Blue hippos becoming coral eaters!

[RyanSweatt2004]

So this is whats happening. I have had a pair of blue hippo tangs together without any aggression for about 2 years now. They are each about 3.5-4 inches long now and have developed a taste for various types of sinularia. They are very well fed on PE mysis, cyclopeez, formula 2 flakes and nori seaweed once to twice a day. This however does not deter them from taking bites out of a few of my favorite softies in my tank. Has anyone ever found ways to deter fish with bad habits from nipping and literaly eating corals? I love my fish but I'm not against trading them in for a different pair of hippos either. Any thoughts or Ideas would be helpful.

 

[Stanley-Reefer]

IME they are hungry try some hikari a pellets or NLS pellets and ocean nutrition spirulina cubes.

 

[RyanSweatt2004]

I doubt that they could really be hungry. I over feed the tank now just to satisfy them and keep them well mannered. Believe me they have fat bellies. Is there somthing they could be missing though that they are getting from sinularia tissue?

 

[kawasaki00]

I had a pbt that would destroy my 3 finger leathers. It ate all the fingers off and actually totally killed one of them. No matter what I tried I could not get her to stop.

 

[MTH]

I have a PBT thats fine with my coral for now but I've heard alot of people complaining about their Blues becoming coral eaters. This is reason enough for me not to even try. Hope you find a solution that doesn't include giving them up.

 

[luckyk0505]

Once tang start eatting the coral, he will constantly visit free buffet

 

[LKGRenegade22]

I had a blue hippo that I watched eat GSP. He had a certain hole he hid and slept in and as the GSP grew closer to his hole he would eat it. At 1st I thought he was just ripping it down but after awhile I noticed he was actually eating it. Oh, and if anything I over feed my tank so food was not an issue at all.

 

[sanchoy]

its over.. either remove the coral or the fish..

 

[Beaun]

I've heard about hippos eating corals often. How big is it? I am of the oppinion that they are not reef safe, in that they will eat stuff like xenia and sinularia at times.

 

[jd474]

I've seen them eat leathers and zoanthids on not so rare occasions. I'd also agree that once they start, they won't stop, no matter how fat they are.

 

[Mr.leee]

i would also say they are hungry, you say you over feed...how much do you feed and how many times a day...my pbt eats gsp when i was feeding only 3 times a day...know that i feed 5 times a day he have stoped.