Taking care of a Naso tang can be difficult at times. Sometimes they don’t eat for a long time and eventually die.
Naso tangs are mostly the shy type. They are not aggressive consumers. However, they don’t want to eat at times.
What steps can you take if your Naso tang not eating?
Quarantine is an excellent practice if your Naso tang is not eating. You can separate them from the main tank and take extra care.
You can also use liquid garlic in their food. Naso tangs usually come straight from the ocean. So, you have to try different techniques on them to get them to eat.
But once you get them to eat, they are gold. So, read along to know how you can get them to eat.
Reason Behind Naso Tang Not Eating
Bringing a Naso tang from the ocean and caring for them is difficult. Naso tangs are not aggressive types. So they need extra care.
Otherwise, they won’t eat, and parasites will start to attack. Either they die of starvation, or the spell of a parasite may spread in your tank.
Parasite attacks are terrible for your tank. So, let’s move on to why your Naso tang isn’t eating.
Intimidated By Other Tangs In The Tank
Naso Tang is also the shy type. They get intimidated by other tangs in the aquarium.
Mostly, yellow tangs are responsible. Thus Naso tangs lose their interest in eating. Consequences are either dead or sick, Naso tang.
Swim Space
Swim space is a vital factor for Naso tang. If they don’t get enough swimming space, they can’t complete their digestion.
So aquarium size is a great factor for them. It’s better to keep your aquarium size to more than 150 gallons.
Water Parameters
Water parameters of the tank are also significant for Naso tang. Creating the natural habitat for Naso tang helps them to get comfortable sooner.
So, all water component levels should be maintained when you bring a Naso tang.
But wait-
How will you know if your water parameters are not okay?
First, you can watch the behavior of the corals. For example, if birdsnest coral is turning white, you’ll know the water parameters are not perfect.
Pest Attack And Metal Contamination
Pest and parasite attack in the tank is a reason for losing appetite for Naso tang. Therefore, keeping the tank clean is a mandatory duty for fish and corals.
Metal contamination is very problematic. This happens due to broken parts inside the tank.
Metal contamination is not only bad for Naso tang. It’s also bad for other creatures in the tank.
These are the most probable reasons for your Naso tang not eating.
But you’ve to know more about the care tips for Naso tang. So read along to know all about it.
How To Get Naso Tang To Eat?
After Naso tang comes from the ocean to an aquarium, they need time to cope with the environment. That’s why you have to be careful with every step you take.
Don’t worry; we’ll make it easier for you. You just have to follow the following steps to get the best results.
Quarantine
Separating Naso tang if not eating is the best way to take care. If you have an extra tank to quarantine, it’s highly suggested.
But, if you don’t have a spare tank, you can do it in your tank by separating Naso tang from other fishes.
The quarantine allows you to observe all the movements of Naso tang. Also, Naso tang will get all the space on its own.
Sometimes you’ll see other fish getting sick. Such as black spots in clownfish. In this case, you take sick fish in quarantine or all other fish in another tank.
So, you can feed them anything you like without worrying about what other fish will consume.
But, as they are the shy type, quarantine is a very effective way.
Also, if your Naso tang doesn’t eat, there might be a parasite problem. To prevent it from spreading in your tank, you should separate the Naso tang.
Liquid Garlic
Garlic works as an appetizer for saltwater fish. Whenever you see they are not eating enough. You can get liquid garlic from any aquarium store, or you can extract it on your own.
You can dip the liquid garlic directly in the water if the Naso tang is quarantined. Or you can mix the liquid with the food you’ll provide.
We recommend you mix liquid garlic with foods. In this way, naos tang will gain their appetite. This is an effective way to get them to eat.
Frozen Food
Frozen foods are ideal for fish who don’t want to eat. For every food, you provide to your fish, just refrigerate it for some time. You’ll see the change immediately.
Naso Tang is a fan of brine shrimp. Though Mysis shrimps are bigger than brine shrimp, they like brine more.
But frozen Mysis shrimp is an excellent way to get your Naso tang eating. You can also mix brine shrimp and Mysis shrimp.
Frozen mixed food is also an effective way. There’s a frozen mixed food named five in one. They consist of plankton, brine shrimp, bloodworms, squid, and a vegetable diet.
Using this food will get your Naso tang to eat.
Other than the food, you should look for other factors causing the problem. Stay tuned to learn more about it.
Aquarium Capacity
Naso tang needs a huge swimming space, as I’ve mentioned earlier. A Naso tang brought straight from the ocean demands separate swimming space.
The aquarium capacity should be at least 180 gallons. But, of course, you can always upgrade the capacity.
A larger aquarium capacity helps Naso tang with digestion issues as well. So, it’s essential here for Naso tang to get some space.
Clean Water
Clean water is ideal for Naso tang. But they can’t tolerate water contaminated with metals.
Metals like phosphates, nitrates, and silicates are dangerous for Naso tang. So, it’s better to maintain the water parameters.
Testing the number of phosphates, nitrites, and nitrates is also effective. Thus you’ll know the number of metals. Hence, always get the best nitrate or phosphate testing kit.
Cleaning accordingly will make the tank a better place for Naso tang.
By now, you must’ve understood why your Naso tang is not eating. Also, you know how to take care of your Naso tang if you are not eating.
FAQs
Question: How long can a Naso tang go without eating?
Answer: Naso tang can go 4-5 days without eating. If they live more than that, a parasite may attack, and they could die eventually.
Question: Why is my blue tang turning white?
Answer: Most probable reason is blue tang losing appetite. If they don’t eat, they start turning white. Parasite attack can also be a reason.
Question: How often should I feed my Naso tang?
Answer: It’s best to feed your Naso tang four times a day. Feeding herbs three times is recommended.
Conclusion
Naso tang is always the sensitive type. So you have to take utmost care of them to keep them alive.
Always keep in mind keeping Naso tangs separated from other tangs like yellow tang; the blue tang is highly recommended. Especially in the primary stage.
