new tangs not eating

[splatee]

Hello,

i had another thread started about nori but feel i should just start a different thread instead of adding to the other.

I recently purchased two tangs from a fish wholesaler warehouse a few days ago. I got a blonde Naso and a Chocolate Mimic that has the adult colors already. Both are around 5-6 inches. While at the distributor i watched them eat some frozen brine shirmp. Both were swimming around nicely and active. They were both swimming and were out the first day at home and just picking at the rocks. Now i have tried a variety of foods including....formula 1 & 2 pellets, frozen brine shrimp, frozen spirulina, emerald entree, romaine lettuce and nori. I have even taken fresh garlic and squeezed the juice and soaked the nori in it but they ignore it. The Naso would pick a little at the romaine lettuce. I know it takes a few days or so to adjust but i just want to make sure. Should i try some garlic extract product or is fresh garlic ok?

Thank you

 

[DennisF]

It is not unusual for a fish to take several days to start eating when introduced to new surroundings. If they were eating at the place of purchase I would feed them what they were eating there and do it al least once a day. If you have just the two fish keep the portions down to what could be eating in a minute or so. I feed about 20 fish twice a day and usually thaw 3 frozen cubes in a cup of tank water and feed by dropping a good portion in the tank at once and do this several time over a 5 minute period. I follow up with some nori on a magnetic clip hung from the tank brace. It will take the fish a while to recognize the nori on the clip as food unless there are some fish leading the way. Changing the type of clip can throw them off also. Another method for nori feeding is to rubberband it to a small piece of liverock. Fold a 5" piece several times and rubberband it to the rock and place it in the tank.

 

[BigJay]

I agree with the above advice. Keep offering frozen foods, and rubberband the nori to a rock so that it looks like film algae. I have a Potter's angel that just decided to eat prepared foods this last weekend, after nearly two weeks of just picking at the rocks.

What finally got him was Ocean Nutrition's frozen chopped clam I picked up at DNA. The bad part is that this fish loves frozen chopped clam , so there's no bloody way I can keep a maxima now. :sad:

 

[DaveJ]

@BigJay wrote:

You can put barbed wire around it

Feeding by example is one of those little things that people learn over time. Any of the more difficult fish to keep will need to be taught to feed in our tanks at times. Some importers of anthias etc will make sure they keep enough fish in their tanks to train the newbies how to eat.

I purchased a CBB recently and he wasn't eating prepared foods until this weekend when he saw some of the other fish gorging themselves on mysis, now he eats them too.

Just put food into the tank in various ways, you may end up overfeeding the tank for a bit, but give them options, see what works then see how they adapt. Its more important to get them eating than bumping your nitrates up a bit. The important thing is not hover around the tank, its like watching a phone waiting for it to ring. Just put the food in and give the fish space to eat.

 

[splatee]

They are both eating now. The Naso goes nuts over romaine lettuce but dosent touch the nori that i mix in with it. The chocolate mimic tang is eating all the frozen prepared foods but still dosent touch any nori. But both are eating now at least and are swimming all over the tank.

Thank you

 

[yuki]

I get some grape culerpa from my fuge and put it on the clip with the nori. That has worked for me in the past.

 

[doc2981]

It could be your perimeters too.
Are your nitrates high?
How about ph,is it low or high?
could be a difference in salt too or the water quality...Tap/rodi?

Fish that size eating well before purchase from most wholesalers
should chow down within 24hours.I would definately test my water.