Tang issue?

[Jekyl]

Thought my yellow tang was trolling me. One day my son discovered them laying on their side. No heavy breathing, no marks on skin, no remotely recent additions.

When I went to remove them, they popped right up and ate immediately.

No problems for 2 days.

Today, they were seemingly stuck to a powerhead. Shut flow off, cam e out and ate again.

Diet is several frozen foods along with pellets and nori.

Any thoughts?

 

[Doctorgori]

stuck to the powerhead is a bad sign… I won’t speculate further tho

 

[Jekyl]

stuck to the powerhead is a bad sign… I won’t speculate further tho

Agree. However no new additions or changes in at least a year. Solid diet and no other issues with my other fish.

 

[jkcoral]

Can you get some pictures or videos? That can help everyone try and figure out what might be going on.

 

[Jekyl]

 

[Jekyl]

 

[exnisstech]

Tank size? Are they new additions? I've never had a tang lay on its side or get stuck to a power head unless it was dying
EDIT: fish look awfully thin to me even translucent, see it's insides? None of my yellows have looked like that

 

[Jekyl]

Video unfortunately won't work. However there's no rapid breathing or marks on skin.

 

[Doctorgori]

He looks thin to me…

 

[vetteguy53081]

This fish is very thin and weak
Was it eating and what foods were offered?
It may be getting moribund with low chance I hate to say if recovery

 

[jkcoral]

How often is it eating? It looks severely emaciated.

Edit: is it getting enough food? Are there other fish maybe preventing it from eating?

 

[Jekyl]

This fish is very thin and weak
Was it eating and what foods were offered?
It may be getting moribund with low chance I hate to say if recovery

I feed twice a day, eats every time no issue. Mysis, spirulina brine, pellets, rods eggs, nori, blood worms

 

[Jekyl]

I feed twice a day, eats every time no issue. Mysis, spirulina brine, pellets, rods eggs, nori, blood worms

Same feeding schedule for years now

 

[vetteguy53081]

I feed twice a day, eats every time no issue. Mysis, spirulina brine, pellets, rods eggs, nori, blood worms

Not bad but insufficient- it need more fats and aminos with foods such as LRS herbivore diet, formula 2 frozen, tds pellets, marine cuisine and selcon vitamins added to foods occasionally

 

[Jekyl]

Not bad but insufficient- it need more fats and aminos with foods such as LRS herbivore diet, formula 2 frozen, tds pellets, marine cuisine and selcon vitamins added to foods occasionally

I do add selcon from time to time. Lately I've fed more frozen than pellets though.

 

[Doctorgori]

IME I feed the hell outta tangs and idols, I usually keep a sheet of dried algae or live ulva going and
Ditto: Formula 2 frozen and Formula 2 pellets.. Hikari Angelfish and Hikari herbivore
Mysis, bloodworms and chopped squid, clams, shrimp, mussels

 

[Jekyl]

Thanks for the help all. He's always been a little thin while every other fish is fat. Always ate like a pig so I never thought much of it.

I'm sad for sure, he was always the highlight of the tank and the only one we ever gave a name to.

 

[Jekyl]

He's still eating, just not like the vacuum he was. Any sign of hope or treatment possible? Still lethargic.

I want to make sure I do right by my pets.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I feed twice a day, eats every time no issue. Mysis, spirulina brine, pellets, rods eggs, nori, blood worms

Yes, it is too thin and is weak from that. Once a fish utilizes what little fat reserves it has, it goes on to using muscle mass (that's why the fish is so thin). Thin, a point is reached where it uses its liver for energy. That liver damage is not repairable, and the fish just gets thinner and eventually dies, even though it may still feed.

Now - why did it get thin? In some cases, reef aquarists knowing or unknowingly, underfeed their fish in order to limit nutrients into the system that could harm the corals. In other cases, the fish itself has some internal issue that is causing food absorption problems. I once had a shoal of 50 yellow tangs (prior to Hawaii being closed down). They did great for a couple of years. then, some of them began to get thin (despite no change in the feeding). We upped the food amounts, but about 25% just kept getting thinner, while the others were fine. the thin ones died off, and other others are fine to this day - I have no idea why.

Jay

 

[Rmckoy]

That boy needs to eat a burger and
Lay off the salads .