Tangs eating coral?

Steffan1 · Apr 3, 2017

start feeding Nori on a clip. Maybe the Tang is craving "greens" which is a critical part of their diet. Let him nip on seaweed instead.

coralvault · Apr 3, 2017

I think its just a myth that tangs will not eat coral... I have a yellow tang and he goes crazy eating acans, scolys zoas.. Just about anything it can find.. One tang almost killed 10 scolys overnight they had bite marks all over them.. I sat there and watched him just go nuts on one of them to confirm it... I think it happened slowly.. First he got a taste for shrimp and now loves shrimp.. Then I use to target feed all LPS with shrimp and thats about the same time I noticed he just started eating the lps.. My yellow tang can shred a large scoly in just one day guaranteed and he is ingesting the flesh not doing it for sport..

Bruce Burnett · Apr 4, 2017

I feed heavy 3-4 times a day and a large sheet of nori 4" x 8" almost daily. I currently have 6 tangs 2 yellow a regal, sailfin, Tomini, scopas. I have never seen them take a bite out of any coral or Zoas, I have seen them steal food in polyps. Tangs are the pigs of a reef tank and they need large tanks and if you do not have any algae growing in the tank they need nori and a good algae pellet along with other foods.

Matt Strait · Apr 4, 2017

4FordFamily said:
I agree - tangs that eat coral are most likely not getting proper nutrition. In all honesty, those of you that have had these issues, how many of you offered daily nori, and varied frozen foods soaked in selcon?

Nori particularly. I'm just curious. If you feed flakes and pellets you are more likely to have issues, IMO

I do 3 nori sheets every other day on 3 seaweed clips along with pellets twice a day and frozon shrimp 3 -5 times a week

eatbreakfast · Apr 4, 2017

Matt Strait said:
I do 3 nori sheets every other day on 3 seaweed clips along with pellets twice a day and frozon shrimp 3 -5 times a week

This is actually provides good insight on why they may nip. Tangs want to graze everyday and frequently throughout the day, rather than just every other day.

robert s b. said:
Dont agree with this, feed my fish the best food around. And are all fat. Still my regal ate sps. Tang eating sps is not very common

It's not just the quality of the food, but for grazers like tangs, the frequency is of utmost importance, as well as variety to offset nutritional deficiencies.

rmiles54 said:
Crazy..I have a powder blue that chews on a neon green nepthia... he noticeably bites the tips off. Not enough damage to kill the coral yet. It's about a 7" piece. I have witnessed him doing it. Lives with a Naso & sailfin. All at least 5" in size. I feed heavy pellets, mysis, and nori daily. A lot of zoas, acans, torches, brains, and a few sps. All go untouched. Everyone I have spoke with and all the research I've done is as previously mentioned. Once a coral eater always a coral eater. May have to relocate or replace, I chose to keep my fish. A lot of personality. Good luck

How many feedings per day? Also, greater variety offsets nutritional deficiencies.

USMC4Life · Apr 4, 2017

djreef said:
When organisms feed outside of their normal patters that often indicates some sort of dietary deficiency. Try getting your hands on some live macro algaes (Caulerpa, Codium, Gracillaria) and feed liberally and see if that helps.

DJ

I did and he ignores it.

sghera64 · Apr 4, 2017

I had to give away a very fat power blue after he started to eat my goniopora stokesi. I caught him on video. Then he started after my red goniopora. Prior to that, he was gorging on nori, formula One, Prime Reef, blood worms, and my sis shrimp.

TrentN · Apr 4, 2017

I had a Sailfin Tang go rogue on me after 2 years in the tank. Started to eat every blue coral that was in the tank. Totally stripped the flesh off of a Hollywood Stunner. Enjoyed a softball sized rock of Tubbs Blue Zoas. Took a 5 inch tall blue nepthea down to the rock before I was able to get him into the trap. The funny thing was it never ate any coral that was green or red. Maybe it was just pacmaning it's way thru the color spectrum.

Matt Strait · Apr 4, 2017

eatbreakfast said:
This is actually provides good insight on why they may nip. Tangs want to graze everyday and frequently throughout the day, rather than just every other day.

It's not just the quality of the food, but for grazers like tangs, the frequency is of utmost importance, as well as variety to offset nutritional deficiencies.

How many feedings per day? Also, greater variety offsets nutritional deficiencies.

I hear what you're saying but I've witnessed him nipping when nori was present as well

fmp47 · Apr 4, 2017

My blue hippo destroyed a very large Green Bali Slimmer and just quit.

Isabel’s Hobby · May 31, 2019

So i watched my purple tang nipping on my brain ( rainbow ) and over time made it so mad that it almost died. I took the brain out. Now I have super colorful orange and pink Akon’s and here he goes again. It is something about these bright orange / pink colors that my purple likes. That is what I have learned. The fish is about 2 years old in my tank well nourished and huge. I also have a yellow, a hippo and a naso in there ...the naso likes daisies LOL no chance of keeping any of them since she always eats them to the ground. At this point I am bringing my Purple into the fish store. My corals are super rare and expensive....not worth the one fish anymore . I am sad though but it it what it is

Isabel’s Hobby · May 31, 2019

Isabel’s Hobby · May 31, 2019

vetteguy53081 · May 31, 2019

Unusual to hear of purple doing this but again a busy grazer through the day.
I'd either remove tang temporary to a different tank (sometimes not feasible ) OR sell it and acquire a new one.
Also are you providing and leaving out Nori ( seaweed) for it to nibble on?

Aardvark1134 · May 31, 2019

The diet of tangs and angels are more similar than people like to admit. Somehow angels got the rap of not reef safe and tangs as reef safe when the truth is both are hit and miss once they get larger. Just like most kids won't touch a salad as they get older a lot of people will eat a salad when they are 35. It makes sense that fish change as they get older too.
In my experience when any angel or tang gets to about 6+ inches in size flip a coin to see if it will eat corals.
With that said I have also found that if they are very well feed you can usually handle about 1 nipper per 70 gallons of reef. Your results may vary.

russell13 · May 31, 2019

I’ve heard of it but never experienced it. Someone once told me that no fish is completely reef safe. Guess this is a good example of that

Isabel’s Hobby · May 31, 2019

Yes they get seaweed twice a day . they get mysis and roe not every day but often. The purple eats everything he can get ....very busy. And of course he will find a new home. I do not have a second tank large enough for him