Any advice for a munchy foxface rabbitfish?

serwobow

Well-Known Member
BRS Member
I have had a foxface for about 8 years. He has been fine for the majority of the time, but recently, he has resorted to munching on acros. He just bites the growth tips on almost all of them. Most of time not removing very much of the coral, but definitely leaving some damage. He does this constantly all day long. I think it the reason for this behavior is something other than hunger - I feed him with an auto feeder three times a day and he is pretty fat. But his munching causes some stress to the acros. Many of them are closed up all day, and some aren't even growing, and I think his munching is causing some of their problems. How can I get him to stop doing this? Any ideas?
 
He is trying to graze. Do you feed nori regularly?
I dont feed nori often. I do throw in collard greens. But, it makes no difference. He will fill up on collards, get a massive belly, and then still wander the tank and munch acros. I think it is just a grazing instinct, and I think I know why it just started - I no longer have any red turf algae in the tank, since I went on a mission to get rid of it. He used to graze all day on that, like a sheep, keeping it to about 1 cm deep, but always still there. Now that the red turf is gone, he still has a powerful grazing instinct, even when full, but the only thing that looks munchable anymore is acro tips.
 
Put him in the sump?


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OK, well, that would be a fitting punishment, since my sump tank is like 5 gallons...
Alas, my son views the foxface as a family member, and that would not be a kind thing.
Also, we try to live by positive reinforcement, rather than negative punishments in our house...
So, this gives me another idea now. I am going to move all the emerald crabs to the sump, and let the red turf grow back, and those extra munch opportunities might distract the foxface from the acros (distraction is another key tactic in our household).
 
OK, well, that would be a fitting punishment, since my sump tank is like 5 gallons...
Alas, my son views the foxface as a family member, and that would not be a kind thing.
Also, we try to live by positive reinforcement, rather than negative punishments in our house...
So, this gives me another idea now. I am going to move all the emerald crabs to the sump, and let the red turf grow back, and those extra munch opportunities might distract the foxface from the acros (distraction is another key tactic in our household).
This is a very wise move
 
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