"Bite" mark on tang?

[FunWithFishes]

Hey, so I just woke up this morning to my kole tang having a weird mark on his left side. It looks like a bite mark, but I wasn't sure I had any fish in my tank large enough to make it.

He is acting normal and still eating. His tank mates are a Melanarus Wrasse who he stays close too, 2 occelaris clowns, a Starry Blenny (whose mouth can go pretty big), and a chalk bass.

I tried to get the best pic I could with flash, but you know how fish are...

 

[FunWithFishes]

Another pic

 

[reef lover]

Same shape my blenny leaves on the glass. And i wouldnt put it past him mines a jerk...

 

[Gareth elliott]

What size tank? If not enough rock or too small a tank, the blenny is going to defend its food source which it shares with the tang. If you have watched the blue planet series, the sarcastic fringehead bit.

No where near the same level of aggression but similar motives. As they are distantly related.

 

[FunWithFishes]

It's a 150 gallon tank with around the same lbs of live rock.

Used to have the blenny in a 55g he was moved when I switched to a 150g in Nov. Got the Kole tang in Jan.

 

[drstardust]

Gosh, I would have bet money on that being a blenny bite, but obviously not possible without a blenny. Do you have another fish with a mouth large enough to leave a mark like that? lol. Otherwise, looks like a nonspecific injury and I would just watch it.

 

[FunWithFishes]

Oh, I'm sorry if my last message was a bit hard to understand. I do have a blenny. Both him and the tang are located in the 150g tank. I was just saying I had had the blenny for awhile in a 55g before moving him to the 150g, in case the could be a factor in his aggression.

 

[drstardust]

Ah ok, then my money betting is back up

 

[Maritimer]

Kole tangs and algae-eating blennies seem to recognize one another as competitors for the same food source, and often will have a go at one another.

Pretty sure that's your perpetrator.

~Bruce

 

[FunWithFishes]

Do you think the hostility could lead to the blenny killing the tang? I'd prefer not having to re-home either, but I will if there is a strong chance this only ends with one dead

 

[reef lover]

In a 150 they should work it out...try hanging algae on opposite sides of the tank so they each can have thier own and see if it helps.

 

[FunWithFishes]

Thanks for the info. I will try hanging algae on both sides and keep an eye on them