carnivorous tang?

[michaelr]

I recently added a new tang from DD. she came in at about 6" She was very stressed at first. Understandably she wasnt eating the first few days. throughout this time, i had left out green nori strips. after three days though, she was looking a lot better and she ate the cyclopeeze for my clowns. 2 days later she still wont eat the strips but will eat mysis, cyclopeeze and of course brine shrimp. I dont understand why she wont eat the one thing that she actually eats constantly in the wild:headwally: ps sorry if the name is misleading

[Reef264]

Don't worry yourself over this, it's more common for tangs to resent nori than you think.My Yellow tang never ate Nori for the 2 years I had it.

[michaelr]

huh really? every tang in the past ive had always went crazy for it. how should i give him the veggies he needs in his diet then

[Reef264]

Sea Veggie Flakes, New Life Spectrum Pellets, and Rods Herbivore Blend, is all I ever Fed mine.I tried Green, Red, and Brown Nori, never touched it...I just said oh well after a few days of no luck.

[michaelr]

ok ill try that. im just glad shes eating honestly.(shipping was rough on her

[Amdeus]

Mine eats the cyclop-eeze as well plus picks at dried shrimp

[michaelr]

hmm i see. i just worry that it needs a lot of plant matter in its diet

[michaelr]

update: i just saw her picking at algae growing at my intake.. interesting but im not gonna argue

[Reefing Newbie]

There are some things you can try to entice the tang to eat nori. You can rubberband a small piece of nori to a small rock. It should pick at it as it grazes on the rock work. You can also try ripping it into small pieces. Then there is the option of soaking in garlic then trying the methods listed earlier.

[manchreef7]

Ya garlc might help. And spirulina enriched brine, and any other frozen foods for herbivores. Tangs may take a while before they have settled in enough before coming up and eating from a clip on the glass. Especially a tang of that size

[Msleckro]

mine didn't eat the nori for the first month. Then i put a small piece of a clip and left it over night. Now it eats the hell out of it.

[michaelr]

thank you for all the advice ill try ripping it up first and spirulina brine last(requires the most work :p)

[sporto0]

Omnivores

[michaelr]

thats debateable. the only reason they ever eat other animals is by accident. In nature, they only eat algae with the only "meat" being critters in the algae that they accidentally consume

[BeanMachine]

I've never liked feeding nori regularly... Instead I just do formula 2 flakes and spiralina .

[Psirex]

mine eat anything I put in the tank - pellet, frozen, flake....

[sporto0]

thats debateable. the only reason they ever eat other animals is by accident. In nature, they only eat algae with the only "meat" being critters in the algae that they accidentally consume

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? HAHAHA are you for real? Almost all fish are opportunistic eaters, including Tangs, LOL, critters in the algae they accidentally consume!!!! So I guess Brine Shrimp don't count?

[DrBegalke]

You can mix the nori into the thawed frozen food and it may eat some that way.

I also use Rob's herbivore blend and http://www.omegasea.net/super_veggie_flakes.html

[Reef264]

I have to wonder if different Tangs Like different diets, for example:Some Humans like chicken, Other humans prefer Beef.I just wonder if Tangs are the same way.They seem to be Herbivores at heart, but Omnivores by choice.

[kingfisherflesh]

Dont stress too much about this as others are saying.

Tang gut analysis shows they are not strict herbivores like many would lead you to believe either. Very few fish - Im aware of none as a fish biologist in training - are truly herbivorous.

A healthy fish that is well conditioned should eat anything and everything you add to your tank. My reef food does such a good job of conditioning fish that I now have a client who has her anthias and chromis taking nori off the clip. Lil buggers will eat anything now.

+1 to garlic, I also have good luck with table shrimp...strong oders lead fish to feed.

[tunafishe]

I was going to ask about my Regal tang who eats brines and mysis but leaves the nori I put in alone. I'll try cutting it up and mixing it with the frozen.

[agreeive?fish]

6 of my 7 tangs prefer meaty over greens

[ezerasurfr]

Omnivores


was reading through waiting for someone to bring this up...:thumbsup:

[michaelr]

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? HAHAHA are you for real? Almost all fish are opportunistic eaters, including Tangs, LOL, critters in the algae they accidentally consume!!!! So I guess Brine Shrimp don't count?

by your logic there would be no such thing as a herbivorous fish. of course a hungry fish isnt gonna pass up a chance to eat

[sporto0]

Herbivore just means it's main diet is plant-based foods, like I said almost all fish are opportunistic feeders, if it's available, they eat it. I've had Triggers who would devour Nori, but their main diet was meaty, it's harder to categorize fish the way we do land-based animals.

[michaelr]

Herbivore just means it's main diet is plant-based foods, like I said almost all fish are opportunistic feeders, if it's available, they eat it. I've had Triggers who would devour Nori, but their main diet was meaty, it's harder to categorize fish the way we do land-based animals.

you are very right on the fact that it is harder to categorize. but the avr tang will graze on algae

[kingfisherflesh]

If you do a google search for herbivore the zoology definition of the word is an animal that feeds on grasses and other plants. This is definitely not a tang.

Like I said, I have had good luck using my reef food, which is about 50% (particle, not weight wise) nori chunks to get fish to eat everything. My tangs will accept anything I put in there, and my wrasses and anthias now pick at my algae clip.

Fish being selective in an aquarium is not natural, nor is it healthy. The more marine variety you can provide them the better IMO.