Why does every single Tang I put in my tank stop e
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Topic: Why does every single Tang I put in my tank stop e
Posted By: Aloha007
Subject: Why does every single Tang I put in my tank stop e
Date Posted: October 02 2015 at 4:55pm
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Hello Everyone ! I am new to this forum and I have a question . Why does every Tang I add to my tank stop eating and die after 1-2 weeks? I have a 180 gallon Reef tank. It's been up and running for 5 years. All our other fish are doing great and water is perfect ( according to testing ). No bullying that I have seen . Corals and Anenomes are good . I lost a clown tang after 3 weeks , it was doing great and eating for 1 1/2 weeks then stopped eating and died at 3 weeks. Our Yellow tang stopped eating and died after 1 week. We now have added another yellow. He did great for 1 week and 2 days ago stopped eating. We are feeding our fish LSF Fish Frenzy food , as well as Emerald green. We add garlic Extreme. We have a clip that holds seaweed that's in there , we replace it daily. We also have an alge/ miss plant in there and we drop in alge tabs as well. PLEASE HELP .... We don't want to lose this one, he is so cool and has an awesome personality. |
Replies:
Posted By: badfinger
Date Posted: October 02 2015 at 6:31pm
| How do you acclimate? What is your salinty |
Posted By: Marcoss
Date Posted: October 02 2015 at 6:37pm
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So sorry to hear that! Do you have areas for them to hide? I have a couple of yellow tangs that only hide. They are super nervous little fish. At least compared to my clowns that eat from a turkey baster. ------------- RedSea Max S400 - 90G Rimless Frag Tanks x2 - 185 Lookdown Bin |
Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 02 2015 at 8:21pm
| Thanks for Responding !!!My salinity is at 1.024. Yes there are plenty of places to hide in the reefs. We acclimate with all the lights off for about 30-45 min |
Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 02 2015 at 8:22pm
| My water temp has been a bit high at 80, all our other fish don't seem to mind though. We have been trying to bring the temp down though |
Posted By: Krazie4Acans
Date Posted: October 02 2015 at 8:25pm
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I recommend quarantining new tangs in a separate tank. That way there is no stress from other fish, they don't have to compete for food and they can be inspected for parasites and diseases before going into the main tank. ------------- My ocean. 90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=63568&title=krazies-nano-paradise" rel="nofollow - Tank Thread: |
Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 02 2015 at 9:27pm
| I totally agree but I don't have a quarantine tank |
Posted By: DMower
Date Posted: October 02 2015 at 10:15pm
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You have probably just had bad luck. What other fish are in the tank? The clown tang I can see, as it can be difficult to keep. Yellow tangs are much hardier. ------------- 150 gal reef with 50 gal sump. Reef Octopus DCS-200 Skimmer. AI Sol Blues. |
Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 02 2015 at 10:52pm
| I have a Green Spotted Mandarin Goby , 2 clown fish, Lawn mower Goby, 1 female Anthias, 1 Royal Gamma, 2 blue Chromis, a 6 line wrasse, a Flamed Hawk fish, and the Yellow Tang. We also have 2 Emerald crabs , a bunch of little hermits, snails, Corals , Anenomes, and a Lot of live rock |
Posted By: DMower
Date Posted: October 02 2015 at 11:14pm
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Nothing in that list would be able to pick on a tang, except for maybe the six line wrasse. They can be aggressive. Having said that, I stand by what I said, that you just have had bad luck. That's not a lot of fish for that size of tank and a tang should hold its own against a small fish, even an aggressive one... ------------- 150 gal reef with 50 gal sump. Reef Octopus DCS-200 Skimmer. AI Sol Blues. |
Posted By: Marcoss
Date Posted: October 02 2015 at 11:30pm
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You have a large tank and such small fish. That's awesome. How big is your tang when you add it? I don't know the answer but yellow tangs are pretty tough. Not that you should subject them to poor quality but they are somewhat resilient. Some tangs are some of the harder fish to keep, like an Achilles. Could be bad luck or maybe they are super stressed when you buy them from your LFS. There is some place in slc that has fish they quarantine for longer periods of time for higher prices. May be worth a shot to try those. But it sucks losing fish ------------- RedSea Max S400 - 90G Rimless Frag Tanks x2 - 185 Lookdown Bin |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: October 03 2015 at 12:01am
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Are the tangs showing any other signs of sickness other than not eating? ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: Hogie
Date Posted: October 03 2015 at 12:04am
| Have you got all your tangs from the same vender/ venders? Where have you gotten your fish? |
Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 03 2015 at 12:42am
| We would like to eventually add more fish , we want to add some hippos and a few more yellow tangs but we r waiting to see if we can keep one alive for longer then 3 weeks before we buy more. It is a large tank! I also would like to add an angel to my crew . We are buying them all from a store in Sandy. |
Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 03 2015 at 12:43am
They are not showing any other signs of sickness, they just stop eating then died 
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Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 03 2015 at 12:50am
| Silly question , how many fish can a tank my size hold ? I want to make sure there is plenty of swimming room and not over crowded either. I want them all to be happy |
Posted By: Hogie
Date Posted: October 03 2015 at 1:37am
| Try a different vender. There are certain stores that I won't buy fish from because they always die after a few weeks. I recommend aquatic dreams in Layton. A bit of a drive for you, but I've always had good success with their fish, especially tangs. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: October 03 2015 at 8:29am
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The LFS in Sandy, The Aquarium, is an excellent store and does not sell bad fish. I seriously doubt that's the reason for this string of "bad luck". Everything everyone above has mentioned is good but keeping a tank healthy is not like shooting in the dark. If we had more information we could really help resolve this specific issue: - Please post a pic of the entire tank, a closer up pic of the rock and a pic of the sump and especially the Refugium if there is one. - Also please give the actual Alk, Ca and Mg numbers. - 80 degrees is too hot. I would guess that it rises over 80 on occasion, right? What is being done to lower the temp (fan over the top water, leaving cabinet doors open, etc.)? - If the tank has been running for 5 years, when, if ever did it house Tangs or other large body fish for more than a few weeks? - What kind of sicknesses has the tank/fish had in the past? - What Garlic product is being used and how often? - What kind of live algae is being provided, how much and how often? That's enough questions for the moment. I'll probably have more after seeing the answers to the questions above.  Aloha, Mark  P.S. Why did you choose the name Aloha007?
------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 03 2015 at 10:37am
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The water ranges , all, cal, Nit, mg are all good. Yes 80 is high and it does go up occasionally. We keep the doors and lid open through out the day as well as a fan . We also put a couple frozen bottles of RO water to the sump. We do not have another tank. It has been running for 5 years in a doctors office. We purchased it a couple months ago . We kept all the original Live rocks , sand and water. It came with one coral and a clown fish. Apparently he couldn't keep any of the tangs alive either. So the clown has the whole tank to himself for years. After we purchased it we added the other fish , 3 corals and Anenomes. They are all thriving and seem very happy and content. We can't seem to keep any Tangs alive though. I can't seem to load any pics. The tank is beautiful ! Lol, I didn't plan on choosing Aloha007, all the original user names I chose were all taken so I just added numbers to Aloha until one was ok. |
Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 03 2015 at 10:39am
| I use Garlic Extreme , it says 1 drop per 10 gallons but I don't use that much. No sicknesses in the tank that I know of, doc told us it's been a very healthy tank except for being able to keep Tangs. |
Posted By: Marcoss
Date Posted: October 03 2015 at 10:40am
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It likely cycled, assuming you bought it, took it down, and reassembled it. That could explain it. Once you start disturbing the old stuff, its kind of like you are starting again. Assuming to leave stuff, add more stuff, etc. ------------- RedSea Max S400 - 90G Rimless Frag Tanks x2 - 185 Lookdown Bin |
Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 03 2015 at 2:14pm
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Hi Everyone !! So my tang came out today during feeding time and actually ate today !! He ate so much , I'm so happy ! He's been eating off the rocks ever since |
Posted By: Reefer4Ever
Date Posted: October 03 2015 at 8:13pm
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That is great news to hear. Many of us use photo bucket to post pics just as an fyi. I'm not really good like some that can look at a pic and tell you everything right and wrong, I just want to see this tank. Good luck and welcome to the joys of reef keeping. ------------- 90 gal reef w/refugium 24 gal softie tank 11 gal nano anemone tank 5 gal fresh water |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: October 04 2015 at 8:28am
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Good news. Maybe it's out of the woods and all this discussion is moot? I agree with Marcoss that the tank was cycling and is still settling in from the move just 2 months ago. Moving a tank is almost like setting up a new tank. Two months is a very short time for a new/moved tank to reach a point of stability and health. To upload a pic, click on the tree icon above and select the pic from your computer. Mobile devices have more difficulty with pics than a regular computer. Watch the Yellow Tang to make sure it is it gaining weight? Is it getting any fatter? Tangs are like cattle. To be healthy, they do best when grazing all day on algae. Here is a pic showing the girth of a fat healthy Tang in the shallows off Kona, Hawaii.  If a Tang stays skinny, especially on the belly, it may be that it was exposed to Cyanide. Collectors (not in Hawaii) use Cyanide to stun the fish making them very easy to catch. These fish always die in our care within a few weeks because, though they eat normally, they cannot digest food properly. More questions if you care to answer them:  1- During the move, was the old sand bed removed, rinsed and replaced? Was any new sand added?2- May we please know the actual Alk, Ca, Mg and Nitrate numbers? The numbers are important not only to be "in range" but as to how each component level interacts with the other components.3- Regarding the hot water, is the heater set above 75? If so, turn it down to 74-75. Many of us only use a heater in the winter. A reef can do just fine at room temperature from Spring through Fall.4- Is a fan blowing on the water, rather than at the lights or just out the door? Is the hood open on top? Having a fan blowing at the water employs evaporative cooling, which can cool a tank very efficiently. The angle of the fan across the water varies the amount of cooling.5- How often is Garlic Extreme used and how is it administered? Was this same GE being used by the Dentist too? Are there signs of the Ich parasite? If not, the garlic treatment is unnecessary and may in fact have become toxic if it has been used continuously. (There is a better garlic product than GE and it's less costly too.  )6- What kind of live algae is being provided, how much and how often? 7- how about growing a stand of Caulerpa in the main tank? Tangs and Rabbitfish do much much better when they can graze on live algae.8- Is Caulerpa or Chaetomorpha growing in the Refugium on an RDP (Reverse Daylight Photosynthesis) schedule? How fast does it grow? What light is over the Refugium? Nighttime pH can have a bad effect of fish health, especially Tangs. Read the story here, http://utahreefs.com/SeaStar/wmasSeaStar02Feb.pdf" rel="nofollow - RDP Filtration article in the WMAS Sea Star Newsletter and take note of my statement, "Tangs also would not live more than a few days." I know that's a lot of questions, but the answers and further discussion will hopefully help you see what can be done to improve your little piece of the ocean and make your reefkeeping experience more enjoyable in the long term. Aloha, Mark
------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: October 05 2015 at 1:20am
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You say you kept everything you moved, did you rinse the sand before adding it back to the tank? ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 05 2015 at 2:23pm
| Do u have to rinse the sand ? We did not because we wanted the mandarin to live. We were told he has to have mature sand and not to rinse it |
Posted By: Krazie4Acans
Date Posted: October 05 2015 at 2:49pm
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As long as the sand remained in the tank and undisturbed (not stirred up pulling stuff out and not stirred by sloshing water during the move) then you might not need to rinse it. The most important thing for the mandarin is pods to eat which live more on rock than in the sand. I always recommend rinsing old sand (even more so with 5 year old sand) to remove built up waste from the sand bed. If it's not rinsed and the sand bed is disturbed during the move it releases lots of waste into the water and will cause a cycle and instability in the tank. Some more details about how the move was done and what things were done might help narrow the issue even further. ------------- My ocean. 90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=63568&title=krazies-nano-paradise" rel="nofollow - Tank Thread: |
Posted By: Marcoss
Date Posted: October 05 2015 at 2:50pm
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He does have to have mature sand or else he will pass away. Unless he is eating regular fish food. Some of them are tank raised and trained to eat fish food, others will pass away from running out of a food source- which is what is alive in mature tank. A mandarin is one of those fish you want to really wait to add to a tank. I would strongly suggest you read about fish before you buy them. My favorite fish, the achilles, is too intermediate for me (and he gets massive) and my tanks are coming up on a year. Size-wise, you are probably fine with 99% of the fish. ------------- RedSea Max S400 - 90G Rimless Frag Tanks x2 - 185 Lookdown Bin |
Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 05 2015 at 3:25pm
| We have done a lot of research on each fish we purchased. ( except the blue Chromis ) they were a Spurs of the moment buy because the store said they were not aggressive. We have had a tank tank for years before buying this current one. My husband also worked at A reef aquarium for a while. This tank has a different sand then what we are used to so we aren't sure about it. All our fish are small compared to our tank size and we are waiting to add more. They are all very happy and even the tang is doing great now . The other guy had an issue with keeping tangs alive as well. We did some research and tried different things to try and keep our clown tang alive. We knew he was a difficult tang to keep but just got him because someone didn't want him anymore. We then got a yellow who died after a week. We did some things to try and fix this issue then bought our current tang. He did great for a week then stopped eating for a couple days. Now he is eating again and doing great !!! |
Posted By: Marcoss
Date Posted: October 05 2015 at 3:31pm
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Hey, I was not trying to be offensive in my post. I should have worded it better. My apologies. I am sure you are researching your animals and clearly care. I was just trying to say that maybe he could run out of food depending on how the sand was treated. So glad to hear your tang is doing better! ------------- RedSea Max S400 - 90G Rimless Frag Tanks x2 - 185 Lookdown Bin |
Posted By: Aloha007
Date Posted: October 05 2015 at 3:54pm
| I didn't take it offensively !! |
Posted By: Marcoss
Date Posted: October 05 2015 at 3:57pm
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So glad! I read over my post again and to me it reads kind "know-it-all-ish" when in reality I know a few drops over knowledge in this massive ocean. ------------- RedSea Max S400 - 90G Rimless Frag Tanks x2 - 185 Lookdown Bin |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: October 05 2015 at 5:44pm
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I was told the same thing on my first tank i bought used and told not to rinse the sand needless to say i had issues for months and the tank crashed. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |