Blue Tang is behaving strangely

indeco · Jul 7, 2019

My blue tang started to behave strangely since yesterday.

Beginning I thought it was the lighting affecting the behavior and after switching off the lighting it back to normal.

This morning the symptom becoming bad. I don't see any physical spot in the body.

Anybody able to advise what happen?

rkpetersen · Jul 7, 2019

He looks like he's struggling to stay down. If that's the case, it's likely a swim bladder problem.
Those are very hard to treat effectively. You can try adding pure epsom salt to the water, although this doesn't often work.

Or that video could be the fish shaking himself because something's bothering it, and also breathing fast.
If you don't see any spots at all on the fish, then it could be flukes, which are pretty common.
For flukes, first thing is to do a freshwater dip and see if anything comes off.
If so then you'll need to transfer to a hospital tank and treat with prazi.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-diseases-101.189284/

Also probably should ask about your water parameters, if you've added anything recently, and how the other fish are doing.

indeco · Jul 7, 2019

I don't see any symptom in other fishes.

He is with me for about 8 months in the tank and i have never introduce any new fishes into the tank for the past 4 months.

Only adding coral into the system.

The behavior he shown is more like wanted to get out from the tank, trying to struggle his way out.

Water parameters
PH = 8.05 to 8.15
NO3 = 15 ppm
PO4 = 0.15 ppm
SG = 1.025
Temp = 78F
Alk = 8.1
Cal = 430

Catching him out for a dip will it stress him further?

tgp4274 · Jul 7, 2019

stray voltage??
just a thought......

indeco · Jul 7, 2019

Don't think so, I touched the water this morning but not getting any shock.

tgp4274 · Jul 7, 2019

i had a heater go bad in my frag tank and didnt feel anything eaither
my buddy did feel it tho
the shoes i had on didnt let me feel it
like said just a thought
doesnt hurt to check

rkpetersen · Jul 7, 2019

indeco said:
Catching him out for a dip will it stress him further?

Yes but it's the only way to know if it's flukes, and if it is, it will probably help him a lot.
Most fish can tolerate a temp and pH matched freshwater dip, if they're not already pretty far gone.

The way he's facing downward when he's working hard and then starts drifting up when he rests makes me think swim bladder.

#reefsquad

Filthybum · Jul 7, 2019

tgp4274 said:
i had a heater go bad in my frag tank and didnt feel anything eaither
my buddy did feel it tho
the shoes i had on didnt let me feel it
like said just a thought
doesnt hurt to check

Take your shoes off then touch the water that’s how I found my stray voltage never felt it with shoes on happened to have my shoes off one day and I felt it. Ended up being my return pump and it was still running.

Big G · Jul 7, 2019

indeco said:
My blue tang started to behave strangely since yesterday.

Beginning I thought it was the lighting affecting the behavior and after switching off the lighting it back to normal.

This morning the symptom becoming bad. I don't see any physical spot in the body.

Anybody able to advise what happen?

Anything new added to the tank in the last 30 days or so that was "wet" like a coral, invert, fish, live rock?

indeco · Jul 7, 2019

I just did the stray voltage test, nothing happen.

indeco · Jul 7, 2019

Big G said:
Anything new added to the tank in the last 30 days or so that was "wet" like a coral, invert, fish, live rock?

yes, I added a few zoas few days ago.

1 more strange point, a few tips of my torch coral went missing and I'm suspecting is this blue tang nipping on it.

Will this cause him to be poisoned?

Big G · Jul 7, 2019

Were the corals QT'd before being exposed to the fish?

4FordFamily · Jul 7, 2019

rkpetersen said:
Yes but it's the only way to know if it's flukes, and if it is, it will probably help him a lot.
Most fish can tolerate a temp and pH matched freshwater dip, if they're not already pretty far gone.

The way he's facing downward when he's working hard and then starts drifting up when he rests makes me think swim bladder.

#reefsquad

I agree I am leaning toward swim bladder. Try feeding a pealed pea a couple of times, add some pure epsom salt 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons two times to help with swelling (perhaps of swim bladder). If truly swim bladder, it should worsen and the swim bladder become full of gas and obvious. Lansing is the best treatment at that point.

indeco · Jul 7, 2019

4FordFamily said:
I agree I am leaning toward swim bladder. Try feeding a pealed pea a couple of times, add some pure epsom salt 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons two times to help with swelling (perhaps of swim bladder). If truly swim bladder, it should worsen and the swim bladder become full of gas and obvious. Lansing is the best treatment at that point.

Now he is at the bottom and trying to swim up. It seem like he is lack of energy and dying off.

This is also consider symptoms of swim bladder?

4FordFamily · Jul 7, 2019

indeco said:
Now he is at the bottom and trying to swim up. It seem like he is lack of energy and dying off.

This is also consider symptoms of swim bladder?

Generally, swim bladder issues leave a fish overly buoyant and thus forcing it to swim down from the surface. Blue tangs behave very strangely anyway, so it’s difficult to be sure.

Epsom salt is magnesium so it won’t hurt to try, and a pealed pea won’t hurt anything, it’ll act as a diarrhetic if the fish eats it — on the off chance that this is the issue at hand.