Purple Tang in QT.

[Ruskin]

So I just got a great looking PT yesterday from the LFS and have him in QT. Since it's my first Tang I'm a little curious about what is normal behaviour for a Tang that might be stressed and still settling in.

The one i have looks pretty fat and healthy, with no signs of physical damage or thinness. He has spent most of his time in the front corner of the tank, very low in the water, almost resting on the bottom (but never stopping) with his mouth/eyes angled down and mouth slightly ajar. No signs of heavy breathing or laboured swimming. Any of this normal for a Tang adjusting to new surroundings?

What's the longest a Tang can go without eating? I know they are constant grazers, but i've had fish go a week without eating and then settle right in and be pigs.

Thanks for any info and input, I may just be a bit apprehensive as I want all my new fish to be happy and healthy.

 

[Chibils]

Almost every kind of fish does some strange acclimation process of their own. Don't know about purple tangs, but I wouldn't put it past them. Other fish have done stranger. I wouldn't begin to panic until he goes a few days without eating.

 

[Recty]

I just got a 2.5" Purple tang in Tuesday. I put him in the QT tank with no lights for the first day, but the second day lights were on and he is swimming around. All I have for decorations is a piece of PVC pipe for him to hide in, but he swims all through the tank, up and down the water column, not just at the bottom.

He is eating well already too, I'm feeding a mixture of shrimp/scallop/fish and a Nori clip.

Yesterday I mixed some Spectrum pellets into the shrimp mix, he seemed to really like that too.

 

[Ruskin]

Interesting, how long did it take for him to eat. I've been clipping different types of Sea Veggies to the glass/pvc and leaving it in the tank for a bit. I just tried the purple kind now, and after placing the PVC directly in front of him he seemed to tear off and actually eat some ( rather then just tearing and spitting) so at least he ate a bit. Still doing the head down thing mostly tho.

 

[Ruskin]

Perhaps he wasnt eating. I just tried a bit more food to see if he would eat and he attacked it vigorously and ingested a large portion. He swam in his corner for a few minutes 2-3 and then spit out a large intact portion of the sea weed he had just gobbled up. Is this any indication of a problem. This coupled with a mouth consistently open (but again, not breathing heavy) aren't signs of anything are they? As you can see im quickly getting attached to the little guy and want to do everything I can to get him settled in.

 

[Recty]

Hmmmm, I havent had LOTS of tang experience, but enough I guess to answer

I've had a Bristletooth Tomini tang, a couple yellow tangs, a blonde Naso tang and now a Purple tang, they almost all move around with their mouths open. Not hugely open, but definitely open. Otherwise, how would they pass water over their gills.

Try and feed some mysis shrimp. Yes, tangs eat vegetable matter but they also readily eat small animal life too, every tang I've had has loved picking pieces of meat and mysis from the water column as I feed my more aggressive fish.

My purple tang is taking really small bites, when I feed him he takes quite a while to just eat a little piece of food, but he does keep it all down and moves on to another piece.

It might just take a little time. I wouldnt worry about the mouth open part if it was me, just concentrate on making sure food is readily available to him. Maybe try to mix a little garlic in, or squish a clove over the Nori before you put it in the tank so it has the scent. And yeah, try small bits of meaty food.

 

[Chibils]

His interest in the seaweed is a good start. How big is he? When tangs are smaller, they often feed off of film or hair algae and have difficulty ripping pieces of nori. That said, I've never seen a tiny PT for sale... As Recty said, I'd try mysis, brine, and cyclops in that order. Mysis is good for them, brine is generally more appetizing, and cyclops has been a good crutch when all else fails, ime (to this day my firefish won't eat anything else except New Life Spectrum pellets, unless the angel steals it first). One other thing to try is the New Life pellets. They're small enough that most fish can eat them, big enough for fish to spot them, and they don't sink like rocks the way Ocean Nutrition Forumla One/Two pellets do. I've never had luck with flake foods, probably because my fish are spoiled and let the food sink to them coupled with the fact that I have a personal vendetta against flakes...

Anyways, meats tend to have a stronger smell and may entice the PT to try them. Garlic may or may not entice them; it's all anecdotal but does seem to have effect with some fish. It turns away others. Most of all, carefully monitor your water quality and make sure that's not the cause.


Sorry if this post went all over the place, my mind's not completely with me.

 

[agreeive?fish]

my koran angel.. i tried several types of foods... did that..eat and spit it back out for about 4 days (he was about 4" at the time) then one day he decided he better eat and he now eats every thing thats dropped into the tank..i started with flakes then tried various types of frozen and pelets..guess what he started eating the orginal flake i tried to feed him when he actually took the first bite that he did not spit out but for the first 3 weeks after he started eating he was extreemly picky about the bite size he would eat

 

[dones20]

can you describe your qt tank specs a little is this tank mature or newly set up if so how long how big water params gravel? rocks? ect ect

 

[Ruskin]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Ill try some meaty foods today and continue on with the nori in small batches, and small sizes.

The Tang is about 3" long.

The tank is a 20g 2'6 long with a hob filter, heater and mj1200 for flow. I have small bits of LR , I know they aren't ideal for QT, but that just didnt fit in my display and wont ever go back in my display after being in the QT. It also has some pvc, but nothing generally big enough for him to use for safety. The rocks are setup tho so he could totally hide from view if he wanted to. Water, rocks and filter are all established. Filter media is less then a month old, water is 2 weeks or so (ill be changing this weekend too, just in case) and the rocks have been in the tank over a course of 3-4 months or so.

I'll have to check the param's when i get a chance.

Thanks again everyone for your help.

 

[chrisstie]

While tangs will always go for the meaty foods, they are herbivores and because of their diet requirements will pass most of those meats right back out.

I have a rule with my fish - you get veggies first so you eat them, then meaty stuff after for the rest of my fish. Try soaking some nori in some garlic then putting it with him anda see if it helps. The meaty foods wont really do much for him.