Blue Regal Dieing..Please Help

[jhoskins]

I bought this blue regal from my LFS about 2 months ago and hes been doing very well, but today he's been acting sick. He's barely moving and now hes just laying on his side on the sand bed like hes dieing. I don't know what to do..Ive tested all my water parameters and everything is fine. I even did a water change and still nothing...I just don't understand how or why he would be dieing. Please Help

 

[Recty]

Any weird coloration? Any other fish in the tank with him?

 

[jhoskins]

Yea two black dominoe damsels...as well as a green bubble tip anemone a yellow watchman goby and tiger pistol shrimp and several shrimp. Plus my zooas and a pulsating xenthias...yea I when I woke up this morning I found my regal where I had seen him last night...dead on the sand substrate. It just isn't fair...I loved that fish.

 

[Recty]

How fair do you think the fish feels it is?

He could have brushed up against your anemone and been stung, that's enough to kill a regal tang. It could be any number of things though, but a barely able to move, laying on the sand barely breathing fish makes me think it was likely the anemone.

 

[jhoskins]

Ive had the two together for a couple months..I dont see why all of a sudden it would sting it. Its a green bubble tip. From what I've read their not fish killers..they get all the energy they need from light.

 

[Recty]

I'm sure it didnt actively hunt down your fish

All it takes is the regal getting spooked and zooming through the water and brushing the anemone and you'll have a stung fish. From what I recall about anemones, they have a protein or an enzyme that reacts to the protein or enzyme in living things and fires off the toxin cells when those two touch. It's what keeps a stick from triggers an anemone and wasting it's toxin.

Anyway, long story short, the anemone wasnt trying to eat the fish, just naturally it bursts off it's toxin.

 

[jhoskins]

Hmm..I see your point...but my dominoes haven't been stung and their always swimming all over the place.

 

[Recty]

Damsels and clownfish hang out in and around anemones, they dont seem to be stingable.

I'm not saying 100% sure your anemone is what killed the regal, but it seems suspicious that it went from totally healthy to stunned and almost dying in no time.

 

[palmer373]

i was thinking the anemone also...

 

[Aquanaut of WA]

Possible not enough nutrition vitamin deficiency would cause organ failure. Or long exposure to copper that cripples organ function. Unfortunately most angels perish ubruptly 3-6months. I'm sorry to hear your loss.

 

[Recty]

Possible not enough nutrition vitamin deficiency would cause organ failure. Or long exposure to copper that cripples organ function. Unfortunately most angels perish ubruptly 3-6months. I'm sorry to hear your loss.

Most angels die in 3-6 months? Not a true statement unless you're careless with your fish. I have had quite a few angels and only two unexplained loses, but they were fish that are notoriously finicky.

The original post is about a regal TANG anyway