Extremely picky desjardini sailfin

L

Lucky Lefty

New member
I've had a desjardini sailfin for almost a week now. Watched him eat before I brought him home, was very active and eating like a champ.
Since bringing him home, I've tried New Era marine pellets, ocean nutrition formula two small pellets, spectrum float marine pellets, omega one super veggie seaweed, and finally a few pieces of lettuce.
He does graze the rock work, but not as often as I would have expected. Each of these foods, he tries it and spits out, or doesn't bother at all, aside from the lettuce. He was tearing the lettuce apart, which confuses me because lettuce doesn't grow in the ocean.
At first, he ate tiny little flakes of the omega one seaweed, but now he wants nothing to do with it. This morning I put a piece of lettuce and piece of seaweed in the clip, he was going around the seaweed to get to the lettuce. That lasted for a little bit, and haven't seen him touch that for some time now this morning.
At first it seemed like he loved the formula two pellets, but when I just dropped them in, he grabbed one or two and just spit them right out and didn't bother again.
I think at the store they gave him formula one pellets. They didn't sell the f1 pellets, and sold me the new wear instead. I suppose I should go buy some f1.
I know this guy is hungry! He's trying to eat dried water drops on the outside of the glass. I don't want him to starve.
 
Have you tried mysis? From what I read in your post it seems that your offering a lot of pellets of different kinds and nori but no type of frozen
 
I knew I forgot to mention something! I have Hikari frozen mysis cubes. I've put them in their 3 different times, once or twice soaking them in seachem garlic guard, and it's like the desjardini doesn't even see them. The float right past his face. I'll try again now though.
 
I've tried soaking all of it in Seachem Garlic Guard, the first time I did it with formula 2 he seemed to like it and was eating the small pellets, also the first time I used the formula 2, but a coup minutes in he started spitting them out and now doesn't want them with garlic or not
 
I just put some mysis shrimp in the tank and he beca me very active, like he was chasing the mysis, but I watched him grabbed a couple small pieces and just spit them out. He seems to be trying to eat their reflections on the glass though.
I dont get it.
I may have some brine shrimp cubes in the freezer somewhere, I suppose I'll try those next, and make my way to the lfs and buy some formula 1 pellets and try those too
 
He's definitely hungry.. he's attacking the lettuce like crazy and not going for the seaweed though.

Headed to the lfs to buy formula 1 pellets and I may buy some of the red seaweed too
 
Sailfin's can be a pain sometimes. I have one in QT that all of a sudden has decided he doesn't like any of the foods I'm giving him.
 
I just got a ball of caulerpa fern macro algae, a handful of formula 1 medium pellets and I bought a bag of Julian sprungs veggie red seaweed.
put the macro and red seaweed on a couple clips and dropped in a few of the pellets. He seemed to like the pellets but they were too big it seemed, kept picking them up and dropping them.
Lights out now, so we'll see tomorrow if he eats amy of the macro
 
I'll try squid next, thanks for the tip.
just got home from work and his belly looks slightly more plump.. but just slightly.
It appears he's been eating the little leaves off of the fern macro, and I saw him nibble at the red seaweed a tiny bit. I also just took some of the formula 1 medium pellets, crushed them in half, then soaked them in garlic guard, and he was gobbling them up, so I may go buy a jar of F1 small pellets.. im gonna give another try without garlic before I buy it just yo make sure he really likes them.
I'm watching him now, and his stomach is definitely still very skinny, and his gills are pumping pretty quick. I wouldnt say it's super quick breathing, but definitely faster than my puffer is breathing, is this normal for a sailfin?
 
To answer my own question, I just watched quite a few videos of sailfins, and they all seem to be breathing at the same rate, which is somewhat quick
 
Honestly I think zebrasoma are all beginner level fish. I've never had any trouble with hardiness and eating with any of them. I currently have five (two desjardi sailfin, two yellow, and a purple). I feel like one could urinate in the water and they would survive.

I do find that they learn to eat faster with other tangs, perhaps that's why I don't have issues I have many other fish they can watch eat.

I'm sure he'll be fine!
 
Thanks a lot FordFam... thats one thing I did think, he's kind of all alone now, no other fish to follow or mimic. it seems like he's just taste testing everything, and after a minute just doesn't want it anymore.
just before, I saw him grab a tiny piece of the red seaweed... and then just spit it out.. what the heck??
I'm just going to leave the 2 clips in there loaded up with red and green seaweed and the fern macro, and just so in pellets here and there.
one thing is for sure, I'm over feeding my tank like crazy.

The tang is more interested in the dried water drops on the other side of the glass, he won't stop trying to eat them.. if only I knew what he thought they were, I'd hook em up
 
Just to update... today is one week since bringing him home.
this morning I knocked loose a piece of the omega one seaweed that had broken off the clip and stuck to the powerhead. It sent seaweed flakes everywhere and the desjardini was picking them off.
So i put in a fresh piece on a clip and he was devouring it!! I also noticed he's been cleaning off pods all over the the front piece of glass.
very happy I must say
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
help with new dracula goby
Replies
5
Views
398
leebca
L
OrionN
Naso elegans, the Blonde Naso
Replies
1
Views
223
OrionN
OrionN
C
Tang aggression
Replies
3
Views
1K
OrionN
OrionN
griss
Picked up a 6-Line Wrasse Today
Replies
6
Views
954
albano
albano
S
Nightmare worm ID
Replies
14
Views
2K
Uncle99
Uncle99
Back
Top