what to feed to "fatten up" a yellow tang

[whalloper]

Hi everyone, I have a couple of yellow tangs and I bought one I felt sorry for about a month ago. He was perfectly healthy, but he is emaciated.

I have been trying to fatten him up by feeding every day: dried green algae, dried purple algae, spirulina brine, mysis, and cyclopeeze (which Im not sure if he can get much of because its so small) and hes not filling out much.

He eats like no fish I have ever seen...its like he has a tapeworm!! What can I feed him to put some meat on those bones, or could he have a nutritional problem?

 

[NexDog]

Has he put on any weight at all in the last month. It does take a while for them to fatten up but if he is eating it should be showing. When I first got mine it was difficult to get him to eat and he had the typical pinched stomach. After he started eating it took around a month for the pinch to disappear completely.

 

[XeniaMania]

Fresh frozen food worked really well for me. Brine typically isn't too nutritious, but if you get the mixed variety which also has mysid/mysis shrimp in the mix as well as other organisms, that works the best. I believe Ocean Nutrition also has a high protein formula, or their Prime Reef is good. I take a knife and cut off about 1/4 of the cube and feed 3 times a day. I also like the thaw it out in a small cup and then dump into the sump so the return pump shreds the food and sprays it into the tank. That's the method I use if I purchase a rescue fish.

 

[DecoyDave]

All of my Tangs seem to go crazy over red algea sheets. They also love mysis and emerald entree (with a couple drops of Garlic Extreme and Zoecon).

 

[sunfishh]

Have you considered feeding more than once a day? It might help since tangs feed continously in the wild.

 

[NexDog]

Yea, I like to feed twice a day and have nori on a clip pretty much all the time.

 

[garvondavis14]

do your guys' tang rip your nori, seaweed, etc. to shreds so fast it's annoying? or is it just mine

 

[XeniaMania]

I love it when mine goes into a feeding frenzy ripping it apart in the current.

 

[garvondavis14]

yeah, but it's a pain in the *** when it ends up all over lol

 

[XeniaMania]

I actually have a screen filter on my intake, so it gets caught there before entering the sump. The shrimps also love the stuff so they clean up for me, and after feeding, I just pull the screen out, rinse it in the sink and pop it back into the hole.

 

[Dave Cox]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7197781#post7197781 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by garvondavis14
do your guys' tang rip your nori, seaweed, etc. to shreds so fast it's annoying? or is it just mine

Yep, it drives me nuts ! My juvvie Emperor Angel and Yellow Tang pile in, and rip it off the clip in minutes. They'll hardly touch it as it floats around the tank, they only eat off the clip...

 

[Amphiprion]

Have you tried any live, fleshier macroalgae? A good mix of flesh macroalgae and filamentous types would be perfect for this species.

 

[whalloper]

Hi everyone...thanks for all your info. I currently feed him three times a day. Always purple/red algae, green algae, and then I alternate between the meaty foods. I know brine isnt too nutritious, but its the highest in fat content of the foods I listed, so I use it for the fat.

His stomach is really full, but it's his body I want to fatten up - sorry I wasnt clear on that.

He may have put on a little weight (should have taken a pic) but I guess I thought it would go faster. How long should it take...couple months? a year?

 

[Jim_S]

I feed both my yellow tang and PBT green nori, spectrum pellets, mysis and cyclop-eeze. I have experienced great growth, color and both are fat pigs now.

Jim

 

[XeniaMania]

I think tangs are fairly slow growers. I've also have this notion that I've read somewhere that their metabolism is pretty fast so they won't put on weight easily unless overfed.

 

[Amphiprion]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7198981#post7198981 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by XeniaMania
I think tangs are fairly slow growers. I've also have this notion that I've read somewhere that their metabolism is pretty fast so they won't put on weight easily unless overfed.

1. Not necessarily and 2. yes (in addition to other things)