Evil Rabbitfish

[BestMomEver]

I posted this in the LPS forum but I thought I’d ask here as well. I just caught my baby Rabbitfish eating my cynarina. I think he’s been doing it for a while cause it’s nearly dead. I moved the coral to a different tank but I think it’s too late. Has anyone had a Rabbitfish do this?

 

[Forsaken77]

Being herbivores, they will eat corals if they're not fed enough or are hungry. Mine chewed a softy down to a nub, I fed him more, and he left it alone and it regrew. But they eat a lot and prefer to have snacking multiple times a day. Just try to give him better options than your corals.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

They are less safe than tangs. I have had them eat zoas and gorgonians.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I have had rabbitfish and foxfaces go 'rogue' on corals quite frequently, even when fed half a dozen times a day.

 

[nereefpat]

They are generally considered a safe bet, but I've seen several folks report problems.

 

[Greybeard]

He's hungry... feed him!

My orange spot rabbitfish has grown from 2.5" to nearly 6" in about 8 months, outpacing my Scopas tang by double. Juvenile rabitfish grow... and to do so, they need to eat.

I feed a half sheet of Nori every day, a quarter sheet in the AM, and a quarter sheet around 5, with a variety of more meaty foods around 7pm.

IMHO, the 'low nutrient' mantra, blaming high nutrients for algae growth, reducing feedings to an absolute minimum, has led to many of us underfeeding our juvenile fishes. I like my fishes fat and happy. Much less aggressive that way, and less likely to opportunistically feed on other reef inhabitants.