Gem tang not eating

[Reef AquaCult]

Did you try a mirror to distract the Kole tang? Sounds like the fish is getting picked on. That’s no good when he’s not eating

 

[RedSea500MaxS]

Live brine? Chaeto? Hard to resist fresh algaes...

 

[smalltimereefin]

Propping the mirror up right now good call ...have taken macro algae from my refugium and put it in his corner

 

[TerraFerma]

I'd really get in touch with the vendor my man. Both my gems were eating within a few hours out of the bag. Tangs are not fish that normally go on hunger strike from shipping stress.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Can you get some egg crate and make a make-shift tank divider so that the gem tang can still be in your main tank, but he can have some space of his own for a few weeks?

 

[Kjgaeta]

I’ve tried OGO from Marine Collectors and it works wonders for tangs in my personal experience.

 

[Reef AquaCult]

I’ve tried OGO from Marine Collectors and it works wonders for tangs in my personal experience.

Same here. Algae barn and some LFS also have ogo

 

[smalltimereefin]

On the hunt for red ogo in local reed groups, algaebarn and everyone else is out of stock...ordered some live black worms that'll be here in a few days, am also in touch with the vendor and we are brainstorming together on a solution. I'm more concerned with having a healthy fish than a refund.

 

[smalltimereefin]

@bahamas, funny you sais yours was bumping into corals and a mess, mine was/is the same way....seemingly discombobulated...wonder if these fish were a product of cyanide fishing or some other sedative for shipping? Mine seems to be coming around a little more today and even saw him take a bite of the macroalgae i put in.

 

[TerraFerma]

You guys really need to bring this up with the vendors you got these gems from. They sent you sub par fish. If you know they send sub par fish and are Ok with that then I guess it’s fine. Ich aside tangs are not difficult fish. If it ain’t eating the day you get it something is wrong with it.

This should be the vendors problem with their supplier - not your problem. The vendor can get a tax write off if it dies on them. The hobbyist not so much.
Be great if you named the vendors so people can avoid them.

 

[smalltimereefin]

For me, the vendor is an LFS. They have been supportive the whole way through and we are currently discussing an exchange and treatment for this gem. I have kept multiple tangs and know that this is odd and unhealthy behavior clearly, but at the same time care for the well being of the fish, despite who's problem it is. I can't tell you how many old threads i've gone through on R2R and other forums searching for help in this hobby and found great solutions and fruit for thought pertaining to whatever the situation was. Hopefully this one will help someone else who one day gets a tang that isn't eating. Also, hopefully this thread ends with updates of 2 healthy gems.

 

[bahamasmls]

UPDATE....

Well its now been around 4 weeks and my gem tang is still alive. I am still yet to see him actually eat anything i serve up. I have tried everything from soaked nori on a rock red/purple/green. Mysis/brine in garlic. several different types of pellets.

He is still skinny but not any skinner from when i first got him. My guess is that he is grazing on the green hair algae i let grow out a little. He seems more comfortable with the tank and has taken over a cave where he spends 70% of his time. Still very bazaar i have never had a fish or a tang like this.

 

[smalltimereefin]

UPDATE....

Well its now been around 4 weeks and my gem tang is still alive. I am still yet to see him actually eat anything i serve up. I have tried everything from soaked nori on a rock red/purple/green. Mysis/brine in garlic. several different types of pellets.

He is still skinny but not any skinner from when i first got him. My guess is that he is grazing on the green hair algae i let grow out a little. He seems more comfortable with the tank and has taken over a cave where he spends 70% of his time. Still very bazaar i have never had a fish or a tang like this.

Glad yours is still doing okay. Mine is also coming around. Exploring the tank and has also taken over a cave that he defends well from others, he is the biggest tang in the tank and knows it.
I have gotten mine to eat seaweed rubberbanded to an old snail shell that I put right in front of his cave daily, and he is eating well. I also rubberbanded some half shell clam meat in with his seaweed and he ate that too. He seems timid but I am starting to suspect vision issues.
When I feed frozen, he is starting to try and go for the food but misses it completely. Even when he is eating from his rubberband shell he occasionally misses what he seems to be aiming for. When he does get it he seems to stare at it pretty intently before going in for a successful bite. This could also explain how he was bumping into rocks and coral early on.
He swims well throughout the tank and looks healthy. Seems to be getting more normal by the day for me. I'll be happy as long as he keeps eating his nori. Maybe he's nearsighted like his dad..

Hoping any of my experience can help at all.

 

[bahamasmls]

Glad yours is still doing okay. Mine is also coming around. Exploring the tank and has also taken over a cave that he defends well from others, he is the biggest tang in the tank and knows it.
I have gotten mine to eat seaweed rubberbanded to an old snail shell that I put right in front of his cave daily, and he is eating well. I also rubberbanded some half shell clam meat in with his seaweed and he ate that too. He seems timid but I am starting to suspect vision issues.
When I feed frozen, he is starting to try and go for the food but misses it completely. Even when he is eating from his rubberband shell he occasionally misses what he seems to be aiming for. When he does get it he seems to stare at it pretty intently before going in for a successful bite. This could also explain how he was bumping into rocks and coral early on.
He swims well throughout the tank and looks healthy. Seems to be getting more normal by the day for me. I'll be happy as long as he keeps eating his nori. Maybe he's nearsighted like his dad..

Hoping any of my experience can help at all.

wow i think i got your tangs twin...... i also thought he could be blind as well. Ill try and do more of the nori on a rock in his cave area.

 

[smalltimereefin]

Make sure you have nori in a seperate place in the tank at the same time so he can take his time without being bothered by other hungry fish.
Strange fish indeed. Wondering if they came from the same place in Madagascar since we got them around the same time.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Mine is an eating machine. It grazed the first day, second day, I offered brine shrimp with garlic added. Third day it ate a piece or few.
Then I added flakes which it chased. second attempt it ate a couple of flakes. Then I fed a mixture of frozen foods and it picked from it. Now when it sees me, its at the top ready for meals.
For nori - try to place it in area where it grazes and tends to hang out in tank.
IN THE EVENT IT MAY BE AN INTERNAL ISSUE, TRY ADDING A LITTLE PRAZIPRO AS AN ASSURANCE.

 

[jreefier]

Hi, i got a 4inch or so gem tang last week. He has not eaten a thing including algae on the glass or rocks which is bizarre. He looks pretty healthy besides pretty stressed out from the travel to get here the first day i had him. Each day he gets Skinnier and skinnier

I have tried nori on a rock
mysis
brine
flakes
3 different types of pellets
food in garlic

My next guess is that he has to have some sort of parasite. Nothing is visible besides the symptoms of not eating. I did do a fresh water dip for 5 minutes the first few days of receiving him.

Any ideas on how to get this guy to eat? I do not have a qt tank setup or the medicine on hand. All my parameters are inline.

Keep trying. I didn't see my yellow tang eat for the entire 10 weeks in QT but apparently it was. Now he's a fat one.

 

[radsdad]

My Gem refused everything until he saw cooked Broccoli. That seemed to introduce him to the world of fine dining and he never stopped eating after that.

 

[bahamasmls]

My Gem refused everything until he saw cooked Broccoli. That seemed to introduce him to the world of fine dining and he never stopped eating after that.

cooked broccoli really? I will try that now. Did you put it on a clip or ?

 

[radsdad]

I put it in a magnetic algae clip.