Achilles Tang Primer

[vamaro]

Mine never ate. I will have to wait for another one that eats.............

 

[SMOOTHIE]

Kudos on being patient.

 

[reefslugs]

I've had mine now for about three months. This is my second time trying to keep one. I've got to locale salt water stores that I go to. But a friend of mine called me and said he was at this little pet store out in the sticks. He said they mostly sell dogs and cats. But they have one small salt water tank in the back that has an achilles. I drove over there three days later. I found the tank in the back of the store. I could barely see in it from all the algea on the glass. Looking through the dirty tank glass hard I saw a 7'' achilles tang. The young laddie working there said he's been in here about two months. She said they just put in nori sheets everyday and they see him eating on it. I ask the young laddie how much to buy him. She said $90.00. I asked are you sure about that price? That fish at that size should be way more.

Well I bought him for $90.00. He's been in my tank for about two months now. He went through a rough battle with ich, to where I didn't think he would make it. Now he's clean and looks great. The problem I'm having now, is he is getting skinny. I've thrown in every type of food, but he only eats nori. He's not an aggressive eater. So when I put nori in the tank, he waits in line with the other fish before he takes a bite.

My tank is a 200 gallon mixed reef. The temp stay's close to 78. Besides my main pump, I run two Maxijet mods. My achilles loves to swim in the maxijet mod flow.

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[Gary Majchrzak]

any Achilles that's starting to get skinny doesn't have long to live- you need to get this fish fatter ASAP.

Try this: break up a small amount of nori and let the small pieces float around the aquarium to allow all fishes to eat it at the same time. Do this for three days. On the fourth day mix in some other type of food. (I'd recommend New Life/Spectrum small pellets.)
Once an Achilles starts getting skinny you have to make some type of corrective actions.

 

[sunfish11]

I have had mine for 14 months now and he still wont touch any type of flakes or pellets. He loves nori (all types) and frozen meaty foods, especially mysis shrimp. I recommend putting nori in every day. Putt two servings in on opposite sides of the tank at the same time so that all the fish can get their share. I have to do that because the Achilles I have likes to guard the nori and not let the other fish get thier share. Also mixing small pieces of nori with frozen might help him try some as well like the other poster said. If he is skinny and only eats nori you might have to try nori more than once a day as well.

Lisa

 

[SMOOTHIE]

Soak the nori in selcon and askyour lfs for any other fish oils they may have to add to it. Also try a fresh clam from your local market. Cut it in pieces and attach that to the clip.

 

[reefslugs]

Thanks for all the advice. My achillies will not eat anything but nori. I've put in every type of flake food, made buy different companies. I've tried all the different frozen foods. I did try putting nori on a clip and at the same time add some spirilenium flake. He spits the flake out.

Now this is weird. It does not matter what kind of nori / algea sheets I put in the clip. I can put in nori from the grocery store, or I can put in any kind of Ocean Nutrition algae food. Whether it be green, red or the purple algae. The thing is when it's on the clip, he bights off a large pease and he is not able to take it in. Also my other fish eat it so fast. The next day, the pease of food that is left in the clip that the fish can't get a hold of, the achillies eats it like a shark. Now I'm thinking I need to soak the nori for several hours so it softens up. It's all most like he's an old man with his dentures out.

 

[Creetin]

With my old one i got him to eat fresh algae first, and then got him to eat mysis. I used seachems entice. You can use garlic, But after smelling up the house feeding fish i started using entice.
Got a new one today. Nice and fat eating mysis, and grazing on the rocks. He is alot more confident once i got him home. He cowered in the lfs tank. Now he swims all over and comes right up to me to check me out.
He is with my peacefull orange shoulder and scrappy purple tang.

 

[vamaro]

Creetin - Really nice fish! He looks great!

I saw a really nice one over this weekend but I was afraid to buy him because he was hiding in the rocks every time I got close to the tank. Was yours also hiding like that? How long did it take for him to feel better in your tank?

 

[Creetin]

Yes mine was like that. I asked the fish store guy to drop in the food then leave. I watched him from 10-15 feet away. The fish ate the mysis pretty good.
I understand with these hyper active fish that crowning them in a 30 gallon with a puffer and a hogfish with some small angels and a mean coris wrasse that the fish would feel uneasy.
My tank has the peacefull orange shoulder and my purple tang. I knew he would feel better in my tank, But it was way better than i expected.
He was swimming all over instantly checkin things out.

 

[reefslugs]

Up date on my Achilles. He is improving more and more each week. I can say he beet the ich attack and I think he has either become immune to it or my tank and the food I feed him, has helped him make it through it. Still he only eats nori only. I've been soaking it in Seclion, as someone on here suggested. He has been getting more aggressive at eating now. I've been target feeding him, since he'll eat out of my hand. Trying to make sure he gets enough food over the more aggressive eating fish.

He's a few pic's. You can see he is doing good but is skinny.


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[SMOOTHIE]

Keep up the extra feedings and water changes. That ich still on him will keep stressing him out. Don't know your schedule, but I would try 3 a day on the feedings.

 

[Creetin]

The Achilles looks like a cool fish there. He does not have much fat reserve at all, Have you tried fresh algae?
Ora has the best around. Their red gracilaria is crack for tangs.
Any lfs that sells ora can get it for you. I just ordered some more.
My tangs go ape over it. More than the tang heaven.
Too bad your fish wont eat mysis. He needs some fat intake.

Good luck!!

 

[Creetin]

My achilles is doing good. Eating mysis freshwater and marine. Eating frozed foods like emerald selects, and eating nori.
I had bought some fresh algea for him to eat but he isnt wanting that he wants the prepaired stuff which is good i guess. Easier to supply.
Belly is getting nice and full. Here is a short vid of my 300 with him in it. He has found his pecking order and no troubbles with other tangs.

 

[seth&angelle]

Has anyone ever had any success with keeping a powder blue and an achilles in the same tank?

 

[Creetin]

You could depending on the fish's temperment, But they are in the same family, The same body shape, and pretty much have the same temperment.
I wouldnt try it even in a 300 gallon. I know some people have both, But thats a shot in the dark getting them both to accept each other. IMO
I have seen these fish go from thriving to sickly and dieing in a matter of a couple weeks.
They dont handle stress very well. IMO

 

[Mike de Leon]

Just saw a couple of really fat Achilles at an LFS. Only issue is it had some ich on them. Would you recommend still buying one with ich already on it? It can go straight into QT. I am concerned that it could get so stressed and die quickly.

 

[SMOOTHIE]

Depends on price and your time to dedicate to the health of the fish. We are talking more than a month at least of water quality, flow and lots of food by itself.

 

[Mike de Leon]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14460693#post14460693 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SMOOTHIE
Depends on price and your time to dedicate to the health of the fish. We are talking more than a month at least of water quality, flow and lots of food by itself.

I had one put on hold for me. The guy at the lfs is doing the QT. It seems all the ich is gone. I will wait a couple of days before taking him.
The fish is about six inches. Seems very healthy. The body is in perfect shape. Hopefully, the fact that he is larger makes him a stronger specimen. He should do well in my SPS tank. At least, until I get my new tank upgrade running..

 

[SMOOTHIE]

If the lfs going to qt the fish for you, and you have paid or put a deposit down, let him keep it for a few weeks. Especially if you do not have a qt setup at the house.