Yellow Tang Police

[LinkaStarr]

This is one of the strangest things I've seen. I have a yellow tang and he happens to be the police officer in my tank!

I have blue spotted puffer and I have emerald crabs. Yes, I know puffers love to eat the clean up crew however, in my tank that's never happened.

My yellow tang won't allow the puffer to get close enough to any crab! Every time the puffer is hunting the crabs it's very obvious he acts the same way when I drop in clams or shrimp for him. My yellow tang almost like a sheep dog will herd the puffer away from the crab. It's very strange.

I purchased a clown fish pair and after I acclimated them into the tank. I found that one looked like maybe he had a parasite!!! I was about to remove him from my tank into my hospital tank and all the sudden my coral beauty was going after him!! The other clown tried to fend him off... All the sudden here comes my Officer Tang and he started protecting my ill clown fish!

Just curious has anyone else seen things like this with their Tang's?

 

[bct15]

Yes, my yellow tang is the enforcer in my tank. Generally passive, but if a fish gets too out of line he will put them in check.

 

[LinkaStarr]

Good to hear I'm not the only one, however I'm a little bummed that more hobbits haven't experienced similar behaviors. :/

 

[Swine]

You should get a video if you catch him again! that sounds awesome.

Does the tang police him when he is hunting for food normally? or can he sense when you put shrimp in the tank?

 

[TJ's Reef]

Yellow Tangs are certainly FULL of personality and have had some entertaining ones over the years. My very favorite one (a bit of a bully/boss of tank) would attack my tongs whenever I did maintenance with them, like removing bubble algae etc... he would very aggressively attack with his scalpels and you could hear the tink/ring of them hitting metal. He was completely fine with same tongs if they came bearing gifts like Mysis or Spiralina/Brine cubes.
My current Tang Peace Officer is my Naso I collected in Hawaii as a 2" juvenile and will intercede whenever my Powder Blue and Blochii (Ringtail) Tang doing any sparring. She'll swim up to the agressor and kind of vibrate on them like a male Clownfish does while courting, very annoying to the bully of the moment but always seems to divert attention long enough for the battle to end. She will also do this to my dominant male Hawaiian Bicolor Anthias when he gets to belligerent with the females or my Dispar Anthias. I am a huge fan of Tangs in general and one day will have that HUGE display so as to be able to ethically keep some of the larger species long term. My Blochii has grown from a little less than 3" when I caught him to pushing 7" and now must rehome him to a much larger system, will be a sad day when he's gone.

Cheers, Todd

 

[prdubois]

Mine was just a bully till I got him a little friend

 

[rapture]

mine is the opposite he doesn't care about anyone else he just swims back and forth

 

[LinkaStarr]

Swine if I drop food the tang won't police anyone but will eat some of the shrimp. The other funny thing is he and my spotted blue puffer tend to be always together! The Tang swims next to him and they are "best friends" but like I said if he goes after my crabs my Officer won't have it. He also intervenes when the coral beauty goes near my clowns it's interesting to watch. I will defiantly try to get a video.

 

[PaulKreider]

Mines a bit of a whimp, my cleaner wrasse does most of the policing

 

[LinkaStarr]

mine is the opposite he doesn't care about anyone else he just swims back and forth

Sounds like you got yourself a taxi driver