Kole tang wasting away, what do they eat?

[raynist]

It is constantly picking at the rocks, but is sooo skinny and doesn't look good. I tried putting some nori on a rock and it picks, but that is about it.

----Ray

[DrBegalke]

try mysis?

[raynist]

Never touched that either....

I took him out of the tank he was in and am putting him in a larger tank with more algae on the glass etc. I had him in a barebottom SPS tank and maybe it was too baren.

[emk09]

mysis

[Conky]

The bristlemouth tangs (Ctenochaetus) are adapted to sift diatoms/algae/detritus from fine substrates. The two I care for spend most of their time sifting through the sand.

[SDguy]

An algae free BB SPS system is going to be pretty hard on a bristletooth tang, especially if it's not eating prepared food very well. They often won't take in alrge pieces of food, so juveniles can be even harder to fatten up. As Conky said, they benefit greatly from detritus, sand, and microalgae....three things lacking in your tank I bet.

FWIW, I'm fighting a loosing battle i fear with a small Tomini tang. The only thing I found he will eat is flake food. I guess it gets soft enough after soaking in water that he will swallow it. Mysis...forget it. Frozen formula 1...no way. If the mysis is tiny, and no shell or antenna or other prickly parts are present, then he MIGHT swallow it.

Anyways, hope this info helps.