Naso Tang VS Alge

master.k.

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Mar 22, 2006
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Clinton Twp , MI
I got a 9" Naso two weeks ago and it liks to eat is alge strips and lots of it LOTS .

I do have a question ?

I have try othe foods flaks pellets and it will maby take one or two pellets , If I do not give it alge for one whole day the next day it will except the pellets a little more like 10 or better . SO what do you suggest , Do I skip out on the alge till its eating the pellets better and then introduce the alge back or do I stff it fulll of the alge daily if that is what it realy wants just give it ?
 

nonstophoops

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 4, 2009
1,465
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Milwaukee, Wisconsin
master.k.;4867578; said:
I got a 9" Naso two weeks ago and it liks to eat is alge strips and lots of it LOTS .

I do have a question ?

I have try othe foods flaks pellets and it will maby take one or two pellets , If I do not give it alge for one whole day the next day it will except the pellets a little more like 10 or better . SO what do you suggest , Do I skip out on the alge till its eating the pellets better and then introduce the alge back or do I stff it fulll of the alge daily if that is what it realy wants just give it ?
I would continue to feed the algae while slowing integrating more and more pellets. In time the fish should take anything you feed if it is already interested and eating some. The algae strips are just a must more natural food source so it will be more apt to take them first. This is a big fish(huge actually), and assuming you got it from a store and not another hobbyist, this fish is pretty set in its ways. It is a good sign it is open to trying other foods however, so you should be ok.
 

master.k.

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Mar 22, 2006
1,208
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Clinton Twp , MI
Thx for the encourageing words , I got from (Ocean's And Sea's) the experience guy said it's from hawai , I belive him . it's a very nice looking fish

salt fish naso tang 004.jpg

salt fish naso tang 003.jpg
 

thisissimple

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 8, 2010
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Los Angeles
very healthy looking Naso. Hope you have a big tank, he can get over 2x that big. My tangs almost always turn up their nose at pellets to start, but usually come around. Even when they do, its nice to give them some algae to work on, it gives them something to do, and I think keeps them healthier. Just keep feeding it normal amounts, and offering pellets. (try the New Life spectrum with the thera A, it's Good stuff, readily taken.
 

TheSwampFox

Gambusia
MFK Member
May 13, 2010
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South Carolina
thisissimple;4869795; said:
very healthy looking Naso. Hope you have a big tank, he can get over 2x that big. My tangs almost always turn up their nose at pellets to start, but usually come around. Even when they do, its nice to give them some algae to work on, it gives them something to do, and I think keeps them healthier. Just keep feeding it normal amounts, and offering pellets. (try the New Life spectrum with the thera A, it's Good stuff, readily taken.
hmm... My tang was the opposite and ate the pellets while ignoring the Nori for awhile. Now he eats both.
 

agreeive?fish

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jan 2, 2007
429
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oklahoma
each tang is diffrent, iam TANG HEAVY in my tanks and i have them from took a year to eat anything except nori(yellow) to taking a year to even sample the nori but pig out on every thing else (hippo) and every where inbetween

my tangs include
yellow
hippo
convict
sailfin
blonde naso
purple
clown

all eat nori some better than others but i feed a mixture of frozen that contain algea and several types of flakes that are algea based as well between the frozen and flakes there are 9 diffrent types of foods that contain algea and i feed every type of sheet algea i can get thru pet/fish stores both online and brick/mortar and a couple different grocery store ones as well
 

johnny roastbeef

Candiru
MFK Member
Nov 24, 2007
228
4
48
connectiut
Tangs need vegetable matter in their diets. Dried nori sheets are fine, and as long as you are using a decent pellet it should have spirulina which will provide the greens. To get new fish to transition, I use a flake that is high in seaweed content and contains garlic. I think its easier to get a new fish onto flakes and then onto pellets, especially when there are other fish in the tank. Because prepared foods are foreign to them, they realize that flakes are food by watching the other fish go after it.

Instead of nori sheets, I prefer to feed my fish dried whole leaf seaweeds. They hold up better in the tank, look more natural and provide the fish with a natural feeding response. I have about 12 large herbivores in my tank (tangs and rabbitfish), and usually the first fatso over to the nori, gets it all. When I use the whole seaweed pieces, the fish actually have to tear at it, so more fish get some and to me it appears to be a more natural reaction.
 

FLESHY

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jan 7, 2006
5,542
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Central Wisconsin
Nori, or live algae of some sort should be incorporated into the daily diet of all tangs. Quantity however, will differ.

What most people dont realize is that most of the most popular tangs in the hobby, although omnivorous, are actually mainly predacious.

Safest bet, look your tang up on WWM, they will have gut analysis usually down to a percentage so you can see what your fish should be eating.

NLS, as my brother points out is a great way to balance out a diet. If I might also point this out, is running a 180g tank, which I consider to be the bare minimum for naso grow out.

Naso's are oftentimes "killed" by too small a tank. Who knows why, but many hobbyists have named this as the reason they think theirs went the way of the dodo.
 

thisissimple

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 8, 2010
160
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0
Los Angeles
I think my tank is too small for this fish long term. We have started stockpiling the components for the 500 gallon built in system which will be this fish's end home. I would not have purchased this fish without this plan.

I too prefer whole seaweed, but Nori seems to do the job for me and is WAY less expensive.
 
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