What color seaweed is best??

[ronj]

i'm trying to figure out what color of seaweed would be best for my hippo tangs...i have several different ones right now(green,brown red,and purple)..is there one that is better for this species or one that they prefer more than the other???

 

[shallowreef]

I n the stores i only see the green. I have tried the purple but the green seems to have a better reaction.

 

[james734]

Not sure which is the best but I feed both Green & Red.

 

[varpanus]

i think the green tastes good. the red has a very bitter flavor. but I prefer mine dried in a rice ball with a pickled plum. but that's just me.lol.I know from a chemical standpoint they are all mostly the same; but the brown and green have slightly more goodness to them. saw that on the seaweed vitamin infomercial

 

[Slickdonkey]

I alternate feeding brown, green, and red to my hippo. At first she only liked brown but has since taking a liking to all of them. Can't get her to touch broccoli though. I don't blame her.

 

[ronj]

my hippo's eat evry color that i give them, but i didn't know if one was better or not, or if they prefered one over the other

 

[shallowreef]

Ron,

Just see which one tastes better to you and take it from there.

 

[SueT]

my powder blue favors on the green, wouldn't touch the red.

 

[steve-s]

Nothing worng with a little of everything. For a Regal, red and green are important but try not to focus on just one type. Too much of a particular type can cause an eccess of certain vitamins and mineral. Nori being the easiest and most readily (cheapest?) available to hobbyist is IMO, far too over used. If at all possible, stick to natural (non caulerpa) species of algaes like Gracilaria, Ulva, Chaetomorpha etc. Where this is not possible, mix it up. Broccoli fluorets can also be a good substitute. For Naso tangs, focus mainly on brown types of algae.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Fishead77]

I was told that the red nori has a wee bit of iodine in it. If you feed the red you'll never need to add iodine. This was from the LFS.

 

[Scooterman]

I agree with what Steve said, I would always mix it up, they love it all!

 

[ronj]

i have chaeto, but i didn't think that they would eat it..my hippo in my display has never touched it..there is a "softball sized" ball of it in the disply..i throw buckets of that stuff away every month..i bought some graciliaria, but it all died..i had it in the a frag tank with the chaeto..the chaeto took over and smothered it..some of it just appeared to die for no reason..i will look into getting some more graciliaria and trying again!

 

[twilliard]

My hippo prefers green but will eat a little red at times.
The odd thing is I think the fish knows the difference between brands of green. It will eat one type more than the other even though it is the same color.

 

[ronj]

yeah..it seems like Julian Sprung brand seaweed is thin and paper-like....the Ocean Nutrition brand seems thicker and cloth-like..the Julian Sprung breaks up really fast and into a ton of tiny pieces..i'm not sure which one they like best

 

[Brenden]

Mine seem to like the seaweed salad better. The last batch I got in has red algae mixed in with it. I do rotate but they get more green than anything.

 

[returnofsid]

I've heard and read a lot about the Gracillia and I believe it's red. Also...I have read that a lot of tangs are actually more omnivorous than herbivorous lately....who knows. I like the idea of having you taste it yourself and letting all of us know.

 

[NeuroDoc]

Can anyone suggest specific brands of algae? I am only able to get green locally.

 

[KRMNAL1]

Do Purple Tangs eat this colored algae ? the only thing I ever feed is Mysis

 

[returnofsid]

Well, apart from LFS or online, another source of seaweed is Oriental grocery stores. Don't know if you've any of those near you but I imagine you could find some. Ask for Nori.

 

[shallowreef]

Thats what i started to do and i got seaweed for a fraction of what i pay for it at my LFS and its the exact same stuff.