Foxface ripping of corals

balajeek15 · Jul 10, 2019

I was worried to introduce flame angel because it would nip on soft corals, but guess what! flame angel seem not to bother corals at all and still my zoa polyps disappear day by day and one day i noticed foxface ripping of corals like its food right in front of my eyes, it goes one after another. I did buy a lot of zoa, cloves from reef palooza event and i have almost nothing now.

75g tank, lot of rock works, dsb
foxface is around 3" long got it 2-3 months ago.

I never thought this would happen. I feed a lot 2-3 times a day.

AZRipp · Jul 10, 2019

What are you feeding? Maybe there is something in its diet missing that it is trying to get from the corals. Also, a 75 gallon tank is right at the minimum size for a a Foxface. Add in a bunch of rock and a DSB and it's even smaller. I have a friend that has some larger fish in a smaller tank and they literally will knock off coral and throw them or relocate them. Crazy, but he's watched his do it.

LobsterOfJustice · Jul 10, 2019

Foxfaces and rabbitfish are definitely potential coral nippers, and zoas are one of the more likely things on the menu.

balajeek15 · Jul 10, 2019

well i guess i have to send them back to lfs then. I valve my corals more than the fish, i do like the fish though but looks like i can't have both.

Waters · Jul 10, 2019

I had to remove mine for the same reason.....he was fine for over a year until I introduced an Angel which taught him how to eat fleshy coral.

hyprc · Jul 10, 2019

Welcome to owning a Foxface. I try to warn people when the question comes up about them being 'reef safe' but get shredded by people claiming theirs is a model citizen (same with Six-lines and killing other fish). We're well-aware certain fish have propensities to attack certain coral/fish depending on their species. In my mind, it's not a matter of if these guys will perform their 'bad' behaviors that we don't desire in a tank, but when and under what circumstances. Doesn't mean they don't have an important role or that they're that hard to catch (Foxface easy, Six-line not so much) when they do start misbehaving though

Heck, I have a Yellow Tang that's picking my oldest coral (3.5 year old trachy) to death... he eats bubble algae though so he's not going anywhere for now haha

balajeek15 · Jul 10, 2019

any idea to catching the foxface

hyprc · Jul 10, 2019

balajeek15 said:
any idea to catching the foxface

I used an acrylic fish trap from Aqua Medic and just put some mysis shrimp in there (the Foxface would wander in even without food lol). Might try nori. Also, if you're a boss, you can just feed at the surface and net him out (that's the ONLY way I got my Six-line out).

(pro tip, never let the fish see the net while feeding, they know exactly what you're trying to do once they see it)

balajeek15 · Jul 10, 2019

hyprc said:
I used an acrylic fish trap from Aqua Medic and just put some mysis shrimp in there (the Foxface would wander in even without food lol). Might try nori. Also, if you're a boss, you can just feed at the surface and net him out (that's the ONLY way I got my Six-line out). (pro tip, never let the fish see the net while feeding, they know exactly what you're trying to do once they see it)

Yeah, when i go near all fishes comes to surface right at the feeding gap, but as soon as it sees a net, in a spilt second all hides and doesn't come back so easily. I tried to catch coral beauty 2-3 months ago and thats what happen, its funny i removed coral beauty becaz i suspect he is the reason for disappearing corals and right after that i added foxface. (for some reason I blindly thought foxface is reef safe fish)

hyprc · Jul 10, 2019

balajeek15 said:
Yeah, when i go near all fishes comes to surface right at the feeding gap, but as soon as it sees a net, in a spilt second all hides and doesn't come back so easily. I tried to catch coral beauty 2-3 months ago and thats what happen, its funny i removed coral beauty becaz i suspect he is the reason for disappearing corals and right after that i added foxface. (for some reason I blindly thought foxface is reef safe fish)

I thought so too until it started snacking incessantly on a duncan. I had to hold the net above the tank and basically wait. Took me weeks to get a Six-line out that way but they're crazy smart/fast. The trap will get the foxface in minutes, if that. Thankfully Foxfaces aren't the brightest

roberthu526 · Jul 10, 2019

My fox face ate an entire toadstool so he was the only fish I don’t mace into the new tank.

balajeek15 · Jul 15, 2019

didn't want to take any more chance, i caught it on Fri and took it back to LFS for a $25 credit.

Now thats gone, my daughter is upset becaz its her fav, I told her i will find another smaller one (I am thinking a smaller one i remember seeing less than 2 " in size i saw in local petco, not sure if its still there, but still thinking is it worth it)

Does all foxface are same or could there be a chance it may not bother corals?

JoeD_ · Jul 15, 2019

balajeek15 said:
didn't want to take any more chance, i caught it on Fri and took it back to LFS for a $25 credit.

Now thats gone, my daughter is upset becaz its her fav, I told her i will find another smaller one (I am thinking a smaller one i remember seeing less than 2 " in size i saw in local petco, not sure if its still there, but still thinking is it worth it)

Does all foxface are same or could there be a chance it may not bother corals?

Definitely a good chance it does not bother corals.

erk · Jul 15, 2019

My LFS doesn't recommend fox faces because they will gorge themselves on coral once the algae is gone. They had one in the cheap frag tank that went after everything from softies to gorgs to all manner of hard coral. I wouldn't recommend a fox face unless you have a large enough tank and a plan to keep it off your coral.

ZoWhat · Jul 15, 2019

How old is the Foxface?

I remember reading years ago they lose their eyesight in the latter mature years and mistake GREEN soft corals as algae food.

I thought that was interesting so I put it my longterm memory banks

GregOyeah · Jul 15, 2019

balajeek15 said:
didn't want to take any more chance, i caught it on Fri and took it back to LFS for a $25 credit.

Now thats gone, my daughter is upset becaz its her fav, I told her i will find another smaller one (I am thinking a smaller one i remember seeing less than 2 " in size i saw in local petco, not sure if its still there, but still thinking is it worth it)

Does all foxface are same or could there be a chance it may not bother corals?

ME: I don’t want to take a chance.

ALSO ME: Guys, I’m gonna take a chance on the smaller one

JoeD_ · Jul 15, 2019

GregOyeah said:
ME: I don’t want to take a chance.

ALSO ME: Guys, I’m gonna take a chance on the smaller one

lol!

roberthu526 · Jul 15, 2019

balajeek15 said:
didn't want to take any more chance, i caught it on Fri and took it back to LFS for a $25 credit.

Now thats gone, my daughter is upset becaz its her fav, I told her i will find another smaller one (I am thinking a smaller one i remember seeing less than 2 " in size i saw in local petco, not sure if its still there, but still thinking is it worth it)

Does all foxface are same or could there be a chance it may not bother corals?

Fox face grows super fast. Mine grew from an inch to six inches in a year. It was an insanely fast grower.