Naso with pinched belly

[Ricko]

I've had my 6" naso for over a month now and he looks very healthy except for a pinch look right at the tip of his belly. He feeds on spirulina brine, Hikari marine pellets and dried Nori. Any other natural food is hard to come by and don't know what else to do.

He goes nuts at feeding time but just seems to stay unnaturally pinched in this area. Is it the food i'm giving?? I'm lost, and don't want to lose him!!

 

[WPH]

Aloha...you might wanna try some frozen foods soaked in vitamins....The Naso may be eating well however Brine shrimp and dried foods may not be giving this fish enough nutrition and the Naso Tangs belly will pinch even furthur and he will die a slow death.......Naso Tangs also love to graze on rocks in the wild so make sure your rocks have adequate amounts of algae for it to graze on....you can also feed The Naso meaty foods such as Krill and shrimp....If you PM me I will send you a Gel Based Food Recipie that you can whip up for your Fishes....ALoha Les

 

[leebca]

The most common feeding problem with Tangs is not feeding proper foods. The second is not feeding enough.

Brine shrimp, even those gut loaded with spirulina is not a good food. Marine algae is a good food, but you may not be feeding enough. You want to use only foods from the sea, and favor the frozen.

This is a lot of reading, but it gives you a full and big picture. Read these:
Fish Health Through Proper Nutrition
and
How to Feed Marine Algae to Fish

Good luck!

 

[returnofsid]

I think I remember Lee also saying that Tangs really need to be able to graze on Algae all day long, not just 2 or 3 times per day. Is it possible for you to put algae in several spots throughout the tank, rubber banded to rubble, on clips....etc?

 

[thincat]

Try to get some "Ogo" from an Asia food store or the Oriental section of the supermarket.
My tangs go ape for that stuff. Lots of bulk and fiber for the tangs.

 

[Ricko]

Thanks for the help all. I will get some frozen marine green food today and see if a LFS can get me some live macro.
Will let you know how he goes, will be devastated if i lose him!!

 

[WPH]

Try to get some "Ogo" from an Asia food store or the Oriental section of the supermarket.
My tangs go ape for that stuff. Lots of bulk and fiber for the tangs.

Yes your absolutely correct....speaking as a diver and witnessing these fish in the wild they do eat Ogo....it is a macro algae that are free floating on the reef and in the surf...Naso Tangs also graze heavily on the Algae growing on the rocks n the wild sometimes they are so busy grazing that they dont even realize that Ive just swam up to them LOL!....I feed my Naso Tangs these types of foods

-Ogo...(on a clip)
-seaweed sheets(from the asian food section)
-Romaine lettuce (on a clip)
-spinach (on a clip)
-Frozen spirulina/brine cubes
-frozen shrimp (soaked in vita chem)
-Gel Based food recipie (from Waikiki Aquarium)
-Rocks with lots of Algae growth on them (I will place some rocks in a tub outside the sun will cause huge amounts of algae growth on the rocks then transfer a couple of the rocks into the aquarium)


Aloha Les

 

[Ricko]

Thanks for the advice all,,have upped food intake and been pumping in alot of algae. This fish has put on more weight and is looking VERY healthy!

 

[thincat]

Great news...

 

[Myteemouse]

That's good news, glad it's doing better!