Achilles Tang Primer

[Vannpytt]

Def yuri, Gem tangs are one of the hardiest tang out there. Is ur Achilles better??

It's dead.

My Achilles would, in contrast to all my other fish, eat Ocean Nutrition #2 pellets. It selects them from all other food I blend. Quite funny to see it beeing soo picky, but it's taking interest to the #1 also now. It's gaining weight, and after almost 2 weeks, it's has settled down quite nicly and seems to be in good shape.

 

[cl2ysta1]

just an update... we are going on year three with our large 6-8" achilles. He still only eats nori... never has touced flake, pellets, frozen... we love him

 

[Pran]

just an update... we are going on year three with our large 6-8" achilles. He still only eats nori... never has touced flake, pellets, frozen... we love him

really that scares me

b/c mines into 2 weeeks now and it only eats nori...and putting nori is a big mission for me bc my achilies will ONLY eat nori if I put it on a live rock and rubberband it

doing that is soo hard, b/c when I remove the rubberband to change the nori, the water splashes on my face, and I need to take a shower every time lol

 

[curthendrix]

If any of you have a refugium I would suggest you start growing red gracerila and feeding it to your difficult tangs upon introduction and thereafter. I have never had a tang who wouldn't vigorously eat this stuff. Given the choice between RG and nori they almost always will choice the RG. I credit it for saving several of the tangs I have kept over the years such as Powder Blues and Achilles.

 

[cl2ysta1]

we bought the fish large. It had probably lived in the wild 4-5 years of its life.. when we first got it.. the only thing he would eat was nori "slurry" little bits of nori flowing through the water column.. so we would put nori on a clip.. and slurry the water several times a day.. eventually he started eating off the clip.. over the years i've seen him "taste" prepared foods and promptly spit them out. he has nori available all day and is a very chubby healthy fish

 

[Akrite]

There is nothing wrong with only eating nori, algae is their primary food source in the with. If your fish is healthy and his stomach isn't sunken in try placing nori on a clip next to the rock he eat off and split what you would normally feed him between the two. he will eat off the rock first then start to nip the clip. the next day only put food on the clip he will start to eat off that it might take a couple days but he'll be fine if he's not too skinny.

 

[ianiwane]

I've had my Achilles for about 2 years now. The Achilles has never had ich and only ate nori for several months after I got him. I put the tank on an auto feeder and got him to eat pellets, however he still does not touch mysis. When I got him he was in a 48x30x20" tank with 3 vortechs for flow. Now he is in a 72x30x24" tank with 6 vortechs. He got along with a purple tang fine and now does fine with a black tang (purple was taken out).

 

[Pran]

for all of you that having Vortech MP40...what mode do you leave it on for the achilies


I have 2 Vortech MP40W ES

thanks

 

[Pran]

hey achilie guys


anyone have any updates with their achilies?

 

[pinnatus]

Mine is doing well and growing quickly.

 

[Vannpytt]

Mine is also growing fatter. It was, as mentioned, a bit too skinny when bought, but at the moment it's eating alot of filling out.

I'm a bit concerned about the small white spots on it. It's swimming very activly, eating and seeming normal, while a bit irritated by the cleaner fish and shrimps, but all in all in good shape.

Should I worry? The spots are comming and going and I've been "fixing" too much in my tank latly.

 

[Pran]

nice pinnatus...how long do u have it for? any signs of ich?

hey vannpytt...i had mine for 1 month now, it does get small ich here and there...but its eating sea weed so I am just feeding it and hope nothing goes wrong


I was feeding my selcone and garlic soaked food for 2 weeks, and my ph dropped and I lost almost all my SPS


how often do you guys put garlic and selcone?

thx

Pran

 

[pinnatus]

nice pinnatus...how long do u have it for? any signs of ich?

I got mine on May 1. It always seems to have a spot or two of ich on it. But it eats like a pig, and is growing very fast. It is also becoming more aggressive. Will likely be the dominant fish in the tank before long. I feed primarily New Spectrum pellets, and also sheets of Nori. It took it a while to begin eating pellets, but now it loves them.

I added an Indian Trigger to the tank a few months back, and you should have seen the Achilles. It swam in little circles at light speed around and around the trigger. The trigger didn't know what to do, so it eventually took to the caves until the Achilles calmed down. That Achilles is the fastest swimmer I have ever seen.

And a personal observation from when I went snorkling in Hawaii - the Achilles I saw there were living right where the waves crashed down onto the coral. The Achilles had to bob and weave and swim very fast if they didn't want to get smashed onto the reef. Which in my mind explains why they are such fast and powerful and somewhat skittery swimmers.

 

[Tracey2]

Mine is doing great. Can you all share how you add new fish with your achillies and how he reacts to smaller fish being introduced, any advice??

 

[pinnatus]

My advice would be to put it in a acclimation chamber - a clear box where the new fish can see out and the other fish can see in. That way the other fish get used to the newcomer, and when you let it out they won't feel threatened and all should be fine.

 

[Tracey2]

Thanks Pinnatus, do you own the fish in your avatar?

This is my baby

I have read about the box, and went out a bought a petco container but have never used it, how long should the new guy stay in the container?

 

[Pran]

Thanks pinnatus


which NLS do you use?

b/c I use the one with Yellow, purple tang and flame angel on it and it never eats that

I am getting the anti thera A 1 2moro, gonna try that

but which one does urs eat?

mine does not eat flakes or frozen food either

thanks

Pran

 

[Pran]

Thanks Pinnatus, do you own the fish in your avatar?

This is my baby

I have read about the box, and went out a bought a petco container but have never used it, how long should the new guy stay in the container?

nice achilie

hey you live T.O ehh...from what store u get urs, and how long u have it for?


Pran

 

[pinnatus]

Thanks Pinnatus, do you own the fish in your avatar?

This is my baby

I have read about the box, and went out a bought a petco container but have never used it, how long should the new guy stay in the container?

Yes, my avatar is my Moorish Idol. I have had it for 21 months so far. It is by far my favorite fish, and has been a pleasure to have.

I would keep the new guy in the container a couple of days, basically until the existing fish no longer pay any attention to it.

Your Achilles looks very nice!

 

[pinnatus]

Thanks pinnatus


which NLS do you use?

b/c I use the one with Yellow, purple tang and flame angel on it and it never eats that

I am getting the anti thera A 1 2moro, gonna try that

but which one does urs eat?

mine does not eat flakes or frozen food either

thanks

Pran

Mine is eating New Life Spectrum Marine Fish Formula 1mm Sinking Pellet Fish Food.

But at first he was only eating Rod's food, and picking at the rocks all day long. After getting it to eat Rod's food, I just stopped feeding anything but pellets and after several days I noticed it starting to eat them. Now it eats anything and everything including Nori sheets.