Yellow Tang

[JPloman]

I got a yellow tang (named him Amarillo) last Sunday. He is very happy and is eating very well... which leads to my question. Can a tang over eat and kill itself? Will it pop!?!?! Seriously, he looks like he is going to explode and yet he keeps chowing down.

 

[Choas]

Mine died because of not eating.

 

[tjara03]

how often are you feeding him??

 

[JPloman]

I'm not feeding him, he is eating the macro algae all over the tank. He is doing some major damage too. Not that I mind, it is why I got him.

 

[Melissamustang]

Our fish do the same thing and look as though they will pop.....But they let it go and things are back to normal.....

 

[JPloman]

Thats sick, I have never seen a fish do this before. I always thought that if you over fed your fish they would eat until they died... guess its not true for saltwater fish.

Thanks!

 

[ChazYork]

from what i understand, take a yellow tang for example, the fish will eat everything that floats by and in the process push his food out WITHOUT fully digesting it, so in turn they dont really get the nutritional value from their food. They basically get half of what they need...if that makes any sense LOL

 

[melosu58]

I have three tangs and they forage when they feel like it. Its a natural food for them. But if you were to overfeed flake or some frozen types You would have a problem with your fish and tank.

 

[hackteck]

i'm considering adding a yellow tang at some point i understand it can be housed in a 55g

 

[AMANIQU77]

Hackteck, that is some picture, I tell you.

 

[hackteck]

lol

 

[zuzecawi]

Kole tangs and yellows can both be housed in 55's without issues. (not necessarily together). Somewhere I think there's another kind of pygmy-ish tang but it was really brown and kinda scroungy looking, so you don't see much about it. I could be wrong though... I'll have to track that book down again. I've heard people say to stay away from the tangs in the 58's because they're not as long (less swimming room) but I think it depends on your rockwork, I had a kole tang that was really happy going through the open rock work until I had the big vacation-aquarium disaster.