Read my article in the library section on medicated foods - "metro and focus" won't work unless you dose it properly and nobody bothers to do that. Many of the internal parasites of fish have a complicated life cycle that can't be reproduced in captivity, so they are self-limiting, they won't grow in numbers. You just need the caloric intake to be greater than what they are stealing from the fish.
Hi. I have a question:I agree with the advice on feeding fattier foods and more often— for tangs, I fatten them up with nori.
I read that he’s not interested, if you present it rubber banded to a rock, or on a clip and he watches the other tangs eat it — it will often elicit a feeding response. Rubber banding to rock mimics taking algae from the rocks which they’re accustomed to in the ocean.
While nori isn’t as high in fat, if they graze on it and eat a higher volume of it, it tends to fatten them up faster. Higher volume of less calories is still a formula for success. If he begins eating nori you’ll be fine assuming there aren’t other parasites at play here.
Red nori is often a good “gateway” to eating nori in captivity. Not sure why, but I get many tangs and picky tangs to start eating it with red nori. The fact that it’s available to graze on much longer than frozen foods dropped in makes it a better alternative. I think it’s one of several “secret sauces” to keeping fish with high metabolism like moorish idols. Of course for that fish there’s a LOT more to it, but as an example that’s how I keep mine fat.
Good luck!
PS. I’m not questioning any of the diet recommendations. I’m going to buy it all, I just want to learn so I can feel at peace that I’m doing a good thing vs being redundant.
Is that list in descending order of frequency in the mix? If so, it has plenty of fat and protein items in it, just feed more and more often. I just gave mysids as an example of a high fat food. Naso tangs are more open water planktivores than other species of tangs. I have some adult unicorn fish (another type of naso) that eat only meaty food items and a small amount of omnivore gel diet.
Different species/types of fish have different needs. I don't see much in there that is "bad" it's all good. I'd say that oysters are fine food for most fish. Fish are considered omnivorous, by and large -- but really I'd better qualify them as opportunists. They eat what is available. I buy frozen food mixes and mix them together, melt it, strain, and add selcon, zoe, and vita chem and then freeze those I won't use in a week's time. But everyone has their own method -- I do this to improve nutrition and remove garbage that the food is frozen with. I hear "higher end" food providers such as Rod's food don't require this. But it's my habit so I do it, lol.
Twice
