Success keeping achilles

[Sumfingwong]

Thought I would chime in since I purchased an AT (3.5 to 4 inches) about 3 weeks ago. Everything is going good, I did not want to QT the AT simply because I didnt want to stress it out more with the transport. I purchased a cleaner wrasse with the AT. I drip acclimated the AT and wrasse for about 1.5 hours.

On the 2nd day, there was some ich on the body. I bumped up the garlic and ordered selcon and zoe from J&L.

It only took me a day to get him to eat flake, once he ate the flakes the ich went away (this was before the selcon and zoe arrived)

So for feeding, I have an automatic feeder that dumps 2 types of flake food while I'm at work. When I get home I had some more flake food, because of the high flow in my tank, half the food from the automatic feeder goes straight into the overflow and into the sump. Then at around 8pm I feed brine and mysis that has been soaking in selcon, garlic and zoe overnight. I actually keep an old peanut butter container full of vitamin soaked food ready (3 cubes of brine, 3 cubes of mysis, and sometimes I will add plankton)

So far the AT loves the high flow my MP40s create, its super happy. My bartlett anthia started to bully some new anthias i added last week, so the AT had a little ich on him, after the scuffle.. the AT chased the bully bartlett around and all is well again in my tank.

I find that if you can get it to eat flake you are good to go. So far mine eats everything I mentioned above. I add nori sheets, and recently the AT started nibbling on NLS pellets!!! (if I feed the NLS first before the flake and prepped foods)

A well fed AT = healthy AT

I noticed last night he might have scratched his left eye and had a small cloudy patch, I put an old filter soak into my tank and added an extra feeding. That way the filter sock catches the extra food that goes into the overflow. With the MP40s on full blast, after the feeding cycle it pushes all the extra food into the overflow.

I also forgot to mention that the cleaner wrasse is always with the AT cleaning him off, its so awesome! My wife HATES my hobby, but she was in charge of feeding the tank last week while i was in Washington DC. She said she really loves the AT and loves watching it turn "see-through" while the wrasse cleans him. The cleaner wrasse is also eating the prepped foods and flake food.

This morning, the eye is all good again! So far so good with the AT *knock on wood

I will try and get some photos next week, I am headed to Miami for a bachelor party. sorry for the novel

[Bblinks]

Thanks for sharing sumfinwrong. haha. just typing that name made me chuckle.

I have had my Achilles for about 3 weeks now, it is eating everything from pellets to nori to frozen but unfortunately like most achilles its got ick even though I dipped it in freshwater and paraguard it, the damn ick still appeared. I figured as long as its eating and gaining weight, it should have enough strength to fight it off.

Here is what I have gathered from my 2 achilles tangs that I have kept. Feed heavy and feed constant(nori sheets), soak the feed in garlic and selcom to boost immune system. Make sure your tank has excellent flow to mimic the natural habitat, high flow and high oxygen level is what these fish love. Besides that I guess it all boils down to luck.

[Sumfingwong]

Originally Posted by Bblinks

Thanks for sharing sumfinwrong. haha. just typing that name made me chuckle.

I have had my Achilles for about 3 weeks now, it is eating everything from pellets to nori to frozen but unfortunately like most achilles its got ick even though I dipped it in freshwater and paraguard it, the damn ick still appeared. I figured as long as its eating and gaining weight, it should have enough strength to fight it off.

Here is what I have gathered from my 2 achilles tangs that I have kept. Feed heavy and feed constant(nori sheets), soak the feed in garlic and selcom to boost immune system. Make sure your tank has excellent flow to mimic the natural habitat, high flow and high oxygen level is what these fish love. Besides that I guess it all boils down to luck.

haha thanks
I totally agree with the feeding. I find that if I need to overfeed, ill add an old filter sock to catch anything extra that goes down the overflow. But right now, my AT eats like a pig, and is constantly begging for food when I walk by the tank.

[fishytime]

Originally Posted by Sumfingwong

So for feeding, I have an automatic feeder that dumps 2 types of flake food while I'm at work. When I get home I had some more flake food, because of the high flow in my tank, half the food from the automatic feeder goes straight into the overflow and into the sump.

is there somewhere where you can attach a "feeding ring"?....I know they sell them but Ive seen DIYs that do the trick......Its basically a ring of plastic that sits at the waters surface where your feeder dumps in.....the ring keeps the food inside until it saturates with water and the starts to sink instead of going straight down the tube so to speak