Dead tang?

[jminick2]

Well woke up to a dead powder brown in the QT. Bought it about a week ago no sign of any sickness was eating algae sheets and blackworms just fine. Noticed it had a fat belly, fat enough to make me question if it was normal yesterday, I guess it wasn't [emoji20]. Any ideas what this could of been? He actually looked very healthy great color no marks on his body just the big belly.

 

[Dmorty217]

Did you check the water parameters?

 

[spznm]

How big was he? How big is your QT? How did you setup your QT? Where you medicating anything? You should have check your parameters specially after seeing him dead. Could have been ammonia.

 

[jminick2]

he was about 3 inches I recently upgraded to a bigger tank the QT was my old cycled 30gallon tank minus most the rock I left some in for bacteria purposes plus all the sand. The ammonia was 0 as were nitrites and nitrates. I was not medicating anything I was just observing at this point,since he was eating like a pig and looked very healthy. I have always done it like this In 3 years this is only the 3rd fish I have lost 1 was a jumper.

 

[jminick2]

Is there any sickness associated with a swollen belly? Also have there been any instances where blackworms carried a parasite?

 

[ca1ore]

Depends how swollen? Can you post a picture of the corpse? I have had fish die from what I presumed to be some kind of intestinal blockage; though they almost always stopped eating prior to dying. Had distended stomachs.

 

[jminick2]

I don't have him anymore. didn't take any pics

 

[Dmorty217]

What were you feeding exactly, some foods have caused bloat and internal issues with some fish?

 

[jminick2]

Live blackworms and algae sheets

 

[Dmorty217]

Black worms aren't very nutritional but good to get picky eaters feeding. The nori won't cause bloat

 

[jminick2]

Black worms aren't very nutritional but good to get picky eaters feeding. The nori won't cause bloat

I have read reviews and people on here claim blackworms are some of the best nutrition a fish can get even gets them in shape to breed. is this not true?

 

[ThRoewer]

Did you notice any raised scales? Swollen belly could be a Pseudonomas or Corynebbacterium infection. The swollen belly is caused by kidney failure and at that point the fish is beyond recovery.
Another disease which may cause a swollen belly is fish tuberculosis (Mycobacterium infection). Treatment may be futile and all you can do is contain the spreading by properly disinfecting the tank it was in.

As for blackworms - they may be a fine food to get Chelmons and similar worm picking fish to take food, but for plankton eaters I prefer live tigger pods, raise in green water or spirulina fed daphnia. For algae eaters like tangs I would cultivate some red macroalgae. Nori (which is mostly made of dried red algae) is a good alternative dry food.