FOXFACE RABBITFISH feeding

Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum

Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:

cookie

cookie

cat
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
114
Location
spokane area
Hello! Last week I added a foxface rabbit fish to my 75 gallon tank. His tank mates are a coral beauty, 1 true preculla clown, 1 dragon goby, 1 LTA anemone, 1 bangaii cardinal and some coral that includes torch, xenia, frog spawn, some stuff that looks like green grass (cant remember the name) and a Platygyra Brain worm Coral. I knew when buying him that he may nip at corals if not well fed. Like I said, I have only had him a week and he is already out of his shell and freely roaming the tank. I have noticed today he has been nipping or at least attempting to nip at my feather dusters. I am concerned that he in not finding enough algae in the tank to eat. He has ate some mysis and I tried giving him some dried seaweed but he kept spitting it out. Does anyone have any recommendations they can give me so I can make sure he is getting a full belly with proper nutrition so maybe he will not go after my feather dusters.

Also, is there a way to add a plant or add algae t my tank for him?

Thanks for all the help!
 
Yes, many local fish stores will sell algae from their refugiums. Your rabbit may not touch things like cheatomoprhia, but if you can get some caulerpa, your fox should love it. This is more time consuming and in the long term, you'll want to get him eatting the dried seaweed if you dont have refugium to produce your own.
When first introducing dried seaweed, I too have found that my plant eaters ignore it at first, but they will find it eventually. What your rabbit is doing right now is biting things in order to "test" to see if they should be eaten. Eventually he will "test" that algae on the clip and will come to know that its a good source. Rabbitfish are always eatting, so youll want to try to make sure there is always some algae available. This is where having live macro algae is very usefull, because you can leave it in the tank as long as you want and it wont spoil. The dried algae, by comparrison, spoils after a few hours. So if your adding dried algae, youll want to add it 2 to 3 times a day if you can. I try to make sure there is some available right when the light comes on, so my rabbit is tempted to "test" things again while he waits.

All of this feeding however will lead you to an inevitable problem. You will have constant nutrient issues in your tank without a large skimmer. Since you dont have a sump, I know you dont have a strong skimmer. Id highly recomend adding a sump for long term success. Adding a sump to an already existing tank though is very difficult project =\ You have to drill the tank, which requires draining, and you also need a few days of it being dry for the plumping to cure. Not the answer you wanted to here probably, but this fish will most likely eat more then you can filter wihtout a sump. If you dont feed him enough, he will probably continue to nip alot, and not be very healthy.
 
Dried Algae from Local Fish Store. I doubt it's actually nipping at the feather dusters. Probably finding lil' bits of algae near it. Get an algae clip for the dried algae. Fold it up, like the Oriental fans and clip an end in the clip. Folding it keeps it from just tearing off the clip a few minutes after clipping it. There's a really handy magnetic clip available. I know Aquarium Solutions has them. Aquatic Dreams probably does as well. It allows you to adjust the clip on a long bar, so you an place it further away from the tank glass. It is held to the glass with a magnet.

By the way, the grass looking stuff is Green Star Polyps. If you get any Zoanthids, watch the Foxface around it. Lately, some have been found nipping at zoanthids.

One other thing to be aware of, if you aren't already. Rabbitfish have spines on their dorsal fin that can contain venom. If your hands are in the water, they can accidentally poke you. This can cause quite a reaction, so use caution.
 
Last edited:
You dont need to do all that stuff to put a sump in. All you need to get is an overflow box with j tubes. I just added mine to my setup last night and today. and its working fine. Its just you have to take you time to plan out your routing and stuff. And i also have a fox. hes kinda skittish sometimes but hes doing fine. i havent noticed him nip my corals yet. But theres still some alge in the tank. I also do put a lil macro in some spots every now and then just in case but hes fine. Good luck with him
 
The J-tube is one way to do it. They leave you at risk for flooding though so I personally wouldn't use them. If your water level gets too low, or too much air gets trapped in the tube, you can loose the siphon. Meanwhile your pump in your sump will continue pumping into your display often causing an overflow.
 
aw see i have an airlifter pump and i already simulated a power outage and my tanks fine :). Also i dont have tubes persay but its a solid boxed j shape. and theres a port on top for the air lifter pump. But like i said as long as u plan it right it can be done.
 
When I had a foxface, he would eat strips of nori like it was spaghetti out of my hand. He had a great personality.

Gary
 
yes, foxface love nori and algae sheet..they are a cousin of the surgeon (tang) family.
 
Algae

I have an abundance of algae that foxface love. Free, if you'd like some. Plus it grows very well and is a renewable food source to save pennies. :)
 
I love my fox face. He doesnt nip my corals. He and the tomini tang love thier salad algea on a clip.They compete for it. I did get hit by him a couple monthes ago. My fault I was cleaning and tried grabbing a run away btsa in his cave. He let me know it was his cave with 3 spine holes in the hand. A serious bee sting and swelling. It smarted alittle bit. He is fine and I am alive. He is still my favorite. Hes my Pittsburgh steelers fish.... I have more problems with my female clown nipping and beating on everything.
 
doublenut said:
I love my fox face. He doesnt nip my corals. He and the tomini tang love thier salad algea on a clip.They compete for it. I did get hit by him a couple monthes ago. My fault I was cleaning and tried grabbing a run away btsa in his cave. He let me know it was his cave with 3 spine holes in the hand. A serious bee sting and swelling. It smarted alittle bit. He is fine and I am alive. He is still my favorite. Hes my Pittsburgh steelers fish.... I have more problems with my female clown nipping and beating on everything.
Click to expand...

My fox is my favorite! He is totally cool. I have to say though, regardless of his yellow and black colors, he is a seahawks fish! Always and forever, even through seasons like the last one!!
 
See nw you say what most Seahawk fans say."theres always next year"Just kidding I think Seahawks are now getting a fan base. I hope your fox turns out ok. OH YEAH GO BLACK AND YELLOW STEELERS.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

barrierreefcf
Arrivals 6/1 - 6/5
Replies
0
Views
264
barrierreefcf
barrierreefcf
barrierreefcf
Arrivals 5/14 - 5/18
Replies
0
Views
783
barrierreefcf
barrierreefcf
barrierreefcf
Arrivals 3/25 - 3/30
Replies
0
Views
711
barrierreefcf
barrierreefcf
barrierreefcf
Please Read - Helping Mike Foote
Replies
2
Views
1K
Scooterman
Scooterman
barrierreefcf
Barrier Reef's Mid-Remodel Sale
Replies
2
Views
1K
barrierreefcf
barrierreefcf

Latest posts

Back
Top