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View Full Version : Any way of "training" fish to not nip at your corals...?


Salty150
04/13/2015, 09:44 AM
Anyone have any "training" methods of teaching your fish to not nip at your corals?

I have heard of some people using a low powered laser light - and every time the fish goes to nip at the coral to hit it with a fast blast of the laser in its tail, etc. (making sure to avoid its eyes, etc.)

Not sure how well that would work - or how safe it is for the fish who might swim fast and get the light in their eye, etc...

I have also heard of people putting a cage type thing (one that lets the light and water flow through) around the certain corals after introducing the fish for the first few weeks - and then supposedly after that when they take the cage off the coral - the fish don't bother it...

Also keeping the fish fed frequently (4 times a day) seems to help...

Anyone have any ideas they have tried?

:confused:

thegrun
04/13/2015, 09:47 AM
Harpoon?

thegrun
04/13/2015, 09:48 AM
Seriously I doubt there is any way to train a fish long term to leave a coral alone if it is inclined to nip at them.

Salty150
04/13/2015, 09:49 AM
Harpoon?

LOL, sometimes, just sometimes, one wishes...

:fish2:

skeeter_ca
04/13/2015, 10:42 AM
Hit it on the nose with a newspaper of course.......

Sk8r
04/13/2015, 11:06 AM
No. Flatly, no.
An experienced reefer I know just a week or so ago had a massive tank, corals, happy, happy, a foxface that had been in there for two years or so, no problems. One day he decided to eat corals. Foxfaces don't eat corals. But this one did. Angels---perfectly behaved for a year or so---then one day---

And there is NO way to change their mind.

Dmorty217
04/13/2015, 11:09 AM
The only way to try and prevent this is by getting all fish small before they develop a taste for corals in the ocean. This is very hit or miss too. Some fish will eat corals because they are lacking something in their diet algae based. This is often the case when you read about a rogue tang suddenly eating corals

Salty150
04/13/2015, 11:10 AM
How does this guy, John Coppolino, get so lucky?! :confused:

Several years with 3 Regal Angels, 3 Flame Angels, Bi-color Angels, Queen Angels, Striped Angel, etc...

And it's only a 72" 180 gallon tank...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQuJq12DuG0

Dmorty217
04/13/2015, 12:03 PM
How does this guy, John Coppolino, get so lucky?! :confused:

Several years with 3 Regal Angels, 3 Flame Angels, Bi-color Angels, Queen Angels, Striped Angel, etc...

And it's only a 72" 180 gallon tank...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQuJq12DuG0

Copps is a master of the hobby and just because he is doing it doesn't mean others will have the same results

CStrickland
04/13/2015, 12:26 PM
He has a totm on here, and an article on glass box design called "diversity of form: Angelfish in the reef aquarium" if you want to learn more about how a very advanced reefer does it. I can't seem to link, idk why. Prolly stupid phone.

Promise me you won't point any lasers at ur poor fish? :(

Salty150
04/13/2015, 12:55 PM
He has a totm on here, and an article on glass box design called "diversity of form: Angelfish in the reef aquarium" if you want to learn more about how a very advanced reefer does it. I can't seem to link, idk why. Prolly stupid phone.

Promise me you won't point any lasers at ur poor fish? :(

That is a VERY good article!

And SO true!

I love the fact that he says that Angelfish are a very smart fish and love to interact with you.

That is why so many, like me, love them.

And then his line that says that it seems as though Angelfish, by nipping at your corals - "it’s as if they punish you for not giving them enough attention…"

LOL

BTW - What is a TOTM?

ryeguyy84
04/13/2015, 01:12 PM
Tank of the month

CuzzA
04/13/2015, 01:12 PM
You can't change an animals instinct. Furthermore, in terms of angels, corals are part of their diet.

It's like putting a plate of ribs in front of me and simply expecting me not to eat them. Have no doubt I'm going to go to town on some baby backs because it's my instinct to eat delicious ribs.... Unless I just ate a 12 oz. New York Strip. Then I probably won't eat the ribs. But you better serve up something good when I get hungry again or I'm going to eat those ribs. Now, if you told me "please, don't eat the ribs." I may or may not listen to you. :) But I'm human and know the consequence if I eat your ribs. A fish doesn't understand the consequence.

When you see reef tanks with angelfish success there are probably a few common denominators in no particular order.

1) The tank is a full grown reef. Any nipping has minimal impact on the corals as a whole.
2) The fish are "well" fed. See "plate of ribs" example. Mmmm
3) You are only seeing a picture or short video captured in a moment of time. Many fish go rogue, so to speak, and are removed or replaced. Something you don't see after the fact.

So, let's just take a moment and look at these ribs. What would you do?

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=314430&stc=1&d=1428952253

Salty150
04/13/2015, 01:20 PM
You can't change an animals instinct. Furthermore, in terms of angels, corals are part of their diet.

It's like putting a plate of ribs in front of me and simply expecting me not to eat them. Have no doubt I'm going to go to town on some baby backs because it's my instinct to eat delicious ribs.... Unless I just ate a 12 oz. New York Strip. Then I probably won't eat the ribs. But you better serve up something good when I get hungry again or I'm going to eat those ribs. Now, if you told me "please, don't eat the ribs." I may or may not listen to you. :) But I'm human and know the consequence if I eat your ribs. A fish doesn't understand the consequence.

When you see reef tanks with angelfish success there are probably a few common denominators in no particular order.

1) The tank is a full grown reef. Any nipping has minimal impact on the corals as a whole.
2) The fish are "well" fed. See "plate of ribs" example. Mmmm
3) You are only seeing a picture or short video captured in a moment of time. Many fish go rogue, so to speak, and are removed or replaced. Something you don't see after the fact.

So, let's just take a moment and look at these ribs. What would you do?



LOL, OK, yeah, I love ribs too! :lol2:

But it is my understanding that Angelfish don't really pick at corals because they are hungry all in itself...

It is my understanding that Angelfish nip at corals because they are bored and curious also...?

So the recommendations I got from the article were:

1. Keep them well feed - with a varied diet.
2. Have a strong water-flow (which you need with SPS anyway) - and a water-flow that varies directions itself.
3. Have other fish in the same tank so the Angles have something else to concentrate on other than the corals and to help keep the Angles in check.
4. Angels work best in an all SPS tank.

:confused:

addictedreefer
04/13/2015, 01:27 PM
LOL, OK, yeah, I love ribs too! :lol2:

But it is my understanding that Angelfish don't really pick at corals because they are hungry all in itself...

It is my understanding that Angelfish nip at corals because they are bored and curious also...?

So the recommendations I got from the article were:

1. Keep them well feed - with a varied diet.
2. Have a strong water-flow (which you need with SPS anyway) - and a water-flow that varies directions itself.
3. Have other fish in the same tank so the Angles have something else to concentrate on other than the corals and to help keep the Angles in check.
4. Angels work best in an all SPS tank.

:confused:

It has been said before, but I'll say it again: angels eat corals. Period. To have success you need a very large tank packed with coral so that the picking is dispersed enough so as not to cause irreparable harm to certain colonies. That said, if you are willing to limit yourself to acros and montis, you may have success with certain angels. However, I would not trust angels for a minute with LPS and some soft corals.

CuzzA
04/13/2015, 01:29 PM
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=314432&stc=1&d=1428953355

Yep.

Here's a nice shot in the wild.

CuzzA
04/13/2015, 01:31 PM
And another.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=314433&stc=1&d=1428953474

Salty150
04/13/2015, 01:37 PM
Yeah, I think his article stated that Queen Angelfish are not good candidates...

CuzzA
04/13/2015, 01:44 PM
The only true herbivore angels that I'm aware of are from the genicanthus family of angels. And even they are not a guarantee. Other than that, it's a matter of time before they nip. Maybe a year, maybe 5 minutes.

There is no such thing as 100% reef safe. I had a yellow tang kill and eat a healthy maxima clam. Bad luck I guess. Needless to say, I exchanged the tang. Can't blame him though. I like to eat clams too.

Salty150
04/13/2015, 02:02 PM
The only true herbivore angels that I'm aware of are from the genicanthus family of angels. And even they are not a guarantee. Other than that, it's a matter of time before they nip. Maybe a year, maybe 5 minutes.

There is no such thing as 100% reef safe. I had a yellow tang kill and eat a healthy maxima clam. Bad luck I guess. Needless to say, I exchanged the tang. Can't blame him though. I like to eat clams too.

Yeah, exactly...

It's not their fault... it's what they do!