Fish Behavior That Annoys You

[Forsaken77]

Ok... So almost everyone has, or has had, a fish that did something annoying to you or your tank. What is it?

This came to mind because I have this Blue Throat Trigger that does things to get my attention, then annoys me afterwards. He will snap his mouth at the top of the water (some people call it grunting) when he wants to be fed. He loves mysis and the algae sheets that I use for the Foxfaces. But he's not getting mysis everyday and I only use the algae sheets 2-3 times per week because they make a mess.

So when it's pellet days, and I feed New Life Spectrum, he will go around grabbing the pellets, chewing them up, and then spits it all out like a dust so the others can't eat it. He does this religiously like he's saying put the good stuff in here. And it's not 1 pellet and then he stops because he doesn't like it. No, he will race around and grab every pellet he can and do this, not eating any of them. So there's a mist of dusty pellet remains flying around the tank.

I swear he does this to be spiteful until he gets what he wants. And I can't keep adding more and more pellets so the other fish can all get their share because the tank will be loaded with uneaten food that I can't even scoop out.

So what has everyone else's favorite marine friends done to aggravate them in some way?

 

[shrimped]

When your trained pipefish takes an hour to eat his food so no flow in the tank. When your Jawfish takes that one birdnest Coral frag into its den no matter where you put it or glue it down he finds a way to steal it. When you wonder why fish are dying left and right but later realize your Starry Blenny murders them at midnight only. When you buy a $20 USD Atlantic Sailfin Blenny only to see it hide from you for months and see it come out dead. When you get a damsel (bad idea)

 

[Forsaken77]

When your trained pipefish takes an hour to eat his food so no flow in the tank. When your Jawfish takes that one birdnest Coral frag into its den no matter where you put it or glue it down he finds a way to steal it. When you wonder why fish are dying left and right but later realize your Starry Blenny murders them at midnight only. When you buy a $20 USD Atlantic Sailfin Blenny only to see it hide from you for months and see it come out dead. When you get a damsel (bad idea)

That's hilarious about the jawfish taking the frag. That's crazy that you had a murderous blenny when lights out. It's like he had a jailhouse mentality, lol.

 

[shrimped]

Ok... So almost everyone has, or has had, a fish that did something annoying to you or your tank. What is it?

This came to mind because I have this Blue Throat Trigger that does things to get my attention, then annoys me afterwards. He will snap his mouth at the top of the water (some people call it grunting) when he wants to be fed. He loves mysis and the algae sheets that I use for the Foxfaces. But he's not getting mysis everyday and I only use the algae sheets 2-3 times per week because they make a mess.

So when it's pellet days, and I feed New Life Spectrum, he will go around grabbing the pellets, chewing them up, and then spits it all out like a dust so the others can't eat it. He does this religiously like he's saying put the good stuff in here. And it's not 1 pellet and then he stops because he doesn't like it. No, he will race around and grab every pellet he can and do this, not eating any of them. So there's a mist of dusty pellet remains flying around the tank.

I swear he does this to be spiteful until he gets what he wants. And I can't keep adding more and more pellets so the other fish can all get their share because the tank will be loaded with uneaten food that I can't even scoop out.

So what has everyone else's favorite marine friends done to aggravate them in some way?

I would absolutely hate the dust storm in the tank lol but triggers get away due to its cuteness

 

[Reefbuds]

I love my black and white clown to death but she's quite the attitude. Anytime I stick my hand in the tank she attacks me. She knows who I am and that I feed but she still nips at me EVERY time. It's so bad she actually followed my hand up and jumped out of the tank and landed on the carpet last month.

 

[shrimped]

I love my black and white clown to death but she's quite the attitude. Anytime I stick my hand in the tank she attacks me. She knows who I am and that I feed but she still nips at me EVERY time. It's so bad she actually followed my hand up and jumped out of the tank and landed on the carpet last month.

Clowns are mini piranhas of the ocean

 

[Slarti]

I love my black and white clown to death but she's quite the attitude. Anytime I stick my hand in the tank she attacks me. She knows who I am and that I feed but she still nips at me EVERY time. It's so bad she actually followed my hand up and jumped out of the tank and landed on the carpet last month.

Hahahaha sounds exactly like mine! So did you put her back?!

PS Mine has not managed to jump out but has made a big splash in trying to get to my hand.

 

[Reefbuds]

Lol of course!! I was kind of shocked at what had happened, like "Did that really just happen?".

 

[Slarti]

Lol of course!! I was kind of shocked at what had happened, like "Did that really just happen?".

Just checking...

 

[Forsaken77]

I love my black and white clown to death but she's quite the attitude. Anytime I stick my hand in the tank she attacks me. She knows who I am and that I feed but she still nips at me EVERY time. It's so bad she actually followed my hand up and jumped out of the tank and landed on the carpet last month.

That's funny. She's definitely persistent. I also have a blue spot puffer that does that to me, the little sh!#.... Every time my fingers break the top of the water he goes after my hand, even if it's just to adjust the return nozzles. And he hurts cause he's got those beek-like teeth.

I figured I'd try to keep a pair of giant cleaner shrimp that are way bigger than any of my fish's mouths so they can't eat them. That little puffer is the smallest fish in the tank and he managed to kill and eat one of the shrimp after 2 days. At first I noticed the shrimps antenna got shorter, then I caught him taking little chunks out of the shrimp until it died. And his mouth is so frigin small. I was more worried about the trigger than him. Luckily the other shrimp found a spot he can't get to. The shrimp comes out at night when the fish are sleeping. But the puffer is the only fish that sleeps on top of the rocks instead of under them.

 

[shrimped]

That's funny. She's definitely persistent. I also have a blue spot puffer that does that to me, the little sh!#.... Every time my fingers break the top of the water he goes after my hand, even if it's just to adjust the return nozzles. And he hurts cause he's got those beek-like teeth.

I figured I'd try to keep a pair of giant cleaner shrimp that are way bigger than any of my fish's mouths so they can't eat them. That little puffer is the smallest fish in the tank and he managed to kill and eat one of the shrimp after 2 days. At first I noticed the shrimps antenna got shorter, then I caught him taking little chunks out of the shrimp until it died. And his mouth is so frigin small. I was more worried about the trigger than him. Luckily the other shrimp found a spot he can't get to. The shrimp comes out at night when the fish are sleeping. But the puffer is the only fish that sleeps on top of the rocks instead of under them.

Try getting him live snails and clams to eat. This will trim his teeth and is most likely to become peaceful

 

[Reefbuds]

That's funny. She's definitely persistent. I also have a blue spot puffer that does that to me, the little sh!#.... Every time my fingers break the top of the water he goes after my hand, even if it's just to adjust the return nozzles. And he hurts cause he's got those beek-like teeth.

I figured I'd try to keep a pair of giant cleaner shrimp that are way bigger than any of my fish's mouths so they can't eat them. That little puffer is the smallest fish in the tank and he managed to kill and eat one of the shrimp after 2 days. At first I noticed the shrimps antenna got shorter, then I caught him taking little chunks out of the shrimp until it died. And his mouth is so frigin small. I was more worried about the trigger than him. Luckily the other shrimp found a spot he can't get to. The shrimp comes out at night when the fish are sleeping. But the puffer is the only fish that sleeps on top of the rocks instead of under them.

Wow lol, I've hear puffers have quite the personality too.

 

[keddre]

I used to have two little engineer gobies that would swim inside my baster anytime I tried to spot feed my feather dusters or flame scallop. They've gotten too big now but they still try to stick their heads into it... Apparently engineers like phyto and zoo plankton too

 

[George Lopez]

When your Jawfish takes that one birdnest Coral frag into its den no matter where you put it or glue it down he finds a way to steal it. (bad idea)

I have a tuxedo urchin that's always grabbing my zoas, people eaters racordias whatever looks ecpensive (don't know how bye can tel but he never goes for the plain zoas) and keeps them inn his back... moving colonies i call them... oh and my diamond goby that like to burry anything and everything on the sand bed... (pro: i never habe to clean my dsb. Von: he's always covering my shrooms and frags.)

 

[BlueCheeker]

My sweetlips steals food from everything and every other fish! I have tried covering my dendros after I feed them, he just knocks the cover off. I have to sit there with a coral feeding tube in the water and smack at him every time he swims by! This guy is a glutten!!!

 

[chowwil]

When your trained pipefish takes an hour to eat his food so no flow in the tank. When your Jawfish takes that one birdnest Coral frag into its den no matter where you put it or glue it down he finds a way to steal it. When you wonder why fish are dying left and right but later realize your Starry Blenny murders them at midnight only. When you buy a $20 USD Atlantic Sailfin Blenny only to see it hide from you for months and see it come out dead. When you get a damsel (bad idea)

My jaw fish does that too with my small pieces of Zoas

 

[happyhourhero]

My Anthias get excited when they are about to eat and they splash water than runs down the front of the tank so I frequently have to clean the exterior glass. Always fun.

 

[Forsaken77]

My Anthias get excited when they are about to eat and they splash water than runs down the front of the tank so I frequently have to clean the exterior glass. Always fun.

My big Mag Foxface ( 7") does that too, except in my face. Yuck!

She swims to the top when I approach the tank, then when I go to actually put the food in she turns and and whips her tail fin, splashing water up to 5 feet away from the tank. If it happens to be in my direction, I'm drenched.

Wow, guess almost all my fish do something to irritate me. Wonder why I even bother, lol.

 

[Forsaken77]

Try getting him live snails and clams to eat. This will trim his teeth and is most likely to become peaceful

He actually nibbles off pieces of rock to trim his teeth. Plus I don't want rotting snails in the tank if I can't find them.

 

[ahiggins]

Clowns are mini piranhas of the ocean

Agreed! my snowflake will nip me every single time I put my hand into the tank for maintenance! shes only 3" but it still surprises me enough to splash water out of the tank hahaha

And when the fish steal food out of the acans mouths!