Hippo tang eating purple brittle star!

[Deep Blue]

I have been trying to run my tank "nutrient" poor as I have recently had an algae bloom, which prompted me to replace my 22 month old NO flourscent bulbs with 322w worth of power compacts.

Now I have an algae dye off in process and i've cut back on feedings.

I noticed my tangs have been feasting on hair algae and I figured this was due to their hunger and considered it a good thing...tank is looking better everyday.

A few minutes agoe I witnessed my hippo tang grab my purple brittle star, drag it out from under a rock, and procede to begin taking bites of him.

I quickly threw some food in and observed some very unusual aggression from the hippo tang as he chased away the larger (and dominant) yellow tang while feeding.

The hippo was a pup when I got him, and I guess he just entered "teenage" years.

I imagine he will become the dominant force in the tank in the next few weeks.

Anyone else witnessed this before?

I was just about to upgrade to reef and buy some corals but I guess Ill stay away from buying any small inverts as they will most likley be "lunch".

I know you have fish like this (that will eat inverts/small inverts but leave corals alone) as I have seen Lion and Marine Betas in reef tanks..(or should I say coral tanks) that leave corals alone but have to run without shrimp, small snails, crabs or stars.....

Never heard of a tang being such a fish though.

 

[Anonymous]

My large hippo tang requires amazingly large volumes of food or his belly will start to look sunken. If I have one busy day and forget to feed more than a pinch of flake, I can tell the difference the next day. He wasn't like that as a youth, was perfectly capable of foraging for a day or two and remained plump.

I have a sailfin tang who is two times his size and is always as fat as a cow on the same diet or much less than the hippo.

I have also noticed my hippo go for corals, (particularly my sinularia leather) perhaps he is still hungry?

I think these guys just need alot of food. I know mine is very very active, he is quite the swimmer and I guess he burns alot of calories. I make a point to feed one hearty meaty meal a day, just for my hippo, in addition to the wads of caulerpa or sheets of nori the tank gets.

 

[Baianotang]

They can go crazy for a wile and do this kind of stuff.
But its still my favorite fish.

 

[SpecialK]

As your Hippo grows it's diet should consist of Greens and Meaty foods. I feed my hippo a few times a day, I have a few other fish that require feedings 3-4 times a day.
If your Hippo is lacking the meaty foods this could be why the star was being nipped.
My Hippo does not go for corals but I have read many stories where they do go for them.

Kaye

 

[Tackett]

Anyone ever see a yellow tang with a taste for squid? Mine does. I rotate feeding my firefish squid, sand eels, krill, and mysis shrimp. The tang doesnt give a crap about any other food, but on wendsdays (squid day.) he absolutely freaks when I walk in the door, passes up his spiruina flakes, and fights the freakin firefish for the squid. Weird No?

 

[SpecialK]

Most tangs eat meaty foods & greens as they mature, I am suprised it does not eat the mysis but eats the squid. My Hippo eats anything I put in the tank.
My Kole is pickier, He eats mysis, krill, scallops & his greens. He goes after eveything when I feed but spits it out if he does not like it.

Kaye