Kole Tang nipping at my Brain Coral!!

Aren't these guys supposed to be reef safe??? He's nipping at my Brain constantly!! I will KILL this fish, I value my corals way more than any damn Tang, that's for sure

Also I wonder if he has some kind of disease. He has white "puffy" things on his mouth, like a fungus growing. Could this be why he's nipping? What can I do to treat it? What other info do you need?

I tried taking a pic but he's so skittish and goes into hiding at the slightest movement. Short of removing all the rocks, I have no clue how I would possibly catch him......

 

he may be using the brain like a mouth-scratcher. Kole-tangs are definatly reef safe (as all tangs are supposed to be) so dont kill him, help him.

 

You can get a trap. they are very effective. I've used them to trap fish before.

AquaMedic Fish Trap - Ocean Aquatics Ltd.

 

Are there any reef safe treatments for this kind of thing?

 

See DIY forum sticky: DIY Fishtrap

Reportedly works very well.

 

Get the fish out. Chances are it's developed a taste for your coral and won't stop.

 

Yep, I've always said the next reef I setup will not have a tang in it. They always develop a taste for the coral slime at some point IME, especially the really big polyped LPS like brains, scolymias, etc. It sucks big time.

 

Really? I did not know that JP. I just thought that it was just a freak occurence for tangs to munch corals. Didn't know that it was something that might happen more often than we think!

 

Actually I was just kind of freaking out more than anything. I honestly haven't noticed him nipping at the Brain too much lately and the Brain is still extending - so it looks positive. I'm certain the Kole has something growing on his lips!! Poor thing, I take back what I said about killing it, I feel bad for it. It doesn't look like fun! I haven't made a fish trap yet, I myself got sick and then pink eye on top of that, so I've been dealing with my own health.

The good news is the Kole is still eating a lot and swimming. So maybe this could be something his own immune system fights off? It's been a week and I haven't noticed any development or further growth. Plus the algae food he's eating says it helps with that sort of thing. Time will tell unless I can manage to get him out soon....

 

In that case, just keep an eye on the fish and keep a fish trap handy Might want to soak its food in some antibiotics for a little while to see if it helps what is currently ailing it.