Potty-Trained Fish?!?

[MechEng99]

Hi,

I recently purchased a chocolate tang, and...well...I think he's potty-trained. He only poops in one corner of the aquarium, NEVER anywhere else. I've never heard of this, and I'm not sure what to think. Is this just really cool or could he be doing this due to some mental issue?

 

[flameangel88]

I've read something similiar to your case where the fish only poop in one particular area. It's been a while and I can't even remember what fish it was.

 

[Voyager22]

lol this is great!

 

[prickles]

My chocolate seems to prefer the right front corner of the tank too...

 

[Boxelder]

My new Chevron Tang does exactly the same thing. He poops in the corner where the clownfish host only. He goes there just to do it then swims away.

 

[MechEng99]

Ok, awesome! Just wanted to make sure I shouldn't be worried. It's just so funny to see him swimming around...then dart straight for his corner, do his business, then go back to swimming! (His "spot" is the left front corner - so I'm trying to figure out a perfect coral to go there...maybe a scolymia).

 

[Bidadari]

My half-black tang also does his "business" in a particular spot only.

 

[steelersfan]

My new Chevron Tang does exactly the same thing. He poops in the corner where the clownfish host only. He goes there just to do it then swims away.

My Chevron does the same thing. He goes in the front right corner.

 

[MechEng99]

Sounds like a tang-thing. Makes me question the biological reasoning for it. I mean, tangs don't have burrows so no need to keep a home clean in the wild. Hm, anyway...thanks for the shared experiences!

 

[skidoll]

When I had a sailfin, he'd always go to the clown's bed area and let it rip, and now my kole tang also goes to the clown's bed. No wonder my clarkii pair are so angry. haha

 

[Recty]

My old lawnmower blenny used to do the same thing in my old 75g reef. It was really weird because I always saw these green stick looking things, I thought it was some kind of invert casing like there was a worm or something shedding in my tank.

I one day saw my lmb go over into the corner of the tank and poop then swim away and sure enough, that was his poop that I was seeing. From then on once I knew what I was looking for, he pooped over there a lot. I cant guarantee that is the only spot he pooped but every time I saw him go into that corner he was going to poop

 

[prodman]

My Tomini tang does the same thing.

 

[SDguy]

I think it's pretty common with bristletooth tangs. Not sure I've heard it with acanthurus species though.