Feeding a picky tang

[fidojoe]

My atlantic blue tang that I got the other day is being very picky. At the LFS he ate some flake and nibbled a piece of nori. I put a clip of nori in the tank yesterday, and he won't touch it. Today, I decided to "dissolve" a piece of nori since he seemed to be going after things that were free floating in the water. He took a couple tiny flakes of it, but overall was uninterested. I tried Dainichi reef veggie pellets coated with cyclopeze, no go, formula 2 veggie pellets, no go, emerald entree frozen, not overly thrilled, but he did pick at 1 or 2 things. Finally, I tried some plain old mysis. WHAM! he went NUTS!

My problem... Can mysis alone sustain a tang? I don't think it can, unless he is just being picky since he is so new. Has anyone else had a tang only accept one type of food for the first few days? I hope this is what he is doing, as I've seen stuff like HLLE, nutrient starvation, etc. cause some serious damage to tangs without proper amounts of veggie consumption.

No one is picking on him, they all kind of keep to themselves, since they're all quite a bit smaller than the tang.

Should I try soaking the nori in garlic?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DaBird]

what a great fish...good luck ...

 

[Woodstock]

Congrats! Beautiful tang. Got pics? How long have you had it? Most fish will be picky and not have a strong appetite for a few days to a week after introduction.... longer if they are getting picked on or are stressed due to water conditions.

I would suggest feeding it what it will eat to build its strenght up. Mysis is a nutritious food; but as always, variety is important so keep trying different foods. I would continue clipping nori (small pieces) every other day. Tangs need lots of greens Soaking the nori in garlic might help, try it!

Good luck! Keep us posted~

 

[fidojoe]

Thanks Woody

I've had him for 3 days now. He's been out and about swimming, still timid when people walk by, but will come back out very soon after. No fish are picking on him, and I did a 20g WC about 6hrs before I introduced him.

Here's the best pic I could get so far-

 

[Woodstock]

I really like those tangs. I've never had one but almost got it instead of my chevron tang.

Is he eating nori yet?

 

[corrado007]

I picked up a 1.5" Hippo Tang just under two weeks ago at the LFS and she's been schooling with the Chromis and seems quite healthy and happy. She has the exact same problem. I've tried Nori on a clip, flake, and others with no luck. Finally I tried Mysis and she tore it up. She's still not eating anything else but like you, I still put some Nori in the clip just in case. I do see her occasionally nipping at the live rock and macro algae but I don't think she's getting much from them. I have some sort of frozen vegi cubes in the back of my freezer, I think I'll try that next. If you find anything else that yours will eat please post & I'll do the same. Good luck!

 

[Warnberg]

Give him time, usually a newly introduced fish will be very skittish until they get used to their new home and it usually takes a few days... My foxface was the same way for almost two weeks... now I have to watch it because he gets a little close come feeding time.

 

[Nervoustime]

If you put a few drops of garlic into the water before feeding, it works wonders. I believe that the recommendation is 1 drop per 10 gallons. Also, whatever food you are feeding, put a few drops in the mix. I was having problems with some of the guys not eating. After using the Kent's garlic juice, all of the guys are eating great. Once they start eating, you can either cut back on the garlic or stop completely. I hope this helps.

 

[Woodstock]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing~

 

[fidojoe]

He is picking off the rocks, and will chew up "floaties" of algae too. He has not gotten skinnier, but fatter if anything, so he is definitely eating. I just don't know what. My corals are all still intact

 

[lcstorc]

Try soaking the nori in garlic. It can stimulate a feeding response and is good for their immune system. As long as he is healthy and nobody is picking on him he should start to eat in a couple of days. Meanwhile keep feeding him mysis or another meaty food while offering the nori. Ther are also different types of nori. My tangs like some better than others.

 

[SubRosa]

Not all tangs are herbivores by nature.Hippos in particular are considered planktivores,as are many members of the genus Naso.Mysis is a great food for such tangs,but as stated by others variety is the key.Corrado007 I hope your tank is fish only.Hippo tangs are, contrary to popular lfs wisdom,only marginally reef safe.Individuals over 6" in length often will feed on lps corals.

 

[fidojoe]

He's eating!!!

Well, he always was, but just mysis before. Yesterday he finally went after some Dainichi pellets! Not only did he eat them, he went nuts over them! I added them in slowly as usual, and he ate probably 15-20 baby pellets.

 

[lcstorc]

Great news! Glad to hear he is getting some variety now.