Naso Tang Feeding

[rldcpa]

I got a Naso Tank a few weeks ago and my tank was loaded with Brown Algae (I have a small cleanup crew). The tang started eating the pellet food like the other fish but then went to almost algae only. Now my tank rock is literally picked clean and the tang is hungry and keeps looking for new algae in the tank but can't find any. I put some Chaeto algae on a magnet and he ate some of it but still looks for algae.

Today I noticed his stomach, which is normally fat with algae, was getting thinner, so I ran out to the Petsmart and picked up a Omega clip and some of their Algae wafers. So far the Tang has passed it by.

I still can't believe he was able to pick clean the entire 245 gallon tank in a few weeks. It is true that my lights are only on at about 30-40% as I am aclimating my corals, so the alge new growth has now slowed a bit.

I will take any suggestions as the Tank has been extremely healthy and fun to watch and don't want it to get weak from not finding food.

 

[EllieSuz]

Try seaweed (Nori), raw broccoli, spinach leaves. You can put the Nori on a clip, but since he's used to picking at rock, you could also try attaching it to a little piece of rock rubble with a rubber band and tuck it in the rock someplace for him to find it.

 

[o2manyfish]

Romaine lettuce also works.

Dave B

 

[mil hse]

+1 on the Nori. I use Julian sprungs sea veggies on a clip or rubber banded to a rock and all 6 of my tangs (especially my 6" blond naso female) devour 3 sheets in a day or 2. I use mainly green and purple with a little red. They love it.

 

[jjk_reef00]

I would try feeding new life spectrom pellets daily. IMO that is the quickest way to fatten up a thin fish. The one I have right now eats also eats mysis, shrimp, scallop, etc.
Don't wory if yours will not eat meat, I had one about 4 years ago that ate nothing but Nori and pellets. Also multiple feeding a day are good for this fish so don't be afraid to feed 3 times a day if you find something he will eat.

 

[Mrscribbled]

H2O life brown seaweed. Marine depo t sells it. Naso's love it.

 

[rldcpa]

Update - The tang got real skinny and looked like it was not going to make it. The color was still ok but you could tell it was getting weak and not hunting for food much.

I turned up my LED lights a bit more to get more algae growth and tried Chaeto algae and some brown algae strips and ate very little of it.

Finally last night and especially today, the naso tang started grazing on the new algae and has been doing it all day long. The tang is now much better and looking more normal and the body is getting more full again.

It looks like the tang is going to make it.

By the way my son calls it baluga like a whale due to its shape and also nick named Angelina due to the Naso Tangs lips...

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

many Naso species

many Naso species

sound like you have the "lipstick" Naso literatus

don't be afraid to feed it krill. Fatten it up!

 

[mil hse]

That's great news! You will enjoy your naso very much! I got mine to eat from my hand the other day!