Zombie fish- Brain picking by tangs, curable?

Inigomontoya · Jan 15, 2013

I have a 6-7" desjardini sailfin in my 8' 260 gallon tank. It's only been in about six weeks and has been one of our favorite fish and my wife's actual favorite. Unfortunately I caught him this weekend nipping a wellso and he loses when I have to choose between him and coral. My research has shown that this is pretty rare, but when it does happen is limited to brains. I have about 8 brains though, more if you start counting scolys and lobos.
I caught him and put him into my QT and dipped the three nipped brains in revive and put them in frag tank. I noticed today that my other brains were also receding and then saw my 9 inch mata tang plowing into one. This guy has been a model citizen but is a serious eating machine (named "piggy"). I had seen him hovering while the sailfin bit the brain, he has apparently learned the behavior.

I just pulled him out and now have a seriously overcrowded QT. My question is whether this is something that anyone has ever seen unlearned? If I give him a week or two in the QT will he forget and go back to normal or is this now a learned behavior that will never end? Just curious if anyone ever had luck in rehabilitating a tang from nipping.

Before asked, yes definitely nipping this pretty hard, to where skeleton was showing, no the brains were very healthy, fat and happy before becoming a feature on the buffet.

TIA

Connie · Jan 15, 2013

Might want to try the remedy my LFS gave me. My Powder Blue was nipping the neon tips off my Torch and Frogspawn. It turned out he needed ash in his diet. I started feeding him Formula Two Flakes several times a week and the nipping has stopped.

Inigomontoya · Jan 15, 2013

Thanks, I should have mentioned the diet and feeding. I pretty much overfeed, have appx 25 fish and feed twice a day with an autofeeder NLS #2 pellets and flakes, cyclopeeze flakes, the mixed seaweed flakes. Then every night I feed a rotating mix of mysis, spirulina brine, rotifers, daphnia, cyclops and twice a week I feed a homemade mix which has everything under the sun, from shrimp to squid, clams, oysters, selcon, reefchili, fish, etc that I blended together and froze in sheets. I also use a nori clip w/selcon soaked nori every couple of days.
I doubt this was an actual hunger issues, though the ash is interesting hadn't heard that. The mata is impossible to get full, when he was in QT I decided to try with pellets one day and after the 20th pinch (that never hit the bottom of the tank) I gave up.

Trex · Jan 16, 2013

There doesn't seem to be all that much "green" in all that you are feeding. They could be trying to get some of the algae from the corals.

I would pick up some frozen "green" cubes -- I personally like LifeLine's herbivore mix, if you can't find that look for the frozen Formula foods, can't remember if it is #1 or #2 that is the green one.

Connie · Jan 16, 2013

Trex said:
There doesn't seem to be all that much "green" in all that you are feeding. They could be trying to get some of the algae from the corals.

I would pick up some frozen "green" cubes -- I personally like LifeLine's herbivore mix, if you can't find that look for the frozen Formula foods, can't remember if it is #1 or #2 that is the green one.

Inigomontoya said:
Thanks, I should have mentioned the diet and feeding. I pretty much overfeed, have appx 25 fish and feed twice a day with an autofeeder NLS #2 pellets and flakes, cyclopeeze flakes, the mixed seaweed flakes. Then every night I feed a rotating mix of mysis, spirulina brine, rotifers, daphnia, cyclops and twice a week I feed a homemade mix which has everything under the sun, from shrimp to squid, clams, oysters, selcon, reefchili, fish, etc that I blended together and froze in sheets. I also use a nori clip w/selcon soaked nori every couple of days.
I doubt this was an actual hunger issues, though the ash is interesting hadn't heard that. The mata is impossible to get full, when he was in QT I decided to try with pellets one day and after the 20th pinch (that never hit the bottom of the tank) I gave up.

I'm pretty sure it's not a hunger issue either. I think it may be a mineral difficiency. It's like cows, horses, etc...we have to keep a mineral block in our pasture at all times so they can get the minerals they need because the hay and grass just don't get it...lol. You certainly do give a variety and that's great! I agree with Trex that there isn't enough "green" in it to meet a tang's needs. If you purchase some Formula Two and it doesn't help, you will only be out $6. Your mata sounds like my Sailfin. A Bottomless pit!

Inigomontoya · Jan 16, 2013

I will try that then, my "green" is mostly seaweed veggies, #2 flakes, the spirulina brine and nori. I pulled both fish last night, the sailfin is in a QT and mata in the sump. Going to give them a week or so and hopefuly they will reset to some degree and I can put them back in without the issues. Give my brains a chance to heal too-one is kind of rough.
It would be nice if it is something as simple as adding something else to the diet. My fear is that they have picked a taste up for it. The Mata especially is like a goat and would eat itself to death if it could. With him I am the least optimistic as he could have all the vitamins/minerals, food he needs and will still keep trying to eat things. Swear he has grown nearly an inch a month.