Yellow tang swimming upside down.

[cb684]

I have a yellow tang that occasionally swims upside down. It does that for minutes to hours and then flips back up. I started seeing this behavior about two weeks ago. It is otherwise healthy. Eats well and it is not losing weight. I have never seen this behavior in any other fish. Have anybody seen something like this in a fish that apparently is otherwise healthy?

 

[sc50964]

He is sick. I had a angel that did that. He needs meds right away.

 

[sc50964]

Not sure if there are meds for this kind of probl tho.

 

[cb684]

He might be sick. But if so, it is something chronic that is not affecting his appetite.

 

[sc50964]

My angel did the exact same thing. Started up as what appears to be playful upside down swimming for a short moment. Then the length of time that he spent swimming updated down increased to the point he would swim back and forth across the length of the 72" long tank. There was no change in appetite but the swimming bladder issue eventually made him sick enough to stop eating and once that happened, he didn't last long.

 

[cb684]

How long from the time you first saw it until he was dead?

 

[sc50964]

How long from the time you first saw it until he was dead?

Don't recall the exact, but it wasn't immediate and definitely more than a month.

 

[cb684]

Do you remember if you lost other fish with same symptoms? I am wondering if it was contagious in your case.

 

[sc50964]

Do you remember if you lost other fish with same symptoms? I am wondering if it was contagious in your case.

I wondered the same at the time but none of others had the same thing. In fact, it's the only fish out of my 10 years exp in this hobby that has it. I think it's fairly rare to get this problem after being acclimated to captivity. Usually this kind of swimming bladder issue would show up way earlier on due to improper decompression issue that originated from the catching method.

 

[sc50964]

@Humblefish ?

 

[sc50964]

@melypr1985 ?

 

[Humblefish]

Can you see any kind of protrusion in the swim bladder area? Is he having difficulty "staying down" in the middle or bottom of the tank? Or does he mostly hang near the surface?

 

[cb684]

Can you see any kind of protrusion in the swim bladder area? Is he having difficulty "staying down" in the middle or bottom of the tank? Or does he mostly hang near the surface?

No protrusion. He really does that for minutes to hours and then is ok for a long time (hours to days). It is strange.

 

[mort]

I remember seeing a video of a tang behaving like this before https://reefbuilders.com/2013/12/20/yellow-tang-enjoy-swimming-upside-video/ not sure it was a health problem. If it seems to do it for fun it could just be a quirk of that fish. Don't really think it matters which way you are in water judging by black caps, royal gramma etc who seem to spend more time upside down in a cave than they do rightside up.

 

[cb684]

I remember seeing a video of a tang behaving like this before https://reefbuilders.com/2013/12/20/yellow-tang-enjoy-swimming-upside-video/ not sure it was a health problem. If it seems to do it for fun it could just be a quirk of that fish. Don't really think it matters which way you are in water judging by black caps, royal gramma etc who seem to spend more time upside down in a cave than they do rightside up.

Thank you for sharing. That is similar to what happens here. I guess time will tell if it is only behavioral or another type of pathology.

 

[4FordFamily]

I remember seeing a video of a tang behaving like this before https://reefbuilders.com/2013/12/20/yellow-tang-enjoy-swimming-upside-video/ not sure it was a health problem. If it seems to do it for fun it could just be a quirk of that fish. Don't really think it matters which way you are in water judging by black caps, royal gramma etc who seem to spend more time upside down in a cave than they do rightside up.

X2 this is not necessarily unheard of behavior from zebrasoma tangs on rare occasions. I wouldn't worry too much if there aren't any other symptoms.

 

[sc50964]

You may want to read up on the following thread and consider treating it before it's too late.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/wrasse-swimbladder-issue.202289/

 

[mort]

With swim bladder issues you would likely see a difference in the swimming patern, with jerkiness or constantly swimming head down. Sometimes there is also swelling around the swim bladder where gas has built up. If the fish is able to right itself and return to normal behaviour then it is less likely to be a problem imo and just a quirk of the fish. It's also less likely to happen with fish that haven't been collected at depth, therefore haven't gone through heavy decompression. It could still be a swim bladder issue so keep an eye on it and record if any behaviour changes.

 

[Maritimer]

Cb684, it'd probably help if you could catch a video of your tang's odd swimming pattern. Looking at the video from ReefBuilders, I certainly don't see any evidence of a swim-bladder problem, but suppose there might be a neurological issue there.

Either that, or the tang's just plain nutty.

Does anyone know a good fish psychologist?

~Bruce

 

[Bluecbs]

Do you have a shrimpk in the tank?....the tang should go and see the shrimpk.....( so sorry, couldnt help it)