Not eating tang

mikesilverado8888 · Oct 1, 2015

So the only food that my tang will eat is algae off the rocks in the back of the aquarium. I tried green algae strips and brown algae trip strips to know avail. What kind of algae strips should I use?

bcub30 · Oct 1, 2015

What type of tang?

reef4beer · Oct 1, 2015

Def. a good thing that the tang is at least eating algae off the rocks. I'd say try feeding it some frozen food and see if he eats that aswell.

I wouldn't be too concerned as long as he is at least eating something. Most tangs eat green algae, i'd probably give the tang some time.

Is the fish new?

eliramos · Oct 1, 2015

Try dipping in garlic that may entice him, will he eat frozen food or pellets?

cloak · Oct 1, 2015

What was the fish eating at the LFS?

beaslbob · Oct 1, 2015

try some macro algae like chaetomorphia.

mikesilverado8888 · Oct 1, 2015

He's a yellow eye tang he was earring green algae at the store he won't eat pellets

4FordFamily · Oct 1, 2015

Rubberband algae to small piece of rock. This mimics their natural feeding behavior. It's not natural for them to understand to eat strips off of a clip. For new tangs that won't eat I always rubberband algae strips to rocks. Works almost every time because they're conditioned and used to eating algae this way. It's more natural

cloak · Oct 1, 2015

mikesilverado8888 said:
He's a yellow eye tang he was earring green algae at the store he won't eat pellets

What kind of algae? If anything, offer that same food to the tang now. Also, before you purchase another fish make sure it's eating at least two or three different kinds of food first. Don't take the employees word for it either, witness it for yourself. GL.

bcub30 · Oct 2, 2015

Kole tangs dont typicaly eat off clips. They are very adapt at grazing film algae off of liverock and tank walls. That being said the nori on a rock would seem to be the way to go.

cloak · Oct 2, 2015

You can also try cutting the nori into small 1/8" x 1/8" pieces and feed it like you would flake food. Just use three or four pieces at a time until the Tang begins to accept the nori on a regular basis though. Also, you might want to soak the nori it in a cup of water for a few minutes beforehand. This will make it a little bit more pliable and keep it from floating away. GL.

eea60 · Oct 2, 2015

I've had tangs and a moorish idol that wouldn't each nori sheets, nori strips, nori cut into flakes , reef frenzy, herbivore frenzy, various pellets, or flake food, but they would eat mysis shrimp. You could also try brine to get them accepting prepared foods but I would soak it in selcon to make it more nutritious. After I get them accepting prepared foods I can usually get them eating a more herbivorous diet.

Mr. Brooks · Oct 2, 2015

Do you have a source for live brine? Live brine is usually very helpful. I like to cut up red/brown nori into tiny strips. All my tangs love that stuff.

mikesilverado8888 · Oct 3, 2015

Mr. Brooks said:
Do you have a source for live brine? Live brine is usually very helpful. I like to cut up red/brown nori into tiny strips. All my tangs love that stuff.

What's nori

cloak · Oct 3, 2015

It's just another name for dried seaweed.

http://www.marinedepot.com/Ocean_Nu...ood-Ocean_Nutrition-ON1515-FIFDDRSWSS-vi.html

Virtualbasil · Oct 3, 2015

tank size?

mikesilverado8888 · Oct 3, 2015

Virtualbasil said:
tank size?

60

oafguy · Oct 3, 2015

Nori soaked with Garlic and Selcon seem to work for any tang I have had when they first come home. I put them in QT and feed after the 1st day. Then I introduce New Era Mini Grazer to them on a TLF magnet next to a rock close to the glass. After this I have had no issues.

eric3316 · Oct 3, 2015

bcub30 said:
Kole tangs dont typicaly eat off clips. They are very adapt at grazing film algae off of liverock and tank walls. That being said the nori on a rock would seem to be the way to go.

This is what I do for my Kole Tang. I have a little piece of rock that I rubberband Nori and just drop it to the floor of my tank and he and my angelfish go at it. Neither of them would go near a clip.

Also, when I first got my Kole he would not eat for almost a week and half. I had algae wafers in my house and that was the first thing I attached to the rock and he went nuts for it. After a few days I changed it to Nori. Shortly after that he went after any food I put into the tank.

Garlic didn't do a thing. He wasn't ready to eat and it really didn't matter what I did to it. He did want algae and I just needed to know the best way to get it to him.