Problems getting your fish fat?

[Freed]

I've been struggling for the past month and a half or so to get my hippo tang back up to weight. Every day his stomach is shrunk in the morning, I feed, he fills up, next morning the same thing. I've been feeding mysis and finely chopped shrimp. Started supplementing yesterday with pellets and fed several times throughout the day. Is par for the course today with a slightly sunken stomach. Anything else I can do? I've had him for several years. No additions to the tank for a couple of years, etc.

 

[kfisc]

Parasite?

 

[Freed]

Could be I suppose. Would one show up after over two years of not adding anything to the tank? And after strict QT?

 

[Gawain1974]

I have a blue and gold scribbed rabbitfish that I struggle to keep fat. I found that clipping a sheet of nori seaweed into the tank for constant grazing helps a lot. You want to make sure he is getting lots of vegetable matter. I also use spirulina flakes as well.

 

[Freed]

Yeah, my gold spot rabbit is 10" or so now and he will eat EVERYTHING and still not put weight on. Bulimia?

 

[Gawain1974]

Well, you gotta remember too that tangs only digest something like 35% of what they take in, so that's why are constant grazers--it takes a lot of food to maintain their weight, and even more to increase it. It also explains why my other fish love dining on tang poo. LOL

If I were you, I'd increase your feedings and adjust your water change schedule accordingly.

 

[Freed]

They'll both eat each other's as well :lol:

 

[MandM]

Try the garlic elixir by Eco Systems. This is one supplement that I saw a real improvement with. It's pricey and it stinks something fierce. DONT spill it on the carpet. Just follow directions and the fish should start eating. I soak some PE mysis in it now and then but I used it with every feeding when my tangs were showing signs of head erosion. They look perfect now and very fat.
Is the tang losing in competition with others in the tank? I'd consider moving him if so, if only to fatten him up.
Plenty of nori on a clip is good as well. I get it at Whole Foods, untoasted. Fresh ogo from an asian market would be even better.
Good luck.

 

[Freed]

They both eat as much as they can and I put in plenty until they stop eating. Maybe I need to feed alot more then.

 

[Gawain1974]

Don't forget the Selcon either!

 

[Toddrtrex]

If I didn't know better, would think that I was in the lounge.

Feed more "greens" be it a herbivore frozen food, or have a clip of Nori in the tank for it to graze on. Most of the food you are feeding it more for carnivores, need more herbivore food.

 

[Freed]

Good info thanks.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I think I feed my Hippo every couple of weeks
He's only maybe 5" long but fat & happy
I'd guess a parasite too

 

[Green Mariner]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15378252#post15378252 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
If I didn't know better, would think that I was in the lounge.

Feed more "greens" be it a herbivore frozen food, or have a clip of Nori in the tank for it to graze on. Most of the food you are feeding it more for carnivores, need more herbivore food.

To add to this try and make it live, like gracilaria, ulva, or anything else live it might enjoy. I clip a nice size piece of red gracilaria to the glass every day and my tangs graze all day in between feedings.

 

[Freed]

Yeah, my rabbit will eat every bit of Nori I put in before the tang can get to it :lol: The tang likes the pellets much more than the rabbit does so he should do OK with the pellets.

 

[revaltion131]

You can try veggie flakes as well. I have had great luck with them, even rounding out a wrasse.

 

[BigJay]

+1 on the nori clip. I leave one in the tank with a quarter sheet of red nori every day for my powder blue and kole tang. These are grazing fish that always need food available to them, one feeding per day isn't enough.

 

[Western_reefer]

My tangs never eat each others poop. Probably because I feed the tank 4 times a day everyday and they have access to seaweed/greens 24/7?

 

[Barto]

some well applied heat with a little lemon and butter?

 

[sikpupy]

What about roasted nori? Is there anything nutritional in that? I am having a hard time finding "dried" and my friend got the roasted not knowing. Would using roasted, till I got the dried, fatten them up any?