naso tang question

[nick danger]

Is it true that naso tangs require a brown algae diet? If so, whats a good way to get this food for it? Can you buy it in sheets like nori?

Thanks!

ND

 

[Anonymous]

Yes Ocean Nutrition makes a brown algae sheet product.

 

[Anonymous]

My Naso eats plant-based flake foods, the algae on the back glass, romaine lettuce and spinach. He will NOT eat any kind of commercial algae product. I have tried both whole leaf products and the kind that's chopped up and formed into a sheet.

Whatever you try to feed your fish, be ready to have some patience because it may be up to a week before it gets the idea. I had to leave the lettuce in there 4 days (different pieces, of course) before he ate it. He didn't seem to have any trouble identifying the spinach as food after the lettuce.

Then I tried the algae. Couldn't be bothered with the whole leaf stuff. And the pressed stuff... he ignored it too and before I remembered to check it had disintegrated into a lovely brown snowstorm of pollution in my tank. First and last time for that.

There are many people who say that you shouldn't feed fish land plants, and I used to think that way myself. However, the lettuce fattened him up when the green LifeLine frozen cubes didn't do anything. (He was emaciated when I bought him; kind of a rescue mission.) I make sure to vary his diet and I give brine shrimp with Kent Zoe sometimes and a quality flake food. I'm also confident he's getting decent nutrition from the algae he's eating off the back glass.

Hope this helps,
djp

 

[naesco]

Nick do you have one already? If so is he not eating?

 

[MediaOne]

Nick, in the wild your Tang's diet consists almost completely of marine algae of the brown variety. Most of the Naso Tang's will respond to any food after they are about 4" in length, but before that they can be quite selective. If you have difficulty getting him to eat brown algae you can try feeding another tang along side him so that he can learn from the others behaviour.
Try to include a variety of types of marine algae however, and also follow up this diet with some Mysis shrimp and Brine shrimp.

Good luck!

JO

 

[nick danger]

No, I dont have one yet. Im researching before I get one. It was in a Fenner book that I read they need brown algae.

 

[naesco]

Nick, Media one is correct avoid the under 3inch ones and the adults as they are difficult to get to eat.
You should avoid the tons of emaciated ones seen often in LFS. They wont survive. Instead choose a plump, spot free, clear eyed fish that you see agressively eating. Do not believe the LFS if they say they just fed the fish.
Again this is a big fish with swimming requirements so choose this option only if you have a large tank.

 

[MediaOne]

Some other notes. The post just above this one mentioned to avoid the ones with spots. While I generally agree, due to the fact that the fish is a juvenile if it has spots, you might still have luck with one that is fairly plump. Ask to see it feed. I was lucky enough to get mine... which is only like 2" to eat even though he was as skinny as a blade of grass. Took 2 weeks to get him back to normal! If he is atleast eating brine shrimp you can use vitamins to keep him healthy until he takes to the brown algae (again, the staple of his diet).

I agree about the big tank... and use plenty of current, they can't get enough of it!

Goodluck.

 

[Iron]

make sure they eat something before you buy. Mine ate caulerpa and seaweed select. it eats brine shrimp live ..and sometimes spinurila