Blue Tang : old age or sick?

[psyrob]

How long should a blue tang live? I know it is variable, but an estimate? My 8 year old blue tang is listless last 2 weeks, hiding in caves and places he normally doesn't, just lying there and letting the current push him around. He looks a little paler around his head, but the rest of him is vibrant blue. and his eyes look a little cloudy. He will come out and eat, I'm feeding New Life spectrum and he has plenty of algae he picks at all day...
thanks

 

[snorvich]

When was the last wet item added to the tank?

 

[kalare]

I have a blue tang older than 8 years...I gotta believe they can live at least 15. Fish are way longer lived than most people think. I have 22 year old clownfish.

I'd check all water parameters, even ones you don't normally check. Also, as suggested above, any new additions? Changes in maint? New equipement...anything changed at all?

 

[Silly clownfish]

I agree that 8 years doesn't sound that old. Although you didn't mentionif it was full grown when you got it. I also suspect old age would cause a more gradual decline than 2 weeks.

Has it been in the 60g in your signature line? If so, you have been doing something right for it to last that long, but I suspect that since that tank is much too small, it would not take much at all for him to head south.

I am not trying to be the tang police. In fact back in the 90's a LSF convinced me it was Ok to put a small blue hippo tang in a 30g. I spent about a year fighting diseases: ick (beat that one in the days before TTM) and HLLE (never kicked that) before finally losing him. No where near 8 years.

Good luck

Kim

 

[psyrob]

thanks for the feedback...My alk was low and I have been raising it over the past three weeks, but pretty slowly, only like 30 ml extra a day. I am up to 7.5 dkh, up from 5.5 (yes I know that was too low). Last wet item? Can't remember, oh added a sexy shrimp, emerald crabe and some trochus snails about a month ago. I had been giving him less of the New Life Spectrum and more of this frozen mix that included mysis, algae and other stuff to feed corals. I have gone back to New Life Spectrum every day and his color looks better after only a couple of days. The tank is 60 gallons, yes, too small but he was a legacy from when I knew less. Only have a tomato clown and a yellow goby, so not many other tank mates. I got him from live aquaria, so I don't know how old he was when he got here. He seems to be perking up after I went to only feeding the new life spectrum the past few days. Will keep an eye on him and stay with the new life to see if somehow that is making a difference
thanks guys