Feeding Tangs/Surgeons

[ReefArtist]

I have a question about feeding my Acanthurus pyroferus
(½ Black Mimic Tang). I want to make sure he gets a good variety of veggies and was wondering what other reefers feed their tangs/Surgeons. He eats everything but I try to make sure most of his diet consists of veggies - seaweed, Formula 2 (Frozen and flake), broccoli. I'm not sure what else is safe to give him - any ideas?

 

[TAMike97]

I feed my Tangs a good variety of everything. Frozen mysis, F1 and F2 frozen/broken into small pieces, brine, and most important Nori sheets from the asian grocery store.

 

[ReefArtist]

I've been looking for the Nori sheets around the Largo area - haven't found them yet. I just love this guy he is the boss, but he's very funny how he trys to play with my Wrasse's. Kind of like Gomer Pyle playing with Andre Caldwell, not even close - LOL.

 

[jjz_13]

If you have a Publix near you (of course you do!) that has a Sushi section, they sell Nori back there... Labelled on the front as "Sushi Seaweed"

 

[ReefArtist]

That is cool - I'll have to get him some today. he LOVES the dry seaweed that I give him now but I would rather him eat fresher veggies. Thanks for the info I would have never caught that one.

 

[TAMike97]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8952505#post8952505 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefArtist
I've been looking for the Nori sheets around the Largo area - haven't found them yet. I just love this guy he is the boss, but he's very funny how he trys to play with my Wrasse's. Kind of like Gomer Pyle playing with Andre Caldwell, not even close - LOL.

Hit up any asian store or Publix has smaller packs for nori.


Andre Caldwell... I went to school with his brother. Too bad Patriots are going to lose to the Chargers!!!!!

 

[ReefArtist]

We can only hope - LOL

 

[mattliu]

wow that is a beautiful specimen. may i ask were you fortune came to fruition ? i know u want to spoil him, just remember to only feed him organic food. publix is getting better, but i think u'll find a better selection for your baby at chuck's natural food. but honestly the best thing you can do is farm your own like bern of bern's steakhouse. i basically won the lotto with a zebrasoma rostratum and decided to install a macroalgae garden. before he came along i didn't own any tangs and i had gotten into bali sps's. man i never knew there were some many different kinds of algae, until i saw what sprouted off those bubbly bases. i just picked pieces off and threw them in his garden.

 

[NICERICAN4YOU25]

I HAVE ABOUT 6 TANGS IN MY TANK PUT SOME FRESH ROMANINAN LETTUCE THEY EAT THE WHOLE THINK THEY EVEN TRY TO EAT THE STEAM PART BUNCH OF PIGS, LOL

 

[ReefArtist]

Now I'm getting hungry all this talk about veggies - LOL. Mattliu I might have to try growing my own. I purchased him for John at Fish and Other Ichthy Things is Oldsmar. He has been a wonderful addition to my tank. Sounds like a macroalgae garden might be in my future

 

[jjz_13]

Hey Mattliu, can you give us some more information on how you started a macroalgae garden? I assume you mean in the display tank, correct?

 

[markandkristen]

Re: Feeding Tangs/Surgeons

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8951783#post8951783 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefArtist
I have a question about feeding my Acanthurus pyroferus
(½ Black Mimic Tang). I want to make sure he gets a good variety of veggies and was wondering what other reefers feed their tangs/Surgeons. He eats everything but I try to make sure most of his diet consists of veggies - seaweed, Formula 2 (Frozen and flake), broccoli. I'm not sure what else is safe to give him - any ideas?

i used to use broccoli as well. i heard that thier was phosphates in it. is that true? if no phosphates then i think i may go back to it

 

[mattliu]

well, see i didn't have any tangs in my display and i got into bali maricultured sps's. these things are notorious for growing all sorts of differrent algae. i also had a piece of ricordia that grew some Gracilaria tikvahiae. the tangs seem to love this stuff. without the presence of tangs this stuff had the opportunity to grow out, whereas it usually get chomped down before u can even see it. i've noticed even the calceous macroalgae (i.e. Halimeda sp.) even start to grow in the absence of tangs. now most of the algae is just in my refugium, b/c they love to eat it all up.

 

[ReefArtist]

I see what you're saying, ya mine also he is always picking at things (algae etc) on the rock works.

markandkristen
That's interesting about the phosphates, I'd not hear that so thanks for bringing it to all of our attentions. Maybe someone can enlighten us on the broccoli, but until it can be proved I'm going to stop giving it to him.

It's funny how he goes crazy over the green seaweed but will only pick at the red, do any of you find this?

 

[jjz_13]

Ah okay - that makes sense. I was wondering how you kept an algae garden in a tank with tangs... I grow a couple kinds in my refugium and give it to my Foxface sometimes.

 

[BillyFSU]

Fenner (the guy who wrote Conscientious Marine Aquarist) said he didn't believe in using the land-grown veggies because many of them have large amounts of oxalic acid (I know broccoli is loaded with it) and have no real nutritional value. I've also heard these types of veggies also have large amounts of phosphates from fertilizers.

I use the nori from the sushi section from Publix. Its like 1.99 lasts at least a month and all my fish eat it up (even my wrasses).

 

[markandkristen]

i do the nori and formula 2 alot wit lifeline cubes.
the P.E. mYsis is good. it just makes my euro-reef go nuts.
i actually have all of oceans blend flakes. and try to alternate as best as i can

 

[robthorn]

exactly billy. pesticides and fertilizers are found in alot of leand grown vegetables. of course any kind of food will how a certain amount of phosphates either straight from it or after the fish poops it. meats are the same. tangs eat alot of meat in an aquarium you just can't stop them. almost every healthy tank I have ever seen with tangs has algea growth of some sort. the tangs will graze all day long and get most of the nutrition they need from plant life that way. there is algea in every ocean and there should be some in your tank also. keep a good balance of grazers. find the tang that eats the right kind of algeas you have in your tank and you can keep it under control. guess that reminds me if nobody buys my tank pretty quick I need a naso. or two

 

[ReefArtist]

Now you're talking robthorn - ya I think you need at least two naso's . How's your tank doing by the way? Did everything get settled down?

 

[robthorn]

marginal as ever. since I need tangs it means I have unsightly algea. never use instant ocean. not sure why I am stupid enough to try it again. i am forrest gump = not a very smart man