Picky Baby Purple Tang

[GarrettP]

Background: I got a purple tang about 3 weeks ago. He developed ich after a few days. I fed garlic and hooked up an oversized UV. He got over the ich (5 days clear now) and none of the other fish caught it.

My problem is getting him to eat shrimp. He grazes all day long and he will peck at nori but I'm not sure he can chew it yet. He only eats off the bottom so to feed him I have to turn off all flow and spot feed by blowing the shrimp under a rock, where he seems to eat it. it's hard to say. I just can't seem to get him to eat out of the water. He hasn't figured it out, even with garlic, and he looks a little thin to me. This is leading to me overfeeding. Should I just assume he's getting what he needs by grazing? Never had this problem with a tang before. Is it just an age thing? He's not blind.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Are you sure the ich didnt just enter the stage where they fall off the fish only to replicate and come back with a vengeance (I don’t know the scientific name of that stage) ?

 

[GarrettP]

Not entirely sure but that happened twice before and it was usually back within days. He has been totally spot free for five days so I'm pretty optimistic it's cured and he certainly isn't infected to the point he'd lose appetite. Also, like I said, no other fish, including tangs, caught it. The UV really worked for me.