Yellow Tangs Keep Dying

M

MillerC2

New member
Hi all -- While I'm a frequent visitor to this forum, this is my first post. I usually get all my questions answered and help from the achieves, but I can't find anything on this. I've had my tank set up for 1 year 3 months. I've only lost 2 fish in that time period and both times it has been a Yellow Tang. Each tang lasted for about 6 months and both died mysteriously. They were never in the tank at the same time. The first one died then a month later I got a new one and that one died today. I came home from work to find it laying on the sand gasping for breath until it eventually gave in to the circle of life. The water parameters, tank stock, and dimensions are all listed below. Any ideas?!? This is rather upsetting. I fell like a failure when I lose a fish. What am I doing wrong?

Tank: 75 gallons with about 2k gallons/hour water flow, protein skimmer, good filters. No sump at this time. It's in the plans. We are getting ready some corals at some point this year.

Water Parameters:
ph 8.2
Amonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

Stock: 1 Clown, 1 Foxface, 1 Regal tang, 2 yellow tailed damsels, 1 Flame Angel, 1 small juvenile Humma Humma trigger.

The Trigger does not bother anyone and has been in the tank for about 9 months.

Both Yellow tangs were in good shape. No change in behaviors noticed before death. No fin nips or any indication of being attacked or bullied from other fish. Besides the fox face, both were the biggest in the tank at the time of their death. No marks or scars of any kind on the body. Only problem with disease was about 6 months ago my Regal tang had HLD, but that was cured with vitamin supplements.

Feeding: Mainly Brine Shrimp and Mysis Shrip. All Shrimp is soaked in vitamins for at least 10 minutes every day. Get Seaweed at least 1x/2 days if not more.

Only additive ever added is Sodium Carbonate incase the ph gets out of whack which has been happening frequently since I tried coral life salt (free t-shirt inside hooked me to try it"¦never again)


Thoughts???
 
Get a bigger tank. You already have a lot of fish in that small space. I have about the same stocking of fish in a 150 gallon. I bet your tank is only 4 feet across.
 
with his water parameters, i doubt its the water quality that killed them, maybe its just bad luck i can't keep an angel >.<
 
Like mentioned above you might be out of room but it's hard to say. A 75g doesn't give those fish much room to spread out their attitude. Not sure what clown you have, my cinamon clown removes chunks of skin off my hand when I do water changes, he's only about 3in long I would say.

The trigger, damsels & even the angel can develop a attitude in time, especially the damsels & trigger.

Did you purchased the yellow tangs from the same shop?

Like mentioned above..... I would also try to consider a larger tank. The 75g would be a excellent sump then get something 6ft long in the 125g-220g area. Then you could get a tank with a internal overflow... much safer vs a external hang on the back overflow box.

I also hate it when something dies...... taking them away from there home in the sea to my little box I want them to live a longer & happier life then what they would of had in the ocean.
 
My tangs seem happy with the spectrum pellets and an occasional mysis. I feed em dandelion greens too. The seaweed/nori is the raw nonroasted kind.
But make sure you try the spectrum I swear by it, everything eats it and loves it. Even your corals acans palys plates like it.
 
If it makes you feel any better, I'm 1 for 7 with tangs. I feel very lucky my yellow tang is still alive. I can't figure out what it is in my tank either, but they just don't do well. If my yellow dies, it will be the last tang I try until I upgrade to a larger tank. Some fish don't do well in certain tanks, and tangs are definitely that fish for me. Sucks, cause I love tangs...
 
Well that's not the answers I was hoping for, but what I figured people would say.

Viggen - The clown is an Ocellaris Tank Raised Clown and the tangs were bought at different stores.


Upgrading to a bigger tank is completly out of the question for a long time. Don't have the money to do something like that at the moment. Only reason my wife let me have the 75 gallon is because I got VERY lucky and came across it at Goodwill for $45 (that included a very nice stand).

I'll be getting ride of the Trigger soon because I would like to get some corals after my sump gets up and going. I like the look of Humma Triggers so I wanted to keep one for at least a short period. Maybe in a month I'll trade him in for another Yellow Tang and give it one more shot, plus that will decrease the stock in my tank.

I'll have to try those spectrum pellets. I've seen them in the store, but never bought them for some reason. I'll give it a shot.
 
If an upgrade is out of the question. You should chill on adding fish. Tangs pack a big attitude and they need space not only for swimming but to get away From other fish. I can be stressful to them when they can't do that.
 
Agreed, overstocked in general for that tank. Not only that, but 2 tangs in a 75 ? With an angel AND a trigger? That's risky, at best. Dangerous is more like it. Tangs are like greyhounds of the sea. Triggers maybe like bull mastiffs.

You going to put two greyhounds and a bull mastiff in a yard 15'x15' and expect them to be okay?
 
Judging from the input of the majority, i'm willing to accept that the tank maybe overstocked and stress did him in...It's just kind of disappointing to hear. I figured I was at my max, but not overstocked. I realize that if the fish get to a certian size I would have to trade them in, but I thought I was in the clear for a long while. I've never had a probelm with Nitrates or anything and I don't have a sump so I took that as a good sign. I also knew it can be risky with the Humma Trigger, but I figured since most all the others were bigger then him and he was still a juvinille i'd be good for a year or so...which I have been so far. I'll be trading him in soon...along with the yellow-tailed damsels (I don't like them).
 
On top of it, a regal tang in a 75 is not a good idea at all...unless it's one of those dime size...and only for about 5 months. For that amount of time, why bother? I'd rehome the regal tang, the foxface, and the trigger and get more size appropriate fish for a 75 gallon tank.
 
Water quality really has nothing to do with the issue. You could hook up that tank directly to the ocean and you will still experience fish mortality due to the lack of space and fish compatibility. If you like yellow tang that much then setup that tank with just the yellow tang with a few nano fishes. Make the yellow tang the boss in the tank and provide some hiding room while having enough swimming room. The yellow tangs are very hardy fish if you give it the right environment. Accept the fact that you have a small tank.
 
Did you purchase both of these tangs from the same place? Personally, I'd look into that first. Collection methods and care between the ocean and your tank can make a huge difference, and not all places treat their fish the same of course. You were right to expect to be told what fish do and don't get along. Everyone is an expert on that, lol. You're the only one with your particular fish in your tank, so really you should know whether your fish are playing nice or not. If you really haven't noticed any aggression issues, then I'd take the overcrowding argument with a grain of salt, Tang Police be darned!
 
I'm going to guess the tank doesn't produce enough oxygen for them. A sump with a violent, long-free-fall downflow, a fuge with cheatomorpha algae, etc---a bubble-heavy skimmer---all increase oxygen: heat and crowding and bioload diminishing it. Tangs are the ramjets of the reef: high velocity, tremendous power, reaaaaaaaaally huge oxygen demand---which will catch up to a fish as it and other things grow and demand more. Gradually something happens---the water heats (thus diminishing the 'carrying' capacity of the water for oxygen) or some other little item brings it to a tipping point, and fish die, starting almost always with the tangs, sometimes extending to angel fish, and then going down the chain. If you don't remove the dead ones in a cascade of deaths, a biocrash can follow, leading to no oxygen at all and a completely dead tank.
 
slathrum - No, I did not purchase them at the same store. Both stores I purchased them from seem to have good clean tanks. I've been going to the one store for about 15 years now (started in freshwater for many years like most saltwater keepers). I've never had a problem with them and their tanks always seem quality. I REALLY appreciate the advice you gave. I as starting to feel like psykobowler was bending me over his lap giving me a spanking.

Sk8r - That is probably the most intelligent reason for my Tangs dying as any suggestion so far. My regal tang was never really as active as both yellows who were zipping in-and-out of te powerhead currents constantly. The regal tang is active and always swimming, but more of slow wandering about the tank. Oxygenation has always been something I've worried about. I have a power head pointed at the surface of the water to cause agitation, but with no sump/overflow I always get that film on the top. The only piece I'm missing for my sump is the return pump. I think I'm going to buy it with my next paycheck. The not enough oxygen theory sounds very likely to me and makes a lot of sense.

Thank you both for your input.
 
well i was going to say that it was because you got hem from the same store but that was ruled out.... it could just be one of those things... or they could have ..... those Little bugs one there skin i really forget the name... but they are the ones that block the gills after a while .. did the tang ever like shake its head or anything?
 
I agree with sk8r regarding insufficient oxygen levels in the tank. I think it's also easy to get excited with the beauty of different fish and home too many. My tank is a 65g.
(36''L x 18"W x 24"H) and I currently have 2 fish: one midas blenny and one little high fin goby. I will only be adding two more, one being a banghaii cardinal and the other undecided at this point, but something that stays fairly small. Your tank, 4 ft., really isn't that big for a tang when housed with so many other larger fish. Stress caused from too many tank mates almost never has a happy ending.
 
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