Bristletooth Tomini Tang nipping clams

Just an FYI that these guys will nip clam mantels. I lost a few clams recently and couldn't figure out why as they eventually just closed up over time and then would die. Finally caught my Tomini tang nipping a mantle. Now almost every forum will say that bristletooth tangs, like koles, wont do this but I clearly saw him bite my new squamosa right in the center of the mantle, not just nipping the shell. I don't think he does this often, but even a few times a day is enough to make the clams not come out and starve. Although they are herbivores I suspect he was eating the mucous off them. I also saw him peck at a neon singulara before but didn't think much of it as the coral didn't seem all that upset.





Anyway it was a loooong night trying to catch the little guy but finally did and he is in my sump. He is fat and healthy, but I will have to find him a new home somewhere as my sump isn't lit and won't grow much for him to graze on. Just wanted to let folks now that it is possible for these guys to be bad with clams.

 

I always wanted a whitetailed! I even had a liveaquaira alert set up for one.

It really is too bad, he doesn't sit there and keep pecking at it, but seems like he just checks it out and leaves. I have seen him peck that soft coral 3 or 4 times, sadly even a few pecks a day on a clam mantle really makes them close up even if the coral doesn't seem to mind. At least I caught him in the act, I searched and found a few other folks that have had koles bite clams from time to time.

Just wanted to put it out there that it does happen. Even if it atypical for the species it is possible, sadly.