Feeding Options for our Powder Blue Tang

[saltman]

We just got a Powder Blue Tang a few weeks ago and although she is very shy she is finally picking at the ocean nutrition seaweed select algae clips. I feel liek thi swont be enough for her however. With all the fish in the tank I feed them formula 1 & 2 pellets, freeze dried plankton and marine flake food and the only thing she's eating is a little of the algae. Any other ideas??

 

[ste2k3]

I have quite a large powder blue in my reef and I feed it pleanty of seaweed (80% of its total diet) and the rest is frozen brine, mysis, plankton, krill, smelt and chopped cockle. I feed this to the tank and it has a pick at all of these but prefers the seaweed.

ste

 

[RamJet]

Same as ste2k3 has stated, mine loves the seaweed. I feed the frozen brine, mysis, planton and krill. I have not tried the smelt or chopped cockle, but chopped cockle is kind of fun to say ) , yet makes me feel kind of dirty inside.

 

[ostrow]

if you have live rock and live sand, the tang will likely get all the protein it needs from the pods and tiny shrimp. get a couple peppermint or cleaner shrimp. the tang and other fish will get a constant stream of yum-yums. if you have snails, they are hopefully producing eggs taht will get eaten.

many people don't bother to feed their tanks and they ahve fewer problems. i wish i emulated them.

the nori for the tang is a good idea (save your pennies, go to an asian foodstore, and get some sushi nori).

 

[ste2k3]

I feed, the larger food like the smelt/chopped cockle for some of the preditors such as the bass and the scorpian fish. the tang has a pick at them. like ostrow said, there should be enough food on the live rock so if you just make sure he getts pleanty of seaweed, then he should be ok, but to make sure you could give him some brine/mysis.

ste

 

[Hazmat]

I also have a Powder Blue, all he does is eat off the live rock and seaweed.
When i feed the fish he wont touch the stuff but when i put in some Seaweed, He guards it with his life of course he is the BOSS of the tank


Hazmat

 

[saltman]

I have no live rock in the tank. I preffered the convention method (old style) fish only. Less headaches.....I have my sl250 wet/dry to do all the biological filtration. I have a grocery list to go shopping for keep up the good ideas

 

[saltman]

I've also heard alot about stimulating a tangs appetite with green/algae dipped in garlic extracts?? Anyone heard of this? I heard it's also semi affective fighting ich.

 

[ostrow]

yep to both