Hippo tang picking at Nerite snail antennas

Is this normal? I have just noticed that my hippo tang is picking/eating the antennas of my Nerite snails.
He swims around normally and then slows down when a Nerite is in the area to kind of eye ball him, if the Nerite snail antennas are out, he'll just pick at them. I can't tell if he's eating them or not because the nerite doesn't put the antena back out.

Are they known to do this? Is he eating my snail antennas?

- Mag.

 

I'm pretty sure I've seen all of my fish do this at some point or another. I'd think it a common occurrence in a reef tank. Curiosity gets the best of them sometimes.

 

That kind of blows.... will their antennas grow back if he's eating them?

 

Have you actually noticed that they are missing? I think most times the snail retracts them before to much damage is done.

 

I really can't tell if they're missing. If they're not they stay retracted for a good while.
He's been doing that with the dwarf ceriths as well. He just pull one of them half way in the water column and then let go.

It's weird... and they're not hungry, I just fed them very well to see if he would stop but I guess antennas are very yummy.

I don't know... I guess I'll just let them be and do. Hope he does not kill my snails.

 

Bump! Sorry for bringing back my old thread about this. I bought this coral beauty about a month ago, and he's doing the same thing my hippo tang was doing with the nerites, only that the coral beauty likes to pull the antennas off my Nassarius snails. He's also picking at the nerites but I see him cruising on the tank and checking out each and every nassarius he swims by. And only if they're out and sliding around, he would nip at their antennas.

I've already found a piece of antenna on the sand bed that wasn't attached to any snails and currently he's just terrorizing my poor snails.

I've also noticed him yesterday picking at my acros. I can't see any damage on them other than the damage cause by my insufficient light (replacement bulbs are coming in tomorrow) but I've seen him swim normally and then stop and look at my sps's and yesterday, he nipped at my green acro.

I feed them once a day now because I'm afraid he gets hungry and that drives him to nip at corals and snails?

The snail part, he seem to do it just for fun though.

Do you have any bad experience with Coral Beauties ?

- Mag.

 

LMAO. I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh but that's pretty funny. It reminds me of a short cartoon by Don Hertzfeldt called "Billy's Balloon." It was an animation on "The Animation Show," a compilation of short cartoons from around the world, largely dominated by Mike Judge. It was amazing.

If you have access to YouTube look it up. It's slow at first but you'll see a scene just like the one you described. It is HYSTERICAL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpc5vgi9zbM

 

I know exactly what you mean. I love Hertzfeldt short films. And it is exactly like that... just a vicious SOB he turned out to be!



Splat!

- Mag.

 

My coral beauty kind of does the same thing but to my clowns. When my clowns have an unbroken piece of poop hanging around, the CB likes to peck and it and try to get it. It's really funny and sad all at the same time :|

 

coral beauty's are not technically REEF SAFE. they're going to kill snails and pick at your corals.

i thought "oh its a darn cool lookin fish, ill get one", ERROOOOR (in linguo's voice).....

yeah he went back to the LFS