Ever seen a Powder Blue tang eat the growth edges off a monti cap?

[wrightme43]

My PBTang keeps biting chunks of the growth edge off on of my monti caps. I have 3 and it only seems interested in one. Its a brown green with a purple edge. I like it alot. Any ideas on getting it to stop. Its feed New life pellets, and yaka sushi nori, Live brine as a treat, and people seafood when I have it for dinner too. Like last night they got some crab leg.

 

[spongebob lover]

wwouu you sure feed him good even I got hungry.
i have never had one Steve, but i hope you find the solution, if i was you i'd move the coral or fish to another tank (good excuse to set up a new tank ).

 

[wrightme43]

LOL I am having a electrician friend come in this weekend to run a dedicated 15 amp breaker for my tank, a dedicated 15 for my quar tanks, and two extra dedicated 15 amps in the garage and to split my office and my living room to two brkrs. And install gfci in the bathrooms and outlets in the bathrooms. I found out I am running a 90% of the brkr in the garage and in the 25% saftey over factor in the living room. Like I mean I have a 15 amp that blows at 20 amp and I am running 16 amps pretty steady thru it. Thats why when I plug the vacum in it blows the brker. LOL really not a funny situation. I mean the result is at minumum reduced life of my toys, and at worst large fires. I dont think I am going to have much extra money laying around now. LOL
What do you think about maybe using a tazer in the water every time he goes near the coral for a week or so?

 

[spongebob lover]

LOL!!! Steve :lol:, next time your house is gonna be surrounded by wires .

Thats why when I plug the vacum in it blows the brker

dood, don't use the vacuum that's boring , there's no need for that just use a broom and get a kid's one so trinity can help too or let sugar daddy eat the crumbs. and for the bigger pieces hmm.. just hide them under your couch .

sure i think a tazer is the best way to go dood i think after a week he'd learn his lesson if he makes it :lol:.

i can't say feed him more because you're already feeding him a lot, but may be when you see him going for the coral, just put the turkey baster in there kind of like scarying him.

 

[NaH2O]

Steve - is there any algae growing there? I ran into a problem with my first magnificant rabbitfish....she developed a taste for the SPS, although I still can't imagine why, when she had a ton of algae to graze on . She did start out on one of my caps though. Here's a bump for anyone that may have had this problem with a PBTang

 

[wrightme43]

There was just a little patch of a wiry red algae on one rock. It was immediately croped to nothing. Nothing growing even near the monti. It is just eating the edge where it is soft and new.

 

[mfinn]

I have had problems with different tangs going after zoanthids in my tanks.
I know that the monti caps and zoanthids are hugely different, but I think that once a fish that is a grazer, finds something that doesn't sting it or kill it, the fish will view it as a possible food source and always go back.
Once the different tangs I had, developed a taste for the zoanthids, they couldn't be stopped from cleaning them out.
Hope you have better luck.

 

[NaH2O]

Steve, definately keep an eye on it. Like I said, my magnificant rabbitfish did the same thing with nibbling on the SPS. It started out nibbling on the edge of a cap, and eventually moved to other SPS, no matter how much algae on a clip I had (plus algae on the rocks...this fish was fat, too). I found a nice FOWLR for her to go in and be queen.

 

[wrightme43]

I knew that was what I will have to do too. Oh well, I mean how often can you find a big fat healthy disease free beautiful powder blue. Oh well the cap grows quick, as long as she/he sticks to it, I will let it ride. If it moves on to something else its gotta go.

 

[spongebob lover]

i don't know dood, i'd just put a rock full of algae to try to get his attention on something else.

 

[wrightme43]

Maybe I could just the monti as a algae clip.

 

[NaH2O]

steve - its funny that you said the cap grows fast, and as long as he sticks to it. I think I said those same words about my rabbitfish. BUT...we are talking about Nikki luck here, and that means the fish wouldn't stick to my cap. I hope the tang stops that...they are gorgeous. I never did understand why a grazing herbivorous fish would want to pick on SPS. Its not like a softie or LPS that's meaty....its hard!

 

[CarlaW]

Steve, frag the thing so you might have a piece of it left if it gets real hungry!!

 

[wrightme43]

Already under control. I have five different pieces of it growing in my tank, and its in all my customers tanks that have corals as well. It grows great under pc lights, and mh lights. Its like indestructable, except for chewing. I started it as a tiny little bitty piece stuffed in a hole in a piece of live rock. It just grew onto my cpr and is trying to grow up it now.

 

[CarlaW]

Got any pics of that? I love it when things start to encrust all over the place!!

 

[wrightme43]

just a second let me clean the glass and It will be up in 10 mins. LOL

 

[wrightme43]

here you go Charlie and the culprit looking innocent

 

[spongebob lover]

kewl coral dood !!!
well i think just use the coral as a algae clip .

 

[supafly]

I thought my case was rare, but looks like others are having similar problems. My power blue tang has been a model citizen for the last year or so, until recently I noticed the tips of my monit's and acros going white. After examining it closely, I discovered that it the PB that was nibbling on the tips. It started on an encrsting monti and then moved to a couple different millipora colonies. Currently I can see about four different colonies that has partial white tips. Nothing major that would kill the coral but it does damage it to the point of stunting the growth causing lost of color to the damaged area.

Like many of you, I don't know why it picked up this new habbit. It's well feed and is very plump. My only reasoning is that it only does this when it has the "munchies" or when it is bored. I figured since I have a tank full of SPS, a few tips wouldn't hurt. I love this fish too much to try and remove it ( don't know if that's even possible). This problem has been onging for about 3 months and by now I think it is safe just to let nature take it course.

I also have a Sohal and Naso that are both doing fine....no bad habbits, atleast not yet.

 

[BCT182]

I knew that was what I will have to do too. Oh well, I mean how often can you find a big fat healthy disease free beautiful powder blue. Oh well the cap grows quick, as long as she/he sticks to it, I will let it ride. If it moves on to something else its gotta go.

I agree, I had alot of problems getting my PB to eat (he died) and my monti grows very very very slow. It would be a blessing to have your problems. :lol: