hippo tang won't eat algae

[scotty]

i have had a hippo tang for a little over a week....he eats like a madman when i put in flake or frozen food, but has yet to touch the clip with algae on it...is this normal for a new tang? i was under the impression they needed and ate lots of algae...the only other inhabitant is a baby spiny box puffer who never gets full and never stops swimming...thanks for your input...scott

 

[steve40]

I was reading on them and it does say that hippo tangs will eat flake food. What frozen food do you feed him, cause the reading i read did say they are strict herbivores, but it does say they will eat flake food.

 

[scotty]

haha....i thought they were herbivores as well, but mine is definetly not....i feed my puffer "life line" for carnivorous fish and the tang goes nuts for it...he loves the flake food as well...it's called "marine aquarium flake food" by o.s.i. i am new to the hobby, so i have no idea if this is harmful to him.....he seems to me like he is thriving, but i don't want problems and i understood algae was essential.....scott

 

[steve40]

As I was reading on those fish it said that it is easy to tell if they are sick or not just by looking at their size. As long as they are not thin and sickly looking then that means that they are healthy. At least its eating right. It could be worse and not be eating at all.

 

[aquarius 1]

I presently have a hippo and have had many in the past and for all the ones that I've had, I can't say that they are big veggie eaters. Almost never do they pick algae off the coral and I almost never see them at the seaweed clip either. I feed mine flakes and frozens and he snags some floating pieces of algae here and there but thats really it. As long as he's eating consistenly with flakes and frozen I wouldn't worry, but you could perhaps add some vitamins to ur food to get that extra benefi.

 

[scotty]

thanks for all your replies! i am going to give the flakes a shot(thanks again sammy).....he has taken a few nibbles here and there on the dry sheets i put in....as much as he likes the regular flake food, i am sure he will go nuts for the veggie flakes.....thanks again.
scott