Baby Tang Skinny w/ lumpy belly

[ChaetoFarm_Kai]

So this is the first tang I’ve ever bought, he’s a 2” scopas tang and he seems pretty healthy for the most part, active, alert, grazes on nori all day. My concerns are that he looks a little skinny, and his belly has a very lumpy appearance. Is this normal for baby tangs? It seems like every baby tang I see in the LFS is skinny, not sure if that’s normal or not. I’m not very experienced with tangs but I’m kinda scared a giant nematode is going to burst out of this guy at any moment. This pic is the best I could do to show you what I’m talking about.

 

[Sean Clark]

Feed heavy and often. This tang could still survive.

 

[ChaetoFarm_Kai]

Feed heavy and often. This tang could still survive.

so this is not normal?

 

[Screwgunner]

If he has a regular nori fix he will be fine . When they stop eating and hide all the time is when you have to worry.

 

[Sean Clark]

so this is not normal?

Unfortunately it is common to receive fish that have been starved for weeks through transport. I wouldn't call it normal. Feed it everything you can and try to regain its normal weight.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So this is the first tang I’ve ever bought, he’s a 2” scopas tang and he seems pretty healthy for the most part, active, alert, grazes on nori all day. My concerns are that he looks a little skinny, and his belly has a very lumpy appearance. Is this normal for baby tangs? It seems like every baby tang I see in the LFS is skinny, not sure if that’s normal or not. I’m not very experienced with tangs but I’m kinda scared a giant nematode is going to burst out of this guy at any moment. This pic is the best I could do to show you what I’m talking about.

You are probably seeing nori in the fish’s intestines. Be sure that most of its diet is made from high protein, high fat foods. That will add mass to the fish better than nori alone will. Pellets, mysids and gel diet are all good.
Jay