Yellow Eyed Tank/ Kole Tang. NOT EATING

[WXB]

I am not seeing my Tang eat. I have his food on the little clip and i have not seeing any of it being eaten. I see him poke about the tank. I put a few little strips where he hangs out so let him eat more naturally. I dont know what to do i am sure he is fine but i dont know how to get him to EAT FROM THE CLIP!
This is the first fish that has not eaten after bringing it home. I have had him for 3 days now. I dont know what he is doing or if he is eating enough.

 

[psusocr]

My kole tang is huge and ive had them for years. Mine never eat off of the clip! all day and all night all they do is pick algae off the glass and rocks, they never stop and its all they seem to ever want to eat!!

 

[rssjsb]

I had to remove my Kole to a QT to get him to eat. This is an underrated (by many aquarists, anyway) function of quarantine.

The first prepared food he ate for me was Sera spirulina tabs. They're a little hard to find (look on line), but all of my fish go nuts for them. You stick them to the side of the tank and the fish will graze on them. My kole took awhile, but eventually figured it out. Then he started eating from the clip. Now he's a pig.

If you can't get the tabs, I recommend wrapping the nori around a rock or small piece of PVC with a rubber band and putting it somewhere he can get to it. Maybe soak it in selcon.

 

[WXB]

odd. So keep putting it down on the rock in odd places. SO my question is i got a UV ser 3 days before i got him. So should i take it out. I just put it in there to keep the crap off the glass. I got tired of scrubbing the glass every morning. All i see him do is ead off my tubs and heater and glass. I still see some algae on the glass it has not cleared up the problem completely. Should i keep the UV or send it off?

 

[pktech]

My Kole eats defrosted formula 1 & mysis - if you're using him to keep your glass clean then I'd trade him in to a lfs for sure.

 

[WXB]

I got a UV to keep my glass clean. I use about 5 different kids of frozen foods. I chop them all up and add little bits here and there to give all of my fish a variety pack. I was only asking to ensure that he is eating turn off the UV to make sure that he gets somthing to eat untill i can get him to eat from the clip or eat when all of the other fish eat. I have put some food in random places and in his hiding place to let him have a more natural feeding pattern. I just want to KNOW he is eating.

 

[Patrick Cox]

I just got a Kole today. He won't hardly come out from under the rocks but it is his first day in my tank. Keep us posted on how yours does. I will be interested.

Thanks

 

[rssjsb]

I got a UV to keep my glass clean. I use about 5 different kids of frozen foods. I chop them all up and add little bits here and there to give all of my fish a variety pack. I was only asking to ensure that he is eating turn off the UV to make sure that he gets somthing to eat untill i can get him to eat from the clip or eat when all of the other fish eat. I have put some food in random places and in his hiding place to let him have a more natural feeding pattern. I just want to KNOW he is eating.

Ok, a few questions and comments. First, what food are you putting in the rocks? These fish eat film algae and are primarily herbivores. The will eat dozen food, but that transition will take a while and these foods will never make up the bulk of his diet. Getting him to eat algae-based prepared foods and nori should be easier. You could try some kind of spirulina flake or pellets.

Second, is a UV sterilizer really useful to supress algae growth? I thought it was used to kill pathogens.

Finally, is he getting thin? If not, he may be ok grazing until he figures it out. If so, you may want to think about the QT route until you get him to eat.

 

[WXB]

I have the Tang algae food it come in strips. they guy said this is the stuff he is eating so i got what they where feeding him. I try to make sure i get what he is eating right then and there. If needed i will get them eating different stuff or keep it the same or add to it. The UV Sterilizer does take care of algae problems. It gets it on the microscopic level. I read a thing went to my fish guy and he said this is your prob here is your solution. I read up on it and its working just fine. I have to turn it off when i add my Special Blend but hey small price to pay. I always add it after doing a water change. He is grazing about. pecking at the glass heater powerhead and rocks. I put bunches all over the rocks to get him eating naturaly.

 

[Killer Tangs]

I have a Kole Tang that wouldn't eat off a clip. It wasn't till I introduced a yellow tang that he learned what to do. Now he tries to eat it all first.

 

[baileyj]

Mine started eating off the clip after I used a couple drops of garlic on the nori. My anthias and chromis also eat it now.

 

[WXB]

I have been feeding some mysis shrip he is eating that stuff like crazy but i still have not seen him eat his specail tang clip food at all. i have chunks placed all over the tank by the morning its all gone but i have not seen him eat any of it. I dont know who is eating it i just want to know he is eating it. he will not use the clip for what ever reason i dont know. I am at a loss. I want to make sure he is getting all he needs but i cant do that if he wont EAT IT. I make sure that there is food in there 2 to 3 times a day for him. Any Help would be great i have tried everything above the only thing working is the mysis shrip and i think thats out of hunger.

 

[njudson]

my kole was very shy for the first few weeks then came around and started eating and showing himself

 

[Amazon4]

Koles seem shy by nature. Takes them a while to come around. They will constantly graze for film algae. I'll not clean the glass for a couple of days just to make the kole happy

It took a while but ours eats everything: nori, flakes, pellets, goo, mysis

I would say that as long as he's grazing he's "eating". He'll learn from the others what the prepared food is. It might take a couple of weeks in the community, but he'll figure it out.

 

[WXB]

Last night i found out who is eating the Tang food. The turbo snails went to town on his food. I knew it wasnt him. DIDNT KNOW WHO i do now. He comes out and is doing his thing but i just want to see him eat his TANG food not snail food. then i will be happy

 

[Zacktosterone]

Koles seem shy by nature. Takes them a while to come around. They will constantly graze for film algae. I'll not clean the glass for a couple of days just to make the kole happy

It took a while but ours eats everything: nori, flakes, pellets, goo, mysis

I would say that as long as he's grazing he's "eating". He'll learn from the others what the prepared food is. It might take a couple of weeks in the community, but he'll figure it out.

I think you dont clean the glass because you're lazy and you use the kole tang as an excuse :spin3:

 

[ca1ore]

Second, is a UV sterilizer really useful to supress algae growth?

One of the functions of a UV is as a water clarifier. It will 'kill' anything that passes through the unit, including free floating algae. Whether this translates to cleaner glass is debatable. I have been using UV units and I certainly still need to clean the glass front every few days.

 

[CedzAquAddictio]

These are shy fish... I had to turn off the powerheads, drop the food into the QT tank, and leave the room before the fish would even consider coming out. The only time I saw mine eat was when I would peak around the corner of the room. As soon as it saw me, it would go back into hiding.

Try the peak approach... LOL...

 

[lt3058]

I ordered a Kole Tang from DD a while ago. In quarantine it wouldn't eat anything so I took a chance and put him in my 60g with only some clowns in it. He took to cleaning my glass like a champ leaving lip marks everywhere. It took about 2 weeks before my clowns convinced him that Formula 2 Flakes were delicious. He has since been moved and now eats everything that he can.

 

[xtlosx]

I just picked up a yellow eye last saturday... he was initially shy but went to the glass and rocks to eat as much as he could instantly. He still hasn't come by to eat much of the frozen I feed (Rod's food herbivore blend and mysis mixed), but he took a few pieces in the last week. He goes after the glass and rock 24x7, so I'm assuming he will be fine in the long run.. Good to know my kole isn't the only shy one around.