My tang only eats vegetation

[ALH]

I bought an Acanthurus japonicus from DD. I've had it for a couple of weeks. It seems really healthy, but doesn't seem to eat anything but what it grazes off the rock and nori, which I feed twice daily (sometimes soaked in selcon). It has shown no interest in mysis or frozen brine shrimp. How unusual is this?

 

[Eric the half-bee]

Maybe a matter of time? My tangs eat pellets, flakes, live & frozen.

 

[lman]

It took my sohal 3 months to eat anything but nori. Not he eats everything. I would keep feeding nori as long as it is healthy.

 

[fender4string]

My convict tang wouldn't eat when I fist got him either. I put nori in the tank everyday and he eventually took to that (it's a natural transition from rocks to that I suppose). After maybe a month of just nori he finally experimented with a pellet and now loves NLS. Just keep trying and be patient. I'm sure he'll figure it out.

Since your fish eats off the rocks maybe rubber band some nori to small pieces of rocks and distribute them throughout the tank. Maybe he'll eat it accidentally and learn that it's a food source.

 

[MrTuskfish]

If you have a lot of very mature LR; he's probably getting lots of tiny inverts along with the algae as he grazes. I've never seen a tang that wouldn't mysis (or similar frozen meaty stuff) sooner or later.

 

[Dante_JoseCuerv]

If it's grazing then I wouldn't worry too much. I'm guessing that it'll start eating food soonish. My kole tang was the same way for about a week but now he's gobbling up PE mysis

 

[vwtanker]

There main diet in the wild is algae. All of the tangs are mostly herbivores foods with an algae base are going to be best for them anyway.

 

[ALH]

Thanks for the replies. My rock is very mature. It didn't occur to me that it might also be getting small creatures by grazing in addition to vegetation

 

[SlowCobra]

Soak the food in selcon and garlic. Also unless the frozen brine is gut loaded it is a poor source of nutrition for fish. See if your local fish store carries Rods Food. There are several different types depending on your tank. Original offers the widest range of feeding and it is chock full of good stuff.

 

[Akrite]

Acanthurus japonicus do not naturally eat mysis and brime in the wild so i will take time for them to adapt to meaty products. You should focus more on Nori, pellets and some high end flakes. Tangs that eat alot of meaty products develop holes in the head.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Tangs that eat alot of meaty products develop holes in the head.

Would you have a source for this? I don't doubt it ; but have never heard anything definitive. Over the years; I've heard that just about anything causes hole-in-the -head.

 

[Akrite]

I don't have an article stating this if that's what your asking but I have seen it first hand. Tangs are Herbivores not Omnivorous or Carnivores meaning they only eat marine based seaweed and algae in the wild. They can be taught to eat meaty products in captivity but for them to stay healthy and have great color they need plenty of marine based seaweed and algae. Cows can eat meat but it doesn't mean its good for them.

 

[MrTuskfish]

I don't have an article stating this if that's what your asking but I have seen it first hand. Tangs are Herbivores not Omnivorous or Carnivores meaning they only eat marine based seaweed and algae in the wild. They can be taught to eat meaty products in captivity but for them to stay healthy and have great color they need plenty of marine based seaweed and algae. Cows can eat meat but it doesn't mean its good for them.

All herbivores on the reef get plenty of tiny animals along with the algae they graze on; algae is covered with tiny crustaceans, etc. I agree of course, feed them all the greens you can; but assuming there are other fish in the tank, they will be eating other stuff too.

 

[Akrite]

My point is that ALH should not worry about the tang eating mysis or frozen brine shrimp. As long as its eating plenty of vegetation then let it learn to eat mysis or frozen brine shrimp on its own if it chooses.

 

[MrTuskfish]

My point is that ALH should not worry about the tang eating mysis or frozen brine shrimp. As long as its eating plenty of vegetation then let it learn to eat mysis or frozen brine shrimp on its own if it chooses.

I agree completely!