Looking for some ideas on how to keep these alive. I have no issues with keeping salt water fish alive but having an issue with the convicts. My local store brings them in and they are constantly dying on him and I also tried Divers Den. The two I had in my tank picked at the rocks but would not eat frozen food (mysis). After a few weeks they died. Convicts are very good keeping sponge and algae under control. Any ideas are appreciated.
Convict Tang
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ca1ore
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Much more difficult tang than generally reputed …. as you are finding. Most come in borderline emaciated; or at least very thin, so getting weight on them is critical. Dropping them directly into the display probably won't work as they won't initially compete well for food. I've had pretty good success with putting them into a QT tank containing grazable live rock and offering plenty of nori. They will take frozen eventually but it can take a while. I have a Mauritius convict (polyzona) in my main tank and a small regular convict in the frag tank. Have had the latter for almost two years and is still on the thin side.
My convict was emaciated when I get him from live aquaria. I immediately dewormed him and the other fish from that round of QT for 24 hours with prazipro and I sacrificed some live rock from my sump with algae growing on it as I started slowly ramping up copper (I will never not prophylactically treat fish). I kept the copper around 1 ppm (copper power) until he and the rest were vigorously eating nori rubber banded to the rock. I captured a damsel from my display and put it in the Qt with them so it could teach the new gang that pellets are food. A few rounds of live brine shrimp mixed with pellets and they all were all eating pellets. Ramped up copper to 2 ppm, and fed general cure bonded to the pellets with focus for the 15 day copper treatment. Took them out into a bucket and sterilized the tank they were in with bleach and dried it and replaced the water with water from the main display and put them in for two more weeks. They had two more rounds of prazipro over that period and they always had a cycled sponge in their HOB.
At the end of QT two weeks later it was fat and looked like it grew an inch since I got it. I read somewhere that they can have a high parasitic load. So I thought a quick immediate round in prazipro couldn't hurt.
A little bit of ick was apparent before the copper was ramped up.
At the end of QT two weeks later it was fat and looked like it grew an inch since I got it. I read somewhere that they can have a high parasitic load. So I thought a quick immediate round in prazipro couldn't hurt.
A little bit of ick was apparent before the copper was ramped up.
Yep mine was very thin but eating brine at the lfs.
Everyone suggested not getting it as they die.
I feed 3-4 times a day and have a 50/50 live rock caribsea system.
I feed emerald entree, mysis, some brine, alot of larry reef frenzy all at 2 cube size per feeding.
Also freeze dried plankton soaked in selcon each weekend.
Mine keeps my 6 blue green chromis in line as its the tank boss.
When I got it and today.
A little over 4 months.
Everyone suggested not getting it as they die.
I feed 3-4 times a day and have a 50/50 live rock caribsea system.
I feed emerald entree, mysis, some brine, alot of larry reef frenzy all at 2 cube size per feeding.
Also freeze dried plankton soaked in selcon each weekend.
Mine keeps my 6 blue green chromis in line as its the tank boss.
When I got it and today.
A little over 4 months.
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