How to get my Tangs to eat nori/seaweed

[CincyReefer07]

I purchased a gem and 3 yellow tangs a couple days ago from my LFS. The gem is very thick healthy looking, the yellows, are typical juvenile biotas, small, translucent and skinny. I currently have seaweed strips and a seaweed/nori strip holder, and frozen mysis and brine shrimp and Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef flakes and Hikari Marine-S pellets.

They’ve both been grazing over algae on the rockscape since being put in the tank. The yellows took to the flakes and mysis first day and still eat it. The gem didn’t care for flakes first day but ate the mysis. But now second day he is eating flakes also now. Haven’t tried pellets or brine yet. I’m assuming they’ll both go for the brine pretty easily.

But none of them are even noticing the seaweed/nori clip in the tank. Left it sit overnight in there to see if they’d notice it and eat any and still haven’t yet. I tried jiggling it around some to let some pieces float off the clip, putting my hand in the tank kind of startled them so they swam into their hiding spots, but then came back out, seemed to take some bites out of what was floating in the tank, but still not going after the clip.

Any suggestions? Concerned just because of how small and skinny the juvenile biota yellows are, and I’d like to get the gem picking at it to keep so thick and healthy looking as he is.

 

[Dave1993]

they should notice it on their own eventually when i got my purple he was like 1" and finally found it just keep putting it in

 

[Dave1993]

once 1 learns the way of the nori the others will learn

 

[Pico bam]

once 1 learns the way of the nori the others will learn

This.
Also make sure to replace the nori everyday eventually they'll find it.

 

[reefpunk]

I’m having the same problem. Only one of my tangs eats nori while the others will peck at rocks but refuse to eat the nori I put in.

 

[G Santana]

Just keep offering it, that is a must with tangs. When I initially offered, very little was eaten but once the PT started it was a fight at the clip daily with the YT.

 

[bnord]

and note that non-eaten nori 2 days in the water can get fetid pretty quickly

as to the diet for the Biotas, I have 2 and they too subsisted on flakes - with algae in them - and they will eventually get around to the nori

good luck, gorgeous gem...

 

[EugeneVan]

I have kept a power blue, power brown, Kole and blue tangs for over a year. I have try many many times with nori but they never show any interest. However they go crazy with chaeto. Now I grow chaeto in my sump for feeding my tangs. You can tell from my pictures, my tangs are very healthy and colorful too.

 

[Spare time]

Flakes often contain seaweed so there's that. You can also buy something like seaweed pellets too. This is what I do. i would also consider ocean nutrition red seaweed which is a favorite of everything in my tank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I purchased a gem and 3 yellow tangs a couple days ago from my LFS. The gem is very thick healthy looking, the yellows, are typical juvenile biotas, small, translucent and skinny. I currently have seaweed strips and a seaweed/nori strip holder, and frozen mysis and brine shrimp and Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef flakes and Hikari Marine-S pellets.

They’ve both been grazing over algae on the rockscape since being put in the tank. The yellows took to the flakes and mysis first day and still eat it. The gem didn’t care for flakes first day but ate the mysis. But now second day he is eating flakes also now. Haven’t tried pellets or brine yet. I’m assuming they’ll both go for the brine pretty easily.

But none of them are even noticing the seaweed/nori clip in the tank. Left it sit overnight in there to see if they’d notice it and eat any and still haven’t yet. I tried jiggling it around some to let some pieces float off the clip, putting my hand in the tank kind of startled them so they swam into their hiding spots, but then came back out, seemed to take some bites out of what was floating in the tank, but still not going after the clip.

Any suggestions? Concerned just because of how small and skinny the juvenile biota yellows are, and I’d like to get the gem picking at it to keep so thick and healthy looking as he is.View attachment 2899852View attachment 2899853View attachment 2899854View attachment 2899855

Mine will devour a full sheet faster than I can get it in the tank. It may be the type you are offering especially if grocery store brand that is baked with additives. Look at ingredient list and you will know.
IU have 20 tangs and never had to get them to eat it- they dove in . I feed san fransisco bay brand and also ocean nutrition. Theyre not thrilled with julian Sprung version but eventually put it away.
Also add a little garlic extract to it. It is an attractant and helps with immunity health

 

[Big Smelly fish]

I have two tangs and a coral beauty, they eat three sheets of green and purple julian Sprung nori. 3 total a mix of each. Just give them time and they will probably get the hang of it.

 

[CincyReefer07]

Thanks for all of the replies guys! I’ll keep offering it daily and changing it out every day or day and a half until hopefully they find it. They devour brine shrimp like it’s nothing and take to the flakes really well, they eat the mysis too, but they seem to really love the brine.
As for what it is I’m using, seems like just some generic stuff. Has my LFS logo on the sticker of the package and just says premium seaweed sheets

 

[Big Smelly fish]

Thanks for all of the replies guys! I’ll keep offering it daily and changing it out every day or day and a half until hopefully they find it. They devour brine shrimp like it’s nothing and take to the flakes really well, they eat the mysis too, but they seem to really love the brine.
As for what it is I’m using, seems like just some generic stuff. Has my LFS logo on the sticker of the package and just says premium seaweed sheets

Alway put in same place and maybe on bottom half of tank.

 

[CincyReefer07]

Alway put in same place and maybe on bottom half of tank.

So far I’ve been placing at about halfway up in my tank, about a 1/3rd over from the right side where it seems they have so far liked to be hanging out the most

 

[BaliReefBox]

I have a yellow that wouldnt eat anything, I had offered nori, brine shrimp, pellets, fresh seafood and he ate zero...he passed. next time i will want to see him eat before i buy one..good luck

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks for all of the replies guys! I’ll keep offering it daily and changing it out every day or day and a half until hopefully they find it. They devour brine shrimp like it’s nothing and take to the flakes really well, they eat the mysis too, but they seem to really love the brine.
As for what it is I’m using, seems like just some generic stuff. Has my LFS logo on the sticker of the package and just says premium seaweed sheets

Besides nori-mysis and brine, what other foods are you offering ?

 

[Idech]

My kole tang took a while before it started eating nori. He ate it for many months but now he isn’t very much interested anymore. He likes to graze on the bottom and rocks more. He’ll eat a little then leave the rest. I always end up throwing out most of it.

 

[CincyReefer07]

Besides nori-mysis and brine, what other foods are you offering ?

It’s up in my very first post. Ocean nutrition prime reef flakes, I have hikari marine s pellets I feed in my 75gallon tank also but haven’t tried feeding the pellets yet. Before the tangs, when I tried the pellets it seemed the pellets were just getting lost in the big tank without the clowns and cardinals ever seeing the pellets. Haven’t tried it yet with the tangs.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Besides nori-mysis and brine, what other foods are you offering ?

Having many tangs, I keep a list and always recommend the following which you feed a couple already. Although they are herbivores, they need fats-vitamin and aminis which also prevent lateral line issues

-Spirulina brine shrimp
- LRS Herbivore diet
- mysis shrimp
- small plankton
- Nori seaweed basted with garlic extract
- Hikari Marine cuisine
- Formula 2 flake and frozen
- Hikari veggie marine

Add selcon vitamins to the foods 2-3X per week and on alternating days, garlic extract for stamina and immunity health

 

[DarkReefer]

Can't help you on the feeding front.
My blue tang, foxface, cleaner wrasse & yellow coris wrasse all love the stuff and a strip of it is usually gone within the hour.

Wanted to say awesome pics though, very clear. Hope your fish enjoy their new home!