Foxface needs to put on weight

[Fin-up reefing]

I recently bought a magnificent foxface from my lfs for $29.. I couldn’t pass up that opportunity! But he’s a little skinny and I worry he may have internal parasites or it could be because he’s still a juvenile. Any tips on what would be the best diet for him? And if it’s internal parasites what should I do to fix that?

 

[Mal11224]

Greta price for a foxface. I have one and it is very hardy. Seaweed is what they love. Also, they are decent algae eaters, similar to tangs.
Best thing to do is quarantine if you can. I would not add a fish to a display tank if you suspect parasites. I’m no expert in this department. But there are many people who are. This may help.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-and-treatment-guidelines-with-chart.283450/

 

[Reefing Madness]

@Humblefish

 

[Humblefish]

Have you seen any white stringy poo come out of him? Does his stomach look pinched?

 

[Fin-up reefing]

Have you seen any white stringy poo come out of him? Does his stomach look pinched?

I do not see any white stringy poo, and no it doesn’t look pinched he’s just really skinny.. I can see his bones. He’s been at the LFS for a few months though and I know they treated his system with copper when they got him.

 

[Fin-up reefing]

Greta price for a foxface. I have one and it is very hardy. Seaweed is what they love. Also, they are decent algae eaters, similar to tangs.
Best thing to do is quarantine if you can. I would not add a fish to a display tank if you suspect parasites. I’m no expert in this department. But there are many people who are. This may help.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-and-treatment-guidelines-with-chart.283450/

Thank you!

 

[Humblefish]

I do not see any white stringy poo, and no it doesn’t look pinched he’s just really skinny.. I can see his bones. He’s been at the LFS for a few months though and I know they treated his system with copper when they got him.

Maybe its just a case of malnutrition? I would be feeding him lots & lots of nori.

 

[ca1ore]

Nori, nori and more nori. Minimal experience with foxes, but nori is what I use to get weight on tangs. Sunken belly is not, by itself, necessarily problematic; but excessive weight loss is. Fish that show ‘pinching’ behind the head are already in really bad shape, and prognosis is poor at that point. Keep it in its own if you can and feed, feed, feed.

 

[ReeferReefer]

I would offer nori consistently while the lights are on.

 

[mort]

Smaller foxface have a fast metabolism so I'd suspect it wasn't fed enough of the right foods, often enough at the shop. I recently got a magnificent as well and you could see its spine pretty easily but it's belly looked full. I added it to a tank and constantly offered algae on which it could graze all day and fed meaty frozen food (enriched a couple of times a week with vits) several times a day to help it put on weight.
Mine had also been treated with copper but whilst in qt I only treated for intestinal worms and observed. It's taken a couple of months for it to fill out.

 

[Jesterrace]

Yup a steady supply of Seaweed/Nori will fatten it up as will algae to graze on around the tank. My One Spot Foxface is a chipper/shredder for seaweed and can Gobble it down in seconds. Loves it so much that it will practically rip it out of my hands before I can get it into it's clip.

 

[OriginalUserName]

Mine is a pig. Lots of grazing and in addition to nori has taken a liking to PE pellets and mysis.

 

[Carterfish]

Nori all the time and praziquantel. I had internal parasites in a Naso tang and this did the trick.