Naso Tang not eating

[bob_8228]

hi folks,
the naso tang has been with me for about 2 weeks now. it is grazing on the live rocks quite well. but anything else that put to the tank it won't touch. flakes, nori, brine, etc...totally ignoring it.
when it's not grazing, it is always pacing along the glass...could this be a sign of stress? what should i do to stop it from pacing and to start eating?

[Bruce]

hmm....i remember my regal tang doing that...it is usually just a little stressed from going from ocean to tank...as for eating...have u tried forula 2 flakes or seaweed selects?

[somethingfishy]

What size tank do you have? What size is the tang? You should try to get some macro algae Gracilaria or Caulerpa prolifera. If he is picking at the rocks he will most likely eat this. Try to use this till they adjust to prepared foods. You may want to try Seaweed Selects.

[bob_8228]

thanks guys. btw, my tank is 4x2x2 and the naso is about 2.5". putting caulerpa into tank? is it safe? is there a chance it might outgrow itself to become unmanageable (i mean the algae)? but i will try the seaweed select, just in case.

[Birdlady]

My tang tears up the dried seaweed on a clip

[OoNickoC]

[quote author=bob_8228 link=board=ASAP;num=1102463533;start=0#3 date=12/07/04 at 18:55:51]putting caulerpa into tank? is it safe? is there a chance it might outgrow itself to become unmanageable (i mean the algae)? but i will try the seaweed select, just in case.[/quote]

dont want to be rude or presumtuos....but if you do weekly maint. on your tank, things cannot get out of whack too bad. Cal. will not outgrow your tank to unmanagable proportions in a week...sounds like youve talked to anti-cal people who do not have time (or the intiative) to prune Cal before it goes sexual (or try to cut rather than pull). Cal. prolifera is awesome and looks good....but gracilaria is the "tang heaven" according to pop. aquaculture. Your tang was probably swimming in Hawaii about 2 weeks ago... you have a "big" tank...in my experience the tangs will hold out as long as they have algaes or plants to pick at on your LR..... if you have alot of LR your in for a long fast. Tangs are migratory in the sense of fish, they have a wide roaming range and adults are not good choices for aquariums, but you lucked out and got a juvi. It should settle in and start accepting foods high in veggies as soon as it runs out of LR grazing materials. If you can get it to eat some frozen (im biased towards ocean nutrition) then it will do great. Just dont find one food it loves and feed it that and that only, varietey is the key in feeding (usually). you must be perserverent (can i spell?) as it may take over a month to get it on a proper diet. be creative and exercise human inginuity, if you dont have the motivation for these then tangs are not for you....but you posted here so you must have em'!

by the way....

WELCOME TO 3REEF!!!! [smiley=xmas.gif]

[OoNickoC]

BTW.....what else do you have in your tank...how big are they...and how old is your tank (a tall order i know)....these are all factors in pacy'ness. @ my old store i would discourage purchase for over a week to "break in" newly imported tangs. i would give your tang as much alone time as possible (all the while being incredibly observant to skin tone, breathing rate, and behavoir) for about 1.5-2 weeks. Give us the low down on all your stats (tank) and aquatice activities thus far for this tank and we will divulge AMAP!

[Birdlady]

Hey bob8228 -

How are you making out with that Tang? Is he eating yet? Let us know!

[bob_8228]

hi fellas,
sorry for not updating..been pretty busy for a while. good news!!! tang started eating the nori last week. and it happened after i stopped feeding for 3 days (away trip). when i came back, i put the nori (not on clip but between the cleaning magnets), it finally started eating.
and since then i've been feeding it daily on nori and it just can't stop eating. btw, i feed him nori on alternate days now. phew!!! it was almost a month before it even touches the nori.

[Craig Manoukian]

It's amazing what they'll eat when hungry, eh? Glad to hear everything is OK!