Blue Eye Kole Tang Won't Touch Sea Veggies

[Lester Verano]

My beautiful Blue Eye Kole Tang simply will not even touch sea veggies. I've had various kinds on a clip right next to where she swims, but she won't even look at it. I've tried to shred it and mix with mysis shrimp, but I don't think that works either. She picks at rocks all day, and probably gets her algae that way.

My main concern is she stays healthy and colorful. This kole tang is my favorite fish, and centerpiece of my whole tank. She gobbles up mysis and copepods no problem. Is there any similar sized food out there that will account for all of her nutrition needs beyond what I've mentioned?

I have reoccurring brown algae she finds on my rocks all day, so I see she never really stops eating that. She wakes up in the morning and once she is alive, she starts at the rocks, and does not stop until bed time, which is great, and which is why she has remained very healthy and active. I just want to see if there is something even better, in case my algae runs out. thanks.

 

[Christian0505]

My beautiful Blue Eye Kole Tang simply will not even touch sea veggies. I've had various kinds on a clip right next to where she swims, but she won't even look at it. I've tried to shred it and mix with mysis shrimp, but I don't think that works either. She picks at rocks all day, and probably gets her algae that way.

My main concern is she stays healthy and colorful. This kole tang is my favorite fish, and centerpiece of my whole tank. She gobbles up mysis and copepods no problem. Is there any similar sized food out there that will account for all of her nutrition needs beyond what I've mentioned?

I have reoccurring brown algae she finds on my rocks all day, so I see she never really stops eating that. She wakes up in the morning and once she is alive, she starts at the rocks, and does not stop until bed time, which is great, and which is why she has remained very healthy and active. I just want to see if there is something even better, in case my algae runs out. thanks.

I wouldn’t worry too much. My wild yellow tang hasn’t touched nori or any other sea veggies in 2,5 years and lives on frozen mysis only died. It actually looks healthier than most yellow tangs that get fed nori all the time. You could try flakes food enhanced with spirullina.

 

[Lester Verano]

I wouldn’t worry too much. My wild yellow tang hasn’t touched nori or any other sea veggies in 2,5 years and lives on frozen mysis only died. It actually looks healthier than most yellow tangs that get fed nori all the time. You could try flakes food enhanced with spirullina.

Thank you, and that is the kind of response to my question I was looking for. I'd like to know how long these fish can live, a healthy life, without it. Hope I get more responses like this. thank you.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

My beautiful Blue Eye Kole Tang simply will not even touch sea veggies. I've had various kinds on a clip right next to where she swims, but she won't even look at it. I've tried to shred it and mix with mysis shrimp, but I don't think that works either. She picks at rocks all day, and probably gets her algae that way.

My main concern is she stays healthy and colorful. This kole tang is my favorite fish, and centerpiece of my whole tank. She gobbles up mysis and copepods no problem. Is there any similar sized food out there that will account for all of her nutrition needs beyond what I've mentioned?

I have reoccurring brown algae she finds on my rocks all day, so I see she never really stops eating that. She wakes up in the morning and once she is alive, she starts at the rocks, and does not stop until bed time, which is great, and which is why she has remained very healthy and active. I just want to see if there is something even better, in case my algae runs out. thanks.

My tomini had to learn to accept nori (I feed the sea veggies as well). I rubberbanded a sheet to a rock at the bottom of the tank for a while, soaked in garlic. Also tossed a sinking algae wafer in once a day for my blennies, and when the tang saw them munching on them, he realized those were food and joined in. Pretty soon he was a thick fish, lol. Once he was eating the seaweed sheets, I was able to start using a clip instead - much easier. You could try some garlic or selcon and see if that entices her. Kole tangs do also like to pick at the rocks and glass and that's good for them too. I purposely didn't scrape one of the side walls of my tank for that reason, but once you get her eating seaweed that's not necessary. I tried a couple different types of seaweed and my tangs actually prefer the sea veggies by far. The green and the purple.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

Don’t quote me, but Kole tangs are biofilm eaters and may not be interested in macro. As long as it’s eating other foods, I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Don’t quote me, but Kole tangs are biofilm eaters and may not be interested in macro. As long as it’s eating other foods, I wouldn’t worry about it.

That's true. It think mine just learned he liked it lol. He also devoured mysis.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

That's true. It think mine just learned he liked it lol. He also devoured mysis.

I said don’t quote me! Kidding.

fish are weird. My blue throat triggers eat more Nori than my yellow tang.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

I said don’t quote me! Kidding.

fish are weird. My blue throat triggers eat more Nori than my yellow tang.

Same my YT won’t touch the clip but anything else frozen, nyos pellets algae and gogi and flakes get crushed.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Same my YT won’t touch the clip but anything else frozen, nyos pellets algae and gogi and flakes get crushed.

Interesting! My YT almost exclusively eats the sea veggies, and also the NYOS algae pellets. It's captive bred and I did have to train it to eat from the clip though. The blennies devour the algae pellets too! My lawnmower blenny also perches on top of the clip and guards it from the tang. He's a chunkster.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

I said don’t quote me! Kidding.

fish are weird. My blue throat triggers eat more Nori than my yellow tang.

LOL! Yes they are definitely weird, totally agree. Haha.

 

[LunaReef]

Thank you, and that is the kind of response to my question I was looking for. I'd like to know how long these fish can live, a healthy life, without it. Hope I get more responses like this. thank you.

My White Tail won’t eat Nori either. I’ve tried every trick in the book. I feed 3 times a day to make sure she gets enough food

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

My White Tail won’t eat Nori either. I’ve tried every trick in the book. I feed 3 times a day to make sure she gets enough food

You might want to try the IM clip. My tang would not eat off an algae clip, but the IM clip allows a more natural picking behavior.