Pooping Tang

[Sailfin]

Hey All....... My Yellow Eyed Tang poops about every 10 to 15 minutes. Now granted, since I haven't had any fish in my tank for about 5 months, there is an abundant food supply which he is obviously taking advantage. I know fish will eat 24X7 given the opportunity but, I wasn't sure they could expel it practically 24X7 as well!! Should I consider this normal??? He seems otherwise very happy and healthy.

If there is one other behaviour which worries me some, it is his infatuation with his reflection. He spends hour upon hour swimming around in circles up against one side of the tank where his reflection is very evident. I'm assuming he thinks it is just another Tang and he's trying to become best buddies with him/her. Any thoughts???

[Reef Fever]

He is just mad because he wants to poop in private. I always hate when someone sits down in the stall right beside me.

[thebigblue]

i had a new tank full of brown sargassum that my new naso tang ate like mad (which is why i put him in there)...that fish left some loafs that i couldnt believe!...

once the tanks food supply starts to go down, i think his BMs will start to get smaller...

just my theory...

[Doug1]

Tangs are grazing herbivores that eat constanly, being herbivores a lot of roughage passes thru the digestive tract, its normal for them to poop alot, and that is one of the reasons they should be added after the sandbed infauna matures
They are also territorial creatures that normally run the reefs in large herds covering a lot of distance over the course of a day. When confined the teritoriality becomes pronounced. Your fixating on its reflection is fairly common. If its fairly new addition I wouldnt worry about it but over the long run may lead to traumatic stress depnding on how large a tank and other occupants

[Sailfin]

Thanks Reef Fever for the suggestion of giving my Tang a little more 'breathing room' to conduct his private activites.

I can really appreciate the big loafs, as noted by 'thebigblue' and I may have to stock up on some more hermits and snails to keep up on all the left over waste. I've really seen an increase in the output of my skimmer since adding the tang and the 2 Percula Clowns.

Doug, thanks very much for the reassurance about the Tang's eating habits and behaviors. The Tang and Clowns have been in my 75 for about 10 days now and they are the only fish. The only other inhabitants are the CBS, green brittle star, emerald crab and numerous Astrea snails.

As I work at home and the tank is before my eyes for the better part of 9 hours a day, I do get to see a great deal of the activities which occur on my reef. It's wonderful having fish again and being able to watch their behaviors, even if it does involve a good deal of reef fertilization!!!

Thanks again all for your comments and thoughts........