? about feeding my tang

[tilly]

I bought a purple tang a few weeks ago. He has adjusted without any problems. He was never skiddish and ate immediately. He/she is awesome!
My question....
I am feeding him the dried seaweed from my LFS. I feed all my fish about every 3 days. He even eats the frozen food I feed the other fish...thought he was an herbivore? He always seems hungry. Should I be feeding him more often?
I was also considering getting some macro algea to grow in my refugium for him. Any comments about that?
Any other secrets, suggestions?....
Thanks!

 

[Tremelle]

Tangs love to graze all day. I feed my fish twice a day, once with frozen mysis and the with Formula Two. I also keep a sheet of nori available for them as well. But I feel they should be feed more than every 3 days. It probably will not stay happy for long at that rate of feeding. JMO.

 

[danmhippo]

Purple is omnivore. Mine eats anything I put into the tank....even seafood scraps. However, to keep your purple healthy, you should give him nori sheets on a constant basis. If you put a new sheet and he can finish it up in 4 hours, you should offer him everyday.

 

[cubera]

Yes! Feed tangs at least daily. Several feedings daily are OK too! They are pigs.

 

[davelin315]

Feedings also depend on your tank. As was already pointed out, tangs are ominivores (most fish are, and will eat about anything you offer as they adapt to your tank) and will graze all day. If you have yours in a reef, you will see it picking at the rock all day long. I would suggest 1 feeding per day of a good flake, and supplement every once in a while with some nori if you choose, or some frozen foods. Mine get nori once in a blue moon (about 5 times in the years that I have had them), OSI Spirulina flake about every day, and the occasional shrimp and OSI Marine Star when I target feed my jawfish. Occasionally, I will also dump in a chunk of blended shrimp/fish that I prepared and froze. I usually rely more on my reef to produce algae and various pods to keep the tangs and the rest of the inhabitants well fed.

 

[suckair]

I have had good luck throwing in clumps of grape calupra algae.. The clump usualy settels on one end or the other depending on which pump got it first and once I was lucky enough for it to take hold and not be totaly eaten for a month as it kept growing.

The tangs would come up to it all the time taking little bites.

They are true pigs and I love them.

Randall

PS I have a 54g corner refugium next to the 120 and I throw away more algae than I can feed.. Refugiums rock!

 

[Goldmoon]

just to give you an idea, we feed ours twice a day. And he does not eat. He vaccums the food.. that is why we called him HOOVER

 

[smokin reefer]

Where can I get some of this nori? Do the desjardini tang like it to?.

 

[julieanne]

nori is seaweed sheets sold at your supermarket, in the oiental food section. Ask them if they have it. Most larger supermarkets carry them. It has been my experience that all the different tangs i have love them and so do other fish, maroon clown, blue devil....

 

[esmithiii]

I fed my yellow once a day frozen brine, which was not enough. I found out the hard way! Feed EVERY DAY, and provide NORI at all times.

E

 

[JohnD]

I feed my purple tang a sheet of Seaweed Selects every day. He, along with the other inhabitants, also gets a cube of Formula 1, 2, Angel Formula, etc. soaked in either Selcon or Vita-chem. Make sure you soak the food in either one of these suppliments. You don't want the critters to get any deficiencies.

 

[smokin reefer]

how many phosphates and nutrients will nori put in my water?