Observing tang feeding in QT

T

Titus

I have had a 3.5" Two-Spot Bristletooth (AKA Blue Eye Kole) in QT since Thursday. This is my first saltwater fish, so I honestly don't know what to expect out of it at feeding. On Friday I offered 1/2 a cube of Frozen Mysis and 1/4 sheet of seaweed on a clip. She ate all of both. Saturday morning, she still looked pretty engorged, so I only offered seaweed. I offered some Mysis Sunday, but she showed no interest in it. She had pecked off all the seaweed from the clip by the end of the day Sunday, but really didn't eat much as most could be seen at the bottom of the tank. I also noted that she no longer looked "full". Monday morning I did a 20% water change and replaced the seaweed. She still showed no interest. This morning, the seaweed clip still looked untouched, so I offered 1/2 a cube of Frozen Mysis. She went into a feeding frenzy, eating it all in about 90 seconds, then turned to the seaweed clip and ate more than half of it over the next 5 minutes. She is now cruising around the tank happy with a very full belly. So she gorged on day 1, fasted for 3 days, and then gorged again on day 5. Is this normal? Should I expect gorge and fast eating from some saltwater fish?
 
No so much out of a Tang, but it may be that the fish is still trying to figure out its environment and feeding schedule.
You can try keeping a piece of blanched broccoli in the tank for grazing and offer meaty foods at regular times and see what happens.
I've had a lot of luck with that approach so far.

@Titus wrote:
 
Thanks Howard! I am trying to offer mysis twice a day. I just gave her second feeding of it today (1/4 cube) and she gobbled it up. One cool thing... she just now realized that when I approach the tank with a red solo cup, food is coming and she waits at the surface where I have been consistently adding the food. Before she would hide when I came to the tank with food. I will try to pick up some broccoli and see what she think of that next.
 
@Titus wrote:
Thanks Howard! I am trying to offer mysis twice a day. I just gave her second feeding of it today (1/4 cube) and she gobbled it up. One cool thing... she just now realized that when I approach the tank with a red solo cup said:
My lawnmower blenny jumps out of the water and has even bit me when I get the red solo cup near. All the fish go into a frenzy when they see the cup.

If your not using garlic extract I would do so. it really motivates them to eat and IMO keeps them healthy.
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Good catch. I add Kent's Garlic to every batch of broccoli and Nori.

Also, I know some humans that go into a frenzy when they see Red Solo cups on the weekend. :)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKZqGJONH68[/youtube]

@mmiller40 wrote:
 
OK... I guess I need some more information on the garlic thing. I see prepared foods with it and then also see a liquid available. How does the liquid work?
 
I buy fresh whole broccoli at the store. Then blanch it in boiling hot water for 2-3 mins and freeze the whole thing right away. Each day I use some pruning shears to cut off a branch and rubber band that to a rock.
I coat the broccoli with the liquid Kent's garlic just before sinking it. The tangs in particular the purple start munching right away. The foxface mows it down and the the wrass darts in and picks up the mess the others are leaving behind.

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When I feed nori, I run some thin lines of the garlic along it, rub it in or let it sit a bit before using a veggie clip. The prefer the broccoli believe it or not.
 
@Titus wrote:
OK... I guess I need some more information on the garlic thing. I see prepared foods with it and then also see a liquid available. How does the liquid work? said:
I use Kent's or brightwell liquid. Just a drop or two on the road and let it soak a min. It's supposed to ward off ick. Ick is part vampie or something [smilie=rofl.gif] It is defiantly an appetite stimilant. With new fish that hide and won't it it's motivates them to come check it out.
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Well she has chowed down on mysis 3 feeding in a row now. I blanched some broccoli this morning and tossed in a small piece, and froze the rest. She hasn't touched it yet. Next time I am in the city I will pick up some garlic to add to it.
 
Follow-up. I never did get around to picking up some garlic, so I never tried the broccoli again. I did begin offering some Instant Ocean Marine Chips every once in a while. For the first 4 or 5 times I offered it, she would pick at pieces that started to sink, but never touched anything on the surface. All of a sudden the past Monday she realized they were floating on the surface and she could take them. Now she cruises the surface frequently looking for more, and I have even caught her nipping at bubbles on the surface in hopes it was food. It no longer seems to matter how much or how frequently I feed her... mysis, flake, and seaweed is going to be quickly devoured every time it goes in to the tank.
 
@shse666 wrote:
Perfect. Commingle up on one month. When are you going to make the move? said:
Friday night after lights out... That will be 29 days, which included two 7 day Prazipro prophylactic treatments (plus she was in copper at the lfs for 4 weeks before I brought her home). Last night I started 2 a day water changes, replacing 20% of QT water with water from the DT each morning and evening so she will already be fairly adjusted to the salinity and PH of the DT water when I move her over.
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The transfer plan came to a screeching halt last night when she decided to drop a 3" white stringy poop. WTF? She just finished 2 Prazipro treatments!!! How could this be happening? After some reading, I found multiple people that insist you need to do 3 rounds of Prazi and another person that said 4 rounds, so I started another round this morning. [smilie=crying.gif]
 
The fish doesn't have access to any Chaetomorpha does it? I've seen fish poop like that after eating it and upon careful observation, its just poorly digested chaeto and not something else.
 
@shse666 wrote:
The fish doesn't have access to any Chaetomorpha does it? I've seen fish poop like that after eating it and upon careful observation said:
Nope. The only items that have gone in and been eaten are frozen Mysis, IO Marine chips, and nori. I have also added a leaf of dragons breath and a piece of blanched broccoli, but those were removed 24hrs later after not being touched.
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