Can Fish Be "Potty Trained?"

[maroun.c]

Most of my tangs are, somehow, they'll just poop to relieve themselves when they see mr coming to feed. Now its for sure to be able to fit more food, yet we potty train our dogs with treats so its somehow similar :)

 

[Potatohead]

White tails are a little more uppity than most tangs. He probably thinks it doesn't smell, too.

 

[SeaDweller]

I know this is a weird question, however, I have a white tail bristletooth tang that goes to the same spot on the sand in the back corner of the tank to relieve himself. He will literally go to the corner of the tank, get very close to the sand and lay a turd on the sand, each and every time. This is quite the opposite of my other tang or fish in the sense that they will usually go wherever they are swimming into the water column. So that got me thinking.......... Anyone experience this?

I have a chevron that does the same. Same genus

 

[billwill]

So weird! Since I set up my new tank my bristletooth tang does the same thing! A friend commented on it even. Mine is the front left corner of the tank

 

[Gobi-Wan]

Had a striatus bristletooth that did the same. I always thought it was because it was the spot of lowest flow in the tank. But could be a territory or distance thing.

 

[Boiler93]

my Tomini does the exact same thing.

 

[SDguy]

Bonus - makes clean up in QT easy ;)

 

[Pdash]

I know this is a weird question, however, I have a white tail bristletooth tang that goes to the same spot on the sand in the back corner of the tank to relieve himself. He will literally go to the corner of the tank, get very close to the sand and lay a turd on the sand, each and every time. This is quite the opposite of my other tang or fish in the sense that they will usually go wherever they are swimming into the water column. So that got me thinking.......... Anyone experience this?

My whitetail bristletooth tang does the same thing in the front right corner of my bare bottom tank.

 

[sacutshall]

IME all bristletooth tangs do this... Obviously the corner of the tank is the furthest they can get from their normal territory in the aquarium. I wonder how far they go in the wild to poop?

neighbor yard :D

 

[crownsbroyal]

This is cool. I also noticed that he will usually relive himself when I go to feed the tank.

 

[9975]

Wife..."whatcha doin?"
Me...."just talking about fish poop"
Wife...."just wow"

 

[Russell G]

My two spot bristletooth tang did the same thing but his corner was right up in the front right corner where it’s easy to see. Thankfully the horseshoe crab loved to get stuck in the corners and he would disperse if every night.

 

[crownsbroyal]

My two spot bristletooth tang did the same thing but his corner was right up in the front right corner where it’s easy to see. Thankfully the horseshoe crab loved to get stuck in the corners and he would disperse if every night.

Yeah I notice that my snails and crabs favor the “bathroom” corner a bit more as well.