Blue Tang hiding in rocks for days

[Cdyanand]

I noticed my blue tang, which I've had for 4 months, just wants to hide in the rocks all day and wiggle around. It's been doing this for about a week now. I have been breaking my brain trying to figure out why. Doesn't seem to be eating. When it does leave the rocks, it looks very stressed and starts bouncing off the glass until it retreats to his hiding spot again. Any ideas what's going on? Constipation? Fluke's? (I tried a 10 minute freshwater dip - no change)

 

[dedragon]

Probably a parasite it is trying to knock off, rocks look younger than 4 months old unless left with no light until very recently, so it could be exploring them trying to see where it can wedge itself in when it sleeps (as hippo tangs do). Bouncing off glass is either extreme stress and/or parasites

 

[Cdyanand]

Probably a parasite it is trying to knock off, rocks look younger than 4 months old unless left with no light until very recently, so it could be exploring them trying to see where it can wedge itself in when it sleeps (as hippo tangs do). Bouncing off glass is either extreme stress and/or parasites

Any idea what to use for a treatment for parasites? Or does the Tang need to figure it out itself?

 

[dedragon]

Tank Transfer Method

Tank Transfer Method What It Treats – Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) only. How To Treat – Tank transfer (TTM) is my favorite method for clearing a fish of Marine Ich, but the prevalence (and similarities) of Marine Velvet Disease can make TTM a risky gamble nowadays. To properly execute...

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I would do tank TTM then treat with prazi which is my protocol for most fish (except wrasses which dont do well in full strength prazi immediately). But you would also have to do a fallow period in the display.

I cant really see the fish and it is hard to diagnose based off of what you wrote so I would probably monitor the tank for the next day or 2 to see if it comes out. Problem really is if it hasnt eaten in a week and it continuously is doing this.
Have other corals, fish or inverts died? What are tank parameters? Has anything changed a week ago that could have caused this? Have you checked pumps and heaters to see if they are working or causing stray voltage in the tank?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I noticed my blue tang, which I've had for 4 months, just wants to hide in the rocks all day and wiggle around. It's been doing this for about a week now. I have been breaking my brain trying to figure out why. Doesn't seem to be eating. When it does leave the rocks, it looks very stressed and starts bouncing off the glass until it retreats to his hiding spot again. Any ideas what's going on? Constipation? Fluke's? (I tried a 10 minute freshwater dip - no change)

From the looks of the fins, is any fish intimidating it ?
When you see it, is it breathing heavy or has a look of yawning ?
Are eyes clear or cloudy ?

 

[Cdyanand]

Thanks for the advice! All the parameters (nitrates 3ppm, phosphates 0.1 ppm dkh 10 ) and equipment are in good shape. Coral and clownfish seem happy. Did have a second clown fish that died a month ago from some mysterious condition causing it to barely eat anything.
When I did the freshwater dip, I didn't notice any spots on the Tang. I think the parasite suggestion probably makes the most sense at the point. I will continue to monitor and hopefully get it to eat something soon

 

[dedragon]

the clownfish not eating and then dying really sounds like internal parasites or some other issues. Clownfish really shouldnt die unless something major is wrong as they live a very long time (for fish) and are super hardy. I do actually think there is some problem going on in there. Any stringy white poop you remember from either fish?

 

[Cdyanand]

From the looks of the fins, is any fish intimidating it ?
When you see it, is it breathing heavy or has a look of yawning ?
Are eyes clear or cloudy ?

The blue tang is boss of the tank. Eyes looked clear when I inspected him during the freshwater dip. Trying to get him out of the rocks was not fun though!

 

[Cdyanand]

the clownfish not eating and then dying really sounds like internal parasites or some other issues. Clownfish really shouldnt die unless something major is wrong as they live a very long time (for fish) and are super hardy. I do actually think there is some problem going on in there. Any stringy white poop you remember from either fish?

The clownfish that passed away had lots of stringy poops while it was ill. I think it got really constipated for a while. After that, it never ate properly again

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I see the fish seems really agitated and it has minor fin damage. The two causes for this are intimidation by a tank mate or flukes. What other fish are in the tank? Maybe the dominance hierarchy has changed. The other option would be to treat with Prazipro and see if the symptoms go away.
Jay