At what point do I start to worry?

[SVTour]

Seen it a thousand times...but never has happened to me. I didn't even have an issue with my copperband.

But a new Naso Tang that I placed in my QT on Monday evening has yet to eat. I purchased him over 3 weeks ago and watched him carefully at the LFS. I see today that his belly is starting to pinch in a little...and he twitches a little like he's stressed.

I have a low light situation in a 36 gallon corner tank, which has black PVC pipe for hiding and a power head for flow.

Each day I vaccume a couple gallons, cleaning the bottom and replace it with water from the display tank.

I've tried seaweed with garlic, seaweed plain, frozen formula 2, some flake, and a little brine shrimp...all with no luck.

Unless I'm missing something, I feel I'm doing things by the book. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[minimalist]

Macro?

 

[supertech3]

I had a clown tang that would not eat and I finally got him to eat cyclop-eze and after that I got him to start eating some flake food crushed into very small pieces, after that he would eat anything dry and frozen.I got worried to because he ate nothing for three days.

 

[SVTour]

Interesting ideas...I'll try placing a little macro from my fuge and see if that does anything.

If not, I can try a little cyclop-eze in the morning. I only have wafer though...were you thinking frozen?

Any other ideas?

 

[supertech3]

I have used both frozen and dehydrated with success

 

[Minuteman]

frozen enriched brine or maybe a little live brine?

 

[SVTour]

Still hasn't taken a bit...I'm now coming off day 4.

Verified water params...and everything is checking out. I feel I'm running out of time.

 

[anthworks]

I had the same problem with a wrasse. Have you tried live foods? Are you treating the QT? Low Salinity or copper?

 

[reefD]

he isnt eating anything? no mysis? no brine? or are you just trying macro....?...if he is starving feed whatever...try mysis or brine to entice him/her.

try live brine too! this may help....also try soaking in selcon...this may help but at some point you will do all you can do and will experience the issue with tangs. they sometimes dont eat from ..........transfer from being caught or shipped or whatever and die. but lets not give up here...you still have hope.....try adding live rock from lfs to this tank and he may start picking on it. has to be a new piece as it will have some stuff on it that when in a display tank will be cleaned off by hermits immediately so again it should be a nice new piece with lots of growth.

 

[reefD]

how long has he been in the quarenteen? if its been a week or too he may benefit from going into your reef. the flow and circulation may be beneficial in making him feel more comfortable.

 

[SVTour]

He's been in my QT since Monday...but I purchased him about a month ago. He spent 3 weeks at the LFS while another fish I had was finishing up his time in the tank.

Upon the last fish going in the main tank...I drained the QT, cleaned it, and started to circulate water with the main display (the tanks are connected, but can be shut off when in quarantine).

I have not had any treatment going on with the tank...and the water quality matches that of my display.

I have yet to try live brine...I can get some today and see if that will help. I can also put some LR in that I have in my fuge.

As for moving him to the display...although he appears physically healthy (despite eating issues), I thought it would be bad to have him complete for food. I have a foxface and a yellow that go nuts over the seaweed...

 

[Minuteman]

I had issues with my CBB not eating and live brine got him interested in eating again, so I could then work him to other foods. Live brine!

 

[ddenham]

Did you try Mysis? My PBT will eat mysis shrimp, grape caluerpa from the fuge, and green seaweed selects nori rubberbanded to a rock. He wont eat kelp flakes or cyclopseeze. I would consider holding off on the daily vacuuming for a few days, it could be freaking it out. Do you have hiding places in the QT?

good luck I know this is really stressful, I've been through this myself as well

--dan

 

[SVTour]

Well, in continuing effort...he finally took a nibble on some frozen formula II. Hopefully this is a sign of better things.

He went for 6 full days without eating. And while his eyes are now hazed over and his belly looks pinched beyond belief, at least he's moving around instead of sitting in the PVC.

Here's a pic of him...

Thanks for all the ideas everyone...if he pulls through this, maybe I'll need to have a 'name that fish' contest.

 

[cweder]

If he was at the local fish store for 3 weeks he must have been eating something. Find out what they fed and try that. I also think the quarantine tank may be a bit cramped and may also need more flow like his natural environment. I like the black PVC pipe but it probably has next to no flow going thru it, leading to very poor oxygenation for him/her. All my fish love Aquadine flakes first then they get into other foods. Remember the Naso likes brown algae in its natural diet like sargassum or other. Best of luck, I am looking for a Naso to help control my sargassum next.

 

[anthworks]

Are you seeing any pests on the fish? Wouldnt the cloudy eye indicate some sort of infection? Maybe try treatment?

I would keep offering foods several times a day.

 

[dustybuddy]

make sure u have good flow in the tank. u did say u have a powerhead in the QT tank, still try adding more flow. and give the naso some more places to hide. a PVC piping isnt that enticing for a tang. it definitely wont help that much if u try different foods. he doesnt have an appetite bc. of something. find out what it is. its quite a beautiful tang even though its eyes are hazed.

 

[itstheantitang]

Does he make any effort to go to the food?
Does he scoot away energetically from the vacuum? Or is he tired?

Try This:
I had a maroon clown that wouldn't eat, but when I held some frozen brine close to it that was smashed into a skewer he would go for it.

 

[SVTour]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6831996#post6831996 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cweder
I also think the quarantine tank may be a bit cramped and may also need more flow like his natural environment.

It's a little bigger than it looks, 36 gallons acutally...I was trying to get a close up of his pinched belly. It's the corner tank on the left of this pic...

I can add another powerhead. I have 120 coming from the pump in the pic and another 300 from the power filter.

 

[SVTour]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6832797#post6832797 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by anthworks
Are you seeing any pests on the fish? Wouldnt the cloudy eye indicate some sort of infection? Maybe try treatment?

I would keep offering foods several times a day.

None that I can see at this point in time...his eyes were clear when I picked him up, so I'm hoping that it due to malnutrition and will go away if he keeps eating.