Captive Bred BFFs - rabbitfish/tang

[Reef AquaCult]

My Biota captive bred yellow tang and ORA rabbitfish spend 24/7 together busting algae all day. I’ve seen other reports of similar interactions with rabbitfish and tangs but I wanted to share it! Not sure how this will affect additions of future tangs but we will find out!

 

[Sailfin11]

Awesome! I'm also a supporter of aquaculture and have 3 captive-bred angels: a SA cream, SA flameback, and Biota coral beauty. I had one of the first CB yellow tangs from Ocean Institute but unfortunately lost him 9 months ago. I have been eyeing the ORA rabbitfish on Live Aquaria for a while. How's it doing in your tank?

 

[Jesterrace]

Very nice, wasn't aware that Rabbitfish had been captive bred. Glad to see progress in the hobby.

 

[Reef AquaCult]

Awesome! I'm also a supporter of aquaculture and have 3 captive-bred angels: a SA cream, SA flameback, and Biota coral beauty. I had one of the first CB yellow tangs from Ocean Institute but unfortunately lost him 9 months ago. I have been eyeing the ORA rabbitfish on Live Aquaria for a while. How's it doing in your tank?

You have an awesome CB collection! Glad to see others supporting aquaculture. He's doing awesome, he's an algae eating monster. I got him from LiveAquaria Divers Den a couple months ago. Adapted well, eats anything I throw in tank, very fast grower. A little skittish and changes colors rapidly to camouflage which is very fun to watch. Almost eating from my hand now. Eats hair algae and any macroalgae like Sea Lettuce or Red Ogo. Very active fish and grows fast and large, would recommend at least 150 gallon and maybe larger. Its nice to have clean up crew available as captive bred now. He's peaceful with others, but is not compatible with other rabbitfish, not sure about foxface but I would probably avoid mixing unless you have a plan to separate. Im sure with angels it would be fine!

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

My foxface and powder brown spend a lot of time near one another, but it looks more like a couple of preteen brothers with all the horseplay than an algae-fighting dynamic duo

 

[Reef AquaCult]

My foxface and powder brown spend a lot of time near one another, but it looks more like a couple of preteen brothers with all the horseplay than an algae-fighting dynamic duo

Mine were horesplaying for a while but after several days I think they figured out who's boss and now just hand out together.

 

[Aussiemarine]

When I first put my rabbit and pyramid in the display they stuck to each other like glue. Since adding the Tomini the rabbit and tang have been best friends. But they still spend most of the day as a trio

 

[Reef AquaCult]

When I first put my rabbit and pyramid in the display they stuck to each other like glue. Since adding the Tomini the rabbit and tang have been best friends. But they still spend most of the day as a trio

Nice looking fish and tank! Is that a wild caught rabbitfish? Yours has a lot more yellow color than mine, which is a little drab with yellow pigment. I wonder if there is some type of symbiosis with these relationships, i.e. does the venomous rabbitfish protect the tang. Or perhaps they think the tang is a potential mate.

 

[Aussiemarine]

Nice looking fish and tank! Is that a wild caught rabbitfish? Yours has a lot more yellow color than mine, which is a little drab with yellow pigment. I wonder if there is some type of symbiosis with these relationships, i.e. does the venomous rabbitfish protect the tang. Or perhaps they think the tang is a potential mate.

thanks! Yep it’s a wild caught. He’s still pretty small. I think they are just very social and gravitate to fish of a similar colour, shape and size - but it’s funny how you put two Rabbitfish in together and they fight so I’m not sure lol. Maybe safety in numbers

my tang and butterfly love the Rabbitfish because they want to eat it’s poo because it eats so much nori I swear it just craps broken up nori lol ... so there is that...

FTS

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

@Aussiemarine awesome tank! What's the size of the tank and are those Mag nems on top?

 

[Aussiemarine]

@Aussiemarine awesome tank! What's the size of the tank and are those Mag nems on top?

Thanks! It’s roughly 3x2.5x2.5 cube about 100g - in Australian size about 400L

They are BTAs

 

[Reef AquaCult]

thanks! Yep it’s a wild caught. He’s still pretty small. I think they are just very social and gravitate to fish of a similar colour, shape and size - but it’s funny how you put two Rabbitfish in together and they fight so I’m not sure lol. Maybe safety in numbers

my tang and butterfly love the Rabbitfish because they want to eat it’s poo because it eats so much nori I swear it just craps broken up nori lol ... so there is that...

FTS

Same here. I’ve never seen a fish eat and poop so much. I actually named mine Mr Ed because he eats and poops like a horse. My yellow tang appears to enjoy it....nasty!

 

[Aussiemarine]

Same here. I’ve never seen a fish eat and poop so much. I actually named mine Mr Ed because he eats and poops like a horse. My yellow tang appears to enjoy it....nasty!

Yep they just go nuts for it who knows why haha

 

[Schnizzle]

This thread popped up in my search. Specifically the last couple comments. I was searching the interaction between my foxface and tomini... haha I was concerned I was starving my fish.

To keep it on topic, my Blotched Foxface and Tomini Tang are like brothers. Occasionally they would scrap but the tang finally got stung. Now they are besties.

 

[Reef AquaCult]

Interesting to hear this interaction appears to be between multiple tang species and multiple rabbitfish species. I wonder if you can put any tang with any rabbitfish and they will sort of pair up, or if other things need to occur for the relationship to form. Thanks for your post! My yellow tang and rabbitfish continue to be BFFs

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

My Foxface rabbitfish seems to be the welcoming committee for all new additions. Every new fish I have put in will spend a week or two following him around before deciding to do their own thing.

 

[ThePurple12]

Cool! The same thing happens with my yellow tang and coral beauty angel.

 

[Aussiemarine]

Cool! The same thing happens with my yellow tang and coral beauty angel.

Everyone just wants a friend I think!!