How to get a tang grazing?

[Halal Hotdog]

This is a new one for me. I have kept quite a few tangs over the years and they all grazed on the rock eating micro/macro algae. For the last two months I have a baby naso tang (~2") that does not graze on the rock at all. Literally none. Doesn't eat macro algae. Chews and spits out nori. Does eat a little spinach, and meaty foods. He is getting chubby on his current diet, but tangs need a perpetual source of food, and lack of grazing concerns me. Is there something I can do to get him to start grazing?

 

[EmdeReef]

Not much you can do other than offer foods. Some tangs will do fine without the constant grazing.

You could try growing ulva or gracilaria in your refugium and see if it would eat that.

 

[minus9]

Rubber-band some nori or macros to a rock or two, which will help them graze in a natural way. If you grow chaeto, you can use some of that as well? When I want to trim my chaeto, I wind some up on a clip and my foxface and yellow tang gobble it up. I mainly feed LRS reef frenzy and nori though. Your fish is pretty small, so some extra protein doesn't hurt and it will eventually learn how to graze, just give it some opportunities. You can try and soak some nori in selcon?

 

[KrisReef]

Do you have algae growing on the rocks? If so, then cut back on the meaty food and your baby-fatty will get busy when the easy rations get cut from the menu.

 

[Matt Carden]

Do you have algae growing on the rocks? If so, then cut back on the meaty food and your baby-fatty will get busy when the easy rations get cut from the menu.

My Coral Beauty does this. He only grazes after a few hours after feeding time. Funny think is that he seems to follow my Lawnmower like he didn't know it was food until.he sees Stache grazing.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Appreciate all the replies. I have tried growing macros in my sump and adding some to the tank, the rabbit fish and other tang go bonkers, but he is not phased. If I stop feeding him I feel he will die before grazing. I do have micro algae growing on the rocks that the other fish graze on all day, so it is available.

Let me ask this, has anyone had a tang that started grazing as it matured? I feel to really have long-term success with him I will have to find a way to get him food all day. I am hoping it is a habit that can be learned as he gets bigger.

 

[lion king]

Yes, before you asked in your last response, my orange shoulder tang didn't start grazing until he matured a bit. Now he is non-stop, I mean literally non-stop.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Yes, before you asked in your last response, my orange shoulder tang didn't start grazing until he matured a bit. Now he is non-stop, I mean literally non-stop.

Great to hear. I have never had such a juvenile tang before so maybe that is it. How big was he when you first got him? How long did it take before he started being a cow?

 

[lion king]

Each fish is different, nasos have been notoriously difficult for some, the fat belly sounds good. I just think it takes some fish time to recognize what is food in a captive environment. Hikari mega algae mix is an excellent food to mix in with what you are feeding. The live natural macro is also a good touch, my fish like the fern caulerpa. Sounds like you have other tangs, he'll come around.

 

[russell13]

Yeah my Naso didn’t graze much either. Just swam in the open part of the tank

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Yeah my Naso didn’t graze much either. Just swam in the open part of the tank

Did this ever change?

 

[Salty Lemon]

I am far from a tang expert. However...my purple tang never grazed, never ate nori -- nothing. I was certain there would be eventual death. During the holidays we had a fun secret Santa gift exchange. My secret Santa sent me some fun stuff, but was included was purple seaweed by Julian Sprung. The tang jumped onto it immediately, then started to graze and eat normally. I have since always made certain I have it in stock for feeding.

 

[cracker]

I have small Blue Hippo that won't eat any algae as well.

 

[Hemmdog]

I have small Blue Hippo that won't eat any algae as well.

My juvi hippo & atl blue wouldn’t eat algae when they were young either. I ended up getting some in them by using the small hakari nori pellets and feeding that instead of my afternoon mysis meal I give the tank. I did that 3 times a week until they started grazing and taking sheet nori. They still are finicky with the sheet nori but will eat some.

 

[cracker]

My juvi hippo & atl blue wouldn’t eat algae when they were young either. I ended up getting some in them by using the small hakari nori pellets and feeding that instead of my afternoon mysis meal I give the tank. I did that 3 times a week until they started grazing and taking sheet nori. They still are finicky with the sheet nori but will eat some.

Iv'e been adding algae flake & small pieces of nori to the food. I don't know if the fish is eating it or not . we shall see !
On a side note , I just saw both the small red shrimps that eat apastia . I added them months ago. I thought they were history long ago ! This pleases me !

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Interesting to see I'm not the only one with a herbivore with no taste for veggies. The most frustrating part is the additional amount of food I have to add to compensate for his poor lifestyle choice.

 

[Xanthurum]

Naso tangs are different from most tangs and do not tend to "graze" like others. While most tangs stay close to the reefs Naso tangs are somewhat open water swimmers and therefore get most of their food from the water column. They prefer Brown and Red algae that is found floating around reefs. They may learn to graze with the use of clips or rubber banding nori to rocks but they prefer if you break up the nori and just let it float around.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Naso tangs are different from most tangs and do not tend to "graze" like others. While most tangs stay close to the reefs Naso tangs are somewhat open water swimmers and therefore get most of their food from the water column. They prefer Brown and Red algae that is found floating around reefs. They may learn to graze with the use of clips or rubber banding nori to rocks but they prefer if you break up the nori and just let it float around.

This 100%

 

[roberthu526]

2” is probably too small to be grazing all day. Once it’s bigger and sees other fish eating seaweed it will catch up.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Naso tangs are different from most tangs and do not tend to "graze" like others. While most tangs stay close to the reefs Naso tangs are somewhat open water swimmers and therefore get most of their food from the water column. They prefer Brown and Red algae that is found floating around reefs. They may learn to graze with the use of clips or rubber banding nori to rocks but they prefer if you break up the nori and just let it float around.

Interesting point, didn't think about that. Perhaps he will never graze, will have to figure out a solution for feeding more often.