Last summer, I added a small group of Biota captive bred rabbitfish to my 260g DT. They ranged from small to tiny. Over the next six months or so all but one grew big and fat. One of them ate voraciously but never grew and was wafer thin.
I suspected either: 1) it had a G.I. tract issue that made it difficult to digest enough calories; or 2) the flow of the tank was so strong it burned more calories than it could consume. There were many times I found it laying on the sand bed and assumed it was on its last day. But every time, the next day it would be swimming around, eating voraciously and hanging in there.
A few months ago, when it seemed to really be on its last leg, something ate one of its eyes. But it still hung in there. Only now, it was cautious—keeping its blind side against the walls so it could see threats coming.
Fortunately the loss of an eye transformed this once thoroughly uncatchable fish into an easy catch. I lured it toward the surface with food and netted it easily from the blind side. Then I moved it to my coral grow out tank (60g). The flow there is lower and it’s the only fish so I’m able to feed it well.
After about three months in the grow out tank, I’m happy to report that it has grown considerably and is now genuinely fat. It is considerably bigger than any of the other rabbitfish were when I introduced them and they have all thrived in the display tank. So I have no doubt the little cyclops can handle the flow if I return it to the DT. What I’m worried about is aggression or that the presence of other fish will cause it to once again keep its blind side against the walls and miss out on food.
My question to the forum is would you return it to the display tank or keep it in the grow out tank? And why?
I suspected either: 1) it had a G.I. tract issue that made it difficult to digest enough calories; or 2) the flow of the tank was so strong it burned more calories than it could consume. There were many times I found it laying on the sand bed and assumed it was on its last day. But every time, the next day it would be swimming around, eating voraciously and hanging in there.
A few months ago, when it seemed to really be on its last leg, something ate one of its eyes. But it still hung in there. Only now, it was cautious—keeping its blind side against the walls so it could see threats coming.
Fortunately the loss of an eye transformed this once thoroughly uncatchable fish into an easy catch. I lured it toward the surface with food and netted it easily from the blind side. Then I moved it to my coral grow out tank (60g). The flow there is lower and it’s the only fish so I’m able to feed it well.
After about three months in the grow out tank, I’m happy to report that it has grown considerably and is now genuinely fat. It is considerably bigger than any of the other rabbitfish were when I introduced them and they have all thrived in the display tank. So I have no doubt the little cyclops can handle the flow if I return it to the DT. What I’m worried about is aggression or that the presence of other fish will cause it to once again keep its blind side against the walls and miss out on food.
My question to the forum is would you return it to the display tank or keep it in the grow out tank? And why?
