Purple Tang, hair eater?

cbrownfish

cbrownfish

Well-Known Member
I have a great Purple Tang that I got from a local LFS a long time back. At one time, he developed some sort of parasitic growth (possibly a copepod pair) and fought that off, with the help of my cleaner shrimp. He has always been really healthy and a perfect citizen in my 90. Over the last few months, he has gotten REALLY comfortable with me and he often swims circles around my hand when it is in the tank. He also will graze along behind the turkey baster or siphon tube, eat nori out of my hand, etc, etc.

The other day, I had my hand in the tank doing some coral rearranging and felt something prick my wrist. I had a rock in one hand and a coral in the other, so I was unable to see what was happening at first. Suddenly I realized that my Purple Tang viewed my arm hair as a tasty treat and I helplessly watched as he began plucking it out with surgical precision.

Finding this very amusing, I hollered for the wife and kids and began to laugh my a** off at the stupid fish. I got a kick out of watching him for a few seconds (still with both hands occupied, unable to get away). Finally, I recognized that I was going to end up with a bare patch on my wrist and a fish with a gut full of arm hair, so I quickly set down my load.

Crazy things that our reef critters do! Has anyone else had this or something similar happen?

Here is his mugshot :D --

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Oh and check out the cleaning station in the sponge cave --

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dianezoo

dianezoo

Active Member
That is a fanstastic picture of your purple tang! I'm not sure they are touted as Hair algea eaters. Maybe he thought your hair was was some sort of worm .Too funny. Reminds me of the fishes some asian spa uses to clean (eat) away foot calusoes. The customers put there feet in the tank and the fishes go to town and their heels come out smooth.
 
cbrownfish

cbrownfish

Well-Known Member
He definitely eats anything green. Micro Algae, Macro Algae, Nori Sheets, etc.

What an existance, eating foot skin. YUCK!
 
Kate

Kate

Member
Ok, see the yellow Damsel in the center of my aquarium? Mrs. Nasty! :) She has since gone to fish heaven, she must of been six, and the tank has been sold, but I have fond memories of her, pulling the hairs out of my arm, and putting teeth marks in my skin, every time I cleaned the tank! :) I went to my doctors one time, and she has bitten the soft skin on the underside of my arm around six times, and I asked him if he ever saw anything like that, and he frowned, and said, nooooooo, what is it? lol! I told him what it was, and he started to laugh! She was so mean, but I liked her anyway! :) A woman in another forum, actually made me a little video of a damsel just like it, to tease me. If I can figure out how to share it, I will try! I kept it all these years, and it still makes me laugh! :laughroll
 

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dianezoo

dianezoo

Active Member
That looks like a pretty large yellow damsel. Beautiful tank shot too.
Love the story. What size tank is that?
 
Kate

Kate

Member
That was my 75 gallon wide! I still have the tank, but I sold the contents, because we are in the middle of a huge remodel, and there is no way we can tear out the walls and windows, with the tank in here, so someday, I want to make my own background inside of it, and make it like a jungle tank, with either discus, or cichlids! Yes, the damsel got fairly big, and she was nasty! :) Her bites actually left little round teeth marks like an "O" on my arm! :)
 
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