Help: Powder Blue Tang - New Addition to tank Not Eating Enough??? Skinny

superior

Reefing newb
I just got some new additions to my tank last thursday (its been 4 days now) and when I feed my fish (combination of Formula 1, Formula 2, and Reef Flakes) Every fish in my tank eats but my New Powder Blue Tang.

I even have tried green seaweed sheets. All of my other fish go for it but the new powder blue tang?

This Powder Blue tang will try to eat or pick on the live rocks occasionally but it will not eat food when I put it in the tank?

He is looking thin (I can see his spinal bone). He swims around the tank and seems to be kind of agressive to my powder brown tang. The powder brown tang eats, but he stays hiding in a cave, when he tries to come out the powder blue tang chases him back in.

Any ideas? Thanks

I do 40 gallon water changes every 2 weeks, and everything else in the tank seems to be normal and the other fish are very happy.
 
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Powder Blue Tangs are simply difficult fish to keep alive, aside from being Ich magnets, they tend to be SUPER aggressive to all other tangs, especially those from its own family (genus, whatever, I ain't no scientist). Both those tangs are Acanthurus, just like the Achillies, Sohal, Clown tang, etc. That family of tangs are simply beasts. I would not put two together in a tank unless it is abusively big 300 gallons plus as they need such large territory. Even then, I would add 3 so there was not just one feeling the need to beat up the other.

Powder blues tend not to eat well. I have sent more than a half dozen to meet their maker over the years. All due to starving to death. Emerald entree was the food best suited to their eating, but I could never get them to eat. You could try soaking the food in banana extract or garlic to stimulate a feeding response. I wish you the best of luck

-Doc
 
Thanks for the info. The good news is that the powder blue tang is free of any spots and it looks super healthy except for not eating very much.

Is there a type of alge I can attach to the rock that he'll eat. He seems to swim around and try to eat off the rocks, but there isn't too much alge found on them in my tank.

Thanks
 
try the different color alage sheets, they have green, brown,and red sheets

good idea, I'm going to run to the fish store and try that along with the emerald entree frozen food.

Hopefully this will get him to eat!

Much Appreicated, I'll keep you all updated!
 
the other thing to keep in mind is stress. The more stress he is under, the less likely he will eat. Having the other tang in the tank seems to be keeping his attention focused there as opposed to food. He is defending his territory and that may not stop. Try rearranging all the rocks as much as you can with the lights off so no one has a real "home". He may be more tolerant of the other tang and increase his eating.

-Doc
 
You may also try fresh maco algae like gacilaria or sea lettuce. My tang would gobble that stuff up over anything else offered. I also have a huge amount of amphipods and copepods that collect in my filter sock... I just shake it into the tank and the fish go nuts.
 
the other thing to keep in mind is stress. The more stress he is under, the less likely he will eat. Having the other tang in the tank seems to be keeping his attention focused there as opposed to food. He is defending his territory and that may not stop. Try rearranging all the rocks as much as you can with the lights off so no one has a real "home". He may be more tolerant of the other tang and increase his eating.

-Doc

Good Idea on the rocks, I have about 200-300 lbs of live rock. My tank is custom about 36" tall and I have the rock stacked all the way up to the top of the tank towards the back. and I recently re-arranged them (drilling holes with acrylic rods to stabilize/secure it). There are LOTS of caves, hiding places, etc.. the powder brown tang seems to stay in an area on the right side of the tank hidden in a cave.

In the tank I have a medium yellow eye tang, a large sail-fin tang, a large big-eye solider fish, a rabbit fish, and a red scooter blenny. The only fish he seems to mess with is the powder brown tang. all the tangs execpt the sail-fin are medium in size about 2.5-3" in length. The sail-fin is much larger, but he is happy and swims all around the tank.
 
You may also try fresh maco algae like gacilaria or sea lettuce. My tang would gobble that stuff up over anything else offered. I also have a huge amount of amphipods and copepods that collect in my filter sock... I just shake it into the tank and the fish go nuts.

I haven't tried the gacilaria or sea lettuce yet...but I do have about 1500 copepods that I added in to my tank last thursday. I'm sure they are breeding well since I have lots of live rock and 160 pounds of live sand in my tank.
 
Hippo tangs are pretty difficult fish to keep alive, especially if you bought a small one (the older they are when you get them, the higher their chances of survival).
 
When my tang wouldn't eat I rubber band algae to the rock in several places. I used both the sheet and algae that's in the sump.
 
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