Feeding Sohal Tang????

[CHEMCHEF]

I biught a sohal tang 1 week ago, about 4". I tried feeding, pellet, flake, But he would not eat. I took some untoased norri home from work & he is eating like a champ. But how much should he eat. as soon as its all gone he is lookig for more. Is this normal, and if so, What kind of impact does all the flying seaweed have on the water param, if any???

 

[ellebelle]

You have a Sohal Tang in your 24g aquapod? :bigeyes:

 

[D1J8Z]

please be advised sohal tangs are really nasty even in larger tanks. They are ment for 180+ tanks

Normaly this fish will eat ANYTHING the fact it is not is strange

 

[ellebelle]

Chemchef, as a group, tangs like veggies. You should be feeding any tang a healthy portion of nori and veggie flakes for good health. If he hasn't eaten anything for a week, I would suggest feeding heavily for a couple of days.

HOWEVER

Sohal tangs max out at 2 FEET long. And they grow very quickly. A 24g tank is not a suitable environment for any tang, much less one of the larger species. In the open water, all sturgeon fish are "swimmers" - some swimming upwards of 2km per day. Even if you were going to house a juvi sohal tang, you would want something that is longer rather than taller and wider - something like a 55g or a 125g - that is 4' or 6' long. And that would still only be a temporary home as they will grow quickly.

edit: I just saw your 72 bowfront tank thread. That is better but it is still too small for a sohal tang.

 

[lunner]

But how much should he eat. as soon as its all gone he is lookig for more. Is this normal, and if so, What kind of impact does all the flying seaweed have on the water param, if any???

You have him for only one week, and he is already eating nori. I wouldn't worry about his eating right now. But since he is not eating anything but the nori, you should have some nori for him to eat most of the time.

You can rubberband the nori on a piece of live rock along with some frozen gel food (like Formula 2 and 1). He will learn to pick on the gel food in no time. As for the other food, he will slowly pick that up from the other fish. Sometimes they learn quick, sometimes it will take awhile.

And yes, the flying seaweed will have an impact on your tank so you should remove those free flowing nori if you have the chance. Also I find that by rubberband the nori on a piece of LR or PVC a few times is a bit better then using those veggie clips.

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

Hi CHEMCHEF ;-)

As stated by ellebelle and yourbedormine18, the Sohal is definitely not a fish for a 24g tank for the several reasons mentioned. You should be needing a 2400g tank to house it properly and to somewhat smooth its bad temper

The pictures bellow were taken at the Red Sea during a live aboard diving trip...I think this gives you and idea of what you got into...

by the way, this is what a Naso can reach for a size,

and I knew it and have in project a 1000g tank, but so far I didn't go ahead with it because I want to buy a new house and don't want to have on hands such a large tank to move, and now I have a large 3 year old Naso that needs a larger tank living in a 180g or so tank...:bigeyes::scratchch

Please reconsider of either changing the fish for another one, or getting the 2400g tank...well maybe less, but at least some 1000g

For food along with the Nori and other veggies, they accept this rather well

Cheers
Pedro Nuno ;-)

 

[CHEMCHEF]

I guess I wont be keeping him for too long. Thanks for all the info.
I wish I had known all this.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Where did you get the fish? They should have informed you of the care and the proper size tank for the fish. See if they will take it back and refund your money.

 

[ellebelle]

In the future, you could always check our fish database before you make a purchase. here is the entry on Sohal Tangs:
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/fish-database/21273-acanthurus-sohal.html?filter[17]=Tangs

And I second Chief's suggestion - see if they will take it back.

 

[nanoreefer22]

And as always, please research before you buy

 

[duke62]

yeah you should always check up on what u are purchasing.if you see something u like at the lfs store write down the names and go home and check to see if its a match for ur setup.believe me dont worry about if someone is going to purchase it when u leave.there are vendors here that can get u what u want :splitspin

 

[finksmart]

Sorry to hijack the post. Anyone know what kind of damsels in the pictures are? They have distinctive white tail and black body. Are the available to us?

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

Hi finksmart ;-)

Go to your LFS and ask for Chromis dimidiata - Chocolate chip chromis or Black and white chromis , also here and here

Chromis dimidiata (Klunzinger 1871), the Two-tone Chromis. Indian Ocean and Red Sea (origin of this image). To two inches overall length. A more common offering in European pet-fish markets. Red Sea image.

You have also Chromis iomelas form the Pacific Ocean, quite similar and perhaps more easy to find in USA or at a lower price than the Chormis dimidiata from the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Cheers
Pedro Nuno ;-)

 

[nycmat]

chemchef. they should return or exchange it for something else for u. i would also try some cyclopeeze mixed with some veggies. that should make them eat. but u have to get him out of that 24. put him in the 72 if u really like him.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I have a 6+ incher in my 180G. This fish needs at least 180G or 8 foot+ long tank. Extremely active and super fast swimmer. Nasty in temperament towards other tangs but my yellow and tomini are able to defend themselves, hopefully it stays that way, so far so good after 6 months. Great fish thou.

 

[marrone]

6"+ is still on the small side, they get a lot bigger and a lot meaner.

 

[BZOFIQ]

yes it is but enought to see that this fish requires a lot of space. 24G is nowhere near the space needed for this species.

 

[ed4]

PSA - Fish Town USA has 4 or 5 baby Sohal Tangs for sale. They're in great shape, cute and most of all, tempting. The ones they have are 4" specimens that might seem ok in a <180g tank but buyer beware.

 

[CHEMCHEF]

The Sohal is in the 72. I never put any tang in my 24, as I was told many times, that it was too small for any tang.
Most of the people I spoke to however informed me that a 72 would be ok for a sohal until it gets too big for the tank 6" or so.
The unfortunate part of this actually ties into Dukes thread. Because this is the fish my wife wanted(i dont really even like tangs- Im more of a wrasse guy) and it has gotten her interested in the tank. She even picked out a coral the other day.
So I do not want to now suddenly tell her "your fish has to go"
So how long do you think i have until D-Day (which also happens to be our anniversary)LOL.
A little info on the fish. His temperment is good. He swims around with my coris wrasse and potters angel all day.
He is eating good.
And he found a nice place to hide where no one bothers him when he's not in the mooood.
and he is a BEAUTIFUL PERFECT SPECIMEN
Thanks for all the feedback

yes it is but enought to see that this fish requires a lot of space. 24G is nowhere near the space needed for this species.

 

[Killerdrgn]

So you just gently tell her "Hey honey since you want to keep this guy, you want him/her to be the best and healthiest it can be right? So if you want that we're going to need to buy a bigger tank." Bam, sweet upgrade time!