What Kind of Nori?

drstratton · Jan 11, 2016

My Starry Blenny and One Spot Foxface will be arriving on Tuesday! I need to buy some Nori for them. Do I need to buy anything special or can I just get Raw, unroasted & unseasoned from a grocery store? Thanks!

bayoupr · Jan 11, 2016

I have always used Julian Spring's Sea Veggies purple and green seaweed on a clip. Never used the grocery store nori so I can't say yes/no.

Justiful · Jan 11, 2016

bayoupr said:
I have always used Julian Spring's Sea Veggies purple and green seaweed on a clip. Never used the grocery store nori so I can't say yes/no.

I second this, I use sea veggies purple, and omega green right now. No particular reason for brands besides it was what was in stock at LFS. But remember these are both supplemental foods they will eat other things in the tank. The Foxface will want frozen mysis also. Not sure on starry blenny, I got a lawnmower one. He just eats sand and rocks all day. lol

kendavjac · Jan 11, 2016

I use sushi wraps from an oriental market. Much cheaper. I'm sure the stuff from the grocery store is fine.

kendavjac · Jan 11, 2016

I also feed romaine lettuce and spinach. My tangs prefer it and it holds together better. Not as much ends up on the bottom of my tank.

drstratton · Jan 11, 2016

Thanks for the input! The Blenny is a herbivore, so it says to supplement its diet with spirulina!

kendavjac said:
I also feed romaine lettuce and spinach. My tangs prefer it and it holds together better. Not as much ends up on the bottom of my tank.

Thank you, that is good to know! These guys will be in QT for at least a month, so I want to be careful with what I feed them. The Romaine and spinach is something that might work really well, with a little nori & spirulina thrown in and of course Mysis for my Foxface!!!

cmcoker · Jan 11, 2016

I get the seaweed from the Asian market as well. 10 sheets, each double the size of the stuff marketed for Aquariums. around $1-2.

drstratton · Jan 11, 2016

cmcoker said:
I get the seaweed from the Asian market as well. 10 sheets, each double the size of the stuff marketed for Aquariums. around $1-2.

Thank you! I ordered some from Amazon this morning! I have to drive an hour to shop, so I do a lot online! I'm hoping it was a good deal!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VY99OXU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01

Jlobes · Jan 11, 2016

I havent tried it yet, but just got some Rods seaweed in. Love all the RODS foods! seriously my favorite out there, so im guessing the seaweed is gonna be the bees knees..

however, supermarket nori works too, just make sure its not toasted/flavored.

drstratton · Jan 11, 2016

Jlobes said:
I havent tried it yet, but just got some Rods seaweed in. Love all the RODS foods! seriously my favorite out there, so im guessing the seaweed is gonna be the bees knees..

however, supermarket nori works too, just make sure its not toasted/flavored.

Thanks! I ordered the raw, untoasted & unseasoned kind. I like Rod's also, well my fish do! Do you order yours, if so, may I ask where or do you have an lfs where you can get it?

Jlobes · Jan 11, 2016

drstratton said:
Thanks! I ordered the raw, untoasted & unseasoned kind. I like Rod's also, well my fish do! Do you order yours, if so, may I ask where or do you have an lfs where you can get it?

just got my LFS to start carrying it, hope it continues and is well received.

drstratton · Jan 11, 2016

Nice! I hope so also, if you have to pay shipping for something it can really bring the cost up! If you don't mind, would you post back here and report how it works out? Thanks!!!

StrawberryShortcake · Jan 11, 2016

I feed mines ron's seaweed, they seem to like it.

wpeterson · Jan 11, 2016

Anything feed grade should be reef safe and tasty for your fish. I usually buy it in the grocery store with the sushi supplies. I've had good luck with the Stash brand of dried nori sheets, $2-3 and has lasted me six months so far, probably a year of feeding 1"x3" strips every other day.

bevo5 · Jan 11, 2016

Great thread - thanks y'all. I was curious which was best. I ordered some of the Rod's Food sheets.

Are romaine and spinach even worth throwing in every now and then or not really? I also used to serve cut up peas to my wild africans to help with digestive issues - does anybody do that for tangs?

What else should we feed them?

Right now I'm feeding my Naso and White Tail - Nori strips (they LOVE them), and spirulina flake and spirulina brine. They wont touch reef frenzy...

Thanks.

drstratton · Jan 11, 2016

wpeterson said:
Anything feed grade should be reef safe and tasty for your fish. I usually buy it in the grocery store with the sushi supplies. I've had good luck with the Stash brand of dried nori sheets, $2-3 and has lasted me six months so far, probably a year of feeding 1"x3" strips every other day.

How many fish are you feeding the Nori to? Thanks!

wpeterson · Jan 11, 2016

drstratton said:
How many fish are feeding the Nori to? Thanks!

One juvenile yellow tang. She took to it hungrily when we first got her, but now that she's fatter and happier she only eats one strip every day or two.

The algae in the Stash brand nori appears a mix of green and purple.

drstratton · Jan 11, 2016

wpeterson said:
One juvenile yellow tang. She took to it hungrily when we first got her, but now that she's fatter and happier she only eats one strip every day or two.

The algae in the Stash brand nori appears a mix of green and purple.

Thank you for the information! It can sometimes be hard to figure out just how much to feed to our fish. I have my firefish figured out now, they are also fat and happy!

bevo5 · Jan 11, 2016

Man - I got a naso that came in pretty skinny about 10 days ago. She would only nibble on Spirulina brine. Now she's eating about half strip of nori a day if I leave it. I figure it's all good as long as she's eating and it's just not getting trapped in the filters.

I went down today and, while mostly talking to myself, said 'are you eating' and right on cue she picked up a big tear of nori and just munched it down while staring straight at me. Kind of like making your kid sit at the table and eat vegetables.

She's for sure fatter now...hoping it continues. (knock on wood!)

wpeterson · Jan 11, 2016

drstratton said:
Thank you for the information! It can sometimes be hard to figure out just how much to feed to our fish. I have my firefish figured out now, they are also fat and happy!

I would make sure some nori is available. I feed on a veggie clip on our side tank glass. New fish may often be shy for a week or two, so rubber-banding some nori on a rock or something you can put inside a cave may make it more approachable for a shy fish (vs. having to come eat it from an open/public location). Our first Kole tang took several weeks to become comfortable eating nori off the clip.

You should try to make sure the nori is always available, since tangs are grazers who eat constantly. However, you will need to judge how much to put out at a time by how much is eaten vs. breaks down and ends up in the water column.

When our tang is slow to eat the nori, our snails usually find a way to weigh down the veggie clip and go to town eating it all.