Angel issues

[MSB123]

What is going on?
Some background- he has been living in an acclimation box, 10”x6”x6”, For 2 weeks. I have had him a while but found he was picking at coral. I have no LFS and so I am going to make to drive sometime later this week. I figured he was better off in a bigger space in the sump and so I just added him in about 10 minutes ago. What is going on with his head sticking out of the water and spitting water?

 

[MSB123]

Any ideas?

 

[MSB123]

#reefsquad

 

[Mical]

He's gauging how far the jump is for his escape

 

[redfishbluefish]

Archer fish syndrome?

If you step away from the tank, does he stop spitting? The thought is that he associated your presence as feeding time, and his spitting is him "catching" his food.

 

[HotRocks]

This can also be a manuver preformed to generate additional oxygen. If the fish has any type of parasite affliction or just low O2 in the water column.

 

[MSB123]

Archer fish syndrome?

If you step away from the tank, does he stop spitting? The thought is that he associated your presence as feeding time, and his spitting is him "catching" his food.

Yes!

 

[4FordFamily]

That looks like a banner fish to me on my phone screen which is a butterfly. That behavior is something many angels (and occasionally butterfly) do in low oxygen situations or if they have damaged gills from parasites that are leading them to struggle to “breathe”.