Fish Biting the surface

[Dr RBG]

I have noticed a few of my chromas and my Foxface occasionally bite at the water surface. Otherwise, they seem normally active and go around and up and down with no problem. I read about low Oxygen but the corals and other fish don't do this. The tank turnover is 388 gph in a 100 gal tank. The skimmer is running 24 / 7

Any Ideas.

Thanks

 

[nereefpat]

Bump.

388 gph is not much water flow. Something around 10 times that would be more normal. Or is it 388 gph going from the tank to the sump and back?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sounds like they are gasping for oxygen.
Verify:
salinity
Temperature
ammonia level
Nitrate level

 

[Silverfish]

My fox face does the same thing occasionally. It seems to be behavioral? The fish looks as if it’s messing around rather than in distress.

 

[MERKEY]

I have noticed a few of my chromas and my Foxface occasionally bite at the water surface. Otherwise, they seem normally active and go around and up and down with no problem. I read about low Oxygen but the corals and other fish don't do this. The tank turnover is 388 gph in a 100 gal tank. The skimmer is running 24 / 7

Any Ideas.

Thanks

I would add another power head somewhere and try to aim it at the surface to get surface agitation.

Flow really depends on what you want in your tank.

Lps and softies are fine with 10x-20x the turn over flow/rate.

Sps like it more in the 20x-40x (depending) and very diverse flow.

Flow helps keep algea at bay also...

So what are you trying to keep in the tank?

 

[W1ngz]

This is behavioural. My foxface does this also, usually after feeding he always heads to the same corner and goes up and seems to chomp the water's surface playing with the ripples between a powerhead and the overflow. If I walk over to the tank, he stops and heads over to the algae clip to beg for a snack.

I haver no lack of oxygenation with the cascading in the overflow, between sump chambers, skimmer, 3 powerheads and the return all causing their share of surface disruption. No other fish go near the surface.

 

[themcnertney]

My fish do that. I think they are looking for food at the surface that is floating.

However, sounds like you might have low flow. Def increase the surface tension.

 

[W1ngz]

Tank turnover of 388 gph for a 100gal tank is smack in the middle of the 3x-5x range. Tank turnover is flow through the sump.

The OP makes no mention of what the in-tank flow is.

 

[mort]

Multiple post

 

[mort]

Multiple post.

 

[Streetlamp]

my clown fish do it too.

 

[lilgrounchuck]

Do you have bubbles floating around at the surface? I've noticed that mine will do that after feeding. When I cut the pumps back on there's an initial bunch of bubbles that come out and float around on the surface and he goes after them. Maybe he thinks they're food? He usually stops after a while though, but I will see him blast toward the surface every now and again, but when I check it just looks like he's going after bubbles floating around.

 

[Dr RBG]

As far as flow I have 2 gyre pumps one at each end. and the return pump is a Cor 20. My initial thought was that there was something up there they were eating. Thanks for all the ideas..

 

[Dr RBG]

from the sump and back I thought that was flow?

 

[W1ngz]

from the sump and back I thought that was flow?

I've always considered that turnover.

Flow is the total amount of movement inside the display.

 

[Justdrew]

I've always considered that turnover.

Flow is the total amount of movement inside the display.

I concur

 

[Dr RBG]

how do you measure that?

 

[lilgrounchuck]

Sooo, I sat at home all day today (go figure) and noticed my fox face kept going to the back left corner and chomping at the top. Same corner every time. Maybe I just didn’t notice because I’m not usually stuck inside in the middle of the day.

 

[Dr RBG]

must run in the family

 

[Rmckoy]

Back left corner.
That’s where ours goes too .

as he’s chomping at the surface .
bubbles leave his gills..