New Tangs, Feeding Question

[MeteorFlower]

Hi everyone. Yesterday I purchased my very first tangs, a 4" Naso tang and a small blue hippo tang. I was wondering, though: is it normal for Naso tangs to eat bubble algae? I've been offering them the same frozen foods my other fish get (spirulina brine, mysis, marine cuisine, bloodworms, squid, roe, etc) as well as a veggie clip with fresh grape caulerpa from my refugium, but the Naso definitely seems to prefer the bubble algae! I've never had tangs before, so I don't know if there's anything else I should be offering him, besides dried seaweeds, which i plan to get later today... any suggestions?

[Gseclipse02]

be happy he's eating your bubble algae that stuff looks ugly lol

[Bill S]

Oh, no kidding. You could rent that thing out! PLEASE don't tell your naso he's an idiot.

[MeteorFlower]

Ha ha, okay, so I should just count my blessings and keep an eye on him, then? Looks like I posted too soon - when I got home from class today, he'd depleted the whole clip of macroalgae! But he keeps inspecting the rockwork hopefully... I'm running out of bubble algae! Is it true that juvenile Nasos prefer grazing to zooplankton, and that you just have to keep them supplied with algae until they grow up enough to like the other stuff?

[alliedag85]

haha idk if its just tangs but my yellow tang eats algae. i would just keep an eye on him. have you tried seaweed?

[Texreefer]

I had a Naso that was eating bubble before my tank crash,, but I would be more concerned with him eating ONLY that,, they are notorious for not eating and then just slowely dieing.. get yourself a large variety of algaes and see if there is something eh will eat

[msmith619]

FYI on tangs. Once they are eating, they eat like pigs. Most will take to Brine shrimp, mysis, plankton and other meaty foods beating all the other fish to the food. The fish is fat and happy.........for a few months. THEN, they seem to develope small holes on their heads and a pale stripe runs from the head down their side where I assume the spine runs. It is called "lateral line disease". To the best of my knowledge, this is purely a nutritional deficiency. Making sure they have plenty of plant material in thier diet usually prevents this. Plants make up most of most tangs diet so, be sure they get some every day and they should be happy, healthy, and live many years in your tang. Mine always seem to be the most robust, active fish in the tank!
Mike

[RICKY81]

... I'm running out of bubble algae! Is it true that juvenile Nasos prefer grazing to zooplankton, and that you just have to keep them supplied with algae until they grow up enough to like the other stuff?

i have a Naso Tang and have had it for about 2-3 months already and first it wasn't eating then slowly it started to eat...now he eats like a pig and eats just about anything from flakes, pellets, shrimp, mysis, seaweed, and grazes on the rock.... oh oh and let me not forget.... he lets me pet it, especially at nights when all the other fish are hidden under the rocks, i turn on the actinics and he comes out...nice

[MRSBIGBIRD123]

Just an FYI, always ask the store to feed the fish, before purchasing, that way, you can ensure that he is eating. I know it's a little to late for that now. As someone stated earlier, feed the algae sheets, or if you are trying to feed brine or mysis, add garlic extreme, the smell is horrible, but the scent entices the fish to eat.
Keep us updated.....

[MeteorFlower]

Thanks for the advice, I will. I have some Garlic Extreme that I'll try adding to the next feeding. The Naso is now emptying his veggie clip on a daily basis, so I'm just going to keep filling it for him and hope that he later decides to try the frozen foods ;) The baby hippo tang has gotten into my overflow, which I can't reach until I take my canopy off, and actually seeems quite pleased with himself! I think he's small enough to fit through the slits, and I'm pretty sure he could get out if he wants, so I've just been holding food cubes outside the overflow slots for him. I plan to extract him today. He actually seems quite happy in his little hiding place, and chases down any food that gets in there... lucky for him he's so small!

[wkada]

My small blue tang went through the overflow into the filter sock 3 times the first week I had him until I placed a small coarse sponge in there as a deterent. No problems now that he's bigger and has found a home in the rocks at night. As far as feeding, I've had success with "Rod's Food" herbivore blend and Reef nutrition "Arctic Pods." Really packs on the pounds.

[MeteorFlower]

Is "Rod's Food" a frozen food? I've never heard of it, but I'll try it if my Naso might take it... as of today, the baby hippo tang has been successfully extracted from the overflow and is settling into the main tank quite well. He's eating well too, and seems to love the frozen zooplantivore foods, though he hasn't touched any of the algae. I do have a question about hippo tangs - is it normal for them to have a bumpy-looking belly? It's very strange looking! I haven't really seen the bumpy look on a lot of mature hippos, but I have seen it before on babies.... Just wondering if I should be worried. Also, my Naso tang still isn't really eating anything other than fresh grape caulerpa, which he readily devours. He's picked at the Ocean Nutrition Green and Brown algae sheets I bought for him, and he couldn't really seem to chew some plain dried wakame I picked up at the grocery store, though he did carry it around the tank for a while. Half the time he spits the dried algae out. I'm pretty worried about him. Should I keep trying with the Ocean Nutrition sheets? Can it take them a while to learn to like them? I'm pretty sure a diet of grape caulerpa and bubble algae can't be good for him in the long run!

[wkada]

Rod's Food is a frozen blend which comes in several varieties, a standard blend for primarily carnivores, a herbivore blend, and one geared toward coral nutrition. It has a lot of good stuff in it e.g. krill, squid, veggies, oyster eggs, rotifers, etc. You can order it online on the Reef Nutrition website and they also have a list of online and local retailers there.

[DSAfanatic]

Man you're lucky he ate right off the bat. My bristletooth and my sailfin didn't eat for a week or so even though they were eating at the fish store. But now the sailfin will eat from my hand.

[MeteorFlower]

Just popping back in for a final update. Two nights ago the Naso took a nibble of the marine cuisine I was feeding the others, decided he liked it, and is now eating anything I put in the tank! In addition, the baby hippo tang is also eating very well. I'm really looking forward to watching these little guys grow up. Thanks so much to everyone who told me to be patient!