kole tang sick???

[gilbert]

Hi, everybody. My dad got a kole tang a couple of weeks ago. He's always been kind of shy, but lately he's been really pale (according to my dad), and I just looked at him, and it looks like his front fins have pieces missing from it. Also, I just saw his yellow coris wrasse picking at his dorsal fin. Is that normal? And is he sick? My dad actually has an account on this website, but he hasn't ever posted on here... So I have to do it for him. Oh well. Can anyone help?

 

[beth]

I'm afraid this fish is suffering from aggression. He will likely deteriorate unless he's removed from the situation.

 

[gilbert]

There aren't any aggresive tankmates, though. Just a yellow coris wrasse, a flame hawkfish, and a maroon clownfish that's brand new.

 

[beth]

Originally Posted by gilbert
http:///forum/post/3290240
I just looked at him, and it looks like his front fins have pieces missing from it. Also, I just saw his yellow coris wrasse picking at his dorsal fin.
This is what you told us in your original post. This is agrgression.

 

[gilbert]

Alright. I don't think my dad believed me when I told him. Which should he get rid of, the wrasse or the tang?

 

[beth]

That's up to him.
You can ask your dad if he had someone kicking him in the butt all day, and he wasn't inclined to kick back, would it cause him stress, and, maybe even make him ill?
There are pecking orders in the animal kingdom, and that is especially true of territorial fish. Fish can and frequently do die from aggression in community fish tanks.

 

[gilbert]

So are coris wrasses normally territorial, or is this one an oddball out?

 

[beth]

All fish are territorial. The wrasse was there before the kole, so he has staked his claim and won out. If another new fish goes into the tank, it could be the same issue, and, depending on the temperament of the new fish, the wrasse may win out again, or will find the new fish won't tolerate a bully by fighting back.
It could also happen that the wrasse may not bother with another fish. You just never know.
These are fish, and the situation in unpredictable.

 

[gilbert]

Today, the tang is mostly hanging out in the back of the tank. Also, its coloration is pale, is that a sign of stress?

 

[beth]

Yes. What you describe is typical of a stressed fish suffering from aggression. Did you let your father know? He will loose this fish if its not removed from the situation.

 

[gilbert]

I think I may have been wrong. The tang still looks bad, and it's still hiding, but I only saw the wrasse pick at it once, and only for a second or two. The tang looks thin, though. Maybe it's not getting enough food or the wrong kinds? We feed it mysis shrimp and new life spectrum (I don't know if it eats the new life, but all the other fish do), and we have an algae clip that is refilled every day or so.

 

[meowzer]

Tangs need a specific diet....also I highly doubt the aggressor will act out in front of you....and IMO the feact you HAVE seen it nip once or twice ..also leads me to believe it is nipping a lot more when you are NOT looking
read this:
Although Tangs will eat meaty foods along with the other fish in the aquarium, it is important that they are offered plenty of marine based seaweed and algae. This will strengthen their immune system, reduce aggression and improve their overall health. Offer dried seaweed tied to a rock or use a veggie clip, and feed at least 3 times per week. Sea Veggies, Seaweed Salad and Ocean Nutrition are all ideal products and are very easy to use.

 

[gilbert]

What's that from? I know I've read that before...
We have an algae clip that's replaced with fresh algae every day or so. Is that good enough, or should it be getting more?

 

[meowzer]

I think more.....get them frozen foods with algae and such in it

 

[gilbert]

Ok. I hope it makes it. It's a really nice fish.

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by gilbert
http:///forum/post/3291213
Ok. I hope it makes it. It's a really nice fish.
You really ought to listen to Beth, move one of the fish.....I had a fish that was being "aggessed" I NEVER saw it happen though....

 

[gilbert]

We can't move the fish. The wrasse would be more or less impossible to get out, and the tang is way stressed out and has ich. Would a dip kill the tang? We don't have a quarantine tank, but we have a bucket that we can use. Also, we're out of RO/DI water, so we would have to use tap. Would it be worth it?

 

[beth]

All your fish have ich now or will soon have it, not just the tang. A dip of any kind will not cure ich. What kind of tank do you have? Do you have live rock, inverts?
Please take a look at the FAQ Topic and reading on ich, and hyposalinity.

 

[gilbert]

It's a reef tank... With a shrimp, snails, live rocks, and hermit crabs... We're thinking about setting up a quarantine tank, but I don't think we would be able to do it quickly enough... And it wouldn't be cycled... What do we do?!

 

[beth]

An effective treatment would mean dismantling the reef. Is your dad even willing to do that?