Best herbivore flake or pellets?

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’m looking for thoughts on what foods for an auto feeder are best for herbivores such as a yellow tang and one spot foxface.

I’ve seen threads in the past, but brands come and go. I already feed sheet nori and Sprung sea veggies pieces and macro from the refugium.

My fish won’t touch Formula 2 flake.

 

[BReefer13]

Randy, I have had success feeding my herbivores on auto feeder (only used when traveling) the Ocean Nutrition Formula Two Pellets and Hikari Seaweed Extreme Small Pellets.

 

[56longroof]

TDO Chroma boost. Everything in my tank goes nuts over it. Including inverts.

 

[BReefer13]

TDO Chroma boost. Everything in my tank goes nuts over it. Including inverts.

This one too! I typically mix the different pellets so they get a bit of all of them.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

TDO Chroma boost. Everything in my tank goes nuts over it. Including inverts.

Yes, I have that and mine eat it too. Also prime reef flake. I was hoping for a more macroalgae based food to add in. :)

 

[Bartanto]

I run this + TDO + Reef Jerky in my feeders (plus daily nori and random frozen)

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

I second seaweed extreme from hikari. Brine shrimp direct has all kinds of different flakes might want to give them a call (I can’t navigate their website but they have been great to deal with by phone). I can’t speak for the flakes but no one complains about their frozen over here.

Edit. Forgot that if you mention the forum, there is a discount.

 

[Fish Fan]

Third for Seaweed extreme, that was going to be my suggestion. It should work well in an auto feeder

 

[jonelder68]

Hikari Seaweed Extreme And nyos one is favorites of my baby yellow tang. Whatever you get make sure it’s extra small size. Small is still too big for my tang. Have to crush it up for him.

 

[Tangdora]

When I have to auto feed (only use when away) I go with flakes simply because they blow all round the tank easier when you can’t be there to equally distribute. As for brand I recently switch to colbalt aquatic and started to feed all my fish the ca mysis flake. All my tangs love it including a fox face. Bit pricer then normal LFS stuff but I won’t go back now. They offer a veggie and spirulina option though I have not tried them yet. Only drawback not drawback to the brand I would say is their flakes are big, like quarter/dime size stuff which definitely requires some crumbling down to fit into the AFS I have.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks, folks. :)

 

[rtparty]

Seaweed Extreme

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

thanks. I’ll get some of the extreme.

Anyone try TLF sea veggie flakes?

 

[Miami Reef]

Yes, I have that and mine eat it too. Also prime reef flake. I was hoping for a more macroalgae based food to add in. :)

Same! I’ve been thinking about this as well!

I want my tangs to have a more plant-based diet like they’ve evolved to consume.

Do you think there’s a difference between sheet nori (dried) vs Julian sprung?

I like the texture and quality of Sprung’s much better because it’s thicker and feels more rich.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I like the spring seaweed (I have the purple right now) as an addition to nori as it is just different and somewhat more natural in texture as you note. I have no idea which alone is best, but if I had to pick, I’d guess the less processed sprung stuff.

 

[csund]

I'll use NLS Algaemax as an alternative to Seaweed extreme

Seaweed (Ulva latuca, Undaria pinnatafida, Eucheuma cottonii, Eucheuma spinosum, Chondrus crispus, Porphyra umbilicus), Krill (Euphasia superba), Squid (Dosidicus gigas), Whole Wheat Flour, Kelp, Spirulina, Fish (Brevoortia tyrannus), Fish Oil, Garlic, Ginger, Astaxanthin, Marigold, Bentonite Clay, Sea Salt, Vitamin A Acetate,Vitamin D Supplement,Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement,Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C), Choline, Chloride, Ethylenediamine Dihydroiodide, Cobalt Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Tocopherols (a preservative)

 

[Paul B]

I would have a problem with this because I would not feed any dry foods to anything. I do have a frozen food feeder but I never use it because after about 3 days, the food starts to get rotten.

I also would never use nori for anything.

I only have this Hippo for maybe 5 years and he doesn't have a mark on him. He has never eaten any nori or dry foods. He lives on live worms, clams, mussels and earthworms. He also gets LRS food. I believe this is also why my fish are immune. But that's just me.

He replaced my 10 year old Hippo that also never had any dry foods.

I also have this guy a few years on the same diet.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I would have a problem with this because I would not feed any dry foods to anything. I do have a frozen food feeder but I never use it because after about 3 days, the food starts to get rotten.

I also would never use nori for anything.

I only have this Hippo for maybe 5 years and he doesn't have a mark on him. He has never eaten any nori or dry foods. He lives on live worms, clams, mussels and earthworms. He also gets LRS food. I believe this is also why my fish are immune. But that's just me.

He replaced my 10 year old Hippo that also never had any dry foods.

I also have this guy a few years on the same diet.

I nevertheless need to auto dose foods. If I could auto dose fresh seaweed, I would.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Same! I’ve been thinking about this as well!

I want my tangs to have a more plant-based diet like they’ve evolved to consume.

Do you think there’s a difference between sheet nori (dried) vs Julian sprung?

I like the texture and quality of Sprung’s much better because it’s thicker and feels more rich.

My tangs will not touch any nori other than tlf green and purple. They go nuts for it! No one touches the tlf red though, they are picky. I will also add the the tlf foil packaging (in my opinion) keeps the nori much more fresh than all the other clear baggies out there. It actually smells like seaweed, where the others don’t seem to have any odor that I can discern.

 

[bluemon]

I know there has been enough praises about Seaweed Extreme has been posted here already but to chime on:

I mostly feed my fish frozen, pretty much 95% of the time.

But the fish go CRAZY when they smell seaweed extreme in the water, and not just the Tangs; and the reaction isn't as crazy as other non-seaweed pellets.

There must be some other funky green stuff that makes them go crazy for them.