EMERGENCY!!!! I Need Help And Fast Chocolate Tang Dying!!! Warning Pics!!!

N

nason

Reefing newb
Hi all new here but have been into fresh and marine for sometime.

I have a 55 cube setup now and everything has been going well. my salinity is good and my kenyas and corals are doing ok. I am using power compacts, was using a 400w metal halide months ago but it was way too much for the tank.

ok here is the issue. I have 2 clowns a chocolate tang and a foxface.

all were doing fine except for my 1 clown who I believe suffered a stroke due to the 400w metal halide some time ago, he is ok now just swims on his side but eats and swims regularly but after the light I think the tank got a little too hot and may have caused him a stroke unfortunately.

as stated all was fine and all my fish have been really active and lively. except my tang who I just noticed was swimming but stuck to a filter breathing heavily. I netted it and found it had turned deathly spotty white and can not get its equilibrium as you can see, I dont know what has happened all other fish are fine and no major changes in past month at all. I did a small water change after seeing this believing possibly high nitrates. but what do u guys think? its not looking good but PLEASE HELP OR Input would be appreciated. I am really bummed this was one of my favorite fishes and quite honestly one of the most beautiful ones I had. The chocolate coloration was really nice and it hurts to see my tang like this!

CIMG4036.jpg


normally it is a beautiful chocolate color this literally must have happened in the last 48hrs when I started noticing I havnt seen it for awhile that is when I saw it on the filter.

I really wanna do everything I can to try and save this fish!!!
 
You're not giving us enough information.

1. How long has your tank been set up?
2. List all of your equipment.
3. Post results of your water tests.



The foxface and tang need(ed) to be in larger tanks than a 55g.
 
How high are your nitrates?

Salinity?
Temp?
pH?
Ammonia?
Nitrites?
Nitrates?

The 400 watt MH would not have given a fish a stroke. And that's not too much light for a 55 cube. Something else happened to your clown too.
 
unfortunately my tang died today, I tried to quarantine it but it was just lifeless and could not get balanced. I noticed heavy breathing and excessive and rapid fin movement all night it just couldnt calm down. As for my clarkii clown who suffered a stroke or brain damage I think what happened when I hooked up the 400w mh it just got too hot in there. I ended up losing some corals as well so I went back to the power compacts which seem to work nicely as my kenyas are growing back. I dont know what happened to the tang but my other fish are okay. I have had the tank setup for at least 8 months to a year and the water was from an already established tank of mine so its been even longer. the temp is around 78 and salinity was always stable and normal. dont know what happened but its a tough loss for me
 
It could simply have been the size of your tank, I'm assuming since it's a 55 cube that is like 3ft x 3ft?
 
No water test kits? If you don't have test kits, you're gonna continue to have this issue.
 
aye, other than possibly checking for stray voltage they are right, you need to be able to test your water.

Also numerous things can mess with your bacteria cycle and cause your tank to go through a cycle again (like stirring up sand / re-arranging rocks) Thus you would need to check for an ammonia spike.

Tangs are usually more susceptible to things than damsels (clowns), that added to the fact that the tank is already small increasing their stress level is prolly a good reason why he was the first to go.

You need to invest in water test kits before you continue to purchase any more livestock.

Sorry about your tang :*( I know it hurts to lose a beautiful fish such as that.
 
thanks all for the kind words it sure does hurt to lose the tang, I wont be buying any other until I can get this tank stablized. I do have test kits but I believe my nitrates could have been a little high. I had it tested a little while ago and it was okay for fish but high for the corals. its just such a bummer I really loved the fish it was super active zipping around rocks and hiding out. it just amazes me how quick and sudden things went from completely normal to totally out of control.
like I said I have lost some fish in the past mostly freshwater from fights but that has been all taken care of now. this one just really shocked me. to see it go so lifeless was a major bummer. I tried all I could to try and get it relaxed and search for answers but after examining the fish 12 hrs after death I think it was either a disease major stress or something picked up in the tank. the deep chocolate color never regained and it stayed a pal white almost seemed to thin out too. I plan on buying more equipment to really help me get the nitrates down. and yes a bigger tank eventually. after the whole mh 400w fiasco I really wanna take my time setting a new one up. I just really would have loved to keep this fish for years to come.
 
So, I'd bet my last dollar the problem was stress. I'm sorry you lost your fish, but if you knew you had high nitrates and didn't do anything to lower them permanently, things are sadly bound to go badly.

First, mimic tangs need at least a 75 gallon tank-- that means at least 4 feet of swimming room MINIMUM. (see here: Chocolate Tang, Mimic Tang, Chocolate Surgeonfish, Mimic Surgeonfish, Acanthurus pyroferus) Secondly, foxfaces are similarly in need of larger tanks. Having two of these large fish in a 55 means they are producing way too much waste, and all livestock are suffering from nitrogen poisoning.

Even though your other fish appear to be fine right now, sick tangs release a lot of muck into the water. I HIGHLY recommend checking your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels ASAP so you don't lose your other fish.

Also, no big fish in a medium sized tank.

good luck
 
+1 TankedChemist.

We'll try to help you if you list your equipment and water parameters. If you don't, we can't help you. It's that simple. There's enough knowledge on this forum that we can gt those parameters into check in no time, and probably save you some money on equipment as well.
 
Sorry about your fish. I understand the attachment. I personally think most tangs need a 6 ft tank. 55 gallon is definitely too small. I would not get another till you get the bigger tank.
 

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