Kole Tang barbs

[TriniStylez]

I have noticed that today, my Kole Tang has its "barbs" sticking way out. It looks really weird because the skin around them looks all torn up also. Hes kind of acting a bit weird too, swimming erratically a bit. I was told that as they age, the spikes become more prominent but this was kind of all of a sudden. He doesnt seem stressed out by anything but like I said, its like hes swinging these bad boys around at stuff.

[TriniStylez]

Anyone have an idea why this is happening? Normal?

[TriniStylez]

I am wondering if rearranging the rockwork the other day has stressed him out. He seems to be sideswiping the glass with his barbs quite a lot. My girlfriend just told me that he actually put his barbs out right after I rearranged the rockwork and did a water change two days ago. I thought it was just today. It seems strange to me that he has not retracted his barbs by now. Almost three days. I have noticed a few cuts on one of my other fish and Im guessing its from the Kole. He isnt showing any aggression to any other fish that I can see though.

[woodsracer]

Are the barbs coming out of his side, by the dorsel fin? If so I had a clown that had the same thing. Within a week they were gone and fish is fine.

[TriniStylez]

Yes. I knew he had them but I have never seen them come out and was wondering how normal this is and how long they keep them out.

[TriniStylez]

Anyone have any experience with this? I kinda hate seeing him swing these things around...

[RobNJ]

If you are talking about the razor like bone on his back tail, my kole had the same problem, after a few months it healed and is back where it belongs.

[TriniStylez]

Yeah. Its the barbs on both sides near his tail. I have seen Yellow Tangs put them out before but I just dont know how long they usually stay out.

[TriniStylez]

I guess they are actually called scalpels...

[happyface888]

thus the name surgeonfish

[allstar.h2o]

My spotted bristletooth tang did the same thing. He just one day sprouted big spikes out of his tail. It was hard to watch, he beat them against the glass and rocks and was very agitated. The flesh around it was all bruised and ripped where the barbs came through. Took a while and everything healed up, just watch for ich or signs of infection. Must be some kind of tang puberty thing. He is a man tang now!

[TriniStylez]

Hahaha...I guess my baby is just growing up so fast! LOL. Yeah seems to be quite common. I just hope he figures out how to control these things as he is wild with them and I worry about other fish getting hit accidentally.

[DaveRaz]

Very old thread bump here but my white tail bristle tooth tang has had both scalpels out now for about two weeks. Do others agree that it's probably just a maturity thing? Has anyone else had this experience when the scalpels stay out for long periods of time and if so did they eventually retract?

[rvareef]

this happened with my last sohal and made me nervous, one of his scalpals was hanging, he did not like the algae scrubber and would attack it sometimes, after a week or two it went back to normal, but that was a huge scalpal

[scooter31707]

Is your Kole Tang getting picked on? IME, my Tangs would only do this if they felt threaten or getting picked on.

[jmm]

If they are scraping against the glass they are at war with their own reflection.