Tang Feeding?

[sandry75]

Question:
I recently purchased a yellow tang for my son's tank. It's a larger one, about 5" or so. We watched him at the LFS for about a week and the owner said he was eating fine. He's been in our tank now for about 10 days now and I have not seen him eat at all. He picks at the live rock periodically - thatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s all and his stomach appears recessed. I was told he was eating flake and other dried at the LFS. He appears very healthy and is an avid swimmer (very active). What is the best food I can give him? Is the recessed stomach appearance normal?

Appreciate any suggestions!

 

[EdKruzel]

A pinched stomach is a very bad sign; I would try several types of seaweed/nori on a lettuce clip.

You can also try many of the frozen prepared mixtures such as formula 1 or 2 or try shredding some raw table shrimp from your local grocers deli.

Ed

 

[sandry75]

Thanks for the advice! Tonight I purchased "Seaweed Selects - Narural dried Green Marine Alge" but he's not interested? Also picked up some frozen mysis / no luck!

 

[mikersx02]

Get a bag of fresh spinach-

My yellow tang loves it

I usually get 3 leaves out of the bag at a time. I boil one for 2 min- freeze one for 2 min- and leave the other fresh.

He lives the fresh and frozen the best.



Also- are you making sure you are buying high quality "formula 2" or "spirinula" foods?

Check the ingrediants- make sure spirinula is in one of the ingredients of the top 3 or 4 ingrediants.

Have you tried adding some garlic extract yet? Research that some- its in any higher end pet shop that specialized in salt water fish.

I had to spend about 30 bucks on different types of foods before i found a few he would nibble on.

Ill take a picture for you by this weekend.

DEFINATELY do the spinach thing.

If he doesnt like the spinach- try romaine lettuce... make sure you wash both.

 

[mikersx02]

BTW- my tang wont touch nori-

 

[Apone]

my yellow tang has a dpressed stomach and I can generally see his ribs. All my other fish are nice and thick, but for some reason my YT cannot put on weight. I feed brine shrimp, marine sponge (meant for my angels but all fish eat it) a dry pellet food, and formula 2 flake seeing as my nori sheets are always left untouched. Seeing as my other fish are think and healthy, I cant understand why my YT is the way he is.....so perhaps there is ome issue with these fish either how/where they are collected ???

 

[nataz]

Not sure if this will help but try real sea food mine loves scallops,i put them in the tank for my other fish but 20sec after it hits the water my tang is on it. After a week now he stays out until 10:00pm to eat .

 

[Jim_S]

When I bought mine 2 years ago it had a pinched stomach. But I feed mine spectrum pellets, cyclop-eeze and lots of nori and chaeto and over time it fattend up quite nicely.

Jim

 

[mikersx02]

mine has fattened out in a week from a pinched stomach on spinach. Im going downstairs to take pictures now.

 

[firewire]

did you qurinte it

 

[sandry75]

Tang Feeding

Tang Feeding

I'd like to thank everyone for their responces! I purchased some spinach and have seen him pick at it a couple times. Maybe he's just taking a little longer to settle in?

Thanks Again!

 

[landscapen]

good luck with him

 

[mikersx02]

is he fattening up yet? I find that they only eat the spinach for the first 4-6 hours that its in the tank- after that- they wont touch it.

If you put a fresh piece in there- its game on again.

 

[tobasdad]

Re: Tang Feeding

Re: Tang Feeding

I'm glad he's eating. I'd be careful getting him on a diet of primarily spinach. I don't think it has much nutritional value for marine fish. Keep working on the nori. All my tangs devour it. You might try a drop of Kent Garlic Extreme on it. It's good for the fishes immune system, and is a definite appetite enhanser.

Best of luck

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6878081#post6878081 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sandry75
I'd like to thank everyone for their responces! I purchased some spinach and have seen him pick at it a couple times. Maybe he's just taking a little longer to settle in?

Thanks Again!

 

[mikersx02]

I went grocery shopping tonight- and for giggles- I stopped by the asian isle- and found some high end nori in an airtight package. Checked the ingredients- (just toasted nori)

I put in a small piece and I saw him nibbling on it. If he had not of pigged out on spinach earlier today- i think he would have at more.


Im glad I QT'd that tang- he is much less shy now. He doesnt run when you get close to the tank now.

 

[sandry75]

Tang Feeding - Status

Tang Feeding - Status

All is well so far! I purchased some spinach from the local market and clipped - bingo! He started on it that night! Now he frequently checks out the clip and I've seen him nibbling on the dried seaweed. I can't say he's fattening up yet, but his constant nibbling on the live rock combined with the spinach and seaweed is encouraging.

Once again - Thanks for the advice - I'll post another pic as soon as he plumbs up!

 

[mikersx02]

hows your tang doing?

 

[sandry75]

Progress Report

Progress Report

Hey Mikersx02,

He's all over the spinach!!! Doesn't even wait for me to take my hand out of the tank. He's picking on the nori also! Stomach is alittle pinched still - It's better than it as though. I think he will be fine now.

Thanks for askin'

 

[mikersx02]

I wish mine would do more then sniff the nori- Glad yours is eating now.

Are you putting garlic on your nori?

 

[The steven liu]

In the store I work at, I try to feed them mysis shrimp to begin with, and if they don't touch that, I'll try formula two, which most of the time will perk up their apetite (the new one with garlic), and if that doesn't work I'll add alittle blood worm into the mix and sofar no tang under our care can resist that formula.