HELP yellow tang is losing color!!
- Thread starter mbailey26
- Start date
toughguy80
Member
Could be as simple as correct diet. What are you feeding?
guineawhop
Member
to be honest with you it sounds like a lack of vitamins that it needs. the yellow tangs i've delt with only get pale yellow in that region or start to get pale yellow in that region is because they aren't eating enough greens. your yellow tang should get excited when they see the nori or seaweed strip clipped to the side and tear it apart. if yours isn't eating greens like this then there are other ways like trying forumla 2 that ocean nutrition sells. or you could try a different brand of seaweed like i use julian springs sea veggies and all my tangs and angels love it...good luck
mbailey26
New Member
I have had the tank about three months, but since it has been cycled a little over 2 months, my water paremeters are a little high, ammonia-1, nitrate-20, nitrite-40, alk-300, ph 7.8, salinity-1.023 (i just noticed them being high and i plan on doing a water change today. I have had the tang for about a month and it is about 2-3 inches. Other fish are a flame angel, diamond goby, two ocelerris clowns, emerald crab, coral banded shrimp, and a sfe(i know my tank is small for this but it is only 6-8 inches and I plan to get a bigger tank as it grows. I have 35 pounds of like rock with plenty of places for the eel to hide)
texasex
Member
Okay, I know this has been addressed several times, but people please research before you buy a fish! A 38 is too small. I know people say that they have kept them in a small tank and they have survived, but that is playing russian roulet with your animals, not really fair to them. It is stressed! All of your water parameters should be at zero! Ph should be atleast 8.1, and basically he needs a lot more room to be able to swim. They get stressed when they can't swim around. They need at least a 100 gallon tank. Here, don't listen to me, read what the experts say.
Yellow Tang, Hawaii - Zebrasoma flavescens
Also known as: Yellow, Hawaii, Yellow Sailfin Tang
The Zebrasoma flavescens grows up to 8 inches. The Yellow Tang, Hawaii prefers a tank of at least 100 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim. The Zebrasoma flavescens is an herbivore and likes to eat marine algae, zucchini, brocoli, mysid shrimp, Spirulina, lettuce, seaweed, sponges, and other meaty treats. The Yellow Tang, Hawaii is a medium maintenance fish and may act semi-aggressively toward other fish, but aggressively towards other Zebrasoma species of Tangs. Reef-safe. Keep water quality high (SG 1.020 - 1.025, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Temp. 72 - 78° F). The Yellow Tang, Hawaii is commonly collected from Hawaii.
Please try to get him in a larger tank. It isn't his size, it's what species he is!
Yellow Tang, Hawaii - Zebrasoma flavescens
Also known as: Yellow, Hawaii, Yellow Sailfin Tang
The Zebrasoma flavescens grows up to 8 inches. The Yellow Tang, Hawaii prefers a tank of at least 100 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim. The Zebrasoma flavescens is an herbivore and likes to eat marine algae, zucchini, brocoli, mysid shrimp, Spirulina, lettuce, seaweed, sponges, and other meaty treats. The Yellow Tang, Hawaii is a medium maintenance fish and may act semi-aggressively toward other fish, but aggressively towards other Zebrasoma species of Tangs. Reef-safe. Keep water quality high (SG 1.020 - 1.025, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Temp. 72 - 78° F). The Yellow Tang, Hawaii is commonly collected from Hawaii.
Please try to get him in a larger tank. It isn't his size, it's what species he is!
ophiura
Active Member
With respect to Texasex, I would say in this case tank size is not the number one concern looking at the age of the tank, the number of inhabitants, and the water quality 
I agree that the tank is too small but not necessarily for a small tang for the short term...if there wasn't so much else going on and so many other fish.
mbailey26,
IMO your tank is overstocked and it is not even a few months old. I aim for maximum stocking in about a year - definitely hope for 6 months. It really isn't all that conservative and slow at all. But your tank is packed full at a very yound age and the water quality shows it.
IMO only the clowns, and perhaps the goby should be in there at this time.
Your specific gravity is the LEAST worry - it is fine. For inverts it is actually a bit too low.
What sort of test kit are you using? Your ammonia, nitrite levels - highly toxic compounds - should be 0, but I am not sure what the scale is of your test kit. I would suggest immediately taking a sample to the local LFs for another test to see if it is actually that bad or if it is an inacurate kit. If you are actually reading high levels, then you really should consider, ASAP, reducing the number of fish in the system. This could be critical.
How much and how often do you feed the tank? How did you cycle this tank? How often do you test water parameters? What was the last fish added and when?
IMO, the tang is showing signs of stress (loss of color often is) due to water quality, age of tank, and potential overcrowding.
I agree that the tank is too small but not necessarily for a small tang for the short term...if there wasn't so much else going on and so many other fish.mbailey26,
IMO your tank is overstocked and it is not even a few months old. I aim for maximum stocking in about a year - definitely hope for 6 months. It really isn't all that conservative and slow at all. But your tank is packed full at a very yound age and the water quality shows it.
IMO only the clowns, and perhaps the goby should be in there at this time.
Your specific gravity is the LEAST worry - it is fine. For inverts it is actually a bit too low.
What sort of test kit are you using? Your ammonia, nitrite levels - highly toxic compounds - should be 0, but I am not sure what the scale is of your test kit. I would suggest immediately taking a sample to the local LFs for another test to see if it is actually that bad or if it is an inacurate kit. If you are actually reading high levels, then you really should consider, ASAP, reducing the number of fish in the system. This could be critical.
How much and how often do you feed the tank? How did you cycle this tank? How often do you test water parameters? What was the last fish added and when?
IMO, the tang is showing signs of stress (loss of color often is) due to water quality, age of tank, and potential overcrowding.
texasex
Member
Sorry Ophiura, I didn't mean that the size of the tank would cause him to be so stressed in such a little amount of time. I started on my tangent about the size of the tank. I just feel so bad for all of the tangs that suffer! I was thinking overcrowding, but neglected to write it due to my tirade on size verses fish! I must make sure to write out my entire thought before I go on a tangent!
I must make sure to write out my entire thought before I go on a tangent!
mbailey26
New Member
Thanks everyone, I appreciate your help and concerns. I have changed the water and this morning i woke up and it's color was back to normal. My intentions were not to harm any of my fish. I will keep a close eye and if i see the same signs, I will do something about. Again thanks for everyones help.
ophiura
Active Member
I am still also really concerned as to the source of the water quality issues - feeding, dead animal, something like that -
If a dead animal, OK, finding it should solve it.
Ditto on finding some filter clogged or whatever.
But if a feeding issue, overstocking...that is a problem that won't go away fast. It will come back. So definitely worth looking into the source of that ammonia/nitrite and low pH (circulation? Overstocking? Low alk?). A water change will address those symptoms but not the problem.
Best of luck on it, but we are more than willing to help further
If a dead animal, OK, finding it should solve it.
Ditto on finding some filter clogged or whatever.
But if a feeding issue, overstocking...that is a problem that won't go away fast. It will come back. So definitely worth looking into the source of that ammonia/nitrite and low pH (circulation? Overstocking? Low alk?). A water change will address those symptoms but not the problem.
Best of luck on it, but we are more than willing to help further
mbailey26
New Member
I did a water change and the levels have dropped nitrite and ammonia are at 0 but my nitrate is at 20. Ph is about the same, I have some buffer that is supposed to make my Ph go up, will that solve the Ph problem. I have no dead fish because I have checked and have seen them all. Feeding, I probably feed them about 3 times a day, its a mixture between frozen formula one, flakes, and spriulina. I usually have a algae strip in there most of the time.