To those of you with a trigger and a tang...

[reefaholic33]

You ever have problems getting algae sheets to your tang? Everytime I put an algae sheet on the clip my tang get's to nibble on it for a couple seconds but as soon as my trigger finds it he rips it off and swallows it whole. This is only about a 6 inch trigger and he can fit more than half a piece of an algae sheet in his stomach lol. My tang is kinda thin and I really need him to get more of it, they also get my home made food once a day. I have started putting some algae in late at night when the trigger is in his burrow and the tang is still out, this has helped some but not solved my problem.
Is there any tricks?

 

[leroy421]

I'd try a simple tank divider durring feeding time. Once your tang gets it's fill, pull out the divider.

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by reefaholic33
http:///forum/post/3005276
You ever have problems getting algae sheets to your tang? Everytime I put an algae sheet on the clip my tang get's to nibble on it for a couple seconds but as soon as my trigger finds it he rips it off and swallows it whole. This is only about a 6 inch trigger and he can fit more than half a piece of an algae sheet in his stomach lol. My tang is kinda thin and I really need him to get more of it, they also get my home made food once a day. I have started putting some algae in late at night when the trigger is in his burrow and the tang is still out, this has helped some but not solved my problem.
Is there any tricks?
Almost every fish I have loves algae sheets; including lots of carnivores that wouldn't be caught dead pecking algae off rock like a tang. I assume its just the instinctive feeding behavior; because most of the algae sheets don't have any additives to encourage feeding.
I don't depend on these sheets to supply the bulk of nutrition for any of my herbivores. There are lots of algae-loaded frozen & dried foods that tangs love. A cube of Formula II, in a grid feeder is great. (Although some fish don't like the gel binder in the cubes.) While brine shrimp is no longer a food of choice, I think the brine shrimp, gut loaded with spirulina are great for tangs.
Tangs love to graze and having a lot of algae growth on LR helps. At times, I even use a leaf of frozen romaine or turnip greens; a throw back to the days before the algae sheets. Tangs will also eat the basic carnivore foods too, but do need plenty of greens; just find another way to provide it, there are plenty. Using a divider seems a little extreme and would be unrealistic in my tanks; but whatever works for you.

 

[deejeff442]

yea my trigger tears up the sheet pretty fast.
luckily my tangs are as aggressive as him when it comes to eating the stuff.
maybe get two clips one on each side of the tank.

 

[sean48183]

Use 2 clips with smaller sheets on them and put them on different ends of the tank. While the trigger is at one end- the tang will go to the other end or once the trigger eats one sheet he probably won't eat the other one when he finds out it is something he really didn't like. I used this method because my lunar wrasse was doing the same thing.

 

[salami trigger]

I would feed the trigger his rations first like shrimps and silversides and such...then smaller strips placed in the clip for the tang....at least maybe the Trigger will be less inclined to steel the algae strip...hopefully.
I used the divider method years ago...what a pain...that didn't last very long.

 

[small triggers]

I have 4 clips and I feed meaty food about a minute before i put the sheets in, the triggers stay busy for a few minutes then notice the sheets, but there are so many to choose from they just kinda take a few huge hunks then leave the rest alone.

 

[reefaholic33]

Originally Posted by Leroy421
http:///forum/post/3005337
I'd try a simple tank divider durring feeding time. Once your tang gets it's fill, pull out the divider.
I have thought about this, but In my reef it would be very hard. But if I get desperate I might have too.

 

[reefaholic33]

Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/3005455
Almost every fish I have loves algae sheets; including lots of carnivores that wouldn't be caught dead pecking algae off rock like a tang. I assume its just the instinctive feeding behavior; because most of the algae sheets don't have any additives to encourage feeding.
I don't depend on these sheets to supply the bulk of nutrition for any of my herbivores. There are lots of algae-loaded frozen & dried foods that tangs love. A cube of Formula II, in a grid feeder is great. (Although some fish don't like the gel binder in the cubes.) While brine shrimp is no longer a food of choice, I think the brine shrimp, gut loaded with spirulina are great for tangs.
Tangs love to graze and having a lot of algae growth on LR helps. At times, I even use a leaf of frozen romaine or turnip greens; a throw back to the days before the algae sheets. Tangs will also eat the basic carnivore foods too, but do need plenty of greens; just find another way to provide it, there are plenty. Using a divider seems a little extreme and would be unrealistic in my tanks; but whatever works for you.
He also gets home made food and shrimp once a day, but I don't think he is getting the balance a tang needs. Most of the time he picks at the sheet for five seconds and then it's gone. I might try putting some romaine in there maybe that won't tear off at easy.

 

[reefaholic33]

Originally Posted by SALAMI TRIGGER
http:///forum/post/3005718
I would feed the trigger his rations first like shrimps and silversides and such...then smaller strips placed in the clip for the tang....at least maybe the Trigger will be less inclined to steel the algae strip...hopefully.
I used the divider method years ago...what a pain...that didn't last very long.
The crazy thing is I do put the sheet in after I feed the "carnivore food" and he is getting plenty of food I'm sure of that. But after when I put the sheet out the tang is the one that is full and the trigger will still go eat, and take the whole sheet.

 

[reefaholic33]

I think I'm going to get another clip and sitract him hopefully. Maybe he will like having his own clip lol. I just can't figure out where the trigger puts it all.

 

[jackri]

I no longer have a trigger but my yellow tang is total boss of everyone when it comes to the algae sheets. The others may get some scraps.

 

[reefaholic33]

Originally Posted by jackri
http:///forum/post/3006143
I no longer have a trigger but my yellow tang is total boss of everyone when it comes to the algae sheets. The others may get some scraps.
They are both up there in the pecking order, but the tang can't fit almost a whole algae sheet in this mouth at once.