Blue tang dead

[Mflores888]

So today is a pretty sad day in my home. Our blue tang we grew from less than an inch has died and I'm baffled as to why. It ate everything and would poke its head out the water to eat, super active and go along with the other fish (minus the foxface that's about 2 inches bigger). I'm still confused as to how it died. It had its regular deep blue color and super active. Yesterday when I got home I fed the fish and it hid, which was very weird cause it never did that. Today when I got home I was looking for it and found it wedged between some rocks super pale.

My first thought was that the foxface had stabbed it but I couldn't see any visible penetration. I did notice that it had some red near the belly and it was missing some dorsal fins but that was grow the hermits trying to munch on it. I took the pictures using a flashlight to get a better look but this was the best I could do.

I checked the ammonia and it was 0, phosphates it was a bit high around 0.53 and salinity was 1.022. My tank is only 90 display which I was planning to get a larger tank for the blue tang but I just don't think that the size of it could have caused it to go from super active to hiding one day and the next day dead. I doubt its velvet as I have dealt with it before and the other fish are all doing what they normally do.

Any theories? Or other levels I should look at?

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I am terriably sorry. Youve done any testing like salinity or ph?
Temp? All stable? Mystery deaths or mia vanishings do happen.
D

 

[Mflores888]

I am terriably sorry. Youve done any testing like salinity or ph?
Temp? All stable? Mystery deaths or mia vanishings do happen.
D

Yea I tested it and wrote it up above, ammonia was 0, salinity 1.022 and phosphates around 0.53. The temp stays between 79-81, has always being that since I set this tank up. The first blue tang I lost to really bad velvet outbreak and this one is a mystery. Only thing I can imagine would be the foxface causing it

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Sorry guess i didnt read that far. Lol!
I will say 1.023 is the ballpark for fowlr.
I dont know id that 1 would cause ur fish to stress and die though. In the pics is that bruising at the belly? Or just the scales of the fish shimmering in the flash picture?
D

 

[Steelheader09]

Sorry for you loss. I had a similar experience with a blue tang. Raised him for an inch long to over 6in. One day he developed a red rash on his belly. I hit him hard with a medication cocktail, it cleared up, but once he went back in to the display, it came back and he died almost overnight. Never was 100% sure but many believed it to be a bacterial infection.

 

[Jekyl]

I've heard tank size can limit the overall growth but the organs can out grow the body. Not sure how long it takes, but can lead to death. I may be wrong, just passing it along.

 

[Mflores888]

Sorry guess i didnt read that far. Lol!
I will say 1.023 is the ballpark for fowlr.
I dont know id that 1 would cause ur fish to stress and die though. In the pics is that bruising at the belly? Or just the scales of the fish shimmering in the flash picture?
D

Inside the tank it looked normal, outside without light the fish was more gray or pale color but under flash it did look more red and purple. That's what leads me to think it was some type of attack or a bacterial infection. Maybe it brushed against the rocks cause it slept on the tightest spots in the tank, maybe it caused it to get scratches and it got infected?

 

[Mflores888]

I've heard tank size can limit the overall growth but the organs can out grow the body. Not sure how long it takes, but can lead to death. I may be wrong, just passing it along.

I wonder if it's possible for that to happen in a year of growth. I know fish grow the most within the first year of life but that does seem pretty fast. I'll have to look into that. Thank you, at least I have something to dig into for now

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

That is possible.

 

[Mflores888]

Sorry for you loss. I had a similar experience with a blue tang. Raised him for an inch long to over 6in. One day he developed a red rash on his belly. I hit him hard with a medication cocktail, it cleared up, but once he went back in to the display, it came back and he died almost overnight. Never was 100% sure but many believed it to be a bacterial infection.

When I put it under the flash it did seem to have a red rash or purple bruise under its belly, it wasn't visible in the tank at all but outside it was

 

[Steelheader09]

When I put it under the flash it did seem to have a red rash or purple bruise under its belly, it wasn't visible in the tank at all but outside it was

This is what mine had

 

[Mflores888]

This is what mine had

No, mine wasn't like that. It was more of a bruise than spots

 

[Steelheader09]

No, mine wasn't like that. It was more of a bruise than spots

Ok. Humble.fish is a good resource to look at

 

[Jekyl]

The red spots could point to a bacterial infection.

 

[Jekyl]

Bacterial Infections

Why fish get bacterial infections What You Need To Know: * Infections can be caused by either Gram‐positive or Gram-negative bacteria. Gram-negative infections are typically more virulent, and more common in marine fish. * Bacterial infections are often "secondary" to a preexisting parasitic...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[ca1ore]

I've heard tank size can limit the overall growth but the organs can out grow the body. Not sure how long it takes, but can lead to death. I may be wrong, just passing it along.

That's a no ......

 

[ca1ore]

Does seem like there is some purplish belly discoloration. Perhaps an injury, or some kind of internal blockage. You'll likely never know for sure.

 

[Jekyl]

That's a no ......

Thought I heard it from a member on here. Thanks for clearing it up.