How to fatten up a yellow tang

[Deacon]

We have a new yellow tang just put into our display tank that is active, has good color and finnage and eats like a champion. (Hits mysis like a blue marlin in a school of tuna).

Anyway, its a bit on the skinny side and I'd like to fatten it up. what's the best way to do that? Is it by feeding more frequently or certain kinds of food, or what?

 

[stunreefer]

Feed small amounts more frequently with high quality mysis like P.E. You should also offer Nori occasionally.

If he doesn't put on weight at all he might have an internal parasite.

 

[fender4string]

I'm a big fan of New Life Spectrum pellets. That made up 90% of my fishes' diets before I had to tear down my tank. They were all very fat and disease free.

Granted a lot of people who are far more experienced that I promote a varied diet but I had great success feeding mostly NLS and supplementing with nori and mysis maybe once a week.

2 of my fish were 4 years old when my tank was torn down. The other 2 were almost 3 years old.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

I agree with the others - add a feeding per day and feed plenty of nori and NLS pellets along with good meaty foods.

 

[Deacon]

Thanks for the replies. I'll give your advice a try. Its a great fish and there's nothing better than a fat and healthy yellow tang cruising a tank.

 

[dzfish17]

I agree with the others - add a feeding per day and feed plenty of nori and NLS pellets along with good meaty foods.

+1

Thanks for the replies. I'll give your advice a try. Its a great fish and there's nothing better than a fat and healthy yellow tang cruising a tank.

I agree. Some people think that YT are boring but they are still one of my favorite fish (I have 3). I had a PBT that was on the skinny side and the above advice got him back to normal pretty quick (1 month).

 

[BigPurp]

If you can get a tang to eat meaty foods at least 1x a day, you're in good shape. I put out a sheet of nori at least 2-3 times a week, as well as stick a big ball of chaeto from my fuge in the display for them to munch on.

Best of luck! Hope you get him fat!
-Joseph

 

[indyjaco]

Knowing my YT, it will not take him long to fatten him up. They will eat about anything that they can fit in their mouths.

I feel NLS pellets, mysis, flake and nori and he eats it all and all the time.

 

[SDguy]

I really like pellets for fattening up fish, especially tangs. Weight to weight, you are getting MUCH more food into the fish via pellets than with mysis.