Purple Sea Whip...

[racer69]

Sooo I was a Scotts the other day and bought that Purple Sea Whip out of the front tank. It looked great the first day but not so good the second, almost no polyp extension. So tonight I am watching the tank and I see my mimic and lieutenant tangs nipping aggressively. I would have never thought tangs would try eating a coral but they were. I moved the whip to the 33 cube, but am afraid there is not enough flow.

 

[reefkoi]

those are tough, I have a blueberry gorgonian? from him thats doing great i feed phyto and rotifeast though so that may be why.

I used to have that cool purple fan and it lived for almost a year I'd say, but I wasnt feeding any phyto or roti's.

 

[racer69]

I think it would be fine if the tangs would leave it alone. I think they believe it is kelp or some type of vegetable.

 

[Thurge]

I tried a Blueberry back in Cleveland and it was a disaster.

 

[Huhhhhh]

I've also read that those need low light.

 

[Leopard Wrasse]

Todd,

If the tangs were nipping, it was probably at algae on the gorgonian. I believe that species of gorgonian is noxious to fish, so I doubt they were picking at the gorgonian itself. Look for information on "purple sea blade", and you should be able to find what is working for people who are keeping this species.

 

[racer69]

Robert, you don't thing they are hurting it then? It looked like they were putting thier mouths around the stalks. Maybe I should put it back in and see what happens.

 

[Leopard Wrasse]

No, I highly doubt it. It may cause the poylps to close for a little while, but I don't think they are doing any damage.

 

[racer69]

I will put it back in the big tank tonight and just leave it there. It doesn't seem to have enough flow in the little tank anyway.

 

[liriel]

I have a hippo tang that is not as innocent as everyone would like to lead me to believe. I had a flower pot, and she was eating the tenticles off the heads of the stalks. I couldn't believe it, and no one had heard of a tang doing it before, but after a few days most of the tenticles were bitten off to nubs. It was moved to a tank with no aggressive fish and is recovering.

She also ate all the extending fingers off of a xenia I was trying. I've decided she eats anything that isn't noxious. They get fed plenty and I've even made sure to leave her seaweed, which she eats all of. She is either crazy or confused

 

[ReefJerk]

Feed more seaweed and she should stop nipping. It might take a sheet of Nori a day, but it should fix your problem.

 

[reefkoi]

I have heard of others having problems with hippo tangs eating zoanthids I think also. I don't think mine had ever ate any polyps but I'll stay away from them just in case.
As far as tangs go they don't seem to graze as much as the others so I don't find them valuable other than the great colors and pattern they have.
Chris

 

[talon4x4]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10613249#post10613249 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by liriel
I have a hippo tang that is not as innocent as everyone would like to lead me to believe. I had a flower pot, and she was eating the tenticles off the heads of the stalks. I couldn't believe it, and no one had heard of a tang doing it before, but after a few days most of the tenticles were bitten off to nubs. It was moved to a tank with no aggressive fish and is recovering.

I've got a flower pot that hasn't opened in weeks and finally last night saw my powder blue nipping at it. It was pulling ployps off but not eating them, they were just floating in the tank. And I feed it nori everyday.