Brain eating regal tang

[PogoMonogo]

Yep, I have a 3 inch regal tang who has been eating my welso brain. Has anyone see this before? He is straight up biting chunks out of the flesh. Its pretty irritating.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Tangs aren't always as reef-safe as we make them out to be. In a lot of other countries tangs are considered questionably reef-safe. I have seen a yellow tang taking chunks out of euphyllia at a local store, and heard similar stories. I have a mimic lemonpeel who nips here and there, and I had to get rid of a clam because of him. And I have also heard of regals eating coral as well, like you describe.

As we all know, tangs are voracious algae eaters... and guess what is inside your coral. Algae.

 

[PogoMonogo]

yeah, i know, its just irritating. I have worked at a LFS for years, and even though I know its not impossible, I have yet to actually see it. I have had a cut off two liter bottle top over the brain for a week, and as soon as i remove it, he b-lines for it. Its terrible.

 

[RufRidn]

Wish i saw this sooner. I just got a mimic lemonpeel who is nipping at my clams and already got one. Any suggestions on how to protect the clam? Will a eggcrate box over it work?

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Just got rid of my mimic lemonpeel, he was a clam nipper as well.

 

[ReefTECK]

:lol: I misinterperited your post, I was like "NO WAY a brain coral is eating your hippo tang!" lol

That's too bad though.

 

[gman0526]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12337344#post12337344 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefTECK
:lol: I misinterperited your post, I was like "NO WAY a brain coral is eating your hippo tang!" lol

That's too bad though.

If you say so.....

 

[miwoodar]

I had a hippo that ate my open brain. He trained my yellow and my ocellerous clown to nip at it as well. They all had to go back to the LFS even though they had been in my tank for years.

I didn't feed very much back then (at that time, maybe twice per week). I'm quite sure that it had something to do with it.

 

[ReefTECK]

NO WAY that's sad and hillarious at the same time! "When Inverts Strike back!" :lol:

I presume that fishes health compromised before he was eaten by that brain?

 

[flyyyguy]

pretty much OT.......but somewhat related
Clam strikes back.....

To say something on topic.......I once had a open brain muching sailfin tang. killed a large and most of a medium in the first(and last) few days I had him

 

[PogoMonogo]

still haven't caught the bastard....

ps: I also find the brain eating the tang both funny and sad

 

[PogoMonogo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12338032#post12338032 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by miwoodar
I had a hippo that ate my open brain. He trained my yellow and my ocellerous clown to nip at it as well. They all had to go back to the LFS even though they had been in my tank for years.

I didn't feed very much back then (at that time, maybe twice per week). I'm quite sure that it had something to do with it.

Oh, the sad thing is: I feed atleast once a day, plus tenera clipped on the tank for the tangs.

 

[AquaReeferMan]

Ive tried 3 different brain corals in my tank and my hippo picked at all of them. I dont understand it. I am a big fan of brain coral but I just cant remove the tang.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Have you tried catching them at night? Wait until about an hour and a half after the lights go out, then get a longish stick (like one of those long armed algae scrapers) and a large net. You should be able to use the stick to scare him out of the rocks, and then get him in the net. I caught my lemonpeel tang, scribbled rabbit, and majestic angel in about 5-10 minutes each this way without moving a single rock.