Yellow Tang attacking reflection

Hey Everyone,

My Yellow Tang has been in the reef about a year now. In the last 2 days, he/she has been aggressive towards it's own reflection. (Tail swatting) There is no aggression towards the other fish. Is this a phase or could there be some underlying issue I should look for?

Regards,

dansreef

 

it's normal, assuming he's just attacking his reflection in the glass there isnt a mirror nearby, tangs are agressive to like bodied fish

 

Maybe she is just feeling romantic. ::

 

Thanks guys... I was actually wondering if the fish was strung out from some new "weed". (I just got a new shipment of Graciliara red Algae from ipsf.com which I regularly clip in the tank) Or if it was in heat..

Hopefully this will pass..

Thanks!

 

It wont stop. I had one for apprx. 5 yrs and every time I would clean the glass, he would just go ape s**t and try to kill his reflection. I finally got rid of him and the hippo tang that my wife observed eating some of our soft corals.

 

I had a yellow tang that all the sudden became mean and was attacking any fish in my system so I hung a mirror on the side of the tank and it started attacking its own reflection. (I was told by some people that this might break a fish from its aggression if it keeps getting its butt kicked) After a couple weeks of that the fish left the others alone. Unfortunately that only lasted for awhile and it became meaner and meaner adn I had to get rid of it!

 

Your sure its not trying to get algae off the glass?

 

Algae off the glass with its tail huh? LOL

Male fairy wrasses do the same thing, its not uncommon. I had an exquisite wrasse that would get so feisty with his reflection he would jump out of the water a little bit. If you want a quick fix, just tape some paper over that area of the glass until a little algae appears. They usually only do it when their reflection is really perfect, after a few days they stop.

Also maybe keep it distracted, feed it a pinch of food when it starts to go really nutso or add another tang, give it something real to fight with. hehe Just kidding on the last one.

 

i think its shadow boxing. its preparing incase a tang is introduced in the future. it likes its new home with regular meals and it not going to give it up with out a fight. ..... get up rock