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SAILFIN TANG under Stress? 11/22/05 Hi. I Just added a sailfin tang to my tank, past Wednesday. It was sold as in good condition. But I noticed that it had a bulge in its stripes, just below its snout on the lower part of his body. The size is about 2.5 inches. It is not eating. I've been feeding the same as all the fishes in the tank, marine fish pellets. It's kept with a black percula clownfish, yellow tang, powder brown tang and a yellow tailed damsel, they are all peaceful with each other except the yellow tang which sometimes gets a little bit aggressive but doesn't do any harm. The sailfin doesn't move much from its territory, <A clue that these tangs are not "getting along"> and I don't know if I've seen correctly but it has eaten some of the other fish's wastes. <Yes, natural. No worries> I added a lettuce leaf to see, if it would at least go try it, but wasn't successful, although I didn't know i had to boil the lettuce leaf before introducing it to the aquarium. Also, I noticed like a white thing coming out of its snout, as if it had a tongue, I don't know if its a tongue or a parasite, or if its just blowing or what not which I don't seem to see in any of the other fishes. As you can see I'm a beginner, and its the first time I've had a problem like this. If you have any advice, i would appreciate it, because its a beautiful fish and wouldn't want to lose it.. Thanks in advance, Frances Aviles Guadalajara, Mx <You really should move this sailfin tang to another system, and soon. Though it may not appear to be "fighting", there is too much antagonism for it to live comfortably in this setting. Bob Fenner> Tang Disease? I have Kole Tang that
in the last month has shown signs of distress. <Such as?> I have
a 55 gallon tank with 75 lbs of live rock. An Emperor 400
filter and a SeaClone protein skimmer (need to upgrade that I
think). I have a red thorny starfish, the Kole tang, a
Foxface Rabbitfish and a red spotted Hawkfish. The tang
appeared ok until I added the hawk and the Rabbitfish.
<Bingo... very likely its behavior has been influenced by the
presence of the Rabbit... these fish groups don't "mix"
in the wild... often utilize the same resources... space, foods... i.e.
they're competitors> The Kole has been a resident of the tank
for 6 months along with a goby and my starter damsels. The
tank itself is a year old. I do regular water changes and
also have my water tested weekly at the LFS as it is only a few minutes
from my house. I don't know the specific numbers other
than I trust the fish store at least a few of the
employees. Anyway back to this poor tang. He is
still eating very good and always has but after I added the hawk and
the Rabbitfish (they were QT for two weeks prior to introduction) his
body began to show signs of fighting. I witnessed the hawk
and the tang going at it several times. The fighting
subsided but the tang had visible markings on its
side. Since that time near the tail it appears two small
bones have protruded. Excuse my ignorance but the tang
always appeared to have two very small fin like protrusions and now it
just appears there is no flesh covering those. <Good observations...
the flesh will/can re-grow over the exposed spines> The
tang also appears to scratch these along the tank. For the
first week or so the tang would also swim very wildly although that has
seemed to have calmed down except for the scratching which is a rather
odd motion. I noticed tonight some fin rot on the bottom
fin. The tang eats wonderfully but the two bone like areas
don't seem to be healing. I feed a mix of frozen variety
packs, plankton, and algae sheets. Any ideas? <Sounds
like you either need a larger tank or to switch out some of these
fishes> A few other questions while I have your time. Would a goby
do ok in this tank? I have watched a diamond watchman and he
is an extremely fun fish to watch. The goby is a very
interesting species. <Would likely do fine, but you would have to
watch for negative interactions with the Hawk initially> Are there
any type of inverts the Hawkfish will not eat? <Most all
non-crustaceans> Thank you in advance for your assistance. Andy
Martin Oh and I should explain I removed the damsels as they had killed
two attempts at dwarf angel fish. They appeared to be
extremely territorial. I had tried both a flame and a lemon
peel with the same result. I also waited for my LFS to get a
potter angel but it died after shipment to the LFS before I took
delivery. Poor thing just never would eat. <Mmm, most all
your difficulties would be solved/mute if you only had a larger
(hundred gallons plus) system... Bob Fenner> Scarface Hello, <Hi, MikeD here> New here, looks like you guys know your stuff, so here goes. I have just recently decided to turn my 60 gallon fish tank to a reef.<I almost kicked this back for one of the "reefers", as my specialty is fish, crustaceans and FOWLR tanks,> Up and running with approx. 40lbs. live rock, 2 tangs (blue, sailfin),<here you have a problem....a 60 gal, tank will soon be too crowded for one tang, let alone two.> 1 neon goby, 2 anemones (just split from the previous 1 last month), 1 clown and 1 crab. All good with ph, nitrates, ammonia, etc. However, my sailfin tang has recently developed what almost looks like scarring around his face - hard to describe and I can't identify it using any charts, etc.<It's commonly referred to as HLLE or Hole in the Head/Lateral Line disease, and is actually just a symptom, not a disease> I have been soaking food in garlic elixir, but doesn't seem to have any effect. The fish acts like nothing is wrong, behavior is normal (although I have to admit, he seems a little irritated with the blue tang, but I think it's because the blue tang is CONSTANTLY following him around, almost like he wants to school with him)<That's exactly what is happening, and the day will come, sadly, when the sailfin shows you why the books state one tang per tank when he backs up to it and cuts it to ribbons. Once the attack starts it will probably be rapid, nonstop and violent, so be prepared. Maturity often brings it on and it's at or nearing that age now>, looks great other than it's face and I hate to remove and medicate and possibly stress him out if there is nothing wrong<There's definitely something wrong>.... have you seen this type of anomaly in other Sailfins, he is approx. 2 1/2 years old.<Eventually the erosion will spread down the entire length of the lateral line of the fish and is caused by improper feeding and cramped conditions, both of which are now occurring. I can say this without reservation as the Sailfins reach 15" in length, and are NOT stunted by too small a tank. If being fed a proper diet, he'd already be too large for your tank and likely be around 6"-8" long, minimum. In a 60 gal. tank, adding foods such as FD algae sheets, romaine lettuce, raw shrimp, etc. and MAY help, but it won't address the overcrowding issue, thus there may not be any improvement. I was given a 7" black Acanthurus tang, and by improving the diet and placing it in a 300 gal. tank the HLLE cleared itself up completely in less than 60 days. You, my friend, have some tough choices to make and that's the ONLY thing that will help. Otherwise, the HLLE will continue to spread until your fish gradually rots alive and contracts an infection in those "holes"....if you're lucky, it won't be contagious infection and he will be the only fish that you lose, while there's a good chance that the eventual outcome will be a complete tank die off. By the way, I earned the title "The Coralslayer" by trying to keep fish such as these in with corals.....between their food and excreted wastes, you're not likely to have a lot of success with the corals as well.> Tang In Tatters? All of a sudden my yellow tangs fins are all
frayed and jagged with a slight reddish tint to the
edges. He has not been battling any more than usual and no
other fish in the tank seem to have the same problem. What
can I do? Mike <Well, Mike, without knowing the water parameters,
tankmates, and other conditions, I can only speculate. My two thoughts
about frayed and bloodied fins are that they are caused by either
environmental deficiencies (i.e.; detectable ammonia, nitrite, or
unusually low pH), or that there could be some form of bacterial or
parasitic infection. You may need to do some digging in the WWM FAQs to
get a positive ID. If it is an environmental problem, the cure might be
as simple as some minor corrections to the tank conditions. Keep a
close eye on things, monitor water quality carefully, and take required
actions. Then again, it might simply be the result of injury incurred
during skirmishes with its tankmates (hence the lack of other affected
fishes), so re-visit this possibility, too. Good luck. Regards, Scott
F> Strange Behaviour! Dear Mr. Fenner: <Scott F. here today!> Merry Christmas ! <And Happy New Year to you and yours!> I recently purchased a 4 inch Blue Tang and a 9 inch Yellow Tail Coris Wrasse and added it to my 380 liter FOWLR aquarium with existing inhabitants---11 inch Panther Grouper and 4 inch Brown Tang. <Those are some large and potentially large fishes for a tank of this size...do think about the future...> On its first two days of introduction, both fishes ate some frozen shrimps eagerly. Then their behaviors changed: Coris Wrasse: On its first two days, it would disappear towards the substrate at night and reappear only in the morning which was expected. After two days, it stopped burying itself at night and started to swim abnormally and in a very crazy fashion----swimming while somersaulting/tumbling, rests with it mouth pointed towards the substrate while the body in a diagonal position and would occasionally swim up to the surface and down again. Today he stopped resting at the lower portion of the aquarium and would spend most of his time near the surface of the aquarium and occasionally squirting water. What is wrong? His belly appears to be slightly bloated. <Wow- hard to be sure from here...could be some type of internal parasite of some sort...maybe Vibrio bacteria...? Do check water conditions to verify if there have been no ammonia/nitrite spikes or other chemical parameter fluctuations. Also, do take a good long long at the fish to see if there is any external injury of any sort Don't rule out collection traumas, either...). You seem to make accurate observations, so it seems to me that some sort of internal parasite or infection is possibly the cause here. I'd continue to observe carefully for the next few days, and if the condition does not appear to improve, you may want to remove the fish to a separate tank for treatment...I'd probably look into some antibiotic medications for this condition. Review the wetwebmedia.com disease FAQs before medicating to confirm exactly what you may be dealing with here> Blue Tang: after introducing for 2 days, he started hiding himself among the rockworks and would occasionally peek at his environment and would refuse to eat even food is offered near him. However, the panther is frequently seen resting very near the Tang and would occasionally be rubbing itself against the Tang---but definitely not of the aggressive intent or approach. The blue tang doesn't swim away either. The Panther does that occasionally with the Brown Tang. What do these actions signify? <May be a dominance/submission behavior between the fishes...more posturing than anything else...As long as no one is getting chewed up, I would observe and be prepared to take action if needed> I am perplexed. As far as the water parameters, they are all normal--- zero nitrites, phosphates, 8.2-8.3 ph, specific gravity of 1.15 with sufficient protein skimmer, three airstones, heavy filters. <What was that specific gravity...? If you meant 1.015, that could be a problem... Maybe you're causing osmotic shook to the new fishes...dozens of possibilities. I'm sure that you meant 1.025. If 1.025, not a concern> The panther is with me for exactly a year while the Brown Tang is been there for two months and both have hearty appetites with no apparent aggressive behaviors to the other tenants. Kindly give your views and comments. <I'd just keep observing everyone and be prepared to intervene if disease or further aggression manifest themselves in this tank. Once again, do think long-term about the physical tank sizes required for the large fishes that you are keeping...Maintain the highest possible water quality. Feel free to contact us again if you have any further questions. Good luck! Regards, Scott F>
Yellow Tang wiggles Dear Mr. Fenner: <David Dowless with you this evening> My yellow tang lives with 2 panther groupers ( about 7 inches each) <The panther grows to almost 28"! Your tank will become too small...and soon> and a four inch square Anthias in a 95 gallon tank with live rocks. My aquarium has been cycled for more than 15 months now. <I would consider your tank at capacity right now...> Recently, I noticed that my Yellow Tang wiggles like a goldfish as she swims instead of the usual gliding , fast paced swimming. She is still as active as ever, has a very hearty appetite, tends to go close to the panthers for physical contacts once in awhile. It seems like a mechanical factor. It seems to have some red marks above its eyes; otherwise, everything seems normal. <Well Richard...have you run a full battery of water tests? The redness around the eyes could be a fungus or even more likely, collateral damage from being in a tank with 2x 7" panther groupers...or the swimming problem could be a swim bladder problem. Search WetWebMedia using the terms swim bladder and then check out our section on parasites/fungus. Can you send a picture?> How could I make her swim normally? <See above> Regards, Richard <Good luck! David Dowless> Yellow eyed tang I have a yellow eye tang been in the tank for a few months. recently it has gotten to look like it cant shut its mouth. <A very bad sign, development... Often, a "bump" or rubbing on a bag in transit will result in microbial infection, loss of feeding, vigor... death. Best to react ASAP> It looks like his mouth is peeling. any ideas? It may also help to know that it wasn't until recently that I found out you are supposed to feed them seaweed. Could these two things be linked? <Yes, likely> In the tank are 5 damsels a wassy or rassy however you want to pronounce it a clown (orange and white) 6 black and white fish my wife picked up 3 hermit crabs 3 anemone 4 Featherdusters about 20 lbs of rock and a walking pin cushion. Okay laugh I don't know the names of all these fish. Its a 30 gal tank with proper filtration unit (recommended by the fish shop) and a 50/50 bulb. please help. Mike <Yikes... this is a lot of fish in such a small tank... the Damsels in particular are often quite territorial (depending to a large degree on species). Please use the Google search tool at the bottom of our homepage: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ with the names of your fishes, "tang health"... to learn what you should know as a keeper of this life. Bob Fenner> Tang update Hello again Robert It Jason again with an update on our new Tang Acanthurus pyroferus As you and other fish people suggested, I moved our new tang to the main system. He went from 1.012 to 1.19 salinity in a drip feed in about 2 hrs. I figured if he stayed in that q tank any longer he be dead soon anyway. He spent 2 days not wanting to move and was being harassed by my trigger. He has not eaten since Tuesday. This morning I started making plans to bring him back to the store. He just was not wanting hold his own with the other fish. My Trigger absolutely Hates him! Then he started to brave it out later during the day. I started seeing him pick at some rock and explore the rest of the tank. But still That damn trigger was trying to spear him full blast with his mouth. My Annularis Doesn't really bother to chase unless the Tang is in his way. My Flame angel is about the same size as the Tang. They really don't seem to like each other either. They just flutter aggressively next each other and separate. I'm Thinking of removing the trigger into my 12 gall eclipse for a few days. Will this help? <Possibly... but your systems are psychologically overloaded... too crowded period... time to do some hard thinking, and acting on what to remove/keep. Bob Fenner> Thanks again, JET New tang, big-fish-mix Hi Bob, quick question again. <Hi Thomas, Lorenzo Gonzalez here, doing my best Bob impression while he's incommunicado-in-Asia> all is REAL well with my reef (added plenum), but had a question about my 160 (yes again). I had the tank coppered and was bringing the tank off of it, when i noticed my tusk started hanging out in the upper right hand corner of my tank, swimming all night!! his fins started to look ragged, so I treated with moderate dose of Maracyn, I then came to realize that my miniatus grouper was no longer so mini, and was territorializing the tank. I traded in the grouper, for a Naso (lipstick tang), and added a small clown. I know I should have waited, but I seldom deal with this this LFS anymore, and wanted to get my credit while I could. <Mmm. The tang is likely quite displeased with any remaining copper in that tank. Tangs and copper never mix well.> Anyway, I want to make sure I am not over stocked or have a bad mix. I have a 12+ queen angel, 5+- blue face, 6 in tusk, 7 in lunatic trigger (cross hatch), the Naso and a small clown. the Naso is exhibiting white dots on fins (I did have a quarantine tank, but that became my sump when I cracked the other). <Did you at least freshwater dip the incoming fish? Extra important without a quarantine system, and absolutely necessary if that clown is wild-caught.> The tusk already seems happier, the tang is not eating (i got him yesterday, looked good, swimming constantly). Sorry for the length, your writings suggest I have a good selection, my question is one of space and how to coax the Naso to eat. Thanks a million, Tom <Sounds like a workable mix to me. Clown might be seriously shy due to relative dwarfing by those big-boys. Bet that adult queen angel is a real stunner. Oh yeah... the tang would probably appreciate some fluffy Caulerpa, check out Gerald's 'Tang Heaven' (www.ipsf.com), if you really want to treat the fish right. (Throw a light in the cabinet and grow this great stuff in your sump!) In the meantime you can try some Nori, Spirulina, other pre-packaged dried seaweeds, perhaps marinated in a tasty liquid vitamin to help bolster the new Tang, or even some fresh baby spinach (not a long-term staple food) Put the stuff in a clip, attached somewhere near where the tang mostly hangs out, and leave it there a while. > p.s. I lucked into a new LFS in the area that is heavy into successful coral keeping, they are very well read and coincide with your methodology. <Always lucky to find a decent LFS! Regards, Lorenzo>
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