What is on my Kole tang?

[Jon_W79]

What are these long white things that are moved by water flow?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Looks like you’ve had this fish for a while? Is it housed with other tangs? This looks like scraps of skin from being tagged by another tang.
If it was a new acquisition, they could be copepod egg cases, but you don’t see those on long term captives.
Edit: looking closer, these might be copepod egg cases after all....

Jay

 

[Jon_W79]

Looks like you’ve had this fish for a while? Is it housed with other tangs? This looks like scraps of skin from being tagged by another tang.
If it was a new acquisition, they could be copepod egg cases, but you don’t see those on long term captives.
Jay

Yes, I have had it more than a year. I only have a foxface and an aiptasia eating filefish with it. I guess the foxface may have attacked it, or it ran into something. I think it may be skin. Thank you.