Yellow Tang very odd behavior

[golby]

I have had a yellow tang for about 3 months now and yesterday he started exhibiting some odd behavior:

1. He will dart quickly for short distances and come to a complete stop.

2. While swimming close to the front of the tank he will abruptly stop and point his tail down (head up) and swim down, tail first. He'll then go up and down in that position or swim forward and then do the tail down, swim backwards thing. This often results in him moving the sand with his tail.

He appears normal otherwise (healthy yellow, no change in color, fins are whole, eating as normal).

Any thoughts?

 

[tydtran]

I don't have an explanation for you, but in observing my own yellow tang, I have become convinced that they are not very smart fish. I have seen mine do all sorts of strange things that make no sense.

 

[RyanSweatt2004]

I have had hippo tangs act strange like this when they have out grown their tank.

 

[MazdaSPD3]

Sounds like hes trying to attack his own reflection. My Goldrim started to do this 2 weeks ago and hasn't stopped, he now has a massive ich infestation and caused several other fishes to become stress and come down with ich as well. Biggest regret ever.

 

[golby]

Well it's not that he has outgrown the tank...he's maybe 4 inches and I have a four foot long 90g. I hope he's not stressing himself out attacking his own reflection. When he does it he is never pointed at the front glass, he's parallel to it--meaning that when he points his tail down I'm looking at his side, not his bottom or his dorsal fin.

 

[Eric the half-bee]

Golby, my Atlantic Blue darts around occ. too. I don't know why.

 

[cloak]

It's most likely the reflection that's tripping them out. It's kind of like what you would see in freshwater cichlids. The tail slapping, the flaring of the gills, the posturing, etc. My atlantic blue did it, my sailfin did it, my three stripe damsel does it right now. It shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Nereaga]

Sounds like hes trying to attack his own reflection. My Goldrim started to do this 2 weeks ago and hasn't stopped, he now has a massive ich infestation and caused several other fishes to become stress and come down with ich as well. Biggest regret ever.

+2 on his reflection, but mine never came down with ich or anything else. Other fish just seemed confused on what he was doing. He never noticed his reflection for about 8-9 months, then one day went ape **** on it and moved my sandbed all over the place.

He should stop doing it after he realizes it is not a threat, might take a few days though.

HTH,

Brad

As long as he stops to eat, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

[MazdaSPD3]

Hopefully he'll calm down in a few days and not ongoing like mine...

 

[nikon187]

Mine does it too ( Had him over 2 yrs) and all the time, its def his reflection that gets him going. He doesn't move all that much sand but whacks the glass sometimes with his tail/ spine. I would hate to see him with a mirror on the other side of the glass.

 

[golby]

Alrightee. Thanks for everyone's input. I'm now convinced that he has simply discovered his reflection. Hopefully he'll either (a) realize its him and just admire himself (a joke) or (b) relax after realizing that the reflection isn't going to hurt him or take his sleeping place.

I will continue to monitor and make sure he eats.

 

[golby]

Hopefully he'll calm down in a few days and not ongoing like mine...

Sorry to hear that yours stressed himself into an ich infestation.

 

[MazdaSPD3]

I think I got an extremely healthy one to start with, for 2 months he was totally fine and eats like a champ and was the king of the tank. Not until recently (after I scraped the back wall free of coraline) that he noticed his own reflection and went ape sh*t. Nobody exhibited ich until very very recently, after he went at himself for over a week, and now everybody's got it, but I am super confident that they will be able to fight it off.

 

[golby]

and now everybody's got it, but I am super confident that they will be able to fight it off.

I've read that treating food with garlic supplements before feeding boosts their immune system, so perhaps that will help!

Good luck.

 

[P Taylor]

Crazy Yellow Tang

Crazy Yellow Tang

I had a big yellow tang in a 90 gal reef tank for 15 years, it would do the tail dance, head up tail down, up and down the glass and darting from one side to the other from time to time the last 3 or 4 years and he would lose color when he did it. It was always a big fat healthy fish then the behavior became more frequent and it finally stopped eating, it lasted for several months until it got so weak I could pick it up in my hand. I'm pretty sure it was not his reflection. It was like it had gone stir crazy (a prisoner who became mentally unbalanced because of prolonged incarceration). It was with a purple tang about the same size and both had been in the tank for 10 plus years together with many other fish and never fought. Still have the purple tang and it has never done this. So the big yellow tang is in fish heaven now and I have replaced him with 4 yes 4 small yellow tangs, you should see the purple tang now he doesn't know which one to pester and the 4 are constantly pestering each other but I haven't seen any battle to the death fights yet just constant routine chasing. Wish me luck!

 

[ZOAREEFTANK]

Mines done this and it was the strangest thing ever. After a few days he stopped and hasn't done it since


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[xanthurum]

It sounds like he is mad at his reflection. Tangs can sometimes act weird and stress out when first introduced. I would be willing to bet that the behavior will stop as time passes.

PTaylor, mad props to keeping your yellow for 15+ years

I'm sorry to do this but MazdaSPD3 don't blame the Goldrim. The fact that it has ich is not the fishes fault, it's yours. QT is the key.

 

[ComforablyNumb]

Yellow tangs are kinda weird anyway. I love mine, had it about 2 yrs now...but it is definitely a strange animal.

 

[Sounds Fishy]

I had a Yellow Tang that was with me 4 years without any issues and then it's behaviour got real skittish,and eventually would not come out from behind the LR.In time I noticed it developed Hole in the Head disease.I read subsequently on a post (reef central),that carbon was linked to this disease,so I removed(the carbon) it.The Tang got better,(without removing it from the reef or any other treatment)the damaged tissue healed and it was because of the carbon.I thought I would pass it on,just,in case any of you have a Tang that develops any related issues...btw Golby,this thread is 8 y/o,did your Tang get better?

 

[boxfishpooalot]

Cool thread. I suspect my activated carbon as well. A bag of rox .8 exsploded and went everywhere. Hopefully the carbon will calm the tang down.