Tasty Tail

[redfishbluefish]

Who is chomping on my Tangs! I have a Scopas with a Mohawk….he looks shark-like, with part of his dorsal fin chewed off. (Best picture I could get….he’s camera shy.)

I also have a yellow with nipped dorsal and anal fins.

(Tang policeTang PoliceTang police….I know a Scopas and Yellow shouldn’t be in the same tank because they are both Zebrasomas, but I haven’t seen them going at it other than an occasional squaring off…and then swimming off.) As a matter of fact I haven’t seen anyone attacking the Tangs. Here is a list of the mobile livestock:

Blue Throat Trigger (male)
Long Nose Butterfly
Mated Pair, Clown Fish
Hoeven's Wrasse
Yellow Tang
Coral Beauty Angel
Scopas Tang
A couple Scarlet Hermit Crabs
Red and Black Cucumber
Mini Brittle Stars
Asteria Stars

I’ve got a hunch I know who the culprit might be….but what is you learned guess?

 

[jgraz]

My clowns are always nipping at anything that gets to close to their home. But I've heard those mini brittle Star pack a mean bite.

 

[Cdiggy]

I think they are lumping each other up....

 

[ThatGuy]

What is the size of the trigger and what type of clowns and sizes?

 

[redfishbluefish]

What is the size of the trigger and what type of clowns and sizes?

The clownfish are interracial, but both believed to be Ocellaris….the mom is black and white (ca 1 ¾”), while the dad is a mis-barred orange and white (ca 1 ¼”).

The trigger is about 4 ½ inches or so. I should mention, he attacks the siphon tube when I do water changes. Darts out and strikes, and darts back into the rocks…..funny to watch.

And I thought I had gotten rid of the bully when I got rid of the Neon Velvet Damsel!

 

[Spideybry]

Any chance it could be HLLE?

 

[ThatGuy]

Maybe the trigger is also taking shots at the tangs if they get to close to his cave.

 

[falconut]

I'd guess it's the Tang doing it to each other or possibly the Trigger.

 

[Hockeynut]

Well being that you have never witnessed it is has to be happening at night when all including you are sleeping. My guess is that you either have some nasty little crab in there or something else nipping them while they are sleeping. I think if it were one of the other fish you would have seen some sort of aggressive behavior. When I saw all of these fish together it didn't look like those tangs were afraid of any of there tank mates.