why does my anemone eat every tang I buy

[thelittlereef]

So I'm new to the site but not new to reefs. I've had my anemone and clowns for about ten years now and every tang I put in my tank ends up in my anemone. It's like they swim around it for weeks then it ends the same way.I walk by and it's half disolved and half in the anemone's mouth. I've lost three this way in the past four years. The only on that I've had any luck with was a Eb. mimic tang I had it for about three years (the wife killed it long story there). Any Idears?

 

[ocellaris123]

What type of anemone? Haddonis are notorious for consuming fish.

 

[thelittlereef]

That's it there in the pic. I was told it was called a green crisper but thats what I was told. So I'm not really sure. It was bleached pretty bad when I got it.

 

[nauticac4]

Are you QTing the tangs before placing them in the tank? Many times tangs and other fish are weakened from the stress of trasit and QT gives them time to rebuild their strength. Hard to tell what type of anenome that is but it looks somewhat like a carpet and as mentioned above they are notorious fish eaters.

A health tang is a very strong fish and shouldn't succome to an nem that easily. Just my two cents worth.

 

[Toddrtrex]

.....
A health tang is a very strong fish and shouldn't succome to an nem that easily. Just my two cents worth.

Unless it is an S. Haddoni. While I have had good luck with Haddonis and not eating fish, it is fairly common for them to eat any healthy fish, they are extremely sticky, have a powerful sting and can "wrap" around a fish very very fast.

 

[sleeperls]

Tangs are just greedy. Simple as that any time i would put my hand in to feed the nem he would hover for a chance to steal food if he could. He never could but would always get stung and have white spots on him for half the day.

Mine is a bta but if it was in something that had super sticky tenticals. I could see it happening easily.

 

[thelittlereef]

The last on was a sailfin and it lasted three weeks so I don't think its a health thing. And here's another pic of the nem I don't think its a carpet.

 

[vanillagorila]

I've had my tangs and angels steal food from my RBTA's and they were fine.

 

[Toddrtrex]

The last on was a sailfin and it lasted three weeks so I don't think its a health thing. And here's another pic of the nem I don't think its a carpet.

That pic is a bit small, that appears to be an LTA (( M doreensis )), which aren't known as common fish eaters.

 

[Ben_Im]

My HUGE BTA (8-10 inches) ate one of my small chromis. It was hovering a bit too close and got hit with a few tentacles. It lashed trying to break free but its efforts were futile.

 

[jonnybravo22]

Re: why does my anemone eat every tang I buy

why does my anemone eat every tang I buy

My guess is the tangy flavor.





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[gweston]

My guess is the tangy flavor.





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LOL I was thinking the very same thing.

I haven't heard of tangs getting munched by an anemone before. But then again, maybe that one has a taste for Tangs. I guess take it for what it's worth... at least you know the anemone is strong and healthy. But still, those are expensive snacks

 

[kleake]

The last on was a sailfin and it lasted three weeks so I don't think its a health thing. And here's another pic of the nem I don't think its a carpet.

I have an anemone that looks similar to yours, although the pic is small so I can't tell for sure. Mine just took my blue hippo tang last night at some point. I noticed it all balled up this morning and didn't think much of it at first. A couple hours later it was still balled up,,,,, low and behold my tang was sticking half out of it. Here is a decent pic of mine from a while back. It has split once before, and both are now getting big enough I'm thinking it may do it again. I might have to get rid of all but one for my clowns. I'm not sure exactly what kind it is. The clowns took almost 3 months to host it, but now they love it.

and the tang he took

 

[monicaswizzle]

I had a LTA that never really settled into my tank, but it took three small hippo tangs before it eventually "melted" away. The three hippos were "tank reared" (the larvae were wild harvested and then reared in an aquaculture system) and I always wondered if the fact that they were unfamiliar with anemones had something to do with it. They were also pretty small, about the size of a quarter, so probably an "easy snack". In addition to being tank reared, I always have wondered if hippo tangs don't have LTA in their natural environment, so were somehow not "wired" with the proper warning signals.

Fascinating as it is to see an anemone take a fish in the wild, it isn't something a person wants to see in their display tank. Sorry to hear about the losses.

 

[thelittlereef]

I want to try again. What tang do you guys think would do the best?

 

[slojmn]

I want to try again. What tang do you guys think would do the best?

I appreciate your excitement and enjoyment for getting a fourth tang, you obviously really like them but it seems really irresponsible when you have an anemone that is clearly munching away on your fish ...and not just your tangs as you mentioned it had kileld and consumed a sailfin blennie. I think you need to really think which is more important, the tang or your anemone. I think the responsible reefkeeper really needs to make decisions about their livestock based on the habits of the animals. If your anemone is able to easily catch a number of fish in your tank and feed on them is it really right to continue to put more fish in there when the likelihood of them getting killed by the anemone is high? Just something to think about

 

[thelittlereef]

I appreciate your excitement and enjoyment for getting a fourth tang, you obviously really like them but it seems really irresponsible when you have an anemone that is clearly munching away on your fish ...and not just your tangs as you mentioned it had kileld and consumed a sailfin blennie. I think you need to really think which is more important, the tang or your anemone. I think the responsible reefkeeper really needs to make decisions about their livestock based on the habits of the animals. If your anemone is able to easily catch a number of fish in your tank and feed on them is it really right to continue to put more fish in there when the likelihood of them getting killed by the anemone is high? Just something to think about

I think you make a good point. Thanks for your reply. Maybe I up the size of the tank?

 

[slojmn]

I think you make a good point. Thanks for your reply. Maybe I up the size of the tank?

That would certainly help the situation. That anemone looks pretty large in your full tank shot and with an enclosed space fish can get spooked and accidentally run into the anemone, more space might give the fish a better chance.

 

[auem]

why can't you get rid of the anemone?just try new one of same kind...you may find it 'behaving rightly'...i do have had trouble with fish eating anemone.a long tentacle once took my olive tang(3 ") right before my eyes..though i separed it from anemone's clatch,but that time it was too late..the fish died in 1 hour in my QT tank...i get rid of the anemone next day(sent to a LFS,and guess what it is a 'repeat offender'...a year later LFS owner told me that it killed a foxface in a shown tank).

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

why can't you get rid of the anemone?

better yet- before getting rid of it...properly identify what type of anemone it is :sad2: