Gem tang not eating

bahamasmls · Mar 27, 2020

radsdad said:
I put it in a magnetic algae clip.

well i did what you said. Hes forsure interested but no bites yet. How long did it take your gem to take a bite?

radsdad · Mar 27, 2020

About 24 hours.

smalltimereefin · Mar 27, 2020

That's awesome, think I may give it a shot too

Reef_Rookie · Mar 27, 2020

I had a Blonde Naso Tang that quite eating on the 21st of this Month that I stuck in a QT without starting any treatments so she could get use to the tank. She just now started eating today. I hope this makes you feel a bit better because I was worried. Your Tang might just be scared and has to settle in . Hope it works out. I also tried all kinds of food

bahamasmls · Apr 1, 2020

so the broccoli didn't work.... Maybe I'm not a good cook

smalltimereefin · Apr 2, 2020

So I still havent tried broccoli but I have finally gotten mine eating from the seaweed clip and acting even more normal. He still doesn't eat frozen though. Hope you're having some luck bahamas.

bahamasmls · Apr 2, 2020

Thats good news. I would probably be blind and bumping into things too on a diet that wasn't proper. I am going to keep trying..... I am doing a tank upgrade in the next week. So i may sump him and try to get him to eat in there before reintroducing him.

bahamasmls · Apr 5, 2020

good news, my gem tang is finally picking away at seaweed!!!
A few days before i finally saw him picking at gha. So it thought i would try the seaweed rubber bang rock trick. And it worked! Only problem is i plan on doing a tank upgrade next week. I am hoping he gets used to eating before another stressful move!

bahamasmls · Apr 8, 2020

Hes been chowing down on nori now for a few days. I keep having to put the rock with a rubber band in his little area. I am hoping that he will start eating off a clip with the rest of the tangs soon...... Thanks for all the help on this one

smalltimereefin · Apr 8, 2020

Awesome glad you're getting somewhere. Mine is munching away at the seaweed clip after a couple weeks of the rubberbanded rock near his cave. I knew once he got a solid taste for it and I stopped putting it near his cave he would go for the clip and it worked like a charm. I've even seen him take a couple meaty bites during frozen feeding time now. Even got him swimming with the pack. Good luck with the move!

Volcomstned · Apr 8, 2020

Interesting! I bought 2 gem tangs as well on March 30th.. one is doing awesome and the other is eating nori on a clip but acts funny. Acts blind.. bumps into things and I can actually pick him out of the water with my bare hand.. I have him in a 90 gallon tank all by himself to see if he gets any better.

smalltimereefin · Apr 8, 2020

Edit: I also caught mine with the net very easily when I first got her for a freshwater dip, but she will run away from my tongs or net now, so i'll call that a good sign too.

Sounds just like ours volcom. Also purchased around the same time. I think its fair to say at this point that something fishy (pun intended) went on with recent gem exports, probably from the same place in Madagascar.
I CAN say that I have noticed significant improvement over time with the gem's normal and eating behaviors. Unsure though, if it's just learning to cope with whatever is going on, or if it's physically improving. Does seem happy in my tank at this point though. Swims up to me when I walk up like she's begging for food which i'll take as a good sign.

vetteguy53081 · Apr 8, 2020

Bury a piece of nori into rocks. It should show interest. Other option is live brine shrimp.
Important also is how it was acclimated. How did you introduce fish ?
If it is pooping, is the poop white ?

Volcomstned · Apr 8, 2020

Mine came in from Madagascar. I bought them direct from the importer.. straight out of the shipping bag after he picked them up from the airport!

smalltimereefin · Apr 8, 2020

Volcomstned said:
Mine came in from Madagascar. I bought them direct from the importer.. straight out of the shipping bag after he picked them up from the airport!

Same here. Same with bahamas I think.

Volcomstned · Apr 8, 2020

smalltimereefin said:
Same here. Same with bahamas I think.

good sign is at least it’s eating nori.. any advice on and meds or anything I should soak the nori in?? I’d love this fish to act normal so I can get him into a tank with other fish and not have him be picked on.

Volcomstned · Apr 8, 2020

Volcomstned · Apr 8, 2020

Picture from yesterday

smalltimereefin · Apr 8, 2020

Volcomstned said:
good sign is at least it’s eating nori.. any advice on and meds or anything I should soak the nori in?? I’d love this fish to act normal so I can get him into a tank with other fish and not have him be picked on.

I don't know much about fish meds but I do believe it would be difficult to recommend something when we "think" we're dealing with vision issues. In my opinion as long as mine's appetite for nori stays strong, so will the fish. I have noticed swimming improvement over time so hopefully she's getting better.
I did keep a mirror up to my tank for probably a week to allow the new gem to adjust without getting bullied, and it worked like a charm. Now my gem is the biggest fish in the tank and flares her fins with no problems at her tank mates that were previously bullies.