tang help

[temec_luver]

ok so i have an 80 gallon tank about 8 months old and have never been able to keep a tang.. ive tried 3 from 3 different locations and all of them died in about a week. ive bought other fish from this lfs and they have been fine. my other fish are
2 lyretail anthia
1 maroon clown (non agressive yet)
1 yellow headed sleeper goby

I have tried a:
red sea sailfin tang
hippo tang
tomini tang

none of them were micro most of them were show size and were eating the entire time..

my params always remain the same at:
ph 8.2
amm, trite, and trates, 0
alk 10
calc 450
temp 76
p04 0

can anyone tell me whats wrong with my system????

 

[temec_luver]

o and i always drip acclimate for an hour to an hour and a half

 

[Jerry W]

Any visible symptoms noticeable prior to the deaths? Is there live rock in the tank?
FWIW, a show size specimen of any of those fish is not suited to an 80 gallon tank. I wouldn't rule out confinement stress as a contributing factor.

 

[abereefur]

+1 ^ 80 gallon tank would be kind of small for a show sized tang. not enough swimming space can really stress out a tang

 

[temec_luver]

most tang were about 4"... qualifys as show size to me... yes there is live rock

 

[AtlanticBlue]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12514420#post12514420 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by temec_luver
most tang were about 4"... qualifys as show size to me... yes there is live rock

Not to sound like I'm jumping on ya or anything...

But a Desjardini Sailfin will get to be 16" and a Blue Hippo will get upwards of 13"...so 4" is in no way a show size Tang.

What are the dimensions of the tank and what did you feed them??

 

[petoonia]

What symptoms did they have gasping, not eating, hiding, lying on the bottom of the tank? How long did they live for?

 

[AtlanticBlue]

Just to throw this in there, I used to work at a LFS. I ordered a 'SHOW SIZE' Naso Tang...got to the store and was about 14". Lived about a week. Maybe less. Never ate or anything, but I found out why. He wasn't shipped correctly. Granted he was quite bigger than the fish you speak of, but if not properly shipped a tang doesn't stand a chance. He was doomed right from the warehouse because the bag wasn't big enough for him to turn around in. The guys messed up and put him in too small a bag. Poor fish. But yours being only 4", I don't know if that could be a factor or not. Although ANY fish will be stressed out due to transport...unless you got them from a LFS that had them for awhile.

All that said, it's still fishy that you struck out with 3 tangs in a row. Not bragging or anything, but I couldn't kill one if I tried. Maybe it's luck... ??

 

[temec_luver]

tank is 48x16x24

feeding: mysis, nori soaked in vinegar occasionally a little flake and pellet

 

[temec_luver]

and no no symptoms... everything was fine up until the day they died

 

[nismo_32]

sounds to me like you just had bad luck...my trick is that i just feed the fish pellets when i see them at the lfs. i will take some spectrum with me to lfs. if i see a fish i like i will feed it pellets, if it seeems disinterested i will not purchase him no matter how much i like him. i havent lost a fish ever since i started dioing this about two years ago.... i also feed my fish pure garlic among other things...maybe you can try that...well i say try again but be picky about the fish you are going to buy. make sure it looks real healthy and curious. good luck