weird behavior with my kole tang

david p. · Aug 20, 2016

hi,
i know my question might seems really stupid (actually it is stupid)... but i have to ask because what i have observed with my kole tang seems unreal.

can a fish go poop always at the same spot ? it's almost like a ritual

i have seen my kole tang go near the bottom, his belly practicly touching the sand, and poop exactly at the same spot at a point where i can see a build up of his poop (it's not a build up odue to flow in the tank).
i do see him poop in the water column also, so it's not always on that spot, but i have seen him enougt that i thought it was a funny behavior.

am i crazy ?

4FordFamily · Aug 20, 2016

Never known fish to do that, particularly tangs. You sure it's not scratching on the bottom?

Maritimer · Aug 21, 2016

Mine does it too, like a cat with a litterbox. Except her litterbox is a rock-flower anemone.

~Bruce

david p. · Aug 21, 2016

Maritimer said:
Mine does it too, like a cat with a litterbox. Except her litterbox is a rock-flower anemone.

Yeah!!!

i'm not crazy!!

Deinonych · Aug 21, 2016

Nope, not crazy. Mine does it, right in front of one of my Royal Gramma pair's caves. I view it as an act of contempt, as the Kole is not fond of my RGs.

4FordFamily · Aug 21, 2016

My kole and chevron don't do any of this, I guess my bristletooth tangs are less fun

david p. · Aug 21, 2016

i spend some time in front of the tank, and i saw my kole do it 2 times just this evening... so weird

Empress · Aug 22, 2016

david p. said:
hi,
i know my question might seems really stupid (actually it is stupid)... but i have to ask because what i have observed with my kole tang seems unreal.

can a fish go poop always at the same spot ? it's almost like a ritual

i have seen my kole tang go near the bottom, his belly practicly touching the sand, and poop exactly at the same spot at a point where i can see a build up of his poop (it's not a build up odue to flow in the tank).
i do see him poop in the water column also, so it's not always on that spot, but i have seen him enougt that i thought it was a funny behavior.

am i crazy ?

That's funny. My dog does the same thing. Poops in the same place.

Velcro · Aug 22, 2016

My kole tang does the same thing and I've read that it's very common.

Velcro · Aug 22, 2016

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/a...hat-uses-the-same-spot-to-expel-waste.250429/

Eva Rose · Aug 22, 2016

Not exactly the same thing but my little bristletooth tang would poop right in my other tang's face whenever the bristletooth was chased. There was not real aggression - a mild short chase a few times, till she accepted the bristletooth after 2 days.. The pooping kept the chase short. But it must have been effective. They are now buddies.

Maritimer · Aug 22, 2016

I've also seen the kole eat other fish's droppings - maybe yours was a peace offering?! (~_^)

~B.

DeniseAndy · Aug 22, 2016

Mine has a specific spot too. Go figure. Funny fish.

Eva Rose · Aug 22, 2016

Maritimer said:
I've also seen the kole eat other fish's droppings - maybe yours was a peace offering?! (~_^)

~B.

Lol...maybe!! I don't know if my other tang felt that way but they now share Nori bits that come off the clip between each other. They get on either side of the shred ( like the spaghetti scene in Disney's Lady & the Tramp).

david p. · Aug 22, 2016

my kole can chase my flaemback angels until the poop falls from the angels.... yummy!!!

Deinonych · Aug 22, 2016

david p. said:
my kole can chase my flaemback angels until the poop falls from the angels.... yummy!!!

LOL...my Kole patrols the rocks where my wrasses sleep so he can grab a tasty morsel when they wake up (they always take big poops when they emerge). So gross.