Clown trigger eating... hair algae? (Video)

4FordFamily · Jan 24, 2020

I’ve not seen this until today (clearly, there is a lot to eat in there right now). Sorry about the video quality select the highest resolution so you can see what’s going on.

Anyone else ever seen that from a clown trigger? My tangs and foxfaces including a Kole tang seem to ignore it... but the carnivore...

Reef AquaCult · Jan 24, 2020

Maybe there’s some amphipods he sees in there

Feet4Fish · Jan 24, 2020

Mine attacks nori like crazy. He hasn't seen hair algae yet, but maybe...

Jesterrace · Jan 24, 2020

Truth is pretty much all fish are opportunists and even set carnivores or herbivores will consume more of a mixed diet if the opportunity presents itself. My Wrasses go for seaweed/nori even though they are supposed to be carnivores and my Foxface (supposed to be an herbivore) gladly tears into the meaty portions of LRS Reef Frenzy. I have to say though that a Carnivore going for hair algae is pretty unique.

4FordFamily · Jan 24, 2020

Oh yeah he eats a ton of nori. So do all of my tangs and foxfaces.. puffers, wrasse and everything else! They do not touch GHA.

This is the last fish I’d expect!

But yes I agree most fish are opportunistic feeders. Whatever they can eat!

4FordFamily · Jan 25, 2020

He’s back at it again this morning... so weird

45ZoaGarden · Jan 25, 2020

4FordFamily said:
He’s back at it again this morning... so weird

Actually seems like normal behavior. I live in south Florida (where there is a lot of natural reefs) and whenever I go fishing on a levee for snook, I always see parrotfish, puffers, triggers, and wrasses picking at the rocks. I’m not surprised that a clown trigger (from Hawaii I’m assuming?) would show the same behavior. There’s usually a pretty big build up of gha and byropsis on the rocks. I wonder if your trigger would go for that too

MERKEY · Jan 25, 2020

Reminds me of my choc lab when I let her out and she runs for a bit and then stops to chomp on grass!

4FordFamily · Jan 25, 2020

45ZoaGarden said:
Actually seems like normal behavior. I live in south Florida (where there is a lot of natural reefs) and whenever I go fishing on a levee for snook, I always see parrotfish, puffers, triggers, and wrasses picking at the rocks. I’m not surprised that a clown trigger (from Hawaii I’m assuming?) would show the same behavior. There’s usually a pretty big build up of gha and byropsis on the rocks. I wonder if your trigger would go for that too

I have seen them in the wild doing this, but it seems like in our tanks fish don’t eat it (marginally). Even those that eat algae in the wild seem to ignore it.

He’s just chowing down.

45ZoaGarden · Jan 25, 2020

4FordFamily said:
I have seen them in the wild doing this, but it seems like in our tanks fish don’t eat it (marginally). Even those that eat algae in the wild seem to ignore it.

He’s just chowing down.

He’s been around the tangs too long. LOL