up any other fish we put in the tank. The size of the new fish didn't matter. We finally dispatched it back to the reef when it started tearing up our Flame Angel.

—saltaquarium