Tangs won’t eat nori

[User]

Hi guys

Looking for some insight.

I have a 3.5” Magnificent Foxface in the DT (3 months), and two 3.5” tangs (YT and PT) in QT for 2 weeks.

I’ve tried feeding the MFF green and red nori (folded sheets attached to a piece of PVC with a rubber band, on suction cup clips, on a floating clip) but she never bites. Tried probably 8-9 times over the past 6 weeks. She does eat mysis, ocean feast, formula 2 (EDIT-formula 1, got them mixed up) pellets , TDO chroma boost. She avoids formula 2 pellets.

I’ve had nori in the tang QT from day 1, in the tank for 3-4 hours a day. Never once seen it being picked at. I just end up pulling chunks off the water surface. They do take a few formula 2 pellets, but subsist mainly on ocean feast and mysis, supplemented with ground up TDO chroma boost pellets, formula 1 , and selcon. They actually go nuts for the formula 1

I know these fish are herbivores, but I just can’t get them to try the nori. Any alternative ‘greens’ I should try?

What essential vitamins are lacking in the food they are taking? I’m thinking of supplementing with ground up freeze dried spirulina and nori flakes (mixed into their preferred frozen food) to provide the [emoji263] part of their diet. Additionally, I grow nannochloropsis as coral and pod food, so could in theory freeze dry some of that and mix it in too.

Any insight you guys can offer would be a huge help

 

[jda]

They are not herbivores, they are omnivores. If it is eating mysis and the formula 2 pellets, then that is good - there is a lot of spirulina in those pellets. They might eventually take to some nori, but it is not necessary - my tangs are 12 and 7 years old and have never eaten nori.

 

[User]

They are not herbivores, they are omnivores. If it is eating mysis and the formula 2 pellets, then that is good - there is a lot of spirulina in those pellets. They might eventually take to some nori, but it is not necessary - my tangs are 12 and 7 years old and have never eaten nori.

Sorry- I shouldn’t post when exhausted. So many typos...

Yes- I meant omnivore, but had a brain fart. Thanks

And I got my Formula 1/2 mixed up- neither the tangs nor the MFF take formula 2, with the spirulina, but they go nuts for the formula 1.

 

[Williamson’s Reef]

Don’t feel bad...mine won’t either. They do love the Hikari seaweed extreme pellets though.

 

[jda]

Try new life spectrum pellets.

 

[Sagecritter4life]

Had no luck with nori/seaweed sheets but Julian sprung Purple Sea weed flakes mine loves

 

[abzhama]

Yep mine too, left nori hanging in there for hours and never even went near it! But eats pellets like cray!

 

[ShaunRobinson]

Mine go mad for Ocean Nutrition Seaweed. It's fairly pricey but lasts ages. You could also try shredding some nori up and mixing it in with the regular food and see if it takes it.

 

[chanson]

Put garlic drops on the nori and and rub it in and let it soak. My fish wont touch it normally but if I do this they attack it untill its gone

 

[VSVP bet]

Try romaine lettuce, my clown tang will not eat nori, someone gave me this advice, and to my surprise it actually worked.

 

[User]

I should have updated- the original YT passed away due to complications treating black spot, and the replacmebt YT, as well as the original PT go crazy for regular nori.

But I do have to cut it into thin strips for them. But that’s no biggie

Thanks for all the tips

 

[lagatbezan]

I never had any luck feeding nori in qt so I quit offering it since it also makes a big mess.
but in my display, one full sheet only last a few minutes before its fully consumed by my tangs, angels, foxface and even racoon butterfly.