Yellow Tang and Oc. Clownfish - Old, Water Quality, Poor Nutrition, or disease?

[dreamscape]

Here is the link to some photos of the fish - we inheirited the fish and have started a retirement home! The Yellow Tang is 7 years old, and the Oc. Clownfish are 5 years old. Here is the link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Olga.Ken...N7SifbJjfrTLg#
The Yellow tang is in sorry shape body wise but he is 7 years old and grew up in a hex 48 gallon with little attention and romaine lettuce as his primary diet. He is very active, loves his new swim through and the increased size. He chows down on the purple algae sheets. His skin seems rubbed off and he has suffered from HLLE - not sure if active or scarrs.
The clownfish seem healthy enough - but picky eaters, only mysis shrimp.
Our 90 Gallon tank is new and cycled with fully cured live rock, added 50# from the 48 gallon tank we bought (total 130 lbs), and we used water from the 1200 DT at the LFS. My water parameters are - I tested this at 10AM
Temp: 81.4 - I know not ideal...
Ammonia: 0
PH: 8
Nitrate: 10
In addition to my measurements, the LFS checks my water prior to water changes each week. So is it just old age and poor diet, or an active infections, parasite, etc.?

 

[mkroher]

Nice to know they have someone that can really care for them now.
What else are you feeding the tang? He's going to need more than just algae sheets.

 

[dreamscape]

Originally Posted by mkroher
http:///forum/post/3125795
Nice to know they have someone that can really care for them now.
What else are you feeding the tang? He's going to need more than just algae sheets.
I am new to this. I am not sure what else would be the most beneficial? I also want to give me some extra nutrition. What would you use?
Also how long do yellow tangs live? Like I said - Tango is 7 years old!

 

[mkroher]

For my tang..
I use "Ocean Nutrition" flakes, for herbivores. He also likes "Ocean nutrition Prime Reef Flakes".
I also feed him frozen food specifically for algae eaters that I got at the LFS.
I also soak his food in the following...
Zoe, Zoecon, and Vita-chem.

 

[beth]

Very good of you to take on these neglected fish. The tang is in rough shape, but should improve now.
Add some frozen foods to his diet to include both meaty and vegetarian. Feed this fish 3 times a day for now, and include algae sheets for grazing. Once he improves considerably, you can drop down to twice a day feedings.
Zoecon is a good supplement to use, as well as zoe. Just use one vitamin supplement at a time, you can alternate with meals, but not all 3 all at once.
Keep your nitrates down to near zero and you should see good improvement soon.
Keep working on the clowns to eat other types of foods.
Don't add any more fish to this tank at least for the next 6 weeks. I'd like to suggest that you start up a quarantine tank while you are waiting to make additions to your tank. This would be something that will save you many headaches, and enhance your hobby experience considerably. Once decision you will never regret in this hobby.
I'd be very interested in getting updates on this tang's situation.
Welcome to Saltwaterfish.com!

 

[dreamscape]

Originally Posted by Beth
http:///forum/post/3125992
Very good of you to take on these neglected fish. The tang is in rough shape, but should improve now.
Add some frozen foods to his diet to include both meaty and vegetarian. Feed this fish 3 times a day for now, and include algae sheets for grazing. Once he improves considerably, you can drop down to twice a day feedings.
Zoecon is a good supplement to use, as well as zoe. Just use one vitamin supplement at a time, you can alternate with meals, but not all 3 all at once.
Keep your nitrates down to near zero and you should see good improvement soon.
Keep working on the clowns to eat other types of foods.
Don't add any more fish to this tank at least for the next 6 weeks. I'd like to suggest that you start up a quarantine tank while you are waiting to make additions to your tank. This would be something that will save you many headaches, and enhance your hobby experience considerably. Once decision you will never regret in this hobby.
I'd be very interested in getting updates on this tang's situation.
Welcome to Saltwaterfish.com!
The tank was running just fine for a week and half with the fish, mated ocelaris clowns (4-5 years old) and a Yellow Tang (7 years old). Today we did a water change at 3PM and everybody seemed happy. Fed the fish frozen mysis shrimp at 8PM. Woke early (4AM) and found the male clownfish on the surface - turned on the room lights and he woke up and struggled to swim back to his corner. He doesn't seem to breathing hard - it is like he can't control his swim bladder.
Also - hopefully unrelated, the tang has a large bruise looking spot on his stomach. Could the the two of them, tank mates for years, been fighting, bad food, bad water? Nothing makes sense - the female clownfish is fine.
Checked the salinity with Hydrometer....it was high 1.028. Added buffered RO/DI to bring it down 1.023 - we are buying a refractometer soon. Checked Water:
Amo: 0
Nitrate (Bad test kit) will test with LFS later today: Akways reads 50 PPM
PH: 8.0
Alk: 11.5
Any thoughts?

 

[mkroher]

Originally Posted by Dreamscape
http:///forum/post/3130909
The tank was running just fine for a week and half with the fish, mated ocelaris clowns (4-5 years old) and a Yellow Tang (7 years old). Today we did a water change at 3PM and everybody seemed happy. Fed the fish frozen mysis shrimp at 8PM. Woke early (4AM) and found the male clownfish on the surface - turned on the room lights and he woke up and struggled to swim back to his corner. He doesn't seem to breathing hard - it is like he can't control his swim bladder.
Also - hopefully unrelated, the tang has a large bruise looking spot on his stomach. Could the the two of them, tank mates for years, been fighting, bad food, bad water? Nothing makes sense - the female clownfish is fine.
Checked the salinity with Hydrometer....it was high 1.028. Added buffered RO/DI to bring it down 1.023 - we are buying a refractometer soon. Checked Water:
Amo: 0
Nitrate (Bad test kit) will test with LFS later today: Akways reads 50 PPM
PH: 8.0
Alk: 11.5
Any thoughts?
If the "bruise" is there while he's resting.. it's normal. His stomach should look like it has a large brown spot on it. And during the day when he's active, he should resume his normal color. If it's a red blotch and it's there all the time, then it's a bacterial infection.

 

[dreamscape]

Originally Posted by mkroher
http:///forum/post/3130926
If the "bruise" is there while he's resting.. it's normal. His stomach should look like it has a large brown spot on it. And during the day when he's active, he should resume his normal color. If it's a red blotch and it's there all the time, then it's a bacterial infection.
Thanks for the info...he must finally be getting fully nournished. The spot did go away when the T5 Daybreaks lit up. Also the clownfish started swimming normal with the lights on! Imagine that!