Why is my Blue Tang nipping on my polyps?

[torontofc]

I just recently purchase a polyp colony. It has been 3 days now and it barely came out, everytime I walk past my tank, I see my blue tang nipping on the closed polyps, i dont get it, i thought blue tangs doesn't bother corals. Can somebody help, thks.

 

[redsea]

I just recently purchase a polyp colony. It has been 3 days now and it barely came out, everytime I walk past my tank, I see my blue tang nipping on the closed polyps, i dont get it, i thought blue tangs doesn't bother corals. Can somebody help, thks.

Hmmm, that's puzzling. Your right, Tangs are reef safe. Maybe there is some algae on the coral that it is nipping on, not the coral itself.

 

[torontofc]

idk, it doesn't seem like there's any algae on the coral, plus i would care if the polyps did open, but it didn't, that's why im scare the blue tang is the problem, thks btw.

 

[huma-huma]

Tangs are known to constantly nip at rockwork and the such...my powder brown does it all day

 

[BallinCrew10]

The polyps might also be adjusting to the light. What lights were they under at your LFS? What lights are you running? Might also have been higher or lower in the tank at your LFS then they are in yours. How did you acclimate and for how long? I recently bought a rock covered in zoas and drip acclimated for about 3 hours. All were fully opened within 15 mins.

As far as the tang, its most likely picking at algae. You might not be able to see it but its there.

Edit: just reread and noticed you said 3 DAYS lol. Are they being hammered by direct current? Still could be lighting if they're at the top of your tank under strong lighting.

 

[torontofc]

The polyps might also be adjusting to the light. What lights were they under at your LFS? What lights are you running? Might also have been higher or lower in the tank at your LFS then they are in yours. How did you acclimate and for how long? I recently bought a rock covered in zoas and drip acclimated for about 3 hours. All were fully opened within 15 mins.

As far as the tang, its most likely picking at algae. You might not be able to see it but its there.

Edit: just reread and noticed you said 3 DAYS lol. Are they being hammered by direct current? Still could be lighting if they're at the top of your tank under strong lighting.

It's a metal halide at my LFS, and Im running metal halides too. I drip it for about an hour, now thinking again, would it be the change in temperature, since it's kinda cold (5 degree celsius) the day I bought it?

But i'll try to put it down a bit more to see if the light intensity is the problem, thks.

 

[torontofc]

Tangs are known to constantly nip at rockwork and the such...my powder brown does it all day

ya, my yellow and sailfin tang didn't nip on it, it's just my blue tang.

 

[BallinCrew10]

It's a metal halide at my LFS, and Im running metal halides too. I drip it for about an hour, now thinking again, would it be the change in temperature, since it's kinda cold (5 degree celsius) the day I bought it?

But i'll try to put it down a bit more to see if the light intensity is the problem, thks.

I don't think the outside temp should effect them too much, unless you held them out the window on the ride home lol.

They are a moderate light, moderate flow coral. If its up high in your tank I'd definatly try dropping it down a little bit and see how they react.

 

[melosu58]

Off topic post removed. Please stay on topic as the OP needs our help.

 

[huma-huma]

Id def try moving them down a bit

 

[Wy Renegade]

Personally, I have to disagree with the notion that all tangs are reef safe fish, and that all this one is going after is the algae. Many probably are, and they are often model citizens for awhile. However IME, almost all species of tangs can and do develop a taste for polyps. Personally I have seen scopas tang, yellow tangs, purple tangs, and blue tangs all consume coral polyps, particularly zoanthids. If I were the OP, I'd either remove the tang or the polyps.

 

[torontofc]

Personally, I have to disagree with the notion that all tangs are reef safe fish, and that all this one is going after is the algae. Many probably are, and they are often model citizens for awhile. However IME, almost all species of tangs can and do develop a taste for polyps. Personally I have seen scopas tang, yellow tangs, purple tangs, and blue tangs all consume coral polyps, particularly zoanthids. If I were the OP, I'd either remove the tang or the polyps.

really? is ur tangs really big or the medium size ones?

 

[huma-huma]

My powder brown is a bully and on top of that he always is picking at rocks

 

[carey]

I've only had my tangs for a few months but I have never seen them pay any attention to my corals and the tank is brimming with em. lol

I hope mine dont take a liking to nipping them anytime soon....

 

[torontofc]

I've only had my tangs for a few months but I have never seen them pay any attention to my corals and the tank is brimming with em. lol

I hope mine dont take a liking to nipping them anytime soon....

they dont usually, but idk y is mine an exception

 

[huma-huma]

they dont usually, but idk y is mine an exception

I don't know if you're new to the hobby or not but learn to accept the exceptions...because thats what you'll get sometimes

 

[torontofc]

I don't know if you're new to the hobby or not but learn to accept the exceptions...because thats what you'll get sometimes

i know, lol, but the good news is that it seems my blue tang stopped nipping on the polyps, but the polyps still doesn't open, OMG, whats going on!!!!

 

[Wy Renegade]

really? is ur tangs really big or the medium size ones?

I've seen them eat polyps anywhere from 2 1/2 inches in size on up. One most sites I've been on, Tangs and Angels are never recommended as totally reef-safe fish.