Yellow Tang Fading fast!!!!!

[Doyle73]

I came home tonight and I came up to my tank to acclimate my new torch coral. Did not notice my tang come up to the top like he always does, but I did not think about it. Later in the night I Finally put the torch coral in and Still did not notice him again, so I got some food to feed my fish and he still did not come out to even eat, so then I knew something was wrong. I finally coaxed him out and the side of him looked like it was all deteriorating and inside his gills were all red. He had had no strength getting stuck the rock from the powerheads, just kind of sitting on the bottom just lightly breathing almost like he is paralized. I moved him to my quarintine tank to keep an eye on him. He is still alive but does not look good at all, very dull yellow shallow breaths but he just lays against the rocks but when i get him up he swims around then goes back to his laying on the rock. Is he a gonner or anything I can do? Help

 

[cthegame]

probably a goner. What is your water quality like? What do you feed it?

 

[ccCapt]

Check your ammonia and nitrate. Red gills can be a sign of ammonia burn and/or high nitrate.

 

[Doyle73]

He is a goner, barley alive this morning, my levels were all normal all my other fish are fine just like nothing ever happened. I feed them myosin (sp) shrimp frozen.

 

[cthegame]

yellow tangs are Herbivore, they need to be fed things like algae sheets, etc. Im guessing it was the lack of proper nutrients.

 

[Doyle73]

Well he has been in my take for about 2 yrs, living on those shrimp and algae in the tank he never seemed to be doing bad. there was always enough algae in the tank. But I don't know!

 

[Teixeira29]

Tangs are Herbivores they eat alot of vegtables,algae. You know things like that. I use to give my foxface lettuce on a clip. Also your fish need a great range of different foods to eat.

 

[dustin_P74]

get a frozen food called emerald entree by san fransico bay, it has everything your tang likes

 

[cthegame]

i also just noticed that you have a 55 gal. if the tang is in there, that could also be a reason. Tangs need a minimum of 75 gallons and that is the absolute minimum. Lack of swimming space will definitely stress them out. How big is the tang? if its a baby tang, might be ok but larger sized tangs will def be an issue.

 

[dustin_P74]

How big is the tang? if its a baby tang, might be ok but larger sized tangs will def be an issue.

well he said that he has had it for atleast 2 years so i would say its roughly 3 years old

 

[Doyle73]

I did switch over to a 75 gal about three months ago, I will purchase some of the frozen entree when I decide to get another one this one is not going to make it. But that will be much later.

 

[Smitty]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune.:(

 

[Bifferwine]

If you are sure he isn't going to make it, it would be better for the fish if you put him down in a humane way. I've had to euthanize sick fish before, and it's no fun, but to me it was better than the alternative of letting them die slowly, suffering. There are a few "accepted" ways to do this -- chopping off its head, putting it in a bag of water then putting it in the freezer, etc. But those were too gruesome and slow to me, so I chose the vodka bath... Pour yourself a container of vodka (or other strong alcohol) and drop the fish in. It will be over very quickly and the fish will suffer a lot less than it is probably now.

 

[Doyle73]

That's what I had to do. It was kinda hard cause he was so friendly, he will be missed. I just hope I was not the cause of his death from not feeding him and lettuce or something along those lines. There was always enough algae in the tank for him to eat that is for sure. But I know now if I get another I will give him some extra.

 

[Bifferwine]

Dried seaweed sheets are best for them. You can find them in any pet store. My tangs like Julian Sprung brand green ones the best. They won't eat any other color or brand.

 

[Doyle73]

Thanks do you suggest a tang or is it all up to your own preference?

 

[Bifferwine]

You can keep quite a few different types of tangs in a 75 gallon tank. But a lot of them will eventually outgrow a tank that size. If you like yellow tangs, they are a great one to have, and will be fine in a 75. Another one I like are yellow eye kole tangs (it will also be fine in a 75). In my tank, I have those two kinds and a sailfin tang (and up until a month or so ago, I also had a giant 15" vlamingi tang). Any of the nasos will get too big for a 75. Overall, they are great, unique fish.

PS -- another excellent tang food is Emerald Entree, it comes in frozen cubes.

 

[dustin_P74]

get a black tang

 

[Bifferwine]

get a black tang

...Yawn...

 

[dustin_P74]

...Yawn...

what? its not a bad suggestion, it could live comfortably in a 75 for most of its life and its pretty peaceful