Blue Powder Tang stopped eating

[Tomsk7]

Relatively new to marine aquariums. I have about 18 (mostly young/juvenile) fish in a 180 gallon tank.

I've had the tang for 4 months. For the first 3, he was great - energetic swimmer, enthusiastic eater, a bit of a bully to newer fish but that settled out.

About a month ago, he became lethargic and stopped eating. I tried new seaweed, did a lot of observation - he started hiding a lot even though no fish were bullying him.

I don't see anything externally wrong (other than his now cadaverous appearance when he was fat and happy)

I moved him to QT so there is no competition for food, gave him the green nori that used to be his favorite and filled the tank with live brine shrimp.

He is hiding less and swimming (slowly) but I have yet to see him show any interest in food. Thoughts?

PS the white dot behind his eye is just a bit of detritus floating by,not evidence of ich.

 

[blaxsun]

#fishmedic

 

[vetteguy53081]

Gills appear inflamed but may be lighting.
Is the breathing moderate or labored?
Is it scratching or shaking its head side to side?
Other than nori, what other foods have you offered?

What test kits are you using and what is current temperature-ammonia-nitrate-salinity levels?

 

[Tomsk7]

He's not scratching or shaking but his breathing is rapid.

Temp 77
Ammonia 0 (seachem card & red sea)
Nitrate 46 (Hannah Checker) doing water changes to bring that down
Salinity 1.025 (refractometer)

I keep looking at the gills. I can't decide if they are swollen or if his body has gotten so thin that this skull seems extra wide and the gills swollen in comparison.

I've tried red nori, green nori, marine veggie pellets, flake food, frozen mysis shrimp, and live brine shrimp.

He used to love any shrimp, flakes, and green nori

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

He's not scratching or shaking but his breathing is rapid.

Temp 77
Ammonia 0 (seachem card & red sea)
Nitrate 46 (Hannah Checker) doing water changes to bring that down
Salinity 1.025 (refractometer)

I keep looking at the gills. I can't decide if they are swollen or if his body has gotten so thin that this skull seems extra wide and the gills swollen in comparison.

I've tried red nori, green nori, marine veggie pellets, flake food, frozen mysis shrimp, and live brine shrimp.

He used to love any shrimp, flakes, and green nori

Sorry to see that.

Are the gill filaments red or pale pink? The latter is a sign of anemia.
Has it not fed at all for a month?
Has it been breathing rapidly all this time, or did that start more recently?

The issue is that once a fish has gone a long period without food, it begins to utilize its liver for energy. At a tipping point, even if the fish starts feeding again, it dies from liver damage. The time it takes for this to happen varies from fish to fish, but yours may have reached it….

Jay

 

[Tomsk7]

Sorry to see that.

Are the gill filaments red or pale pink? The latter is a sign of anemia.
Has it not fed at all for a month?
Has it been breathing rapidly all this time, or did that start more recently?

The issue is that once a fish has gone a long period without food, it begins to utilize its liver for energy. At a tipping point, even if the fish starts feeding again, it dies from liver damage. The time it takes for this to happen varies from fish to fish, but yours may have reached it….

Jay

Hmm. The outer gill filaments are red. The inner ones look more pale.

Any suggestions on anemia?