Foxface Has Gone Crazy

PapaDragon · Aug 28, 2015

I know a Siganus unimaculatus is not considered "reef safe", but this guy was a model citizen for two years. I got home from work Wednesday and noticed several of my acans all closed up. I didn't really think much of it until later that evening when I was doing my daily check of everything and noticed the old boy hanging around the acans. I started watching him for a little while and BAM! He starts picking at them like he hadn't eating in days. Then it was like he got control of himself and ran behind the rock work in shame. Unfortunately he has to go. Today I am going to try and catch him.

Wish me luck.

jared graves · Aug 28, 2015

Wow I'm sorry

it always stinks to have to get rid of a fish

ReefMadScientist · Aug 28, 2015

Welp...you know what they say....

PapaDragon · Sep 5, 2015

I finally trapped him!

Waters · Sep 6, 2015

I had the same issues with mine.....was fine for almost a year and then snapped and started picking at all of my LPS. Also had to get rid of him :-(

PapaDragon · Sep 6, 2015

I felt so bad leaving him by LFS. I was also surprised how hard it was to catch him. I had to build a net with a draw string and bait it with seaweed to trap him. I had to wait for almost two days for him to get in the right spot to pull the string. My other traps didn't even come close to getting him.

general0 · Sep 8, 2015

I've had one that went after my prized zoa/paly collection!! It wiped several colonies out before I could finally catch him! One of the hardest fish I've ever had to catch and I absolutely loved that fish but I will NEVER have another one in my system because of this experience. Luckily the zoas/palys it ate still had the bases left and they did actually grow back!

Tahoe61 · Sep 8, 2015

Were you feeding marine algae? Like Nori, was there available algae in the tank for the fish?

general0 · Sep 8, 2015

Tahoe61 said:
Were you feeding marine algae? Like Nori, was there available algae in the tank for the fish?

I kept nori on a clip in the tank since I had several tangs and it still went after them!

Humblefish · Sep 8, 2015

If you ask me, almost no fish is 100% reef safe. It's only a matter of time. You just have to hope it's more of a here & there sorta thing.

Tahoe61 · Sep 8, 2015

general0 said:
I kept nori on a clip in the tank since I had several tangs and it still went after them!

I just added a Fox to my tank and I really like the fish. This is concerning, but I have only a Duncan and a Goniopora LPS wise, and a lot of sps.

PapaDragon · Sep 9, 2015

general0 said:
I've had one that went after my prized zoa/paly collection!! It wiped several colonies out before I could finally catch him! One of the hardest fish I've ever had to catch and I absolutely loved that fish but I will NEVER have another one in my system because of this experience. Luckily the zoas/palys it ate still had the bases left and they did actually grow back!

I'll never get another one either. Hopefully two of my acans will recover the other ones are gone.