Sailfin Tang Died Help

[Naiad]

On a side note. Did I mess up the tag for ford?

 

[redfishbluefish]

This appears to be a small (juvenile) sailfin. You've got two zebrasomas in the same tank......and it could be done if the tank is big enough. Otherwise, they will fight for their own space within the tank. How big was the yellow in comparison to the sailfin?

 

[jmanley7]

The three things that stand out to me are the ripped dorsal fin, faded coloration near the stomach area and what looks to be mucous near the gills. About how long after he died did you take these pics? And do you know how much time lapsed from when he died to when you got him out of the tank?

It couldn't have been more than two to four hours from the time he died to when I pulled him out.

 

[jmanley7]

This appears to be a small (juvenile) sailfin. You've got two zebrasomas in the same tank......and it could be done if the tank is big enough. Otherwise, they will fight for their own space within the tank. How big was the yellow in comparison to the sailfin?

The yellow and the sailfin were the same size and were bought from the same tank and introduced together. I never saw any fighting between them.

 

[Humblefish]

It couldn't have been more than two to four hours from the time he died to when I pulled him out.

Unfortunately, dead fish decompose rapidly in SW. So that makes it hard to pin down if what we are seeing postmortem was a problem (ex. bacterial infection) or just part of the decaying process.

 

[jmanley7]

Unfortunately, dead fish decompose rapidly in SW. So that makes it hard to pin down if what we are seeing postmortem was a problem (ex. bacterial infection) or just part of the decaying process.

When I pulled the fish out it did not seem to be very decayed yet

 

[1Mjiggy]

If u have a pair of clowns as in they have become a couple they become more territorial and will kill anything that comes near there home

 

[1stNoel]

Unfortunately, dead fish decompose rapidly in SW. So that makes it hard to pin down if what we are seeing postmortem was a problem (ex. bacterial infection) or just part of the decaying process.

I'm having an issue with my sailfin tang.

I have 8 fish in a 300 gallon tank. All are...were...doing great until I noticed my Sailfin hiding in a cave and looking to be struggling to stay afloat. I thought maybe he was just resting, but today I noticed the same behavior. He didn't show up for "roll call", which is when I get home and feed the tank. There are other, more delicate fish in the tank that have no issues whatsoever (Powder Blue Tang, Copperband Butterfly).

I pulled the Sailfin Tang out of the tank, with barely a fight, and placed him in my quarantine/frag tank. If he's getting picked on (which I haven't noticed), this will at least give him some peace...and he won't have to compete for food. He's just hanging out near the bottom, looking sad and weak.

Anything else I can do?

On a more positive note, I have 2 Gyres for water flow...my clownfish swims the 8 foot length of the tank to the Gyres, and then catches the outflow current so it shoots him all the way back across. It looks like he's body surfing. He'll repeat this again and again. Comical to watch.

 

[Humblefish]

@1stNoel If you aren't noticing any visible physical symptoms on the Sailfin and all your other fish appear fine; there's not much else you can do except try to keep him comfortable for now.

When was the last fish/coral/invert added to your DT? Do you QT?

 

[1stNoel]

@1stNoel If you aren't noticing any visible physical symptoms on the Sailfin and all your other fish appear fine; there's not much else you can do except try to keep him comfortable for now.

When was the last fish/coral/invert added to your DT? Do you QT?

Typically, I quarantine the fish. The sailfin was the first fish to go in the 300g. The other 6 were in the 55g QT for about 4 weeks (they were all bought together). I bought a Powder Blue Tang about a week ago...didn't QT him. I just transferred them all to the 300g. Water parameters are in check.

The sailfin was the smallest of the bunch, so maybe he got stressed by his new tankmates...but I didn't notice anyone picking on him, or him not getting anything to eat. He's not looking good.

 

[Humblefish]

@1stNoel Keep your eyes open for symptoms of Marine Velvet Disease, as the PBT may have brought that in.

Many times behavioral symptoms will prelude visible physical ones: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/defeating-marine-velvet-disease.217570/

 

[FreeEnergyReefer]

I know this thread old but my saifin just died lunchtime today. Water quality is fantastic I even check n dose my trace n minors along with supplements and plenty of food for everyone. It's the 2nd time this has happened to me with a sailfin both were eating frozen,ulva and the occasional small patch of hair algae,also both were small juveniles I chalked it up to some type of mysterious bacterial disease. I seen no spots or marks or any tell tale signs. If anybody has new evidence on the topic please post.