Woke Up To Dying Yellow Tang

[jsofield]

I bought a yellow tang on Sun. Acclimated him and he did great Sun and Monday. Woke up this morning and he layed down when I looked at him. Did a water test and everything is fine. A-0 nitrites-0 nitrates 10-20 ph 8.2. Clowns algea blenny and peppermint shrimp are fine. So are anenamea and corals. There was no sign of ick or any parasites. I came home tonight and he is dead? Any suggestions on what went wrong? When he layed down he was gasping for breath.

 

[alyssia]

How long has your tank been up?

 

[ophiura]

How long was it at the store before you bought it? Was it eating at the store?
48-72 hours after introduction is a critical point for new fish, both in a store and into our tanks. In effect, the "adrenaline" wears off and many fish die at this point.
But we really need to know more about the setup and history of your tank to begin.

 

[jsofield]

changed it to my reef tank about 3 weeks ago but has been up for about 2 months. its a 55 gal. I dont know how long he was at the store but he was fes before I got him and I watched him eat in the tank. The rocks I put in the tank were from my 30 gal that I want to make a seahorse tank out of. It was up for 4 months. Did I put him in there to soon. I would hate to thing I killed him. I was told with the other fish doing well and with my water how it is I was fine?

 

[alyssia]

I've read on here that tangs shouldn't be introduced to a tank until it is at least 6 months old. I got one when my tank was pretty new and it died within days. So I got another one (didn't know this wasn't a good idea at the time), it made it just fine. Tangs are sensitive IMO.

 

[jsofield]

Originally Posted by alyssia
I've read on here that tangs shouldn't be introduced to a tank until it is at least 6 months old. I got one when my tank was pretty new and it died within days. So I got another one (didn't know this wasn't a good idea at the time), it made it just fine. Tangs are sensitive IMO.
what size where they. The one I got was about 3 -4 inches. wanted a smaller one should I wait to get another one then?

 

[alyssia]

Mine were about two inches. I would wait until my tank was a little more established if I had it to do over.

 

[surfinusa]

thats weird i woke up and my yellow tang was dead smashed between 2 rocks i was sad

 

[pallan]

i know people worry about the hardiness of tangs but in my very limited experience they have been the hardiest of my fish. my problem is dwarf angels
any way to your issue just to know id ask the LFS how long he had been in the store. If he just got there and then you took him out and added him to your setup he just may have been overstressed.
did you aclimate him to your water parameters or just temp aclimate before adding. LFS assume it is our water quality that kills fish sometime i wonder if it could be the change from coming from a dirty LFS water to a clean system that stresses them more than bad parameters ever will.
Finally i see you wanted a small one. IMO i would instead chose an larger (medium size) one with a full look to it. they will be less stressed when adding to a tank with equals or bigger fish in there.

 

[jsofield]

Originally Posted by Pallan
i know people worry about the hardiness of tangs but in my very limited experience they have been the hardiest of my fish. my problem is dwarf angels
any way to your issue just to know id ask the LFS how long he had been in the store. If he just got there and then you took him out and added him to your setup he just may have been overstressed.
did you aclimate him to your water parameters or just temp aclimate before adding. LFS assume it is our water quality that kills fish sometime i wonder if it could be the change from coming from a dirty LFS water to a clean system that stresses them more than bad parameters ever will.
Finally i see you wanted a small one. IMO i would instead chose an larger (medium size) one with a full look to it. they will be less stressed when adding to a tank with equals or bigger fish in there.
That isa good theory. do notice adefinatecolor differance in lfs water and mine. (mine is clearer) The reason I wanted a smaller one is so he wouldnt be so huge in my tank. My 3 other fish are very small. Thanks for the input and will check with lfsto see how long he was there.

 

[barkdog]

Usually if a fish is gasping for breath its a sigh that you have high amonia.

 

[darth tang]

Originally Posted by barkdog
Usually if a fish is gasping for breath its a sigh that you have high amonia.
Not true. It could mean you have low O2 levels, high nitrites, a gill infection, ich, or a long list of other infections...............or stressed from acclimation. Please watch blanket statments such as these. Hard breathing does NOT point to ONE type of problem.

 

[jsofield]

Originally Posted by Darth Tang
Not true. It could mean you have low O2 levels, high nitrites, a gill infection, ich, or a long list of other infections...............or stressed from acclimation. Please watch blanket statments such as these. Hard breathing does NOT point to ONE type of problem.
OK I tested for amonia and nitrites both 0ppm. how can I test for O2 ? As far as acclimation how can you stress them less and is it normal to take 2-3 days for it to affect them? I temp acclimated for 20 mins. then put some of my tank water for another 20 minutes then released. With my clown fish I did put more of my tank water in. Any suggestions? AlsoI checked with LFS today and she had the fish for about 3-4 weeksshe said. Is it better to get them as soon as they come in or more time better?

 

[alyssia]

You should acclimate for much longer using the drip method.

 

[jsofield]

Originally Posted by alyssia
You should acclimate for much longer using the drip method.
Have done alot of checking with 3 lfs and several people. I cant believe how many differant ways they acclimate.Everything from just temp acclimate and release to 3+ hours. I dont want to keep killing animals and dont want to keep wasting money. Wish I knew a sure way or is this something that is whatever works for you?

 

[alyssia]

I think most people on here advise using the drip method. It can be different for different fish though, some need longer acclimation than others. I acclimated my yellow tang and kole tang for about 3 hours.

 

[jsofield]

Originally Posted by alyssia
I think most people on here advise using the drip method. It can be different for different fish though, some need longer acclimation than others. I acclimated my yellow tang and kole tang for about 3 hours.
With the drip method I have only read about it. I read that you need to increase the water you started with 4x in the 3 hour period. Is a 5 gallon bucket ok to use and can you reuse the water in the bucket? Thanks for the advice.

 

[alyssia]

You can use a bucket that has never, and will never, be used for anything else. Make sure you put a heater in the bucket to keep the temp from getting too cold. I wouldn't reuse the water.

 

[jsofield]

Originally Posted by alyssia
You can use a bucket that has never, and will never, be used for anything else. Make sure you put a heater in the bucket to keep the temp from getting too cold. I wouldn't reuse the water.
So after the acclimation just net the fish and put him in. by dumping the water that almost equals a water change so I guess thats not all bad. Thanks again. Almost forgot. The question of how long was my fish at the lfs. Is it betterto get him as soon as the lfs gets him or a few days after?

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by jsofield
So after the acclimation just net the fish and put him in. by dumping the water that almost equals a water change so I guess thats not all bad. Thanks again. Almost forgot. The question of how long was my fish at the lfs. Is it betterto get him as soon as the lfs gets him or a few days after?

I would wait a few days to see how he is doing at the lfs.