Another Yellow Tang thread...

[Joeb1983]

Alright guys, I finally decided to get a yellow tang. I found one at my LFS that looked healthy and that was eating.

I brought it home and acclimated it to my QT. It spent a day shy of 2 weeks in there. It was eating macro and pellets.

I acclimated and transferred it over to my DT. At first as with any new kid on the block my Coral Beauty needed to show it who is boss. So up went the mirror and the next day all was well...

Day 2 in the DT. Fish was following round the Coral Beauty like a creepy stalker (not aggressive at all) but it was still eating the macro throughout the day and pellets during feeding.

Day 3. Fish is absolutely obsessed with my 2 skunk shrimp. ALL day following around and trying to get them to clean him. They pay him no mind what so over. I kind of feel bad as he is literally begging them it seems. He only at 2 pellets this day.

Day 4. Fish still obsessed with cleaner shrimp and neither myself or my wife had seen it eat any macro throughout the day. During feeding he would go after a pellet, but not eat it.

Day 5. Same as the day before, so I begin to worry. I purchase both red and green seaweed with garlic, NLS pellets with garlic and try some Hikari frozen Misis with no luck luck...

Day 6. Yellow tang still active and following around the cleaner shrimp. Has no interest what so ever in the seaweed, macro or anything else for that matter. Its stomach is starting to look thin...

Day 7. This morning its still swimming around actively and bothering the shrimp non-stop . Stomach looks "pinched" (what does that mean "pinched stomach" other than a description of how to describe how it physically looks?) I see the terms used all over the internet, but no real definition. I will try to get him to eat again today, but I feel he wont. Any ideas?

From what I researched it could be internal parasites, stress (no aggression and it seems fine, but I am not a fish) or ich. I do not see any signs of ich as of now. Some say hunger will win out, but others say pinched stomach is a done deal... I guess only time will tell?

 

[falconut]

How was it eating in QT? Okay or with gusto. I usually make sure my fish are eating really good before putting them in the display.

I'm not sure how to get it eating better, maybe put it back in QT. The two I've had always ate great from the beginning.

 

[Joeb1983]

He seemed to eat just fine in QT. Usually he couldn't catch the pellets as the were sinking and waited for them to land, then he would snatch them up. It would graze on the algae throughout the day. Looking at pictures of healthy tangs and seeing how plump they are, mine was never like that "plump" per say, but had clear eye, fins and scales along with a vibrant yellow. Actinics come on here in a few so I'll get a better look. Once the 10k's kick on I'll snap a pic.

 

[Dmorty217]

Pinched stomach means you need to feed more often. Try mysis thats enriched with selcon and/or vitachem. When the fish was in QT you should of got it eating and eating well. Then you should of treated with prazipro for internals, then followed up by something for ich. Tank Transfer method, copper, chloroquine phosphate... Something to ensure you didn't introduce ich into your DT.

 

[Joeb1983]

I feed twice daily and there is always greens available. I was not however treating for anything as i did not see signs of anything. I did however use Seachem's Stress Guard as I do with all new fish. (I don't now if it actually does anything, but I've used it with every new fish without issues).

My coral beauty had ich in quarantine and was treated. That was almost half a year ago.

I still see no white spots on the tang. I will keep an eye out.

 

[Joeb1983]

Right now in the tank is macro algae and fresh green seaweed w/ garlic rubber-banded to a rock. I feed at noon and around 5ish. I just fed at noon and again it would go after a pellet, but not eat it... Pellets are a combo of Omega and NLS. Yesterday I threw in some Mysis. EVERYTHING in the tank went nuts for it except the tang... The tang is obsessed with the cleaner shrimps. That seems to be his sole purpose in life more so than eating or anything else for that matter.

 

[Joeb1983]

It ate a few pellets today. Still did not touch the seaweed. It seems to graze on the live rock now and then. Guess I'll give it time and keep my eye on him and ensure there's food.

 

[Joeb1983]

I almost pulled him and threw him back in QT, but he started truly eating again yesterday, so i have no clue what that was all about... He is picking at the seawed, eating numerous pellets during feeding and activiley grazing. Little guy had me a tad worried.

My wife caught one of my shrimp cleaning him last night and grabbed me to take a look, so thats was pretty cool to witness.

Early this morning before work I took a peek at him and his stomach is no longer pinched. I will still keep an eye on him as he is thinner than I would like.

 

[GSMclowns]

If you don't see any ich or any problem, just leave it alone for awhile. Yellow tang can survive a long time, they are very tough. As for seaweed, some tangs just don't eat it for a while. My yellow tang refused to eat seaweed for a few months. Just feed them a variety of foods and whatever the yellow tang eat, just feed that food. After awhile, it will eat everything. Just don't move it and disturb it too much and it will be fine.

 

[ReefTank123456]

Feed him seaweed, its very good for him. Brine and mysis are also good but you must give him a vegetable based food. Tangs will not be healthy without their proper supplements

 

[Joeb1983]

I am leaving it alone and letting it do its thing. Yesterday it was entirely a different fish. Eating like a shark. Him along with my Coral Beauty tear up the seaweed now. I guess all it took was time as far as the seaweed is concerend. Still wonderng why he stopped eating all together for almost a week... Maybe stress?

Anyways, he seems to be fine and more energetic by the day. Cleaner shrimps are used to him now and he has his spot in the tank (cave) he goes to every night.

Food variations iclude:

Omega One Marine small pellets w/ garlic
NLS Thera-A regular formula 1mm pellets
Ocean Nutrition seaweed select w/ garlic (both green and red)
Hikari frozen Mysis (Havent actually seen it eat these)
Macro algae (doesnt touch it after discovering the seaweed)
Whatever he grazes off the LR...

Is that enough of a variety and covering all the bases for a tang? From what Ive read it should be... Let me know.

 

[Dmorty217]

I feed twice daily and there is always greens available. I was not however treating for anything as i did not see signs of anything. I did however use Seachem's Stress Guard as I do with all new fish. (I don't now if it actually does anything, but I've used it with every new fish without issues).

My coral beauty had ich in quarantine and was treated. That was almost half a year ago.

I still see no white spots on the tang. I will keep an eye out.

I use seachems paraguard as a dip with acclimating fish and have for years. It can take up to 30 days I believe it is for fish to show signs of ich in a system running a low copper dose. You should use prazipro for internals if the fish is thin (I suggest using it on all new arrivals while in QT) TTM works great on new fish to treat for ich

 

[Joeb1983]

^ Thanks for the input. I guess Ive been doing QT wrong. I just acclimate and put them in for 2 weeks or so, use stress guard and look for signs of anyhing. Then treat if there is. It never even crossed my mind to just treat while in QT as a prevetitive step.

I only have 4 fish. (2 clowns, coral beauty and now the tang).

Been doing this for only 8 months and still learning.

 

[Dmorty217]

^ Thanks for the input. I guess Ive been doing QT wrong. I just acclimate and put them in for 2 weeks or so, use stress guard and look for signs of anyhing. Then treat if there is. It never even crossed my mind to just treat while in QT as a prevetitive step.

I only have 4 fish. (2 clowns, coral beauty and now the tang).

Been doing this for only 8 months and still learning.

6 weeks in QT. If you do Tank Transfer Method for ich followed by PP while in QT is what I do for new arrivals then observe for the last 4 wks after

 

[Deinonych]

6 weeks in QT. If you do Tank Transfer Method for ich followed by PP while in QT is what I do for new arrivals then observe for the last 4 wks after

+1

This is what I do, although I usually do prazi first, followed by TT. Either way, 2 weeks is not long enough for a proper QT.

 

[Joeb1983]

Copy that. Longer QT w/ treatment.

 

[ca1ore]

FWIW, I view QT as accomplishing two things. First, and most obvious, is to be reasonably sure any new fish is disease free prior to putting it into the display. Second, and perhaps not so obvious, is an opportunity to fatten up the fish so that it has a better chance of surviving the inevitable 'hazing' it will receive upon introduction to the display (certainly if you have a good sized, established population). It is not unusual for a fish to not eat much for the first week in the display, so a fish that has no built-up reserves may then perish. Neither of these things can be accomplished in a mere two weeks I'm afraid. I'm probably on the long end of things, but I typically do 8 - 12 weeks, depending on how long it takes to get a fish fat. None of this ensures you won't get ich, or lose a fish to an aggressive tank-mate, but it sure increases your odds of success.

 

[Joeb1983]

Copy that. I will take all the great advice and apply it for any other possible fish purchases. The tang is doing very well, alough he has a spot on the tip of its pectoral fin. Much larger than an ICH spot. Cant tell what it is...

 

[Deinonych]

Copy that. I will take all the great advice and apply it for any other possible fish purchases. The tang is doing very well, alough he has a spot on the tip of its pectoral fin. Much larger than an ICH spot. Cant tell what it is...

Sounds like lymphocystis if the spot doesn't go away after a week or so. Good water quality and diet is the only treatment (it's viral).

 

[Joeb1983]

Water quality is good to go and I will keep feeding twice a day along with daily seaweed offerings. (The tang and angel go nuts for it)

I will say i am seeing more color vibrance with the NLS food.

The spot on its fin has been there for over a week so I will look into/research lymphocystis. I just want to catch him and nip it off... lol!