Blue Tang Not eating

aprillynd · 06-09-2007, 08:08 PM

Hi,

I purchased a blue tang about a week to two weeks ago and it seems to me that it hasn't been eating. It was sick for a good week with ich, had popeye, but then it got better. I've tried feeding it seaweed selects, mysis shrimp, krill-frozen and live, flake food and cyclopeez and nothing works. I have even tried fresh alge, the stiff and the hair type and it doesn't seem to be eating. From what I can tell, it doesn't look emaciated, but it doesn't look to be in the best condition either. It's the only large fish I have in my tank, the rest are firefly gobies, and 2 neon gobies. I have provided places for it to hide and plenty of food (of wich it doesn't want to eat. I've even picked up dried seaweed-the marjuana brand.) I'm stumped.

Can someone suggest something as I don't want it to die on me. My last resort would be to purchase Nori.

salt-rookie · 06-09-2007, 08:15 PM

Put some garlic extract in the food.

Bluemax4 · 06-09-2007, 08:45 PM

you could ask the lfs about it becouse there tanks could of had ick in them. An some times you cant get a fish to eat, my cosin ahd a baricuda and he eventuly ended up having to hand feed it becouse it would not eat any thing else. It end up dieing when it stop eating.

aprillynd · 06-10-2007, 09:11 AM

Garlic extract? Good Idea. Do I place it in with the frozen food when it thaws? Also, I have real chopped garlic, should I take a bit of the liquid and put in in with the food?

***lReef lKeeper*** · 06-10-2007, 04:07 PM

garlic extrac would have been my recommendation too. i recommend Kent's Garlic Extreme brand. garlic is a natural appetite restorer (makes them WANT to eat).

**CarmieJo** · 06-10-2007, 11:56 PM

Hi aprillynd and

to TR.

I agree that garlic is a good appetite stimulant. I thaw my food, rinse it and then soak it in garlic. I've always used garlic extract but I have read that you can also use freshly chopped garlic.

It sounds like you bought this fish and put him straight in your display tank. It is always a good idea to quarantine anything (fish, coral, invert) you add to your tank. This gives a new critter a place to get over the stress of shipping and gives you time to closely observe them. A QT tank allows the new inhabitant time to learn to recognize the things we feed as food and to eat without competition. It also prevents you from introducing disease into your tank.