How Long for Powder Blue to Start Eating?

[JENnKerry]

Hey Anthony, I posted this in the Reef Discussion but thought I could get some infor from you as well.
Jen and I got a beautiful healthy Powder Blue Tang from Live Aquaria yesterday. Very plump looking and no ick. Really active and not skittish at all. The only problem is that it's not eating yet. We have fed Formula One flakes, Formula Two pellets, Formula Two frozen, frozen mysis and brine shrimp, and nori sheets on a clip. I do understand that it's perfectly normal for newly introduced tangs to go a few days without eating while they get used to their new home but when should I start to worry? He's in a 125 gallon with:

1- green chromis
1- yellow tail damsel
1- scooter blenny
1- yellow tang (they hang out all the time)
1- SOB bicolor blackmouth chromis

He hasn't shown any aggression at all and gets a long with everyone. The only problem in the tank is the above mentioned chromis. He is THE DEVIL. Any thoughts and help would be appreciated. Thanks

Kerry

[Anthony Calfo]

was this fish airshipped and then thrown into the display without a quarantine period (independant isolation tank)?

[JENnKerry]

Unfortunately it was. We don't have a QT.

[Steven Pro]

Originally posted by JENnKerry
Unfortunately it was. We don't have a QT. :( You better start reading up on quarantine and treatment and practicing catching all your fish because these Acanthurus are known for being infected with Ich/Cryptocaryon and sometimes with Velvet/Amyloodinium as well.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/sp/feature/index.htm

My own Powder Blue Tang just went into my display this weekend after spending two and a half months in quarantine. This QT period also included a treatment with copper.

[Drewpy]

Attach dried (not baked) nori (sushi wrap) to a clip or rock--- he will start eating that... Soak in garlic juice-water solution and that will help him find it.

Leave this stuff out all the time, mine eats tons of it and keeping him well fed will help avoid disease... They will also eat frozen brine shrimp and many macro algaes.

Lots of caves in the aquascaping will help them feel secure and less stressed. The color of the fish is a good determinate of it's mood in my experience. Pale body color with whitish lateral lines and light black head means stressed. Dark black head and bright blue body is shown during eating or when being aggressive towards other fish. Somewhere in between is normal.

Swimming back and forth against the glass is a sign of stress... change aquascaping so that they may swim fast through caves. (worked for me) They love to swim in and around things but not out in the open.

Mine was from Liveaquaria as well and was not quarantined... Been fat and healthy for 4 months. QT is a good idea, but chances are yours will be fine and QT tank would probably be small and poorly aquascaped for a powder blue and may do more harm then good (stressing them) IMO. Getting them to eat is a more straightforward problem.

[JENnKerry]

Thanks Drewpy. Well he is finally picking off the rocks like crazy and he is eating the nori clips. I leave one on each side of the tank for him. I went to change the one this morning and the little bit that was left got sucked up into a powerhead and got cut up into a bunch of little pieces which he happily ate :)
I think he's finally breaking his code of silence with the eating thing. As far as color, from what you've described, his color is about in bewteen. Sometimes he will swim (not race though) from one side of the tank to the other and swim up and down the side. But he is curious and picking on all rocks, including my derasa clam shell. He doesn't seem bothered by anything. Thanks for the help

[Drewpy]

Good to hear!
The swimming back and forth is very normal--- 'racing' back and forth against the glass (in a small area) is better word for the behavior i was trying to explain and which you want to avoid.

I also have neon cleaner gobies and cleaner shrimp that the powder tang frequently seeks outs for a 'bath'...

Keep your water parameters stable and the fish fed (read that healthy powders typically have a beer belly) and the disease issues others describe are far less likely. (When i read a fish has ich --- it gets it from a new fish, because it has stopped eating, and/or from deteriorating tank conditions)
Healthy fish do not just get sick--- something causes it, just know that powders are stereotyped as more succeptible...
Other then that they are by far the best looking tang;)

Does your yellow tang and powder get along? Or stay away from another?

Here is a clip i made to make feedings easier and my hand never gets wet:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/89862random_081.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/89862random_091.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/89862random_082.jpg

[Anthony Calfo]

good tips from Steve and Drew :)

and yes... pacing/swimming back and forth across the glass is a sign of stress. In tangs such as this, it is often specifically a sign of inadequate water flow, believe it or not. Increase water flow and you will often see them stop (they come from dynamic areas of the reef)

FWIW

Anthony :)

PS... and PLEASE take the need for QT to heart. Rather than spend your next $50 on more fish, toys, equipment, etc... do the right/responsible thing and buy a QT tank. Its cheap and saves lives. It also saves you much grief from introducing pests, predators and pathogens to the display.

[JENnKerry]

I know we don't have a water flow issue. Since we are sumpless, we use two Aquaclear 500 filters which aids in surface gas exchange as well, two Aquaclear 802's, two Aquaclear 302's, and a 402 so I know there is a lot of movement. In the last year (going back to our 55 gallon days) we have never had an issue with nitrates or anything of the sort. Everything got carried over to this tank as far as parameters go. We do about a 15 gallon water change every two weeks, so I know our quality is very much up to par. He gets a long great with the yellow tang. The yellow even showed him where the veggie clip is and also gets in between the PBT and the SOB chromis I mentioned in my first post. Almost like he's protecting him. Both tangs are pretty small (as far as I'm concerned) at about 2 - 3 inches.

Thanks to all who have helped :)

Kerry

[Drewpy]

that is good to know about the yellow tang getting along with the powder... If (more likely when...) i go to a larger tank i will consider getting one... thanks...