Feeding Difficult with Lettuce Clip

[marquesalan]

I have a tang and feed him with Seaweed Selects. It never seems to stay attached to the clip. It softens so fast and then floats all over the tank. My filter gets full of seaweed. Has anyone seen a more practical way to feed a tang these flimsy sheets of algae with messing up the whole tank?

[Mikeaveli21]

I use seaweed selects too using a clip and don't really have a problem. Could it be that the clip has weakened and just doesn't hold the seaweed as tight? That might be the reason it pops off and messes with your tank.

Oh also, I throw the whole clip into the tank and let it sit on the sand. The tang has a field day with it and the seaweed never pops off. That might be why it works for me. As for other means of feeding them the seaweed, can't really help ya.

[marquesalan]

Well, the clip is brand new. It's like the seaweed breaks off in little pieces when the tang is eating it. I have tons of little algae pieces blowing around the tank. Yours doesn't break apart?

[Mikeaveli21]

Nope, mine never breaks apart. Out of the water its easy to break since its dry, but as soon as I drop it in the water it holds up really well. If it stays in too long however, then it might start breaking up a little. How long is it taking your tang to eat the piece?

[marquesalan]

Usually he eats it within an hour but I thought you were supposed to leave seaweed out because they like to graze.
I don't leave it in there longer than an hour but it flakes off into little pieces when he pecks at it and once they are floating he won't touch them. He only like the seaweed from the clip. Weirdo!

[Mikeaveli21]

lol, ya my tang actually does the same thing. On occasion he breaks off a huge chunk and it floats around, but he won't touch it. Have you always had this problem when feeding him? Hopefully someone else might be able to chime in and give you a better method of approach, I can't think of another way that would work since its the actual seaweed that seems to be the problem. I am going to drop in a clip with some "seaweed selects" right now to see if it breaks up in case I just haven't noticed it.

[marquesalan]

I have some on a clip right now and it seems to be o.k.
How long would you say I can safely leave it in there?
I don't want to pollute the tank.
My LFS has a weight that goes to the bottom of the tank with a rope and a clip at the top so the seaweed stands straight up. I will ask them how to make one. It might work better that way since that is how the seaweed grows.
Thanks for your help. I really think tangs are just a little hard to feed but well worth it.

[BigFish]

why dont you just buy some live algae it helps lower nitrates and your a tang will love it :mrgreen:

Plus your tank woun get all messy

[marquesalan]

Is it easy to take care of? You mean calupera? Can I buy it at a LFS? I have never seen it for sale.

[Chryocon]

I have two HUGE patches of what my LFS calls Tang Hevaen Red & Tang Heaven Green.. it has more than trippled in size since I got it 5 days ago and all I have for lighting are two cheep 40watt MH clip on reading lamps untill I finish up this whole T5 thing wiuth Corrado and build a hood... all I have to say is most algea grows like a weed and it has made my water crystal clear and my inverts love to eat it...it is like a giant pod breeding ground...

[Mikeaveli21]

chryocon, you got any pics of those tang heavens? Do you know their real name? Seems like something worth investing in. Thanks for the info.

[marquesalan]

I have heard of that and it was highly recommend. Wasn't sure if it really worked. Can you post a couple of pics of your tank with the Tang Heaven in it? Thanks for the advice.

[RazerCorals]

If you feed lettuce it should not be iceberg and should be frozen then put into the tank. I don't know why you freeze it. Iceberg lettuce has no nutrients in it.

[BigFish]

not sure about freezing but romaine is the must ove iceberg.

wont freezing kill off the lettuce wont it loose vitamins (mabe not)

[BigFish]

also why use lettuce? I can get 9oz calupera for like $7 and it just grows and grows.

lol hard to take care of ha ha it is almost imposible to kill. I had so much I threw som in a roughneck container and put oon a lid it has been a few weeks and it is still alive (well it was 2 days ago but not sure about now). It does not really have lighting requirments either as far as I can tell, and it basically lives off of waist in your aquarium you cant loose with this stuff.

[marquesalan]

Where do you buy calpera for that cheap? I was looking at buying some Tang Heaven but it is $20?

[105man]

I have had the same unfortunate experience with the clip and the seaweed selects...the stuff just dissolves or deteriorates very quickly, and much of it winds up all over the place.

[Strictly Marine]

You should not feed your fish any terrestial plants. Most have hard cell walls that fish can't digest. That is why they tell you to freeze it cause that breaks down some of the cell structure and makes it easier to digest.
Gracilaria is a very nice plant for fish. I have had trouble with it dying off because you need to acclimate them to the water just like fish. They are less noxious that caulerpa and fish like it better.