Doliatus rabbitfish not grazing

[StrategicReef]

This is my second one, my first purchase was too small and didn't hold up.
But both of them I noticed are very very shy (like firefish shy almost) and would not graze on the rocks. Did they adapt to waiting for human to dump feed them, from the store? Or they need a long time to settle in before doing some grazing?

It likes to hang out with the tang and follow him around.. it would not come out alone. No one is bullying on him though.

[julie180]

My rabbit is very shy and spooky. He is not much of a grazer, but will tear up sheet of nori.

He splashed water 2 foot up the wall earlier and left quite a puddle on the floor.

[LukFox]

How long have you had it? They can be timid in the beginning.

[StrategicReef]

About a week, it is a very competitive eater now, but I havn't seen him picked on the rocks yet, a little different from my expectations. But it seems like a very nice fish

[LukFox]

So long as he's eating well I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's odd he's not grazing, but maybe he's just doing it when you aren't looking. You'll probably notice it within the next week or three. Try watching the tank from a distance. He's not getting so full off of tank feedings that he feels no need to graze, that much is sure. Rabbits can eat and eat and eat. He's probably just too shy to graze in front of you yet.

[StrategicReef]

cool, he is also about 4" so maybe the store where he came from fed him well and he weened off his natural eating habit?
I heard they are extremely aware of their owners, in the first week I had to crawl up to the tank otherwise he would see me from 8 feet away and hide.

[LukFox]

I don't think you can wean a rabbit off its natural feeding habits, especially in a short time at the store. Like I said, rabbits can eat and then eat some more, all day. They'll eat prepared foods, and then they'll eat whatever else is available in the tank. They're always hungry, and if there isn't enough food around they're known for turning to corals to satisfy their hunger.

[StrategicReef]

That is exactly what I have heard about these fishes, is that they will eat everything and start to eat anything available. I try to keep him filled up. are they like Tangs where their primary diet can be nori? Seems to love the stuff more than other seafood.

[LukFox]

Yeah they're herbivores. They love nori!

[StrategicReef]

Doing much better now competing and eating from the clip, still not grazing, very strange, the only time he nipped was some sponge or feather duster underneath a rock in a cave.
He also scratched up his eye and just recovering now, just getting his metalic blue color in that eye back now.
He just hover around or hide in the dark cave. Very strange habit, behaving alot like a sunburst anthias. Colors are good so I assume his health is ok. Is it possible he was poisoned from capture process?

[julie180]

StrategicReef,

My rabbit does not graze at all and also just hovers around a lot. He likes his nori and mysis. As long as yours is eating and looks healthy, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

[StrategicReef]

Julie, good to know, thanks!

[Sheol]

Yikes! Good to know, because I have a baby in my tank right now. He has done pretty good on the hair algae that started growing after the crash. Very shy, but becoming less so.
Just gonna have to watch him/her with the corals after the algae crop is gone! Never heard that before, but then I've heard of tangs doing it too..

Matthew

[Kahuna Tuna]

My Doli was very little when I got him, about 1 1/2 inches and was the most skittish fish ever. I never saw him out in the open for the first two weeks and even after than he would dart into the rocks whenever someone would enter the room. It took him quite a while to really settle in and now he is a big boy (it was the fastest growing fish I have ever kept) and he is also the most personable fish in the tank, always in the open. It also took him a while to start grazing algae but he also does that as well. Just a great all around fish.