Help! Powder blue tang not doing so good

[Gavin1274]

Hello everyone,

I have had this powder blue tang for about a year and a half now and the last couple days he has been hiding in his sleeping spot and not eating. A little over a week ago I moved the tank and added a sump but he was doing great even after that till just the last couple days. Every other fish is doing absolutely great. I just today moved him to my smaller tank to hopefully help him recover from whatever it is. The pictures attacked are from right after I put him in the small tank. Please help!

 

[Hyjnks]

he's clearly not eating - he looks extremely skinny. Are parameters in your water ok? what types of food have you tried?

 

[Gavin1274]

he's clearly not eating - he looks extremely skinny. Are parameters in your water ok? what types of food have you tried?

Yes they are good, and like I said all other fish are perfectly okay and healthy. I’ve been feeding the frozen brine shrimp cubes and have been since the beginning and then the seaweed sheets I put in there a couple times a week

 

[Gavin1274]

he's clearly not eating - he looks extremely skinny. Are parameters in your water ok? what types of food have you tried?

 

[Uncle99]

He’s got some tail bites, certainly low on weight.

This fish always a challenge, keep watch and look for any new changes, especially those which may indicate ick or velvet.

When they eat well and stop suddenly, that be a big red flag IMM. As you know, this fish is a pig.

@Jay Hemdal will hopefully chime in, I’d follow any advice he gives.

Certainly got to either get him eating or fix what’s stopped him as soon as possible.

 

[Gavin1274]

He’s got some tail bites, certainly low on weight.

This fish always a challenge, keep watch and look for any new changes, especially those which may indicate ick or velvet.

Yes, do you suspect new aggression after the move possibly? I do not want to lose him, and am afraid I may have acted to late. He is in my 10 gallon now with some fish I was quarantining I just got, lower water movement so I hope he will recover

 

[vetteguy53081]

Looks like some aggression going on in the tank . With the change of tanks, Im wondering if you have elevated ammonia which will change feeding behavior. Also, the diet you show will explain the thin body in the pics. Feed at least:

-Spirulina brine shrimp
- LRS Herbivore diet
- mysis shrimp
- small plankton
- Nori seaweed basted with garlic extract
- Hikari Marine cuisine
- Formula 2 flake and frozen
- Hikari veggie marine

Add selcon vitamins to the foods 2-3X per week and on alternating days, garlic extract for stamina and immunity health

 

[Gavin1274]

Looks like some aggression going on in the tank . With the change of tanks, Im wondering if you have elevated ammonia which will change feeding behavior. Also, the diet you show will explain the thin body in the pics. Feed at least:

-Spirulina brine shrimp
- LRS Herbivore diet
- mysis shrimp
- small plankton
- Nori seaweed basted with garlic extract
- Hikari Marine cuisine
- Formula 2 flake and frozen
- Hikari veggie marine

Add selcon vitamins to the foods 2-3X per week and on alternating days, garlic extract for stamina and immunity health

I will try and obtain some of these too help. Maybe ammonia did raise, and I do feed the spirulina brine shrimp. Thank you for your reply. Do you think he could recover from this?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I will try and obtain some of these too help. Maybe ammonia did raise, and I do feed the spirulina brine shrimp. Thank you for your reply. Do you think he could recover from this?

As long as it is not head down swimming and showing sign of weakness. . . recovery is possible

 

[Uncle99]

I will try and obtain some of these too help. Maybe ammonia did raise, and I do feed the spirulina brine shrimp. Thank you for your reply. Do you think he could recover from this?

Not sure what he “has” if anything.
Hard to treat what we don’t know, and hate to add stress guessing.
Give him some place to hide, some peace, lower lights and let him chill….
he’s not going to be overly happy in 10g
You can consider at least lowering salinty to 1.019ppt, this would help respiration’s.
I might prepare for a copper treatment just in case, time is always critical.

 

[Robert Ranciato]

Got to get him to eat . That's the main thing. I would try live brine shrimp

 

[Uncle99]

You’ve had this fish for a year. You must know what he eats.
If he stopped, something is up.

In this time, even the PBT is conditioned for captivity.
If you have made no recent adds, can’t really see it to be parasitical based, but I guess always the potential.

In the pics, he looks like the malnutrition has been for weeks.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

You’ve had this fish for a year. You must know what he eats.
If he stopped, something is up.

In this time, even the PBT is conditioned for captivity.
If you have made no recent adds, can’t really see it to be parasitical based, but I guess always the potential.

In the pics, he looks like the malnutrition has been for weeks.

I missed that point in my first read - this sure looked like a new acquisition to me - thin with aggression marks on its tail. For a long term captive to be this thin, there must have been weeks (perhaps a month) of being off feed, or many months of not enough food.

As I often post here, when a fish reaches a certain level of emaciation, they utilize their liver for energy. The damaged liver cannot heal, even if the food intake is increased. This fish is close to that point IMO.

Jay