My yellow Tang

[ladysaber]

I have had my 10 gallon set up since October.. I've had numerous fish die on me and I have no clue why..All my levels have been tested and everything is where it should be..My lighting is a 50/50 raised light so the temp on the tank doesn't get raised..What my biggest question is, my yelloe tang has just stopped eating. I have offered him seaweed (same type he has always loved eating) brine, krill, and steamed lettuce. He is very thin right now and very listless..I'm at my wits end..I have only 3 other fish with him which are all very small..(he's not big at all and I know my tank is not overloaded) I have 2 orange skunk clowns and a halfback angel juvenile..They are eating fine..I did just change my substrate on the bottom of the tank from crushed coral to live sand..will this have anything to do with it?? :-( Please..a quick respnse may be the only thing to help him...Thanks..Jenn

 

[twoods71]

Well I first must say that your 10 gallon is packed full. If all the fish are young you will be OK IF YOU ARE VERY EXPERIENCED at keeping your water conditions in tip top shape.
The Yellow tang however will quickly outgrow a 10 gallon, probably in less then a year.
The 2 skunk clowns will be ok in a 10.
And I am not familar with a halfback angel so I cant comment on that.
In that small of a tank with a max bioload any change you do will effect the tank big time. When you changed the CC to LS you took out a big chunk of an already fragile biological filter.
You need to test your water conditions ASAP. Ammonia and Nitrite are the ones to be mainly concerned with. Please check all other conditions also. PH, salinity, ect.
If Ammonia and Nitrite are detectable there are products that will neutralize the toxic effect. Keep in mind however this will only be a quick fix and still may be too late to save your fish.
To keep a 10 gallon packed full and be successful you need to be an EXPERT on maintaining water conditions.
My overall recommendation would be to take back the Tang and Angel to the LFS or find a bigger tank.
Just stick with the 2 clowns in the 10 gallon for now.
Hope this helps a little.

 

[ladysaber]

Thanks for the reply...the tang and the angel are both juveniles...both are small for the tank and will eventually be moved into a larger tank as they get bigger..I've had the tang for some time now and have not had this problem.. I checked all my levels and everything is ok (reads zero on most tests, ph is around 8.2 and salinity is at 1.019) So, maybe it is the new ss..I was told that live sand is better than cc..again..any help would be beneficial ..I did add a plastic plant to the tank..it was in my freshwater tank..but I let it soak over night in a saltwater solution..My fiance thinks this is the problem. Could it be?? Does anyone else have plastic plants in a salt tank..??
Jenn

 

[dugan]

IMO that is too many fish for such a small tank. Yellow tangs need plenty of room to swim. They are not an easy fish to keep, and won't thrive in a tank of that size.
Also, your SG is low at 1.019.
Katie

 

[twoods71]

Your SG is a little lower then normal at 1.019 but I do not think that would harm your fish. I would try to slowly raise it though to at least 1.022.
If the plastic plant was cleaned very well it will not be a problem. I had plastic plants for at least a year with no problems.

 

[ladysaber]

Thanks for all the info...One of the local salt stores told me to keep the tank around 1.017 to 1.023..The fish are active no matter what the salinity tests at..Also, how well does the frozen milk bottle do in chilling the tank?? Sorry so many questions..When problems arise I tend to worry alot..
Jenn

 

[guppie]

IMO why you are having problems with keeping fish alive is the tank is just too small for the fish you have. In a ten gal tank the water quality changes very quick. The tangs problem is he just does not have enough room to swim, they love to do that, I think you will start having problem with the half black angle also. The clowns would be the only thing I would keep in a tank that size. Good Luck

 

[ladysaber]

I'm sorry..I didn't realize that the four fish in the 10 gallon would be too much..Both the tang and the angel are only the size of a half dollar if that helps..I can't move either of them into my 150 yet because they would both be eaten alive or beaten to death by the others...I do realize that they both will need to go into a larger tank in the future.. I was told the 10 gallon would be ok though until they got a little larger...

 

[picasso]

Your 10 gallon IS overloaded. It terribly overstocked with inappropriate species. Even though they are small, both tangs and angels need lots of swimming space. Both will also do better in a stable, mature tank with plenty of live rock to hide in and nibble on. If the only thing you have in the tank is the plastic plant, your fish have nowhere to hide and this (along with lack of territory) can raise their stress level and lead to disease and death. I, too, would suggest you immediately return the tang and angel. They really don't stand a chance in their current conditions. The clowns might be OK, but many people would argue, even that is a bit much for such a small tank. Saltwater stocking levels must be kept much lower than that for freshwater.
It's a shame to have lost "numerous fish" with no clue as to why. I would suggest rather than purchasing more fish, you invest in a few good reference books to help you figure out "why?". Good books (along with resources on the 'net) can help you make better, more appropriate choices in the future. Robert Fenner's "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" is an excellant choice. And Scott Michael's atlas "Marine Fishes" also has lots of good information with requirements about tank size, feeding, etc.

 

[ladysaber]

OK..If anyone has read my previous postings today..I have owned a 150 gallon reef tank for nearly 3 years!! I know how to keep a saltwater tank!! I'm not stupid..I was told the 10 gallon would be fine as a qt tank (my 29 gallon one sprang a leak last week and cannot be used) I just set up my old fw tank as a saltwater tank but it has not been established long enough..Also, I do have live rock in the tank..I have read up on this before but have never experienced this problem with my any of my tanks except this 10 gallon one (which is normally used as a ht) I did take the tang back to the store where I got him and the owner said it's probably nothing I did..He said he got a bad group of tangs in around the time I bought mine and all of the yellow tangs he sold have come back..I just hope he makes him better (he's been in the business for about 40 years) and he knows more about salt tanks than I ever would..So, we'll see...