I have a 6-7" desjardini sailfin in my 8' 260 gallon tank. It's only been in about six weeks and has been one of our favorite fish and my wife's actual favorite. Unfortunately I caught him this weekend nipping a wellso and he loses when I have to choose between him and coral. My research has shown that this is pretty rare, but when it does happen is limited to brains. I have about 8 brains though, more if you start counting scolys and lobos.
I caught him and put him into my QT and dipped the three nipped brains in revive and put them in frag tank. I noticed today that my other brains were also receding and then saw my 9 inch mata tang plowing into one. This guy has been a model citizen but is a serious eating machine (named "piggy"). I had seen him hovering while the sailfin bit the brain, he has apparently learned the behavior.
I just pulled him out and now have a seriously overcrowded QT. My question is whether this is something that anyone has ever seen unlearned? If I give him a week or two in the QT will he forget and go back to normal or is this now a learned behavior that will never end? Just curious if anyone ever had luck in rehabilitating a tang from nipping.
Before asked, yes definitely nipping this pretty hard, to where skeleton was showing, no the brains were very healthy, fat and happy before becoming a feature on the buffet.
TIA
I caught him and put him into my QT and dipped the three nipped brains in revive and put them in frag tank. I noticed today that my other brains were also receding and then saw my 9 inch mata tang plowing into one. This guy has been a model citizen but is a serious eating machine (named "piggy"). I had seen him hovering while the sailfin bit the brain, he has apparently learned the behavior.
I just pulled him out and now have a seriously overcrowded QT. My question is whether this is something that anyone has ever seen unlearned? If I give him a week or two in the QT will he forget and go back to normal or is this now a learned behavior that will never end? Just curious if anyone ever had luck in rehabilitating a tang from nipping.
Before asked, yes definitely nipping this pretty hard, to where skeleton was showing, no the brains were very healthy, fat and happy before becoming a feature on the buffet.
TIA