What to feed my pacific tang

[graveyardworm]

I just purchased a pacific tang (dealer called it a hippo tang). It's an inch to inch and half long. So far I've tried granu-marin crushed up. My other fish love this. I've hatched some brine shrimp didnt seem to interested in this either. I've also put in some seaweed select on a clip and I havent seen it touch this either. I have noticed it picking at the algae on my live rock. Does this small of a tang have any special feeding requirements? What has worked for other people?

[JumboShrimp]

Did you JUST put it in? Fish need time to settile, What size is your tank? Is it big enough for a hippo tang?

[hwynboy]

One of the biggest problems is getting them to eat....Did you buy it from an LFS? I would ask to see them eat before ever buying a fish from an LFS...if you purchased him on line I would contact the vendor to see what they were feeding him. Also it may take a few days before they start to eat since they are in an unfamiliar environment.

A fish that small is tough to get comfortable as well if you have other tankmates. I would reccomend putting him in a QT for other reasons to avoid introducing parasites but also helps themn to eat with no competition. Good Luck

[graveyardworm]

The tank is 90 gal so it should keep him comfortable for a while. I did just add it on sunday so far it has stayed in the open and really taken to my three chromis it swims with them like they're all buddies. Even when they're racing around feeding it hangs right with them. Any suggestions on what to feed this guy.

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Pacific Blue/Regal/Hippo tangs are mainly herbivorous when they are young eat more meaty foods as they grow. I would get some macro in the tank for him to eat. I had a lot of Caulerpa in my tank when I add my blue and it only lasted about two weeks before it was all eaten. In that time he learned to eat flake and formula II. Now he is a real pig and eats anything I put in the tank. :D

[Gerard Alba]

They take some time to start eating, if he is picking the rocks is´t a good sing.

[Gerard Alba]

He will eventually eat anything and everything.

[graveyardworm]

I called the lfs where I purchased him and was told they had been feeding them with frozen mysis and frozen brine shrimp. I didnt have any of either so I made the journey To the nearest lfs( 1 1/2 hrs round trip) and purchased some. I shouldve asked when buying him wouldve saved a long ride. Anyway by the time I got back the lights on the tank had just gone out for the night. So I took a chance turned them back on and fed some mysis. He was very timid without his chromis buddies they were all hiding and didnt come out but he did and he ate some so hopefully everything will be ok.

[hwynboy]

good to hear...always the best thing to find out what they have been eating =) good luck.

What you should also do is to soak his frozen brine/mysis in Selcon and Zoecon to enrich the food for him.....better nourishment.

[graveyardworm]

A couple months ago I added a yellow tang which unfortunatly got hlle and died. I know pacific tang is suseptable to this disease as well. Will the addition of selcon/zoecon help to prevent this?

[vester_72]

Selcon and/or Zoecon will help a lot with this. IMO, it is critical to soak all of your food in Selcon - it will help the Hippo get nice and fat and stay healthy too (in addition to preventing many diseases.

Also, I would make sure he has plenty of algae to graze on all day - I use some Gracilaria and Caluerpa (live) occasionally and keep Nori on a clip all day for my Purple Tang.

I feed Mysis, Omega One Flakes and Cyclopeez (sp?) soaked in Selcon and Garlic once a day also.

[graveyardworm]

I have plenty of algea for grazing, not to happy about it but if it helps then its good. I am keeping dried seaweed on a clip so far he hasnt touched it. I will be getting some selcon/zoecon on my next trip to lfs. thanks