What would make a Kole Tang just stop eating all of a sudden?

[Beefy_Reefy]

Water parameters all in the norm. Showing I have no phosphates even though I had a cyano outbreak for a month but getting it under control. I added a reactor with some phosban when cyano was going nuts. But just 2 days ago my Kole just stopped eating. Stopped munching on the glass algae. He's the king of the tank. Was very active and a big pig until 2 days ago Now slowly swimming around and hanging out in caves. Not like him.. How long until he starves to death if he refuses to eat?

Could cyano make him sick somehow if he ate some?
I've tried garlic soaked everything. He never liked seaweed. He used to eat the glass algae. Sigh, I don't know what to do. He's not a new addition. He was QT'd for a month when I originally got him many months ago. I treated for worms so I doubt that's it.

Any clue?

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

There isn't enough information to tell, so here are some questions to flesh out informatoin.

Was anything else added to the tank - fish, inverts, corals, etc.?

Is there any ammonia showing? What test kit are you using and is it out of date?

Has anything died in the tank recently?

Did you stir the sandbed?

Did you do a water change recently? What is your salinity and how are you determining it? Has the salinity increased a couple of points in the past couple of days?

If nothing else gets the Kole, it should be able to go 2 weeks or more without eating. The cyano shouldn't hurt the tang.

What did it normally eat? Have you tried veggie flakes with spirulina algae?

Is the fish being bullied at all? Sometimes smaller fish can be aggressive and a problem.

 

[Beefy_Reefy]

Thx for the response. Here I go!

Was anything else added to the tank - fish, inverts, corals, etc.?
Nothing. Just the phosban reactor 1 month ago.

Is there any ammonia showing? What test kit are you using and is it out of date?
0 ammonia showing. I'm using up to date Saliferts test kits.

Has anything died in the tank recently?
Nothing has died.

Did you stir the sandbed?
I have only syphoned some of the top to get chunks of cyano out. I didn't stir deep.

Did you do a water change recently? What is your salinity and how are you determining it? Has the salinity increased a couple of points in the past couple of days?
I did a water change 1 day AFTER he wasn't eating. Salinity always at 1.026 using refractometer with calibration liquid from BRS.

If nothing else gets the Kole, it should be able to go 2 weeks or more without eating. The cyano shouldn't hurt the tang.

What did it normally eat? Have you tried veggie flakes with spirulina algae?
He only eats Mysis and Spirulina Brine. And used to eat algae off glass. He will not touch flakes, pellets or nori I put on clip

He's the big boy of tank, never bullied. In a 150g with 5 zebra dartfish, 2 clowns, 1 YWG and 1 Bangaii.

Hopefully he snaps out of it. I'll retest water and maybe do another small water change. Just worried he has some internal parasite or something. I've never had a problem with parasite/worms. Tank is almost at the 1 year mark.

 

[Conspiculatus]

Have you considered an intestinal blockage due to the ingestion of a foreign object. I have seen large angels stop eating all at once, only to find out after a necropsy that they had ingested a foreign object. In addition lethargy and mobility issues where noted prior to death.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

Those fish need greens and I am not sure how much it can get off the glass. You might get different types of algae from your lfs or online (green, red, brown and purple) and try rubberbanding it to a piece of rock. Some fish stay away from clips.

The tang's digestive system isn't geared for a diet largely comprised of meat.

How did you treat for worms? If not PraziPro, you may want to try that. It can be used in your dt.

 

[gweston]

Soak food in api general cure, if you can get it to eat. It has Prazi plus other stuff in it without having to dose the whole tank.

If it won't eat at all, I'd suggest putting him in qt. Dose both Prazi and maracyn2. Try to direct feed. Put in a nori clip. Keep the qt water well aerated with an air stone. No skimmer or cabon filtration with these meds.

I suggest maracyn2 as it has vitamins in addition to antibiotics. The vitamins can help out an undernourished fish. Prazi treats gut parasites, Maracyn2 treats primary and/or secondary infections that parasites may be causing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Beefy_Reefy]

I originally used prazi on him in qt. I can't catch the kole. Traps will not work and can't get close enough with net. Too much rock to tear down. Very difficult setup to even reach in bottom. I have a few really nice coco worms and feather dusters. Dosing dt with prazi will kill them right? I'd like to take him out and treat him for something. But I'd have to take out 220lb of rock, destroying all my other fish homes and then drain tank down to a few inches to catch this guy. I just can't do this right now. I've tried purple, red, green seaweed in past on clip, on rock. He doesn't go for it. His color is still fine. Looking slow and skinnier though. No foreign objects in tank. But I have seen him eat the dartfish poo in past.

 

[Beefy_Reefy]

Will food soaked with API general cure not kill my coco worms and feather dusters?

 

[tapio]

I have had a couple big tangs that I had for years suddenly stop eating and then slowly waste to death while all other fish continued to feed and be fine. Never any visible disease symptoms. I have wondered if simply old age in some fish in captivity is the reason or if it is a symptom of a nutrient that is missing and younger fish can take it for years but not when they get older.

 

[Beefy_Reefy]

Yeah that sucks. My guy is less than 4" and I think pretty young. Something has to be up with his stomach. Retested water everything looks on point. Every other fish is doing great. I'm going to try and net him out when he comes to glass and stares at me like "help me something's not right".. Arggg

 

[tapio]

Yeah, good luck netting a tang, I have never been able to do that with live rock around. Strong, quick fish even close to death. Sorry about your tang.

Sometimes new introductions from QT or HT go into no eating mode before snapping out of it which is usually triggered by other fish eating around or introducing some other interesting food item.That is not the case in your situation though.

 

[Beefy_Reefy]

*Day 5 still not eating

But he's still looking healthy and now swimming around fast like he used to... Also he went for a piece of brine but spit it out :headwalls:

 

[Beefy_Reefy]

Day 8 the hunger strike is over. Hallelujah...

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

That is good news. Tangs really need veggies, so I would keeping to get yours to eat veggie flakes or nori. It sounds like you have a good supply on hand from having tried before. Maybe mix flakes and mysis so the flakes soak up the mysis juice and then feed together.

 

[Beefy_Reefy]

I tried the flake mix and he spits them out. Still will not touch nori even on rocks. I guess he's getting enough from the film on the glass and or the spirulina brine I feed. I don't know. I used to soak mysis in selcon but a week later I got the worst outbreak of algae and still fighting it. Getting the cyano under control but I have a nasty spread of bubble algae going crazy. Very hard to manually remove this for me. I really don't want emerald crabs in tank.

Just glad Mr. Kole is better :beer:

 

[Beefy_Reefy]

Spoke too soon. Strike is back on. How do internal parasites work? Can they live in stomach? Guess I'll have to do some research :/

 

[Navyblue]

My guess would be intestinal blockage, whether parasite caused or not.

I have a pair of clownfishes that did that. The smaller one died because I acted too late. Before it died it is lethargic and breathing heavily. It took about 2 weeks. Then the larger one stopped eating too, and I saw white poop. I took it out and treated it with praziquentel that is meant for fresh water, so I am not sure how much of that is useful. At the end of of the 5 day treatment, it started eating some, but the full appetite would only be back after a few weeks. Through out the period I still see white poop on and off. And it is still somewhat thin now.

So IMO, something like this may take a while for it to sort itself out even if the fish made it.