Sailfin tang

[blue steel]

I have a sailfin tang and it has recently been losing it's color. Overall it seems to be healthy, but I can't figure out why it is fading. I thought that maybe it would be his diet, but I am not sure. :notsure:
Also I saw one at another lfs, which was the same species, but it had spots on it's face. I was wondering if the fading color may have anything to do with it???

 

[blue steel]

The last time I checked my levels everything was normal, but that was about 5 days ago and this has been an increasing problem. He is only about two and a quarter inch, an I only have a small damsel, some snails, crabs. He eats mysin shrimp everyother day along with flakes. recently I put some algae in the tank for him to graze on.

 

[psufan43]

as for the dots on the face you mgiht have seen a dejardian red sea sailfin, they tend to have more color and patterns then the ones from other regions.

 

[blue steel]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will definetely start keeping more algae and other greens in the tank. As for the spots being a desjardian, the species that I have in a veliform which is what they said the other one with spots was. Thanks again!

 

[psufan43]

another thing i use for my powder blue hippo and clown tang is the marine spectrum, its about 20-25 dollars for a jar of it, but it last a while and it keeps the colors up better then anything i have ever seen in all my years of keeping fish. Its also good to mix the diet, to keep the colors up
i always have some nori tied to a rock they can eat, there is also algie on the back of the glass,i feed live frozen brine, mysis, birne cubes, spectum brine shrimp flakes forumla one flake.
There colors are always looking good
good luck with your fish.

 

[badkharma]

Don't forget that sailfins also change color tones. At night, their colors will turn quite pale. It's normal. If he is ALWAYS pale, then that's not good. Sailfins have spots on their face, the red sea more so. Just keep adding nori sheets on algae clips and they go nuts on it. At least mine did.

 

[dankell]

definately keep dried seeweed in the tank on clips for tangs to munch on all the time, sounds like everyting else you use is fine, try the formula ll flakes and frozen as well, my tangs love it and they eat all day long on the seaweed !! although naso's tend to be the picky ones, im working with it as we speak, i just purchased some culapera (hope i spelled it right) good luck ...