My yellow Tang is Breathing but not moving

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theatrechick133

Guest
I've had my yellow tang for 4 mmonths or so. I also have two clowns, a blue tang and a royal Gamma which i just introduced to the tank earlier today. When i fed my fish i noticed the Yellow tang was hiding in the back which is unusual and he was not moving... i cant check anything but the salt because a guy at the pet store does it for me, i took some water out and added freshwater in case it was a nitrate problem... is there anything else i can do to keep him alive till morning??
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Welcome to SWF
You really have to have your own test kits.....w/o knowing a lot more info there is not too much we can do....
so tell us what you can at least.....size of tank, filtration, powerheads, feeding etc etc age of tank
 
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theatrechick133

Guest
Its a 40 gallon (I think) Flatback tank. I have two Top Filters..i feed them Frozen brine shrimp..i started putting fish in the tank about 6 months ago (which is when i purchased my clownfish) but the tank has been up and running probably 4-6 months before that. Im really new at this, my aunt is teaching me but i really need help
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
So do you have any powerheads for water circulation?
ALSO...and this is BIG, that tank is way too small for 2 tangs.....any tang actually.....see if your pet store will take them and trade you for smoething else. buy an api master test kit, and do your own water testing
brine shrimp is not a good food for any of your fish, it has no nutritional value. get some frozen mysis, marine cuisine...etc....
How do you mix your new salt water??
 
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theatrechick133

Guest
Here isa picture of him about 20 minutes ago. He has some weird pink spots on him as you can see on the belly area and the tail
 
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theatrechick133

Guest
The pet store owner reccommended Omega one frozen Brine shrimp. He said my tank was big enough for the fish i had so i had no idea.. i was thinking of upgrading the size anyway i guess. But no my top filters are really strong and seem to do a good job circulating the water (but im probably wrong) and i use oceanic natural sea salt mix and i mix it till its fully dissolved
 
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theatrechick133

Guest
Im trying to post a picture that i took of him twenty minutes ago cuz i think he has some weird pinkish spots on him that im guessing arent normal. i was also going to post a picture of my entire tank. Do you have an email i can send it to? Your really my only hope at saving Bubbles (My yellow tang) im very attached to him :(
 
tangs rule

tangs rule

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Theatrechick133 http:///forum/thread/383594/my-yellow-tang-is-breathing-but-not-moving#post_3356015
Im trying to post a picture that i took of him twenty minutes ago cuz i think he has some weird pinkish spots on him that im guessing arent normal. i was also going to post a picture of my entire tank. Do you have an email i can send it to? Your really my only hope at saving Bubbles (My yellow tang) im very attached to him :(
Pics do not post for new members for a bit - some moderator has to approve them 1st, and eventually get ur abilities upgraded.
Small white/pink/or yellow "tiny zits" on a fish are surely a bad sign of parasite infection. Also fast respiration and the fish "scratching" are additional symptoms. Sadly if it is a parasite it is likely marine ich and will spread to most/all other fish in the tank within a week and kill them all within 2. A seperate tank will have to be set up where the fish can be treated with either/both hyposalinity (lowered salt level) and copper medication, or they will all likely die soon.
Anytime ANYTHING from another tank is added to yours u run the risk of bringing in fish disease or other pests - rule #1 in saltwater is to quarentine EVERYTHING new for 3-6 weeks in a seperate tank till it is CERTAIN nothing bad is there.. There are many other posts in the disease section about people setting up Q tanks, and at the top of that page, there is a disease identification section that'll help too. Use the pictures to properly identify the ailment - then we may be able to help you set up a treatment plan...........
There are a couple meds that are "main tank safe" or reef safe that supposedly treat ich, but I've not tried one in years, and had no success with them many years ago - but they may be bettter now. It is not possible to treat ich with copper in a main tank with rock/snails (cuc)/and substrate, and a seperate tank will be needed for that.
Also, a 40 gallon tank is too small for any of the tang species for longterm lifespan expectancy - I have tanks for Quarentine that small, but usually people run 1 tang per 75+ gallons, and even then some tangs get too big for anything smaller than 200gal. My tangs only spent a month in a tank that small. . . Sadly, more research on new purchases is needed in this hobby other than some local fish store clerk saying "O sure, those fish will live together". . . . but we'll try to help.
Do you have another tank of 20+ gallons to setup for quarentine - and a heater/filter/thermometer for it?
do you have any experience treating sick marine fish?
Do you use ro/di water and mix own salt?
how do you check salinity?
What do you feed the tangs?
It is not really possible to buy a fish today and put him in your main tank with others the same day. Any new fish MUST be KNOWN to be free of parasites/infection first - or it is very easy to loose ALL your fish. Proper quarentine takes 4-6 weeks.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

Welcome to the site.
We are going without a picture here. So everything is really just guessing. Pinkish spots are not ich, ich looks like salt. Most likely the tangs got into a fight and the yellow one lost. The pink blotches could be fight wounds. No, your tank is not big enough for one tang, let alone two. Never add more than one fish at a time. A Quarantine tank is a very good thing to have and use. The current is the life of the ocean...and your tank. You do need a power head, but that isn't what made the yellow tang sick or all the fish would be gasping for air.
Also, new made saltwater should churn with a power head for 24 hours before you use it. It may look dissolved but it really isn't. You absolutely need your own test kits.
 
ladyreefseeker

ladyreefseeker

Administrator
Staff member
I see the photo. The "pink" is the fish hemorrhaging. This fish has been in a really nasty fight. I will see if I can get the photo to show or maybe I can repost it... Poor thing. This fish if it is still alive needs to be separated pronto. It is part of the learning process to seek help, identify problems and move forward with knowledge from this particular situation...I wish you luck, don't give up!
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
It was his tank first... I say get the other tang out of there and get some stress coat to put in the tank for his boo boos, moving him will stress him more. He isn't moving and is hiding behind the rock because he is afraid of another attack. He looks like he will be okay if he isn't beat on anymore.
 
ladyreefseeker

ladyreefseeker

Administrator
Staff member
Yes, separation is definitely necessary one way or another. Flower is right, Do what you can to reduce the stress on this fish.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

I think if it had been anything but a yellow tang it would be a goner, those yellow tangs are so hardy. Did you get the name Bubbles from the Finding Nemo movie?
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
That fish has a bacterial infection.
What are your water readings?
You will need a qurantine to treat with antibiotics. Do you have a qurantine set up?
 
saltfan

saltfan

Active Member
Feed him Mysis and Algea Sheets for awhile. Hopefully he eats, if he does, I'm thinking by the looks of him now, that he will be ok. Doesn't look like your feeding him right. And as far as the tank size, LEAVE HIM. He is not going to grow to adult overnight, so tell the Tang Police to leave you alone. It will take a couple of years for him to outgrow that tank. For now, change your what your feeding him. No flakes.
 
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theatrechick133

Guest
Sadly, Bubbles died overnight despite my efforts to save him. From the picture the owner of the pet store could clearly see he was hemmoraging from a bacterial infection. Also i bought test kits and got my water tested. pH, Nitrate, Nitrite are all normal. Just in case, i did a water change (about 5 gallons). All other fish seem to be acting completely normal and eating but i will keep a close eye on them. He reccommended i not treat for the infection unless i see my other fish acting strange.
 
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