Tangs nipping at coral

[Grigs]

Have a Powder Blue, Chevron, and Purple Tang all nipping at my frags. Took a decent chunk out of my rainbow rim chalice frag, too. They eat nori like pigs. I backed them down a little yesterday (to 1/2 a sheet) in an effort to get PO4 back down.

Any thoughts on how to do this without having them taste everything in the tank, or are they just going to experiment? Saw Purple actually nip the skirt of a RFA and dart away like he'd been shocked... lol

Thx for your thoughts

 

[Hitman]

Anything new I add my Tangs try to eat especially if it's a bright color. I think it's a Tang thing but after a few days they just start to ignore the new frags. I've never had them take a chuck out of one tho.

 

[joseserrano]

I’m thinking they are eating alge and not corals

 

[Grigs]

I’m thinking they are eating alge and not corals

lol... I would LOVE to agree with you, but there is a hole in my chalice frag... : )

Watching him nip the skirt of the RFA was particularly entertaining, as Purple shot across the tank like he'd been shocked

I am surprised, as well. Just hoping it is a VERY short lived phase...

 

[DSC reef]

Tangs can nip at coral and not just for algae, seen tangs destroy healthy LPS and constantly nip at clam mantles.

 

[joseserrano]

lol... I would LOVE to agree with you, but there is a hole in my chalice frag... : )

Watching him nip the skirt of the RFA was particularly entertaining, as Purple shot across the tank like he'd been shocked

I am surprised, as well. Just hoping it is a VERY short lived phase...

I have only seen this when the coral is dying not on healthy corals

 

[HB AL]

My yellow and purple nip around my sps at the bases looking for algae all day long, I don’t feed nori. I’ve never seen them actually nipping at live sps coral or any other coral in the tank as far as live sections of the corals. They do like the various 8 to 10 Hikari frozen cubes a day, I have a lot of fish.

 

[abzhama]

Yep my blue tang has taken nips out of my rainbow acan!!

 

[norfolkgarden]

Was always under the impression fleshy LPS were fair game. Acans, trachy, etc.

Watched a baby hippo that was fed nori regularly munch on a hammer repeatedly.
:-/

 

[YumaMan]

Where can I buy a Tang muzzle? Shock collar?