Kole Tang nipping coral

Luke Schnabel · 04/05/2016, 10:56 AM

It appears that my Yellow Eye Kole Tang is nipping at my LPS. He is either trying to nip the plug or the coral, can't exactly tell but all my Acans and my Trach are closed up. Do they usually do this or is he a rogue one?

GimpyFin · 04/05/2016, 11:02 AM

Unusual for a tang if he's actually nipping the coral.

Cliving1 · 04/05/2016, 11:21 AM

Do you have an algae on the plugs? I have seen tangs nip the plug but not the coral itself. Curious if he's actually hitting the coral.

jgraz · 04/05/2016, 11:30 AM

When I had mine it nipped at hammer and frogspawn. Never noticed any damage though

scooter31707 · 04/05/2016, 12:50 PM

I thought my Mimic Tang was nipping my corals, but it was actually grazing on the little algae that was on the coral. So just try to pay attention and see if the coral is irritated.

Nina51 · 04/05/2016, 12:54 PM

most likely, he's going after the algae around or on the corals. i've seen mine do it.

fishchef · 04/05/2016, 01:16 PM

We had a Yellow Eye Kole for 15+ years and it never bothered the corals. Keep him well fed and maybe he'll not go looking. They graze all the time. LPS give off a brown discharge. They'll go for that, too.

Fitz19d · 04/05/2016, 01:41 PM

I had a kole that chewed on everything including sucking on bta anemone tentacles.

Luke Schnabel · 04/05/2016, 04:02 PM

Well I know for a fact he is going for the plugs, so he might be getting the coral a bit. But my trachy doesn't have a plug and it's been closed up for a while. I put it in my frag tank to see if he'll inflate back up since nothing will pick at him.

I'll just have to keep an eye on him more and see if he goes for the coral itself or just the plug.

04/05/2016, 10:56 AM	#1
Luke Schnabel Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Canton. Ohio Posts: 288	Kole Tang nipping coral It appears that my Yellow Eye Kole Tang is nipping at my LPS. He is either trying to nip the plug or the coral, can't exactly tell but all my Acans and my Trach are closed up. Do they usually do this or is he a rogue one? __________________ In wall 125 gallon display and 48g frag tank w/ 75gallon sump Apex Controlled, 2xMP40, 1 MP10, Ecotech M1 return, reef octopus x5000, 4x Ecotech Radion G2 with T5 supplament(Display), 2x AI Hydras (fr

04/05/2016, 12:54 PM	#6
Nina51 biggliest cofveve champ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: 5th floor, Illinois, gewgaw expert Posts: 3,506	most likely, he's going after the algae around or on the corals. i've seen mine do it. __________________ of all the things i've lost, i miss my gary the most. Never hold your farts in. They travel up your spine into your brain, and that is where crappy ideas come from. Current Tank Info: i gave my reef away and i feel like a bird out of a cage!!

04/05/2016, 04:02 PM	#9
Luke Schnabel Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Canton. Ohio Posts: 288	Well I know for a fact he is going for the plugs, so he might be getting the coral a bit. But my trachy doesn't have a plug and it's been closed up for a while. I put it in my frag tank to see if he'll inflate back up since nothing will pick at him. I'll just have to keep an eye on him more and see if he goes for the coral itself or just the plug. __________________ In wall 125 gallon display and 48g frag tank w/ 75gallon sump Apex Controlled, 2xMP40, 1 MP10, Ecotech M1 return, reef octopus x5000, 4x Ecotech Radion G2 with T5 supplament(Display), 2x AI Hydras (fr

04/05/2016, 11:02 AM	#2
GimpyFin Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,032	Unusual for a tang if he's actually nipping the coral.

04/05/2016, 11:21 AM	#3
Cliving1 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 1,923	Do you have an algae on the plugs? I have seen tangs nip the plug but not the coral itself. Curious if he's actually hitting the coral.

04/05/2016, 11:30 AM	#4
jgraz Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Bordentown, NJ Posts: 697	When I had mine it nipped at hammer and frogspawn. Never noticed any damage though

04/05/2016, 12:50 PM	#5
scooter31707 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 4,971	I thought my Mimic Tang was nipping my corals, but it was actually grazing on the little algae that was on the coral. So just try to pay attention and see if the coral is irritated.

04/05/2016, 01:16 PM	#7
fishchef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,222	We had a Yellow Eye Kole for 15+ years and it never bothered the corals. Keep him well fed and maybe he'll not go looking. They graze all the time. LPS give off a brown discharge. They'll go for that, too.

04/05/2016, 01:41 PM	#8
Fitz19d Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Frederick Colorado Posts: 475	I had a kole that chewed on everything including sucking on bta anemone tentacles.