how to get them on nori?

[crobattt]

i picked up a kole tang for my tank yesterday and he will not try nori,
he is eating formula two flakes, NLS pellets, but i really want him to get to where he is eating nori, because it really is the main diet of tang. any tips on how to get them to eat it? all my other fish picked up on it when nori was put in, but he will just swim by and not try it.

 

[29reef]

Where did you read that the main diet of a kole tang is nori?

It should be fine forever on a diet of NLS, F2 flake, and mysis/brine. BUT you can just keep trying every now and again with the nori and likely it will accept it, but don't worry too much.

 

[crobattt]

are all tangs like that? i thought nori wwas a type of aalgae/seaweed which hey eat in thhe wild grazing?

 

[aleonn]

Do you have the Nori on a veggie clip or rubber-banded on a rock? When I got my tangs, they were initially scared of the veggie clip, and the rubber-band on a rock seemed more natural to them. Also, you could try soaking the Nori in garlic to stimulate the tang's appetite. But, if anything, the tang will eventually learn that the Nori is yummy.

 

[jbonez]

i soak the nori in seachem garlic and selcon everyday but let it soak for aleat and hour my tangs and blue demsel love it

 

[lilalove]

Kole tangs are more detritus feeders than algae eaters. Mine loved to eat poop when I had it. The nori on a rock instead of the algae clip has worked for me in the past with other tangs, though. My kole never ate nori for as long as I had it. As long as it's eating other stuff, I wouldn't be concerned.

 

[crobattt]

i might get some of the seachem next time at the LFS, he is a lot of pellets and flakes, so i think he will be fine for now, he was also fat when i got him so he was healthy

 

[orangegoby]

my tangs don't react to the nori for a long time until one day....
a newly added tang start eating it and the rest is history.

 

[revstu]

It took my kole tang about a week before he started eating nori, now he loves it.

 

[jr973]

my kole eats anything he dont discrimate food lol

 

[rssjsb]

Kole tangs are more detritus feeders than algae eaters. Mine loved to eat poop when I had it.

Actually, I'm not sure that's true. They're omnivorous, but the algae they like best seems to be film algae - it's what they're mouths are adapted to. Mine wouldn't take nori at first either. Actually, when I got him he wouldn't eat anything at all except film algae. He figured out the clip when in QT (another reason to always QT new fish).

 

[jhawkor]

Do you have the Nori on a veggie clip or rubber-banded on a rock? When I got my tangs, they were initially scared of the veggie clip, and the rubber-band on a rock seemed more natural to them. Also, you could try soaking the Nori in garlic to stimulate the tang's appetite. But, if anything, the tang will eventually learn that the Nori is yummy.

Funny, my Yelow Tang was the exact opposite. He was fine with it on a veggie clip, but he avoided it like the plague if it was rubber-banded to a rock.

 

[JamesH831]

Another thing to consider is the tang's age. I've been told that young tangs tend to eat more meaty foods and end up more vegetarian as they get older ( generally speaking). That being said, I have a 4" +/- Kole tang who prefers mysis over algae sheets. It will nibble on the algae throughout the day but would rather eat meaty foods so far. I've also noticed different reactions to different brands of algae (ocean nutrition vs. H2O life).