The Stubborn Tang; not fdg. post Cu exposure      7/4/12
Hello crew!  i have an interesting predicament, so I'm hoping you will be able to help!
<Me too>
Here's the story:  i have a 5'' yellow tang in my 90g DT (150g total system) tank, and he wont eat for me recently.  I've had him since February this year, and until about 2 weeks ago, he's been acting....off.  When i first got him he had some mild HLLE which with lots of seaweeds, soaked in Selcon and Mysis and formula 2, he had a great recovery, almost complete turn around of the HLLE.  About 3 months ago the tank was hit with Ich, and then promptly treated by moving all fish to a QT and followed with copper treatment and a fallow tank for 7 weeks.
<The Cu exposure will very commonly affect tangs as you describe... make them anosmotic, and worse, kill off necessary intestinal fauna... Need to replenish... By adding a Tang species that does have such in its gut. Or moving the Yellow Tang into a system w/ such "critters" living there>
 After full recoveries and such.
all fish were returned and everything has been fine up until now.
I noticed the tang acting more lethargic than normal at lights on for a few days to start, and him bumping into the rock work occasionally, so i was worried his eyes were possibly blinded by the lights for some reason, so i lowed the lighting levels and that didn't change it.  then a few days later i noticed faint red mark, mostly around his tail and dorsal fin- at this point he was eating, but not as vigorously.  a few days later he stopped eating completely and as almost completely receded into the cave network in my rocks. there was a period of about 5 days, a week ago that he seemed to have some problems staying upright while not swimming, turning completely on 90 degrees on his 'side' and once and a while to nearly 120 and then quickly righting him self - this symptom has gone away recently.
now, almost 2 weeks since seeing him last eat, his HLLE is back with almost full force, if not worse, and i cannot get him to eat anything, even doused in garlic / Selcon.  Im quite worried.
<You should be>
Param.s: 0amm/nitrite, 5-10 nitrate, 80 F, .028 salinity (a little high, evaporation is...being difficult, slowly lowering to .026)
<1.    >
I would remove him to QT but I'm afraid moving him may do more harm then good, and all the other tankmates are looking fine and dandy ( 3'' hippo Tang, 3 teal Chromis, 1 blue damsel, 1 fire-fish, 2 peppermint shrimp, and a serpent-star).
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
<Mmm, like Rabbits (lagomorphs), Termites... and many other examples, Acanthuroids have live G.I. symbionts... that are too-easily killed off w/ copper exposure... You need to put the fish in a situation where they can become reinoculated... The Tang will "pick up" these from the substrate.
Bob Fenner>
Re: The Stubborn Tang 7/4/2012
Hey Bob, just a quick follow up with your last email.
<Welcome>
What do you suggest I do?  Should I add another herbivorous tang to the system to uh... 'Reintroduce' these critters or should I attempt the daunting task of finding someone that can house him for a few weeks to get him going again. (Pickings are slim in my area, my best bet would be this one LFS near me- well kept larger tanks-, but the owner is a bit of a hermit...).
<Yes; one or t'other>
Thanks with all the help,
Jake
<Certainly welcome. BobF>
Stubborn yellow tang follow-up 7/5/2012
Hey Bob, sorry to bother you...again, this is the last question I'm sure:
<Not a bother>
What species of tang do you think would be a good choice for the job at hand.
<Mmm. Do read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FishInd3.htm
scroll down to the section on Tang Selection/Stocking>
The reason I ask is, I would assume in a best case scenario another yellow tang would be the best for replenishing these 'critters' but I don't want a turf war in my tank by adding a second yellow.   Any thoughts?  Also, would adding water from a system with herbivorous tangs be sufficient to reintroduce the needed critters?
<Ohh, now I recall... yes to adding not water, but mulm... fecal material... you can gravel vacuum from the one tank, place in the needed one>
Thanks a million,
Jake
<As many welcomes. BobF>

Red Feathery Growth on Tang's Gills    7/2/12 Dear WetWebMedia, <Mich>    I have a 5 year old mixed reef tank.  The inhabitants include 2 Ocellaris Clownfish, 3 Firefish, 1 Yellow Tang, and 1 Blood Shrimp.  The corals include Frogspawn, Torch, Yellow Leather Toadstool, Star Polyps, Mushrooms, and Xenia.  All inhabitants appear healthy and happy.  The tank parameters have been stable with 8.2pH, 2.5meq/L alkalinity, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 5 nitrate.  I feed New Life Spectrum pellets daily, and Mysis and Cyclops soaked in Selcon a couple times a week.  The tang has dried seaweed available at all times.  I have had the Clownfish for 5 years, the Tang for 3, and the Firefish for 1 year.   No new fish have been added since the Firefish over a year ago.  The Xenia was the most recent coral addition over 6 months ago.  I have followed WetWebMedia religiously from the planning stages of the tank.  Because of you, I have had a well maintained, disease free display tank.  I quarantined ALL inhabitants for a minimum of 30 days prior to adding to the display tank.  I have never lost coral or fish to any type of disease.  Hopefully that’s enough background information. <Let's see>    This week my yellow tang developed a “growth” on his gill.  I am puzzled as to what it is. <Actually; looks to be part of a gill itself>  It has remained unchanged the past 3 days.  In my best description, it looks like a little red feather duster protruding from the top of his gills.  His behavior continues be normal.  He is active, greedily eating the New Life Spectrum pellets, and continuously grazing off the Liverock.  He routinely utilizes the services of the cleaner shrimp, but the “growth” is still there.  I have attached the best pictures I could get.  His constant moving, and my lack of good photography skills, made the picture taking difficult.  Do you have any guesses as to what the red, feathery growth is?  Is it something I should be concerned about? <Mmm, no; not really. Naught one can do re>  Is it something that requires treatment or should I continue with careful observation? <The latter>  What do you recommend? <Not to worry... these sort of "breaks"... in branchiostegals... occur occasionally. Need not be fatal>   I have searched the FAQ’s and apologize if the answer is there and I missed it.  On a side note, the tang had NO signs of HLLE until 6 months ago.  I do not use carbon in my tank.  I decided to add some before adding some new coral.  The tang had signs of HLLE within the week.  I removed the carbon and his symptoms have not gotten better or worse.  Could be a coincidence, but I think the carbon caused it. <There is scientific evidence of this involvement; though carbon alone is not the only cause>    Thank you in advance for any recommendations for my tang that you can give me.  Your website has been a tremendous help to me.  Thank you for your service. Michele <Thank you for writing; sending this along. Bob Fenner>

Re: Red Feathery Growth on Tang's Gills     7/6/12 Thank you for the response.  I have a follow up question.  Will the "broken" gill eventually heal itself or will it always be visible? <Can go either way... not a problem as exposed as long as it's not picked at> Thanks again for your help, Michele <Welcome. BobF>

Help with Yellow Tang... hlth.     5/30/12 Hi everyone, <Hello Marc> Hope is going well and thank you for finding some time in your day to help out people like me. I have a yellow tang in QT and over the past week he has developed a small wound? on his side. It looks like a small hole and has only just slightly increased in size. He has been eating very well and is swimming around freely. I am looking to treat the tank with some Melafix as a precaution. <Melafix is actually a liquid preparation of Tea Tree (Melaleuca) leaves and may or may not do much good for healing the wound, I would not use this. You state the tang is eating good but the picture depicts a caved in belly.  What are you feeding this fish?> The tank is currently running at 1.009 to aid in the elimination of marine Ich <http://www.masa.asn.au/masawiki/index.php/Ich>. He is housed with some Anthias and a Kole tang and there has been no sign of fighting. Water parameters are good and I am doing 25% water changes each 5 - 7 days. He is not scratching on anything but I get a feeling there is a slight change in his behaviour over the last 24 hours (or that could be me freaking him out looking into his tank). His fins are tucked in in this photo but are normally held out. It was just as he was turning. Any ideas of what it may be and how could treat it would be appreciated. <Mmm, 1.009 is a little bit low for osmotic shock therapy for tangs.  I'd boost this up to 1.012 and ensure this fish (and all fishes) is getting a good diet.  If feeding algae type foods alone, it will not keep this fish alive for long. Do read here. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/yellowtang.htm James (Salty Dog)>

Re Help with Yellow Tang 5/31/12 Thanks for the quick reply. <You're welcome.> I have been feeding a mix of foods but I will increase and also add some vitamin supplements to the food. I am interested in your comment about the salinity level. I have read so many places to drop the salinity to 1.009 <And even 1.008.>  and that I need to keep it at this level to ensure any crypto is dealt with. I assume that at 1.012 the crypto will still not survive. <Will not.  I prefer to keep it at 1.012 for tangs and other sensitive fish.> Thanks for your help <You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)> Marc

Healthy Yellow Tang Dies For No Apparent Reason 4/9/12
Hi guys,
<Hello Brandon>
I'm sad to say that my happy little yellow Tang has kicked the bucket :(.
I am left still wondering what happened to him, because he was quite healthy and very active. When he died he was still full of color and looked great, only he wasn't breathing. I had no feeding issues what so ever.
The little guy tore through Nori and feed on the natural algae all day long. He got along with the other fish very well and was about a year old.
<Nori has little nutritional value and will not keep a tang alive very long unless additional food supplements are given. Did your tang eat other foods?>
He was in a 92 gallon corner bow with a blue tang, two clarkii clowns, a Allen's damsel, a golden headed sleeper goby and a Condy anemone. All of them are doing great. I figure if my anemone is doing great, I don't have any water issues as they seem to be very fragile.
<A possible run in with the Condy. A healthy Condy can have a potent sting.>
So on to my question, the only irregular thing I can think of that I did the night before was leaving the light on for an additional 4 hours.
Sometimes I like to entertain my guests with the fish, so I override the automatic light timer. Do you think this could have stressed him out so bad that it killed him? I saw him swimming around the morning of and then he jammed himself into a rock and said goodbye.
<Nutrition and the Condy would be my two leads.>
Thanks,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Brandon
Re Healthy Yellow Tang Dies For No Apparent Reason 4/9/12
James,
<Brandon>
Thanks for the quick reply. I feed Omega One marine flakes every day. Then I feed Omega One Green Seaweed, fresh lettuce and spinach, and a frozen omnivorous blend at different times through the week.
<Would not be my choice of dry foods.  New Life Spectrum is the best available, I use it exclusively.>
Usually it's flakes only for 2-3 days a week. Is this enough variety?  Is it possible for a Yellow Tang to look in perfect health and really be malnourished?
<It can.  If deprived of nutritious foods, tangs generally reduce their food intake or may not feed at all.>
I'm leaning toward thinking the Condy gave him a paralyzing sting and stopped his breathing.
<My guess as well.>
The anemone is  about 8" wide with its tentacles spread and the Yellow Tang was about 2 1/2" long.
<Tangs this small are less likely to survive long term.>
Do you think it is inevitable for this to happen again on my other fish? 
What should I do?  Maybe I should get rid of him and get a Sebae?
<Is not a good idea to mix potent anemones with fish that do not host anemones and likely you have witnessed the reason why.  What makes you believe a Sebae anemone would be less potent than a Condy?>
Thanks again,
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Brandon

Skinny Yellow Tang 4/7/12
Hello gang. Love the site. Have a question in regards to yellow tangs. I'm now on my 2nd. Had my first one for 7 or so years with no real problems to speak of. However, over the entire length of having it I would describe the fish as "skinny". No fat or thickness to the body.
<Mmm, not uncommon... Many Zebrasoma have their gut-fauna bumped off via copper et al. exposure... never really gain weight or girth consequently>
All other signs of health never much of a problem. Active, always ate, swam normally and picked at the rocks all day. Now that I'm on my 2nd, and experiencing the same scenario, I can't help but to wonder why all the other fish in my tank are healthy and "thick" while the yellow tang remains skinny. I feel like I'm feeding properly, a combination of flake, seaweed selects and also Julian Sprung's Sea Veggies. My current setup is a 150 gallon tank with wet dry and protein skimmer. Water quality is good and steady, older tank of about 12 years. Any thoughts or recommendations? If the fish were yours, what would be your feeding regimen/t? Thanks!
Jamie
<May seem strange, but similar to many other animals (bunnies/Lagomorphs come to mind due to the season); I'd be adding (if there's room physically and psychologically), another Acanthurid... perhaps a member of the genus Ctenochaetus... to add the (poop) microbes... Oh, and do try out a fave personal food line, Spectrum pellets... The skinniness could be due/accountable to other factors... but my guess stands (for now). Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Treating a sick yellow tang 4/4/12
Hello WWM crew,
<Nicole>
Sorry for the epic, but:
The question is: Will triple sulfa effectively treat a yellow tang with what appears to be bacterial/fungal infection?
<Mmm, not really; no. Best to address through consistent, high water quality and nutrition>
The details are: I rescued him from a client's aquarium (I pet-sit aquariums) after I found it being beaten to death by a scopas tang (surprise, surprise). The client wanted me to throw him out to avoid contaminating his tank further-- so I took him instead.
He was stabbed several times by the scopas on both sides of his body as well as had his fins chewed. Fin rot resulted from this, and the hard dorsal spines are exposed partially on the tang as well as deterioration of the pectoral and caudal fins.
<Can, will regenerate... heal over time>
Day 1 he almost died on the way to my house (fins not moving, gulping, eyes fixed with no response to stimulus). I threw him in my 20 gallon nano with no fish in it for a day just to see if he would live, or at least let him die in peace. (Aside: I am well aware of the tank size requirements of tangs-- the client himself has a 200g tank but poor livestock choices and overcrowding which resulted in aggression and poor water quality culminating in infection for the immunocompromised, bullied fish. It was either my nano or the garbage, so I chose my nano, even if it is horribly undersized for a tang.) He breathed rapidly, both eyes clouded, nasty wounds, laid on the floor.
Day 2 he was breathing better and swimming around but developed a thick coating of bacteria and/or fungus over his injuries, including fungus hanging from his hard dorsal spines and a bit from his mouth. At this point I took him and put him into a 5 gallon home depot bucket with a power filter with no chemical media and a ceramic mug. Have to use what I have, and I am obviously not going to put antibiotics into my 20 nano reef- Sorry, tang.
It was really confusing as which one to use and I just wanted to get something fast because he didn't look good AT ALL. So I purchased API Triple Sulfa. I was able to assist him in removing the thick bacterial coat (it was partially loose already) and found severe tissue damage underneath, down to what appears to be the muscle. He appears to be doing well in the 5 gallon bucket.
<Best to return to the twenty>
Day 3 Today he was quite lively and frisky when I captured him to observe him in a specimen container, compared to me being able to simply scoop him out of a 200 gallon aquarium with zero difficulty. A thin whitish coating has appeared over his exposed muscle and I fear the bacteria is growing back. I just want to know if I am using a medication which will be effective against his condition. I feel like he has the "fighting spirit" so to speak and would like to see him healthy. Conditions in QT are pH 8.0, 0 amm 0, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate, and SG 1.018, with Triple Sulfa added.
Following manufacturer's instructions on the box. I started yesterday night (day 2 of rescue), and haven't brought it to the full therapeutic dose yet (they have you do half the dose the first night, the rest of the dose 24 hours later, then 24 hours later a 25% PWC and a repeat of the treatment followed by another 25% PWC and reintroduction of carbon, so I know the antibiotic is not in full effect yet anyway) Please advise, thanks!
Nicole
<Again... the twenty, not sulfa drugs necessary or recommended. Bob Fenner>

Yellow tang, hlth. 3/28/12
Hello Bob (or other crew :] ),
<Jake>
I recently got a yellow tang, almost one week ago come tomorrow. I got him from a great LFS, and the owner is very knowledgeable for the most part.
I got this tang at half off discount because it had some real minor rips in its fin, i mean real small, hardly noticeable unless is puffs up its fins, and it was still recovering from some minor HLLE mostly around the eye and a tiny streak across its side. The owner had this tang for a few weeks before i got it. i brought it home and began my QT for the next 6 weeks until my 90 gallon DT will be ready for him. QT is a standard 20 gallon long (tang is only about 2'' long,
<Mmm, too small; should have been left in the wild>
forgot to mention that, ik its a bit small, but its only 6 weeks and i really don't have room for a bigger QT :O), put on a small HOB filter i had running on my nano for the last month to seed the filter, added a few small flower pots for hiding ( from my experience they work quite well for 'caves'), heater, and powerhead.
<Ok>
I was just looking for your thoughts on my 'healing' regime / diet. so far i have been alternating purple and green seaweed with Selcon soaked into it every day, and I'm going to attempt some frozen Mysis tomorrow now that he has warmed up to me / the tank a bit. All water param.s are 0: i do a 5 gallon WC every other day with fresh RO/DI water (is this too much? not enough?).
<Monitor NH3, NO2>
temp is right at 80, and i have about 300 gph flow in the tank.
So far, no Ich or anything of the sorts, but I'm standing by with copper / ready for Hypo in case it rears its ugly head. Also, its lateral line is almost always showing? from what i read that's normal during lights out and right away when lights come back on, but his is always showing. just curious. He's full of color and spirit, and quite active so I'm
not worried yet.
Your opinions would be great, and your wisdom is always appreciated. Keep up the great work,
Jake.
<Mmm, read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/YTangDisF11.htm
and the linked files above as you have time, interest. If this fish is eating, and you're doing what you state, you and it should be fine in time. Bob Fenner>

Yellow Tang Laying on Side 1/14/12
Hey crew!
<TJ>
I got a yellow tang about a month ago and he has been alone in a 20L
<Five gallons? Too small.>
quarantine tank with PVC the entire time. He has showed <shown> no signs of any disease or anything else of concern. There was never any ammonia in the tank
<Strange>
and he seemed healthy but shy. So tonight I decided to freshwater dip before introducing to my main tank. I did a 5 minute pH and temp adjusted freshwater bath and he just laid on his side the entire time, which I expected.
<Me too; not unusual>
However during acclimation and introduction to my main tank he swam to behind the rocks and was upright for about 10 minutes before laying on his side. His breathing is at about 65 beats per minute and the only time he's moved is when my hermits mess with him. He's been in my display tank for about an hour now and still breathing and flapping his fin. His color looks great, no red and even the white line isn't overly white.
This is also my first time doing a freshwater bath and as of now I'm not a fan!
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help this little guy!
<Patience... likely this fish has lost some vital capacity to respire... hemolysis... common w/ moving, stress. Can't "catch its breath". As with ourselves, it is making more red blood cells... Just needs time, not to be bothered>
Thanks for all your help, you guys rock!!
-TJ
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Re: Yellow Tang Laying on Side 1/14/12
Bob,
<Big T>
Thanks for your reply, and sorry for the grammar mistake. :)
<Welcome and no worries>
I should have clarified that it was a 20 gallon long, not 20 liters.
<Ahh, much better>
I'm sad to inform you that the tang did not make it last night. Just before it died something strange happened though and I was wondering if maybe you could shed some light on what happened? He was laying on his side and very quickly swam to the top of the tank before drifting back to the sand bed not breathing. I thought this was very odd and wanted to get your opinion.
<Actually, what you describe is all-too familiar to me... as a kid I worked in the trade in the P.I., a good deal of the time "pushing" newly arrived (from middle-men) fishes that had been recently caught... and Acanthuroids... Tangs and kin especially had such troubles... and did one or two last gasp attempts at launching themselves out of the system... before perishing. Again, you can call the cause "cumulative stress", but these fishes need high packed-cell volumes (hematocrits) and lose oxygen-carrying capacity (among other things) w/ handling, mucus loss...>
Also is there anything you can think of that I did wrong in the quarantine/acclimation process?
<Mmm, not from what you're written. You can see an omnibus of my input re here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/quaranti.htm
and the linked files above>
I hate that this beautiful fish was taken from it's natural environment just to die by my hands, but I know mysterious losses are not entirely uncommon in this hobby.
Thanks again for all your help, you truly are a blessing to us newbies! :)
-TJ
<Glad to help. BobF>

Tissue damage on Yellow tang... -- 12/03/11
Hey Good afternoon,
<And you>
I searched high and low on the website for a possible answer to my Yellow tangs problems but couldn't come up with any sort of solution? I Noticed my yellow tang today has really bad tissue (pink and looks like it maybe rotting?) damage across the bridge of his nose? It also has a small gash in its body (possible little fight with hippo tang?).
<Yes; this or the Premnas>
I'm setting up a large 150g reef tank and it is finally cycled and ready for me to move the fish into it. I have it housed with a maroon clown, yellow tail damsel and a hippo blue tang in a 60 gallon frag tank that measures 48x24x12.
<Too small for these fishes>
I noticed that the pump is not pushing water like it originally did and may be clogged. I also noticed the water temp was a little low at 76 (which could be from poor water circulation from sump to tank). Could this just simply be a water quality issue that could be cured with better circulation, water changes and some garlic soaked Mysis. It is eating and swimming about the tank.
<Mmm, no; almost assuredly this is physical damage (perhaps w/ secondary bacterial) from negative interactions w/ one or both of the other fishes here>
I'm also in the process of setting up a 20 gallon quarantine tank with small amounts of copper and internal UV sterilizer. Any thoughts on this?
<I'd move all to the new tank stat... as in the Yellow Tang right now...
give it some time to heal up; perhaps a week ahead of moving the other two... species that are far more aggressive/territorial>
Thanks in advance for your time....
Troy
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Sudden Yellow Tang Death 12/2/11
Hello Crew,
<Hello Jackie>
I have searched high and low both on your site and with a generic Google search, but am coming up empty-handed with this issue. Something quite odd happened today to a Yellow Tang, and I was hoping you'd help me discover the cause so as to prevent any future recurrence.
<I'll try.>
Here's what happened: Early this afternoon, the tang was found floating upside down in the tank, breathing and with all fins extended fully. It appeared to be very stiff and rigid, as if seized or paralyzed. I say paralyzed because after righting it, I saw that it was unable to move its fins or swim much, managing only to flick its caudal fin a little bit, thus being pushed around by the current in the tank. The gills were not opening fully, so it was hard to tell if its breathing rate was faster than normal or not. Nothing else in the tank was affected, but we isolated the tang and put an airstone in with it, and within 15 or 20 minutes, it was dead.
There was no discoloration, no spots, streaks, signs of physical injury, etc.
None of the other inhabitants have shown any symptoms of discomfort at all before or since the tang's death.
<How long was the tang in the system before this happened?>
The tank is a 50 gallon breeder FOWLR and also houses a small(ish) Snowflake Eel, a Black Damsel and a 6 year old Tomato Clown, as well as a pair of Fire Shrimp.
<Was there any aggression toward the tang from the clown or damsel?>
The tank has been set up this way since...oh, September, I think, is when the damsel was added because it was picking on tankmates in another tank. Being the "new guy" in the tank calmed him down.
A 5-gallon water change was performed earlier in the morning (about 5 hours prior), but that was the only thing we could think of that might have caused...whatever this is.
<Mmm, other than aggression, I'm thinking the tang may not have been acclimated properly.
Any anemones present in the system?>
Tank stats:
pH: 8.0
ammonia: 0ppm
nitrites: 0ppm
nitrates: 10ppm
temperature: 78 degrees Fahrenheit
salinity: 1.024
Water changes are performed once a week. Water is mixed up using RO/DI water and Reef Crystals, and it is heated and mixed for at least 24 hours prior to use.
A search of WWM showed only one similar incident, but that tang had been affected by someone testing their lighting, and shock was suggested as a cause of death. A Google search turned up possible osmotic shock due to sudden drastic salinity or pH changes, so I'm thinking it might be shock of some kind, but am having trouble determining what caused it and why no one else was affected by it. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
<As above and Bob may chime in here as well. James (Salty Dog)>
Sincerely,
Jackie
Re: Sudden Yellow Tang Death 12/3/11
Hello again,
<Hello Jackie>
I'm writing to answer some questions you had about my last email. The previous email is below, just in case.
<Always reply to the original email.>
The Yellow Tang had been in the tank for about 6 months. Everyone except the Black Damsel had been cohabitating in that tank for about six months prior to the incident, and there were no aggression issues amongst any of the fish. The tang and the tomato, in particular often swam around the tank together and slept in the same hole. There are no anemones or corals present in the system. I don't know if it's relevant, but this tank is a holding tank at an LFS. These particular inhabitants have been slow sellers, which is why we've had them so long. No new guys have been introduced or taken from the tank since July, with the exception of the Black Damsel. I hope that helps clarify things.
<Does help. I'm thinking nutrition and/or water quality may have had a hand here. Most LFS's are not going to feed the best of foods so as to keep operating costs down. Eating good does not necessarily mean the fish is healthy. I suggest reading here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/YellowTang.htm>
My thanks,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Jackie
Re: Sudden Yellow Tang Death 12/5/11
<Jackie, please do not do double caret inserts. Just reply to the email as you would with any other email. I will cut/paste your inserts below.
Hello, James, and thank you for your patience with me during this exchange.
<No problem.>
The Yellow Tang had been in the tank for about 6 months. <<but in the store >> for a couple months longer.
<<I'm sorry to be so persistent, but I have read that link and ALL of the disease and feeding pages regarding yellow tangs on the site. I understand what you mean, and I certainly don't take offense because you're right; too often, that is the case. I feel fortunate to work for some people that are bound and determined to do right by the animals in our care. I'd been feeding this tang dried algae sheets to graze on, and it ate Mysis and mixed-formulation frozen cubes (e.g., Formula 1 and 2) we fed the other fishes in the tank. Perhaps there is not enough microalgae available to him? Please understand, I'm not trying to get you to do my job for me.
It's simply that I can normally peg down a cause of death and adjust my practices accordingly, but this particular death was strange, and other than possible shock, my research has produced nothing in terms of answers. Perhaps it's just "one of those things" but if it was something that I did, I'd like to know for future reference.>>
<The fish was in the store six months and in your tank two months. I have no idea what could have taken place in that time.
Six months under average store conditions is a long time and more than likely, the tang's health deteriorated to a point where it could not recover. There may be other reasons for this but I cannot not comment not knowing what conditions the tang was kept in. Losses do occur, especially among tangs. As to the algae sheets....not much nutritional value. Have you tried New Life Spectrum Pellets?
This is an excellent dry food loaded with nutrition and is the only food I have been feeding my fish for the last two years. James (Salty Dog)>

Yellow Sailfin Tang, hlth... suspected env. 11/4/11
Hi, I have a FOWLR tank that has been in operation now since January. I have never had any problems with my fish. In the past few days though, my Yellow Sailfin Tang has really slowed down on eating, sometimes not eating at all. It is breathing really fast, and not closing its mouth. Also, now and again, it looks like it has a circular shaped "bruise" on both sides of it, about half way down its body. This bruising comes and goes.
Sometimes, when the bruising is not on its sides, it seems to discolor along the curve of its nose, not a lot, but slight discoloration. The reason I say bruise, is it reminds me of the color of a healing bruise on a person. I do partial water changes once a month,
<I'd do weekly>
my levels all seem to be good, I have been fighting with high Nitrate levels the entire time I have had the tank,
<How high is high?>
but it has never seemed to affect any of the fish. I have had this tang for about 7 months and never had a problem with it. Any idea what could be wrong?
<What are the other livestock?>
Sincerely,
Natasha
<Something is off here... water quality wise likely. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/YTangDisF11.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: Yellow Sailfin Tang
Nitrates are usually between 80 to 160 ppm.
<MUCH too high... see WWM re... this could well be THE root problem here. B>
The other fish are 1 clarkii clownfish, 3 blue green Chromis, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 gramma royal, 1 coral beauty (just added yesterday) and 1 lawnmower blemy.
Re: Yellow Sailfin Tang
Oh, and just so you know, I moved the Tang to quarantine
<No need or rationale... the problem of NO3 needs to be fixed>
just in case there is something major wrong, especially with the new coral beauty being added.
And, my tank is a 55 gallon,
<Too small for what you list as livestock>
PH 8.2, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, phosphate 0.5ppm and nitrate falls between the two colors on the chart of 80 and 160, salinity 1.025. Hope that helps you as well. Thank you so much for your time Bob. This tank has become my pride and joy, really don't want to lose any of my fish.
Sincerely,
Natasha
<They need a better, larger world. B>
Re: Yellow Sailfin Tang 11/4/11
Thank you for your help Bob. Take care.
<Will do. B>

Yellow tang troubles 10/13/11
Hello Wet Web Media Crew,
<Jeff>
I emailed you a while back about some sps issues and your responses were very helpful and my corals are doing better than ever. I now have a new issue that is confusing me and I am hopeful you can provide some clarity.
I have a yellow tang that has been showing blemishes on its pectoral fin.
The blemish first appeared about a week and a half ago in the form of a faint light spot on the right pectoral fin. The spot was noticed about mid day and was gone by the next morning. Another 4 to 5 days later a spot again appeared on the same area, on the tip of the right pectoral fin.
Again the spot went away within 24 hours. Today the spot reappeared, again on the tip of the right pectoral fin. The spot was very noticeable at first and faded quite a bit in the first hour and was barely noticeable when the lights went off today. I read through a bunch of your site on yellow tangs and parasites and haven't come across anything that matches my fishes symptoms. The time table points me toward crypt or some other parasite but is it normal for a parasite to fall off and return on the same spot of the same fin and no where else?
<Mmm, these transient blemishes... more often red than other colours, are almost always due to either water quality issues or bullying by tankmates>
That is the part that is confusing me. I have obsessively looked over the fish every day and can only find the spots on the pectoral fin. The fish went through a 6 week quarantine and had been in my main 100g reef display for a little over 6 weeks before I noticed any spots. All other fish have gone through a similar QT period and have no noticeable blemishes. The only additions in the past 2 months have been a few new Acros. I have a cycled hospital tank up and running in case I need to treat but I don't want to subject the fish to any unnecessary treatment. The tang does swim along the front glass picking off algae and when doing so he constantly hits his pectoral fin against the glass. Could this or brushing against rocks cause the tip of the fin to become damaged like this?
<Yes>
Other than the spot the fish looks great and is acting and eating normally.
What would you recommend I do going forward?
<I'd place a useful cleaner organism: Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/clnsymbfaqs.htm
and the linked files above>
If it is a parasite I will let the tank go fallow for 6 to 8 weeks and treat the fish accordingly. I am hoping that isn't the case but I will do what I have to.
<I would not move nor treat this fish>
Tank parameters: Ammonia-0 Nitrite-0 Nitrate-1-2
<How are you keeping NO3 this low. Many chemical filtrants express themselves as you describe... toxicity>
Ph-8.2 Ca-425 Alk-9.2 Mag-1350 Phosphate-less than .2
Tank Inhabitants: 1 Yellow tang, 2 ocellaris clownfish, 1 neon goby, 2 Cleaner shrimp,
<Oh! You already have cleaners... I take it this is some sort of Hippolytid... Lysmata...>
various snails and crabs, various corals Again, thank you for you time, it is much appreciated.
Jeff
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Re: Yellow tang troubles 10/13/11
Mr. Fenner,
<Hey Jeff>
Thank you for your response. The blemishes are not red, they are white and as they fade they turn more light pink.
<As I understood from your last email>
Would the diagnosis be the same with that information?
<Mmm, more of a guess than a diagnosis>
I have never noticed any of the other fish bullying the tang, in fact I would say he is the bully of the tank and at time is a bit aggressive. The filtration I use is a protein skimmer, 3 small bags of carbon which I rotate changing weekly, and a small amount of GFO in a reactor changed approximately monthly, all located in a 40G sump. The only other thing I do the keep NO3 down is weekly 15-20% water changes. Would any of this be an issue?
<Shouldn't be... the GFO... might>
The shrimp are Lysmata amboinensis.
<Ahh, my fave>
Thank you so much for your help.
Jeff
<Certainly welcome. BobF>

Surgeonfishes: Tangs for  Marine Aquariums Diversity, Selection & Care New eBook on Amazon: Available here New Print Book on Create Space: Available here by Robert (Bob) Fenner