My Sailfin Tang - fussy eater

[Ed (aus)]

HI Guys

I have a sailfin tang that has been in the tank for approx 8 months, apart from grazing on the limited amount of algae (he cleaned up the tank) it only eats frozen mysis and brine shrimp. I have tried TLF green and red algae, ocean nutrition and new life spectrum pellets.
Health looks OK so far but Little concerned that he (assuming it's a male) will be balanced diet deficient in the longer term?

Love to hear your thoughts please?

Ed

[klepto]

That's interesting that it won't accept the nori. Some tangs don't recognize it immediately. I don't think you should be overly concerned. The fish looks mostly healthy from the image, granted a little thin.

How big is your tank?

It is still a juvenile, so I would imagine it will probably show a preference for grazing on the rockwork until it's needs can no longer be met.

Don't give up with the nori. In my opinion it is the best option for tangs. Try attaching it to live rock with a rubber band and place it in a spot where the tang usually grazes on the rockwork. Use reasonable sized pieces initially (not whole sheets) so the phosphate in the nori doesn't degrade water quality.

You could also try cutting it up into small pieces. I've kept a few fishes that would eagerly accept it out of the water column, but refused to graze on a larger piece (ie on a clip or magfloat).

NLS's 1mm pellets would also be a good staple to work on adding into you fish's diet.

When trying new foods (especially nori), I like to wait a minimum of a few hours since the last feeding (ideally it is the first of the day) because the feeding response is better and the new food is more likely to be accepted. Then, follow up with mysis and more readily consumed foods.

Good luck mate!