training a kole to eat?

[mayjong]

hey all.
new tiny kole eats algea with gusto, but doesn't seem interested in any prepared foods. i've tried pellet, mysis, rods, and live blackworms. dude won't touch them. he does have a "feeding reaction" when i add mysis and rods (swims around fast) but is not eating .
planning on getting some nori today and attaching to a rock. thinking i can "pin" some mysis under the nori and maybe he'll get a taste of it? any other ideas?
thanks

 

[AndroidReef]

Mine did that for around a week and then when saw all other fishes eating the pellets now is one of the first to eat

How long ago did you add him?

 

[mayjong]

last week.
he has done a real number on the algea in my tank, so he is eating, just nothing prepared.
i have nori now, and will feed it tonight. gonna pin a chunk of frozen mysis under it with a rubberband, and see if that works...

 

[rssjsb]

They have to learn how to eat out of the water column. As long as there's algae to eat, he'll be ok until he gets it.

 

[mayjong]

tried nori last night, he picked at it a couple of times but didin't "go at it" like i've seen other tangs do.
weird little guy, hope he figures it out soon. he is still picking at the rocks, but there is not a lot of algea left. he has eaten most of it.
i even have flame algea in the dt, and he hasn't touched it.
any other ideas?

 

[Rea17]

Most of my tangs (including my kole) take some time to figure out the nori. Give him time with it, keep putting fresh stuff in (in small amounts) until he figures out that it is for him. My kole doesn't care for flame algae, only my fox face likes that stuff. You could try caulerpa if you want.

 

[mayjong]

will do.
love your parrot , btw...

 

[mayjong]

still not eating prepared (just picking on the rocks).
picked up some spirulina flake and will try to rubberband that down, see if he'll eat it.

so far i've tried pellet, mysis, rods, live black worms, and nori.... nuttin'

 

[Rea17]

will do.
love your parrot , btw...

Thanks!

Are there any other nori-eaters in the tank? I find I have to train tangs sometimes with another fish that knows what the prepared seaweed is. I still think if he gets hungry enough he will figure it out. Tangs are greedy gluttonous fish and seeing a healthy one starve to death is very rare. There are a lot of opinions on garlic out there, and I'm not a huge fan. However, it can induce a feeding response in fish and I will use it sometimes if I'm having trouble getting a new fish to eat. Hope this helps!

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Good thread. Tangs are a finicky bunch.

 

[mayjong]

i do have a rainsford, who i'm sure would eat nori, but he hasn't bothered it yet. in my 150g, there was no need to train the tangs to eat nori, i could barely put it in the tank and they would be tearing it up. this lttle guy is still very shy, his first reaction to any feeding is to hide (part of the problem) so i hope as he gets a little more comfortable, he will inverstigate things a little more...

, i really don't have an opinion either way on garlic, i've never tried it for any reason. i am putting fresh nori every day for now.
today i'll pin some spirulina flake under the rubber band with the nori-
i' m not ready to try garlic yet, but i might soon. what would be the way to prepare the food with garlic?
crush a clove of fresh garlic and soak nori with it and some tank water?

thanks!

 

[Rea17]

I haven't personally used fresh garlic, but the liquid extract. I've used Kent marine garlic extreme and soaked seaweed or mysis in it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, just don't overdo it.

 

[triggreef]

I've noticed this with kole tangs too. I tend to over feed a lot, & after a few weeks I see the kole tang grabbing pellets on the floor. Also there is an algae pellet like NLS but they are green and soften fast, worth a try.

 

[mayjong]

he's eating!
i tried algea wafers (used to feed my aunts large fw plecostumus) and he didin't eat that, BUT
that day when i fed live blackworms, he ate a couple! also ate a couple yesterday, so it appears as though he will be eating something besides tank algea. finally! (it has been 2 weeks) at this point, i'm sure i can get him to eat other stuff....


whew!

 

[Rea17]

Nicely done. Sometimes it just takes time and patience. Once they start eating, it usually doesn't take long before they accept everything.

 

[Tangnerd]

I have found it best whenever you buy a fish ask the salesman/woman to feed it just so you know it's healthy that's why I think i think I have had luck with my blue hippo that I bought at half an inch and my kole and yellow I just love tangs.

 

[rayr18]

I have found it best whenever you buy a fish ask the salesman/woman to feed it just so you know it's healthy that's why I think i think I have had luck with my blue hippo that I bought at half an inch and my kole and yellow I just love tangs.

+1
I also use selcon to soak my food..my Kole Tang looks so much healthier since I started doing it

 

[Tangnerd]

I also dose marine c to prevent lateral line had it once on my yellow when I was a newbie and never want to experience that disease again.

 

[mayjong]

bumping this because after those two days of eating a couple worms a day, he has not eaten since.
sigh
he is still vigerously picking on the rocks and doesn't appear thin.
i have fed live blackworms every day , and nothin'.

gonna try R.O.E. tonight...

sigh

 

[benjc]

I've been following along since I'm in the same boat you are. Haven't seen mine eat more than a bite or two out of the water column, not interested in nori on a clip or tied to a rock, NLS pellets, mysis or brine/spirulina, but constantly picking at the rocks and back wall of the tank. Yesterday I saw mine have a small poop so I figure he's at least eating something. I'm taking the approach that if he is otherwise healthy, eventually he'll get hungry enough to try doing what all the other fish are doing. Good luck with yours.