Kole tang eating diatoms?

[najluni15]

My kole tang seems to have taken a liking to eating the diatoms in my tank. Is this normal? My tank is going through its algae cycle as it gets established and the diatom bloom is being devoured! Now the tang is really fat. Diatoms should be fine for him to eat right?

[jestep]

They eat film algae which would definitely include diatoms. I wouldn't count on them eating dino or cyano though. Mine wouldn't ever eat macros so definitely needed supplemental feedings once film algae is mostly gone.

[lkoechle]

They eat film algae which would definitely include diatoms. I wouldn't count on them eating dino or cyano though. Mine wouldn't ever eat macros so definitely needed supplemental feedings once film algae is mostly gone.

What are you supplementing yours with? Mines fairly new (since friday), but he's probably already cleared all film algae. he sort of pecks at nori and sort of picks at new life mini grazer. He hides during the main feeding (I think he's still startled by pumps turning off and on) so no mysis, but he was eating that at the store. He seems spastic and ADHD. This is my first tang, so I don't know if thats just normal tang behavior or not.

[jestep]

What are you supplementing yours with? Mines fairly new (since friday), but he's probably already cleared all film algae. he sort of pecks at nori and sort of picks at new life mini grazer. He hides during the main feeding (I think he's still startled by pumps turning off and on) so no mysis, but he was eating that at the store. He seems spastic and ADHD. This is my first tang, so I don't know if thats just normal tang behavior or not.

 

Pellets or frozen food. Mine never cared for nori even when there were other fish eating it.

 

Mine did a lot better with active swimming fish in the same tank, or another similar size friendly fish like a zebrasoma tang or a foxface. Definitely shy naturally.