New Arrival - advice on diet

[atif]

So I finally got my myself a 2" Yellow Tang and a Clown today. I fed the fish (2x3/4" Green Damsels and the new guys) this evening with the usual TetraMarine. All of them ate everything in sight except the Yellow Tang. I think he/she was still getting used to the new home. After a while he Tang started to nip at all the live rock and forage in the sand ... and yes flicking the LR with its tail 8O

The LFS also gave me some frozen foods Ocean nutrition Variety Pack ...

1. Is the foraging in the LR and Sand normal? or is he/she hungry?
2. Should I drop in a pellet of frozen stuff early tomorrow to prevent starvation?

Thanks ... also any tips on care of the Tang would be helpful. Atif

 

[xxmoorishmanxx]

tangs are mostly herbovoris so any type of food made for herbovors is best. most likly your tang is nipping algea of the rock and detritus of the sand. he can survive a few days without eating. if he presests and dosent eat i would recomend trying dries nori (seaweed) place 1 in by 1in square in the tank tightly between a rock. the tand should nibble all day. by the end of the day remove the uneaten portion so that it dosen't pollute the tank. HTH,
JC

 

[two11devan]

Your profile says that this is a 30 gal tank. Im sorry to tell you that this tank is way to small for the tang. You should return it. Tangs need a tank that is at the least 48 inches long. They are very strong swimmers and need alot of room. I hate to be the one to bring you this news but i too had a tang in a 30 gal and i had to return him. I was really bummed as he was a really cool fish :|

 

[fishfreek]

and yes flicking the LR with its tail

Watch this behavor. It could be that the fish is trying to scratch itself aganst the rock. This can be one of the first signs of the ICK parasite.

As wa said tangs are herbivores so they prefer algae as the staple of their diet. Thats not saying they wont eat a more meaty food but the algae should be the main portion of the diet.