Can Someone Please Inform My Fish of Proper Diet

[jonboyb]

This has bugged me for some time but apparently I have the worlds dumbest fish.

I have 2 tangs (Scopas and Yellow) that won't touch herbivore foods with a 10 foot pole....nori, Formula 2 pellet/flake, live macros, nada. They'll eat mysis, shrimp, clam, anything meat till they pop. The only thing they'll even nibble with any veggie content is spirulina flake. Even starved them once for 4 days, added a clipped sheet of nori, a piece banded to a rock, and floated some shredded nori in the tank and they would not touch it. Finally felt bad and gave them meaty preparations which they devoured.

On the other end, I have a 10-12" Engineer Goby (supposedly a carnivore) who will swim through a cloud of my meaty mix and pick out Formula 2 and spirulina. If I just don't offer, he will at least buckle and eat PE mysis, but no other meat. He will eat Formula 1 flake. Even tried live like ghost shrimp.

I've had all these fish for at least 6 months. All beautifully colored (I use Garlic Guard, Zoecon, and Vitality with all preparations other than veggies and flakes) and fat as hogs. Literally resemble pot-bellied pigs as much as fish. Super active, friendly, you name it. SHould I be concerned....I mean someone who I would hope knows alot more than me has labeled the fish herbivore, omnivore, carnivore. I don't want them to be unhealty or potential die/stress becuase of the wrong diet but I can't exactly force feed them.

 

[cr500_af]

Mine must be related. The tangs eat nori, etc fine, but I have 8 "carnivores" that eat it too. It's like a party that only my clownfish skip.

 

[hackman72]

You need to sit down with your fish and show them the articles we read. That way they'll know how we expect them to act...lol

 

[jonboyb]

Hackman72;576714 wrote: You need to sit down with your fish and show them the articles we read. That way they'll know how we expect them to act...lol

I tried, but couldn't hold enough breath to read the articles to them before gasping for air and sucking down saltwater. My fish are illiterate and require reading it to them because when I taped them to the glass they just acted like I was the one with a problem

 

[cr500_af]

jonboyb;576724 wrote: my fish are illiterate and require reading it to them because when i taped them to the glass they just acted like i was the one with a problem:d

Classic!

 

[superclown]

I read this just now and started rolling funny stuff

 

[shrimpy brains]

:confused2:Too funny! :lol2:



I think they will be fine, but you could try live macros, such as caleurpa(sp?)! Of course, if they don't eat it, you will have to prune it!

 

[smoothie]

Wrap up a cube in a sheet of nori for them. They'll have to tear into it

 

[jonboyb]

Smoothie;576760 wrote: Wrap up a cube in a sheet of nori for them. They'll have to tear into it

Hmmmm.....interesting idea. That I will try. It's like trying to trick my 4-year-old into eating his veggies

 

[jonboyb]

Shrimpy Brains;576759 wrote: you could try live macros, such as caleurpa(sp?)! Of course, if they don't eat it, you will have to prune it!

Tried placing bit's of various macros from my fuge to no avail. I think there are many types of calerpa but they've tried whichever variety I had at the time.

 

[hackman72]

For the 4 y.o., dip it in chocolate. For the fish, dip it in shrimp/fish juice.

 

[brianjfinn]

What about soaking the nori in garlic or the juice from a melted meaty cube? That way it will have the smell and some taste of the mysis or brine, or whatever.

 

[brianjfinn]

Hackman72;576770 wrote: For the 4 y.o., dip it in chocolate. For the fish, dip it in shrimp/fish juice.

Yeah, that. While I was typing my response, my wife wanted to know what I was laughing at. :lol2:
That's what took so long.

 

[dave green]

superclown;576740 wrote: I read this just now and started rolling funny stuff

What kind of funny stuff are you rolling? Will it give the fish the munchies?