FAQs about Yellow Tang Disease/Health
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FAQs on Yellow Tang Disease: Disease 1, Disease 2, Disease 3, Disease 4, Disease 5, Disease 6, Disease 8, Yellow Tang Disease 9, Yellow Tang Disease 10, Yellow Tang Disease 11,
Yellow Tang
Disease 12, Yellow Tang
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Disease 14, Yellow Tang
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Surgeonfishes: Tangs for Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available here
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here
by Robert (Bob) Fenner |
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A problem with my Yellow Tang... System
period... Env. dis. 4/7/08 Hello from Bronx, NY,
<Howdy from S. Cal.> *Here is my background history*: I
started a 55 gallon saltwater fish tank on February 5th, 2008 .
By "started" I mean that I filled the tank and began
cycling it. In it I have 100 lbs of sand and 33 lbs of live rock.
I tested my water every 3 days through March 7th, 2008. My sister
(who introduced me into the hobby and lives in Pennsylvania) read
my levels to her LFS employee (He sets up, and cleans saltwater
tanks for many companies through out Pennsylvania) and he said
that my tank was ready for some fish. So when she arrived to my
home on the 7th, she brought a Singapore angelfish, <Mmm,
really needs a larger volume than this... and one that is much
more established> and a chocolate chip starfish <... a poor
choice... read on WWM re> as my birthday gift. I fell in love
with my wet pets. The next day (Saturday), we went to Long Island
to purchase more fish and live rock. At the time, I didn't
know of the "2 fish at a time" rule and so I purchased
2 Ocellaris, 1 yellow tang, 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 Banggai
cardinal,1 ocellated dragonet (or scooter), and somewhere with
the Live Rock a tiny hermit crab snuck in as well (all of them
are juvenile like 1 to 2 inches big). On Sunday morning, my
Nestle Tollhouse (chocolate chip) had died. <Typical> I
felt horrible and felt like the worst fish parent on earth.
<Mmm, no... again, just typical> I was told that they
don't do well in newly set up tanks. <Ah! Correct> I
should also confess now that I haven't invested in a
quarantine tank (not because I don't want to, but because I
can't afford it right now - but I'm saving up for it).
<... Mmm, better this than more lost livestock...> Needless
to say, I became really nervous about keeping my other fishes
alive. I called my sister's LFS in PA with questions about my
tank. I was advised not to change the water anytime soon so that
my tank would have the opportunity to develop necessary bacteria.
So I haven't done any water changes since my pets arrived.
Every night I'll sit by my tank to observe my fishes. At
first my Angelfish would hide in a cave. My Banggai cardinal
would just stay at either end of the tank, while the other fishes
would swim or scoot about the tank openly. *Recently* I've
noticed that my Yellow tang's behavior has changed and so has
the Angelfish. They both swim about openly, but once in a while
it looks like they are swimming at darting speed towards the
other fishes (this is especially true of the angelfish who has
begun to pick on the clown fishes and the cleaner shrimp). The
Yellow tang however does dart, and once in a while scratches
himself against a rock. He has developed what seems like lightly
red spots on one side of his body, and around his eyes and mouth
there is a pattern that looks like stitches coming apart.
<Good description... environmental...> I've attached a
picture for you to see what I mean. He has a healthy appetite, I
feed him the seaweed sheets, and he also eats what the others eat
as well (Mysis shrimp, dried green marine algae, Omega One
flakes, and Ocean Nutrition Frozen Foods (formula one, and
formula two) and brine shrimp on occasion). He still swims
openly, but has also become rather fond of staying by the Banggai
cardinal's side (I mean really close together). <No
worries here> He'll stay there for 2 to 3 minutes and then
he'll swim away, pick at the live rock, go where the other
fishes are, and then comes back to the cardinal. I checked my
water levels yesterday and this was the reading: Salinity is
1.024 Alkalinity is Normal (based on Marine lab test kit) PH is
8.2 - 8.4 Ammonia is 0.25 Nitrite is 0.2 <The two above are
toxic... see WWM re...> Nitrate is 20 So I made a 20% water
change last night. I'll check the levels again tonight, but
can you please look at my tang's picture and tell me what (if
anything) I should be doing for him? Your help is greatly
appreciated. C from the Bronx <Read on WWM re Ammonia,
Nitrite... be careful re feeding till your system is cycled...
Bob Fenner>
Re: A problem with my Yellow Tang
4/7/08 Thank you Bob for your feedback, WWM is really
informative and I'm glad you and the crew offer to help us
out. Just wanted to update you on what I've done. I made a 20
% water change that evening and didn't feed them until after
I checked my levels the next day. Since the ammonia and nitrite
levels were still off (0.25 ammonia and 0.2 nitrite), I called a
LFS (because I hadn't received a response from WWM at the
time) and explained the situation and they told me to purchase a
product called BioSpira <Sound advice> and add it to the
tank after making another 15 gallon water change. They also
recommended I feed them twice a day every other day. <But very
little... again, see WWM re these nitrogenous issues> As for
the erosion on my Tang they recommended I buy a product called
Fish Solution which I am to add the tank every few days. <Mmm,
no... Not warranted. The real/root cause of your problem is
environmental... Fixing this will fix the Tang... the
"med" will cause more cycling establishment
forestalling...> I'm at work right now, but when i get
home I'll check the water levels and then feed. Again thanks
for getting back to me. <Welcome my friend. BobF>
Re: A problem with my Yellow Tang
4/7/08 Hi Again, I searched WWM for the articles on Ammonia
and Nitrites, but when I click on both links the page reads
"to be placed." Will reading through the FAQ's give
me the needed information? <Yes... and thank you for this
reminder... there are a (large) number of "pieces" to
be and already written that need to be placed... Including bits
of books... and a HUGE number of "pending" articles
that have to be left out till they run in the pulp press. Cheers!
B>
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Yellow Tang With Strange Spot -- 03/27/08
Thank you for this great service that you provide.
<<We're pleased to be here>> I have used this
site many times, but this is my first post, so I will do my best.
<<Okay>> My problem is that my yellow tang has a
strange spot on his back at the base of the dorsal fin a little
smaller than a dime. He has had it for about 5 days and it
appears it might be getting worse. <<Hmm'¦>>
I included photos from five days ago and today as you seem to
always request photos. <<Yes, I see them'¦thank
you for this. The cliché certainly rings true here 'a photo is worth a thousand words. It's not
always the case, nor does simply providing a photo mean we'll
have an answer 'but in many cases we aren't able to
provide an informed opinion based on description alone>> It
started as a gray spot, and is not getting darker. He shows no
signs of stress or weakness. He is very active and has a
tremendous appetite. <<Good signs>> I have soaked all
his food in Selcon since I noticed the spot. I have searched for
many hours and can't find anything like it. I have to
conclude that it is likely poor environment or nutrition but
don't know what I should do. <<Maybe so, but I'm
inclined to think this is a physical trauma...and secondary
infection. Optimizing its environment/water quality/diet is about
as best as you can do here>> I have a 35 gallon tank with
skimmer and mechanical/carbon filter. <<John'¦
This tank needs to be At LEAST TWICE this size for the long-term
good health of the Tang. If the fish is kept in this tank, I
predict this problem now to be only the first of many 'until the fish's ultimate demise>> I
have ample live rock and many small corals. <<And no room
for this (any!) Tang in this tank>> His tank mates are a
yellow watchman goby, 2 small clowns, and a red velvet wrasse.
<<Over stocked, mate>> There is no hostility among
them at all. The SG is 1.024, pH 8.3, calcium 400, Alk is
"good" according to test kit, <<Mmm'¦get
a better test kit that gives you real values (Salifert, Seachem,
etc.)>> temp goes from 75 to 80 when the lights shut off.
The NO2, NO3, ammonia are 0. I do weekly water changes of 5
gallons. I feed the tang Spirulina flakes daily. Once a week, but
on different days he gets Mysis shrimp soaked in Selcon and macro
algae on a clip also soaked in Selcon. <<You're
starving your fish 'and they need a broader diet than
this. Consider adding a premium flake food, as well as New Life
Spectrum pellets to their diet. And do feed your fishes well
'every day'>> I now know the tank is too small for
him in the long run. <<It's too small now, my friend.
'Growing up' in a too small environment will be/is
already taking a toll>> I will find a more suitable home
for him if I can nurse him back to health. <<You have it
backwards, mate 'finding the fish a more suitable home
WILL nurse it back to health>> For full disclosure, 6 days
ago, my red velvet wrasse had a swollen/cloudy eye and puffiness
under the eye. <<Telling'¦>> He was spooked
out of the tank a week before and I assume he got the infection
from being on the ground or me throwing him back in. I added
Melafix to the water to treat the infection. <<Like the
Tang 'the best cure is improved water quality and
diet>> The treatment required that I turn off my skimmer
and my carbon filtration. The next day his eye looked better so I
discontinued use of the Melafix. I did a 5 gallon water change
and turned my filters back on, opting for better water quality
over the treatment. <<Indeed>> However, the
wrasse's scales looked strange in that they had a whitish
appearance at the back edges and protruded away from his body. I
think the discoloration was the effect of light going through the
scales. This is the same day I first noticed the spot on the
tang. The following day the wrasse was back to normal and the
tang looked the same. Now, a few days later the spot has darkened
and grown slightly and the wrasse is back to normal. I have done
5 gallon water changes every other day and lowered the SG to
1.022. <<Why? Based on what? Best not to 'guess.' I
would raise this back to NSW levels>> I don't believe
it is a parasite, or related to the wrasse's condition, but
I'm not sure. <<I think your first guess was more
intuitive than I thought 'poor environment and poor
nutrition>> I don't want to stress the tang with
unnecessary QT if it is not required. Please help. <<If
your water quality is optimum and you improve the fishes diet it
may recover 'but ultimately, 'all' your fishes
need a bigger home>> Thank you, John. <<Happy to
share. EricR>>
Yellow tang with strange spot (before photo) -
03/27/08 This is the photo from 5 days ago. I didn't want
to send them in the same email in case it was too big. Thank you,
John. <<Ah okay, thank you...though I think it would have
been fine. EricR>>
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Yellow Tang Hemorrhaging... Poor
English, no reading... no useful data -- 03/18/08 Hi there,
Thanks for helping me out. I have a yellow tang that, for about a month
now has been hemorrhaging. He/She is also constantly twitching and
swimming erratically and instead of eating anything like before, is
only eating fresh seaweed. I have given the poor little guy several
fresh water dips but don't know what it is so don't know what
medications to use, i tried triple sulfate, <...> with no
success. Any advice would be much appreciated. The tank's chemistry
is all perfect. <Meaningless> It's a 75 gallon, with 1 yellow
tang, 1 blue tang, 1 filamented flasher wrasse, one blue mandarin, 2
common clowns. <... Nothing you've stated here is of much use...
Most such troubles with Zebrasoma are water quality related,
secondarily nutritional, tertiarily social... Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/ytangdisfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob
Fenner>
Tang Internal Parasites... worse
3-11-08 Dear Mr. Fenner, <Mrs. Ridgeway actually.> Does
this fish look pregnant to you or is this some sort of disease? It
is the only yellow tang in the tank. <Definitely not pregnant,
very loaded with internal parasites though. You need to get him
into quarantine as soon as possible. He also looks mangled, did
this occur while you have had him or did he arrive this way? Check
out this link about parasites:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/parasiti.htm; I would treat him with
Metronidazole for the internal parasites then possibly Melafix
afterwards to help with the extensive fin damage. I hope he is able
to pull through.> Regards,
<Good Luck. --Yunachin>
Ohlan |
"Send in another victim of
industrial disease"
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Yellow Tang dis....
reading 3/9/08 Good Morning Crew, <Gilbert>
I've been reading a lot at WWM and let me tell you guys what a
wonderful job your doing; I have focus a lot more on Ich because seems
like its one of the most difficult disease to work with!! Now I am
worried because I noticed my yellow tang has little white spots on his
body and fins, although the fins seem to have the same color as the
fish. After reading for about three hours all over WWM, I have gotten a
lot of great ideas, but I will also admit that after so much
information now I seem a little confuse. How should I go about treating
my tang? <Mmm, when you figure it's worth trying... If you have
other fish present, and they are not similarly "spotted",
this is highly unlikely Crypt... Much more likely
flukes/Trematodes...> I know u <...> guys mentioned that a
fresh water dip may not do it and you mention copper, can you please
explain the procedure of using the copper <posted...> or what
other solutions do I have, and if I do apply the copper I will be in my
QT? And for how long? Gilbert Gomez <Keep reading... re Crypt,
Quarantine, Flukes... Bob Fenner>
Yellow Tang - Skin erosion 1/26/08 WWM
I have a few questions on my Yellow Tang, that I'd like your
opinion on. I have had him for 4 weeks now, 3 weeks in my Q tank
and 1 week in my Main tank. He is eating and adjusting well to
the main tank, which has 5 false percula clowns, 1 coral banded
shrimp and several crabs/snails. The tank is a 150 gal tank, with
a MegaFlow Sump and a G3 Protein Skimmer (in sump). In terms of
my water, I keep it pretty consistent with weekly water changes:
Temp - 78, Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrate - 20ppm,
<Borderline high> Ph 8.4, Salinity 1.022-1.023. <I'd
raise this. See WWM re> My question relates to a white/silvery
discoloration or skin erosion that he has on both sides of his
body, which is behind his eye, but above his gills. In the
picture below, <No pix attached> it runs from a little
above his eye, down along the gills to just above his mouth. Hard
to see from the picture, except near his eye...but I've
outlined it in red. My clowns are doing fine and do not exhibit
this erosion. 1.. I would like to know if this is skin erosion or
something else and what is the best treatment option? <Mmm,
improved water quality and nutrition are the routes to go
here> 2.. I just started adding Vita Chem to the water and
food and wanted to know if adding an additive for damaged tissue
like API Stress Coat or Kent Marine Pro-Tech Coat Marine would
help? <The Vita Chem is fine by itself. Do read re reducing
NO3 and raise the spg to seawater strength... These ought to
"do it"> 3.. Also, is one additive better than the
other (API versus Kent) or does it matter? <Amongst these two,
there is little difference. Some of both manufacturers' lines
(Aquarium Pharmaceutical and Kent) I am not a fan of, others are
"real"> 4.. Finally, if this is skin erosion, is
treatment in tank ok or is it best to return him back to the Q
tank? <Good, well-worded/stated questions. I would NOT move
this Zebrasoma. Bob Fenner, out where they're collected... in
Hawai'i... diving> Thanks
Re: Yellow Tang - Skin erosion 1/26/08
WWM I forgot to mention that my Tang gets daily feedings of
Spirulina flakes and either frozen Spirulina enriched brine
shrimp or Omega One dry flakes with garlic. I am still trying to
get him to go for the Green Marine Algae on a clip. Thanks again
<Do look into New Life's "Spectrum" fish food
line... Excellent, complete nutrition, high palatability.
B>
Re: Yellow Tang - Skin erosion 1/29/08 Thanks for the
input...sounds like I need to continue to focus on water quality
& nutrition. Sorry about not having the picture...see
attached. If your input is unchanged, no need to respond.
forechall <Mmm, I do think more and more that this IS the twin
sets of circumstances above at play... Very likely reversible...
with the addition/use of "mud" in a filter, and a good
brand of completely nutritious food (e.g. Spectrum). Bob
Fenner>
Re: Yellow Tang - Skin erosion 1/31/08 Thx
Bob...I read the article in the Mar'08 issue of Aquarium Fish
on "Removing Bioballs reduces Nitrate Levels" (pg 10)
and will remove the Bio Balls from my filter and replace with
carbon/filter floss to address one of your points on water
quality. Located a source for New Life Spectrum Foods and will
get this in the diet. Not familiar with the term "mud"
in the filter...can you elaborate? forechall <Ah, yes...
Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/muldfltscif.htm and the
linked FAQs files above. B>
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Yellow tang with severely damaged dorsal fin,
Inappropriate Housing 1/17/08 Hello, <Hi> I am quite
familiar with your website and have used it extensively in the
past. I have also tried to find the answer to this question.
Others have posted similar questions regarding their yellow
tangs; however, the damage to my tang appears significantly
worse. I am enclosing a photo. <Does not look too good for
sure.> I have a 20 gal tank with live rock. <The ultimate
root of all your problems, tangs simply can not be kept in such
small tanks, they need by far larger quarters.> We have about
6 hermit crabs, a few snails and a starfish. We also have a blue
regal tang who has been in the tank the longest. <Too many
tangs in too small of a tank leads to stress which leads to a
suppressed immune system which leads to an unhealthy fish, and
also psychological/behavioral problems too boot.> We added the
small yellow tang. After the small yellow tang was successfully
acclimated, we added 2 percula clown fish. <Too much life for
a 20G tank.> All are eating quite well. I feed them primarily
frozen "brine shrimp plus," which is a variety pack.
<Their main diet should be algae based, too much animal
protein is not good for them.> I also give them Mysis shrimp,
but they are not so fond of that. <Not surprising.> Every
other day, I'll give them new life spectrum or bio blend tiny
pellets in addition to the frozen food. <The New Life should
be made their dietary staple.> Because the tangs are
herbivores, I give them algae every day. <Good> I am
extremely agitated that the yellow tang's dorsal fin is
ragged and appears to be getting worse, not better, with each
passing day. I do watch these fish, and I see no outward
aggression. What is happening? <Not enough room for these
fish, being cramped and in close proximity to another tang are
causing all sorts of health problems. On the reef these fish
measure their territory in yards, even when quite small, and need
this space to be healthy. In captivity a Yellow tank should be in
at least a 4 foot long tank, a Regal needs 6 feet of swimming
space to be healthy.> I keep a pretty clean tank, although I
have always had a problem with algae (who doesn't) and clean
it once a month. <Water changes weekly or more often is most
likely necessary to help get these fish healthy at least
temporarily.> The water always tests almost perfect for all
conditions. <Almost perfect? Numbers please.> I want all my
fish to be happy. What am I doing wrong? <Poor stocking
choices honestly, the tangs can not be happy in a 20G tank, it
just goes against their instinctual behavior.> What can I do
to help the little yellow tang? I'm frightened for it. Are
the clown fish attacking it? <Good water quality, good foods,
and a larger home would go far in helping it get healthy.>
Sharon Donahue <Chris>
Re: Yellow tang with severely damaged dorsal
fin, Inappropriate Housing 1/18/08 Thank you. <Welcome>
Actually, we were planning on purchasing a new tank anyway. We
will get a larger one. <Good but expensive.> The one that
looked appealing was SeaClear, which is significantly longer than
what we have now and a third larger in volume. <Hmm, you need
a tank 100+ gallons to keep both of these tangs for their entire
life, a small upgrade will not help significantly.> In the
meantime, I'll clean the tank more frequently. My only
reservation was when I did that after my one fish had Ich, some
other fish died. Puzzled, I asked my marine biologist at our fish
store, and he told me that too frequent water changes can be bad
for the fish since it can deplete the water of the necessary
bacteria. <Frequent small water changes, 20% to 30% are almost
always beneficial, and the bacteria you are trying to culture is
not in the water, but lives on the surfaces of the LR, glass, and
substrate, water changes will not effect them.> I understand
your answer regarding the feeding. I give the brine shrimp plus
since I have the clown fish, too, to feed. <Brine shrimp
really has very little nutritional value, mostly water.> Right
now, I understand variety is best but it is hard to give the
optimal nutrients when you have herbivores and carnivores. The
New Life drops so quickly that the percula don't get a chance
to eat much of it. <Could feed less but more often to combat
this, but the prepared food will provide the nutrition that the
fish need.> Thank you again for the speedy response. I'll
do my best. <That's all we can do.> I feel terrible.
<A learning experience.> I do have children, and I take
care of my fish almost like I do my own kids. It is hard not to
love both. <Empathy is a trait not seen often enough
today.> S. Donahue, <Chris>
Re: Yellow tang with severely damaged dorsal fin
1/21/08 Well, now I've finally stopped a long crying fit.
I'm absolutely beside myself even after my children have
tried to console me. My little yellow guy with the long cute nose
(my lovely tang), is NOT eating this morning. <Sorry to hear,
not a good sign.> I did a meticulous cleaning yesterday, large
water change, and the tank looked (and tested) beautiful. <You
never want to be meticulous cleaning your tank, its easy to
remove to much of the beneficial bacteria throwing your water
quality off.> I turned the feeding regime upside down, per
your suggestion, so that the main staple was the New Life
Spectrum. Prior to the water change, the yellow guy ate these
pretty well. But he (or she?) has simply gotten less and less
happy. Plus, much to my dismay, the little guy has redness on one
side. I'm suspecting an infection. <Could be, make sure to
test your water again.> This morning, the little guy would NOT
eat and lacks energy. I tried everything. The three other fish
are getting very fat. The yellow guy won't even go for the
algae. I take this very personally, and I think I'm killing
it. <Unfortunately that is how most of us learn anything in
this hobby.> So, in the best interests of my little guy, I
think I should take it back to the store where it can go into a
hospital tank and perhaps get better. <Could, may also be wise
to invest in one yourself, does not and should not be a permanent
tank, just set up for when you need it.> The current
environment is clearly killing it. Would changing its environment
be even worse? <Hard to say at this point, but sounds like
leaving him is not really an option.> I would ask that the
store keep my little guy knowing it is....for the best (cry, cry,
cry!!!!!) Why is this so difficult for me - the tears don't
stop. S. Donahue, SGT <Probably best to return him to the
store if you can, may be able to recover there. Best of luck.>
<Chris> Re: Yellow tang with severely damaged dorsal
fin, Inappropriate Housing 1/21/08 Chris, <Hello> My
last e-mail to you on this. I would have written yesterday, but I
was far to broken up. I was in mourning all day long. Clearly, my
little guy died. <Sorry> Intermittent bouts of sobbing only
annoyed my husband, who did not understand when there were far
larger issues going on in the world. Luckily, my son and girls
understood and empathized. My eyes burn badly today and it is
difficult to focus on the work I need to do (I'm in
aerospace). <Interesting field.> My husband wants me to get
rid of the tank since clearly any death is painful for me. But,
as you indicated, it is a learning experience. <As is
everything in life, learn and improve.> I am very organized,
and meticulous. I'll do precisely what you said regarding the
water. Every single week. Fortunately, the remaining fish are
very plump from all the feeding I was doing trying to get my
yellow guy healthy. Now I think I probably need to cut back on
the amount and frequency of food and clean the tank in a few days
to get rid of any debris. <Don't go overboard on the
cleaning, water changes and cleaning the filters should be
enough.> Incidentally, what is your position on a product
called liquid gravel vac? <If it sounds too good to be true it
probably is.> I have not relied exclusively on this, but have
used it occasionally. <I would not bother, regular water
changes and filtering should be enough.> Thank you again for
your help. I only wish I had my little guy back. He was so very,
very, very cute. <Quite lovely fish, I encourage you to go see
them in the wild, spectacular.> Sharon <My
fiancĂ©© is quite the same way, takes every death very
personally, and I too have said that maybe it was not the hobby
for her, but she has stuck with it and become quite successful,
and you can as well. I encourage you to read our marine articles
and maybe pick up a up to date book if you have not, Bob's
being quite fantastic to be honest and quite readable, or several
others including some great works by Michael S. Paletta and John
H. Tullock.> S. Donahue, SGT <Chris>
Re: Yellow tang with severely damaged dorsal fin
1/23/08 Chris, <Hello> I do see these beautiful fish in
the wild every year! I go to Aruba. Well, I don't see the
tiny tangs, but I do see quite a variety of beautiful fish in the
reefs. Not Australia, but it is quite lovely. <Excellent,
never been to Australia but the tangs in Hawaii are quite nice.
Trying to plan a dive trip to Bonaire which is close to
Aruba.> One year a parrot fish bit my calf. <Ouch> Thank
you for all the support. I'm actually planning to do a water
change today. <Very good> I'll read some more on the
subject, although I've been focusing most of my reading time
these past 5 years on Buddhism. <Interesting.> So, I can
take a break and do more learning on this. I did for a short time
to learn more about the hermit crabs about a year back. Thanks
again. I still miss my little guy. Sharon. <Welcome and good
luck.> <Chris> S. Donahue, SGT
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Strange behavior in new yellow tang
1/20/08 hello, <... the beginnings of sentences are
capitalized...> some info on our tank. Its a 100 gallon reef
aquarium that has been set up for about a year in a half. It has 150
pounds of live rock and deep sand bed. other inhabitants: algae blenny,
mandarin goby, six line wrasse, 5 blue green Chromis, clarkii
clownfish, and a 1" fish that they called a red spotted blenny at
the store but we later found out it wasn't (we still don't know
what it is). our last fish is a 2" <Wow, tiny> bright yellow
tang that we purchased 6 days ago. We didn't quarantine because we
don't have a quarantine tank and it looked fine. <You're
learning> Our water quality was fine when we put it in. <All
reads as "fine"> It didn't really behave weirdly then,
the clownfish was sort of sizing it up but they pretty much ignored
each other. It picked at the rocks' algae occasionally, but when I
fed it, it completely ignored everything. It swam around the tank and
explored. The store told us they feed it algae on a clip and brine
shrimp <... no> and that they had had it for 3 weeks and it was
eating fine. I put Nori on an algae clip and it ignored that pretty
much too, except occasionally took a bite out of it. Then about four
days ago it started only hanging out at one of the side panels,
repeatedly pacing really quickly back and forth. <Is likely reacting
to its reflection... and you likely did not follow instructions and
look for your answers first before writing> It now does this 100% of
the time. Someone else wrote about this problem but they said their
fish only did this 40% of the time. The recommendation to them was to
put up dark paper because it was probably seeing its own reflection.
<Oh! Yes, this is correct> I did this, however, and it made a
slight difference (it doesn't swim so close to the glass) but it
still paces quickly back and forth in the same corner. I'm worried
about it because its pretty skinny and doesn't eat. <Such a
small tang... is problematical... can/do get too thin quickly... in the
process of capture (am out in Hawai'i where they're collected),
not being fed for days after capture, during shipment, further
processing> I think it might eat after lights out though, because I
leave an algae clip in its corner and in the morning all the Nori is
gone. <Ah, good... but still needs more nutrition than this. I
suggest Spectrum pelleted food> Anything could have eaten it, I
know, but I'm hoping it was the tang. I also tried putting some
garlic juice on red Nori because I've read that that helps.
<Still insufficient nutritionally> It did and it ate some of it,
but only a couple bites. Also, there is plenty of green filamentous
algae on the rocks. <Some of this may be of use...> The other
fish aren't harassing it at all. Any ideas on how to make it swim
the whole tank, and not just 5 gallons of it? Any ideas on how to make
it eat? We don't have water param.s now, (were doing a water change
today) but I don't think its water quality. Our water quality was
good last week when we put it in and it still paced. Thanks. <Please
read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/YellowTang.htm and the linked files
above. I would block the other end/viewing panel with dark paper, and
use the very palatable, nutritious food-line, Spectrum. Bob
Fenner>
Re: tang quick cure 01/19/2008
Thx Andrew, so I did kill the fish:( <<Hi, Andrew again. We have
all done something wrong, its a matter of learning from it that makes
us all better aquarists>> Question #2: I'd really like to try
again with this fish. IYO, is the Doctorfish a suitable fish for a
relative beginner? <<Yes, its an easy to care for fish as long as
you understand its diet and environment>> I have 2 other tanks (
a 30G and a high reward-high maintenance 5G saltwater) that have been
up and running for 8-9 months, so I have the basics. The Doctorfish is
going into a 55G, w/40lbs live rock, (1) False Clown, a Yellowtail
Damsel, a 3-Stripe Damsel, Harlequin Serpent Star and misc tank
cleaners, with the idea of replacing ALL of the tanks with a single 90G
in the next year or so. <<Given the size that the fish can grow
too, I would not buy this fish unless you have a 125gallon aquarium
ready for it when its finished its quarantine process. These can grow
up to around 10 - 12 inches in captivity and require a "lot"
of swimming room>> Thx for your thoughts and truly invaluable
resources of wetwebmedia.com. <<Thank you again for your follow
up and questions, A Nixon>>
Yellow tang with severely damaged
dorsal fin, Inappropriate Housing 1/17/08 Hello, <Hi> I am
quite familiar with your website and have used it extensively in the
past. I have also tried to find the answer to this question. Others
have posted similar questions regarding their yellow tangs; however,
the damage to my tang appears significantly worse. I am enclosing a
photo. <Does not look too good for sure.> I have a 20 gal tank
with live rock. <The ultimate root of all your problems, tangs
simply can not be kept in such small tanks, they need by far larger
quarters.> We have about 6 hermit crabs, a few snails and a
starfish. We also have a blue regal tang who has been in the tank the
longest. <Too many tangs in too small of a tank leads to stress
which leads to a suppressed immune system which leads to an unhealthy
fish, and also psychological/behavioral problems too boot.> We added
the small yellow tang. After the small yellow tang was successfully
acclimated, we added 2 percula clown fish. <Too much life for a 20G
tank.> All are eating quite well. I feed them primarily frozen
"brine shrimp plus," which is a variety pack. <Their main
diet should be algae based, too much animal protein is not good for
them.> I also give them Mysis shrimp, but they are not so fond of
that. <Not surprising.> Every other day, I'll give them new
life spectrum or bio blend tiny pellets in addition to the frozen food.
<The New Life should be made their dietary staple.> Because the
tangs are herbivores, I give them algae every day. <Good> I am
extremely agitated that the yellow tang's dorsal fin is ragged and
appears to be getting worse, not better, with each passing day. I do
watch these fish, and I see no outward aggression. What is happening?
<Not enough room for these fish, being cramped and in close
proximity to another tang are causing all sorts of health problems. On
the reef these fish measure their territory in yards, even when quite
small, and need this space to be healthy. In captivity a Yellow tank
should be in at least a 4 foot long tank, a Regal needs 6 feet of
swimming space to be healthy.> I keep a pretty clean tank, although
I have always had a problem with algae (who doesn't) and clean it
once a month. <Water changes weekly or more often is most likely
necessary to help get these fish healthy at least temporarily.> The
water always tests almost perfect for all conditions. <Almost
perfect? Numbers please.> I want all my fish to be happy. What am I
doing wrong? <Poor stocking choices honestly, the tangs can not be
happy in a 20G tank, it just goes against their instinctual
behavior.> What can I do to help the little yellow tang? I'm
frightened for it. Are the clown fish attacking it? <Good water
quality, good foods, and a larger home would go far in helping it get
healthy.> Sharon Donahue <Chris>
Re: Yellow tang with severely damaged
dorsal fin, Inappropriate Housing 1/18/08 Thank you.
<Welcome> Actually, we were planning on purchasing a new tank
anyway. We will get a larger one. <Good but expensive.> The one
that looked appealing was SeaClear, which is significantly longer than
what we have now and a third larger in volume. <Hmm, you need a tank
100+ gallons to keep both of these tangs for their entire life, a small
upgrade will not help significantly.> In the meantime, I'll
clean the tank more frequently. My only reservation was when I did that
after my one fish had Ich, some other fish died. Puzzled, I asked my
marine biologist at our fish store, and he told me that too frequent
water changes can be bad for the fish since it can deplete the water of
the necessary bacteria. <Frequent small water changes, 20% to 30%
are almost always beneficial, and the bacteria you are trying to
culture is not in the water, but lives on the surfaces of the LR,
glass, and substrate, water changes will not effect them.> I
understand your answer regarding the feeding. I give the brine shrimp
plus since I have the clown fish, too, to feed. <Brine shrimp really
has very little nutritional value, mostly water.> Right now, I
understand variety is best but it is hard to give the optimal nutrients
when you have herbivores and carnivores. The New Life drops so quickly
that the Percula don't get a chance to eat much of it. <Could
feed less but more often to combat this, but the prepared food will
provide the nutrition that the fish need.> Thank you again for the
speedy response. I'll do my best. <That's all we can do.>
I feel terrible. <A learning experience.> I do have children, and
I take care of my fish almost like I do my own kids. It is hard not to
love both. <Empathy is a trait not seen often enough today.> S.
Donahue, <Chris>
SW/Unknown creature and hurt Tang
01/14/2008 Hi again Crew! <<Hello, Andrew here>> We
have attached two photos and hope for your assistance. The first is
an unknown animal (?) on one of our live rocks. Actually, there
seem to be four or five of these, in varying sizes, on the rock.
Can you ID and tell us what to do if it (they) are bad? Right now
all are on just one rock, which is easily removed. <<First
picture is an Aiptasia, read here for more info and removal
techniques
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm
>> The second is one of our Yellow Tangs. Yesterday we
noticed a sore? cut? bruise? near a gill. Could this be from a
scrape? There are no territorial issues in our tank .... it's
peaceful. His behavior is normal and he's eating just fine. No
other fish show any signs of any distress. <<Looks like its
caught itself on a rock, may of been spooked. Keep water parameters
very well tended to and it should heal fine>> Thanks again to
all you miracle workers! Michael and Dianne <<Thanks for the
questions, A Nixon>> |
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Yellow tang bowel movements
12/07/2007 Hey crew, I have a question about my yellow tang. I have
noticed lately that he's almost always dragging his feces around
under him. He periodically lets it go but then its usually not long
before he takes another poop and drags it behind him for a few hours.
His diet consists of Gracilaria parvispora, Chaetomorpha, formula two
pellets, flakes, and some meat when he steals some from his tank mates.
His favorite food is Chaetomorpha and its easy and cheap to supply so
he's been eating a lot of Chaeto lately. If there is Chaeto and
Gracilaria in the tank at the same time he will eat all of the Chaeto
before touching the Gracilaria. His feces looks similar to Chaeto
(stringy clumps) so I stopped feeding Chaeto a few days ago. He also
has a not so severe case of HLLE, which is why I got the Gracilaria in
the first place. I've had him for 2 months and his HLLE hasn't
improved or gotten worse, and for the last few weeks he's been
having this problem with his bowel movements. <Mmm, likely needs
vitamin supplementation. Please see WWM re HLLE> Do you have any
suggestions as to what I might be doing wrong? <Don't think
there is actually anything wrong here> He acts perfectly normal and
healthy but his bowel movements are rather unattractive and I'm not
sure if I should be concerned about this. Thanks in advance for your
help. Tony <Zebrasoma do defecate a great deal, depending on the
availability of foods... and the algae here are "sticking
together" is about it... I would not be concerned, but would
address the neuromast destruction... best by improving water quality...
Again, see WWM re. Bob Fenner>
Yellow Tang/Health -11/14/07 Hi Crew,
<Hello Barbara> I purchased a Yellow Tang about 2 weeks
ago. The LFS had him for about a month when I took him home. I
did a freshwater dip, but skipped quarantine as he is about 5
inches and my quarantine tank is only 10 gallons. <I'm not
a fan of freshwater dips if it is not necessary. Causes more
stress to an already stressed out fish.> I have one question.
On his stomach area, low, between his eyes and fins looks
slightly pinched in in 2 areas on both sides (like someone used 2
fingers on wet clay). Behind his eye is filled in well. He eats
very, very well. He is always picking at my live rock, and I feed
a wide variety of foods twice a day (Formulas 1 & 2, Angel
formula, Marine Cuisine, Emerald Entree, Clam, Crab, Squid,
Scallops, Mysis, Algae formula, etc.) and I put 2 clips of algae
sheets in the tank each afternoon. Tank is 72 gallons with 80lbs
of live rock and ~100lbs live sand. Ammonia & Nitrites are at
0, Nitrates are up at 30 (my source water's nitrates spiked,
I now have a tap water filter I am using and it is reducing the
nitrates in my tank well), SG is 1.026, temp is 79 degrees.
<Good, tangs do require excellent water quality. The Moray
stowaway isn't helping much with your nitrates, they do
produce a good deal of waste. Are you using a protein
skimmer?> Tankmates are: Coral Beauty, Algae Blenny, Falco
Hawkfish, Strawberry Pseudochromis, Yellowtail Damsel, and a
Barred Moray (was a stowaway in my live rock!). <The Moray
doesn't fit in with the rest of your crew along with pushing
stocking levels over the limit. Have you considered exchanging
for store credit at your LFS?> Other than the strange area on
his stomach he looks great! Good color, active, always swimming
around the tank and all fish get along well. I knew (from your
wonderful website!) that thinness is indicated behind the eyes,
but I wasn't sure what to make of a pinched in area low on
the ventral side. <Barbara, your tang is suffering from
environmental/dietary conditions. Your diet is good now, but at
the LFS it was more than likely poor to marginal. Continue with a
good diet and twice a month water changes, 10% should be fine. In
time I believe your tang should improve in health and fill out
those caved in areas. Do read here and linked files above on this
fish. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/YellowTang.htm> Thank you!
<You're welcome and good luck with your tang. James (Salty
Dog)> Barbara
Re: Yellow Tang/Health 11/16/07 Hi James,
<Hi Barb> Thank you for your very speedy reply.
<You're welcome.> I have a Rapids Pro series wet/dry
filter and a protein skimmer, both do a very nice job, in
addition to the filter output I have 2 powerheads running, so in
addition to brisk filtration I have quite a bit of water
movement. In regards to my eel stowaway, I wasn't intending
to keep him/her, but I have become very attached (as you can
imagine)! I realize they put out quite a lot of waste so I do 10
gallon water changes every week. I suspect you are right about
getting less the optimal foods at LFS, They said they fed him
brine shrimp, flake, and algae sheets; hardly the diverse diet he
needs. One thing I'm not doing that the Tang FAQ's
recommend is soaking the algae sheets in Selcon, I will start
doing that as well. I don't recall seeing the indented area
on his stomach at the LFS, but either way I'll keep reducing
the nitrates and offering a wide variety of good foods, hopefully
that will do it! Thank you again for all your help!
<You're welcome and keep us posted on your tang. James
(Salty Dog)> Barbara
Re: Yellow Tang/Health 12/10/07 Hi Crew,
<Hi Barbara> James helped me with a question about 3 weeks
ago regarding my Yellow Tang (e-mail is included below) who was
eating very well but was still thin. I wanted to update you and
thank you for your help/reassurance! Hopefully my experience can
give someone else ideas on bulking up a thin tang! I was feeding
a varied diet 2x a day and offering 2 algae clips in the evening,
rotating between Green, Purple, Red and Brown seaweeds (I assume
each has different species of algae offering different
nutrients). I increased that to 2 clips twice a day, once in the
am and once in the pm (in the pm I soaked the algae in Selcon). I
also added a small noontime feeding on days off and on weekends.
I'm very pleased to report that he has filled out very nicely
and looks great! In addition, due to a leak in my filter/protein
skimmer combo unit, I upgraded to a Fluval 405 canister filter
plus a Coralife skimmer graded for a 125 gallon tank. I'm
sure those two have improved water quality so that helped as
well! Thank you again for your continued guidance and support for
hobbyists! <Very nice to hear, Barbara and happy to hear your
tang is doing great. Thank you for sharing this with us, much
appreciated. James (Salty Dog)> Barbara
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 |
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