Insane glass surfing - what to do ?

[Idech]

I’ve had this blue eye kole tang for about a year. I got it at about the same size it is now, maybe a little smaller.

No glass surfing that I can remember for the first year. About a week ago it started doing it. Very intensely, at first on and off but now it’s an obsession and it’s going on pretty much all day, frantically. Even when the lights are out. Lights have been off for 45 minutes now and it’s still doing it. Only on one side, the right one.

I’ve been keeping fish for decades but I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m wondering if it’s caused by the fish reaching sexual maturity ? Or maybe too much rich food (I feed frozen twice a day + another feeding of pellets or flakes) ? I know in some animals abundance in food might trigger reproduction and aggressive behaviors.

I’ve tried covering the glass with a dark cloth, white cloth, egg crate, white film. Nothing works.

I‘m afraid the fish will wear itself out and get sick from disease and parasites. And stress other fish as well.

Any ideas what I could try ?

Thanks !

 

[Reefering1]

Video?

 

[Idech]

Video?

I’ll make one tomorrow when the lights are on.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I’ve had this blue eye kole tang for about a year. I got it at about the same size it is now, maybe a little smaller.

No glass surfing that I can remember for the first year. About a week ago it started doing it. Very intensely, at first on and off but now it’s an obsession and it’s going on pretty much all day, frantically. Even when the lights are out. Lights have been off for 45 minutes now and it’s still doing it. Only on one side, the right one.

I’ve been keeping fish for decades but I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m wondering if it’s caused by the fish reaching sexual maturity ? Or maybe too much rich food (I feed frozen twice a day + another feeding of pellets or flakes) ? I know in some animals abundance in food might trigger reproduction and aggressive behaviors.

I’ve tried covering the glass with a dark cloth, white cloth, egg crate, white film. Nothing works.

I‘m afraid the fish will wear itself out and get sick from disease and parasites. And stress other fish as well.

Any ideas what I could try ?

Thanks !

You could try a mirror, although that trick is usually used to make the fish spend time looking at the glass...

 

[Idech]

You could try a mirror, although that trick is usually used to make the fish spend time looking at the glass...

The glass has a mirror effect and that’s what triggers him. He is going for his own reflection.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

The glass has a mirror effect and that’s what triggers him. He is going for his own reflection.

Turn on lights on the room so the mirror effect goes away.

 

[Idech]

Turn on lights on the room so the mirror effect goes away.

Lights are on. The tank is in my living room. I’ll try setting a desk lamp close to it tomorrow.

 

[MartinM]

Off-the-wall thought here, are you sure it’s not a vitamin deficiency of some kind? Because the mirror effect from inside of an aquarium is likely to be very minimal.

 

[Reefering1]

Off-the-wall thought here, are you sure it’s not a vitamin deficiency of some kind? Because the mirror effect from inside of an aquarium is likely to be very minimal.

You ever look through the side of your tank, at the front pane, with the lights on? I see a full mirror on mine..

 

[MartinM]

You ever look through the side of your tank, at the front pane, with the lights on? I see a full mirror on mine..

Yeah, actually one of my staff does a lot of videography and photography and we have the opposite problem which is it’s too easy to see out. A lot more fish would have a problem if there was a mirror effect from inside. For example, clownfish would never stop fighting the glass.

one of my systems is large enough to get into. There’s zero mirror effect from inside.

 

[Idech]

Off-the-wall thought here, are you sure it’s not a vitamin deficiency of some kind? Because the mirror effect from inside of an aquarium is likely to be very minimal.

They‘ve been getting vita-chem every second day in their food from the beginning.

You ever look through the side of your tank, at the front pane, with the lights on? I see a full mirror on mine..

So do I.

 

[Idech]

A lot more fish would have a problem if there was a mirror effect from inside. For example, clownfish would never stop fighting the glass…

It must depend on how the light reflects in a particular tank. It really is like a mirror in my case. I’ll try to get a picture tomorrow.

 

[TurboTang]

My white tail went through a stage where he constantly surfed the left pane of tank - surfed up and down and circled an mp40 constantly. Fish was very calm first 2 years, and then slowly became more aggressive. I was worried about his health, but the fish slowly relaxed over time and the behavior eventually stopped. Took around 6 months.
I have a very lightly stocked 150g (72"). I often see advice on here these bristletooth tangs are ok in 4ft tanks. Maybe they can tolerate it better, but my experience is they will likely be stressed - especially if they have to share the tank with a lot of other fish

 

[Reefering1]

Yeah, actually one of my staff does a lot of videography and photography and we have the opposite problem which is it’s too easy to see out. A lot more fish would have a problem if there was a mirror effect from inside. For example, clownfish would never stop fighting the glass.

one of my systems is large enough to get into. There’s zero mirror effect from inside.

My tangs have only reacted to the "glass mirror", for a few days, after removing a actual mirror I placed on glass(for aggression issues)

 

[Idech]

I have a very lightly stocked 150g (72"). I often see advice on here these bristletooth tangs are ok in 4ft tanks. Maybe they can tolerate it better, but my experience is they will likely be stressed - especially if they have to share the tank with a lot of other fish

Mine is a 48 inch tank (75 gallons). I’m upgrading to 110 gallons soon though, but still 48 inches (6 inches deeper and 1 inch higher). I only have peaceful fish (except him).

If the behavior doesn’t stop I’ll rehome him to a bigger tank.

 

[Reefering1]

They‘ve been getting vita-chem every second day in their food from the beginning.


So do I.

Maybe there's some aggression in the tank and he's all hyped up and stuck in the mirror...(?)

 

[Idech]

Maybe there's some aggression in the tank and he's all hyped up and stuck in the mirror...(?)

He’s the meanest fish in the tank (but not aggressive to others except when new).

Others are banggai cardinal, pyjama cardinal, one spot foxface, firefish, 2 oscellaris clowns, yellow wrasse and yellow watchman goby.

Clowns are still relatively young and don’t go near him. The male is still very small.

 

[Reefering1]

Yeah, actually one of my staff does a lot of videography and photography and we have the opposite problem which is it’s too easy to see out. A lot more fish would have a problem if there was a mirror effect from inside. For example, clownfish would never stop fighting the glass.

one of my systems is large enough to get into. There’s zero mirror effect from inside.

Idk, I can see every inch of my tank, off reflection of glass(every pane except back). I use it to discreetly watch fish sometimes. My lights are very white(to today's standards)14k mh. Glass is 1/2", low iron. Yours?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

The mirror effect we see when we look through one pane and view the one 90 degrees from it is a refractive phenomenon. It's not what the fish see.

 

[TurboTang]

Your behavior is similar to what I experienced - no real competition for the bristletooth, but fish showed stressful behavior. Perhaps they are bored and chasing a light reflection of themselves.