I'm a student writing an essay for the DuPont Challenge Scholarship contest, and I think I have a good idea for a topic. 
I would like to compare the wild feeding/bite rate per hour of Yellow tangs, and compare that to the bite rate of mine, then use this to determine an appropriate amount of "supplementary" food that I should add to the tank. This way, I'm thinking, I can get my tang's "grazing" rate to match the feeding rate of wild yellows, and determine how much I need to add to maintain this.

However, I can't seem to find a number for the bite rate of YT's! Does anyone know this or know how to find it?! 
Also, suggestions about how to do this would be very much appreciated... this is probably the first real scientific experiment I've ever done before.

Tyler Smith

Tyler, try emailing coral-list@coral.aoml.noaa.gov with your question and current test results. This is the address for CORAL-List and will immediately put your question in the hands of 5000 marine biologist, educators, and other marine enthusiast.

I assume the working theory is that if the Yellow Tang in captivity bites / grazes more frequently than a wild fish, it is hungrier / not getting enough food, whereas if it grazes less frequently, it is already sufficiently "stuffed" and isn't looking for food.

I'd wonder how other factors outside of hunger could affect the bite rate - i.e. can a tang get a bigger mouthful when it bites a sheet of nori vs. biting the rock to scrape off whatever tiny amount of algae is present...?

Interesting topic - I wish you success!

I assume the working theory is that if the Yellow Tang in captivity bites / grazes more frequently than a wild fish, it is hungrier / not getting enough food, whereas if it grazes less frequently, it is already sufficiently "stuffed" and isn't looking for food.

Yes... that was the idea... but I didn't get any affirmative responses to my first post here or on the HVRK website, so I ditched that topic... thank you for the responses, I hate to quit it. I'm going to try to do any essay about captive breeding now.

Well, if you have any questions, please ask 'em in the breeding forum and I'll do what I can to help!