Tang won't eat!

[marquesalan]

Yes, I am the one that has the yellow tang with red streaks. All of a sudden he stopped eating so I put some drops of Garlic Xtreme on a piece of algae and so far no luck. Help! I don't want my tang to starve to death.
Thanks.

[nolofinwe]

yellow tangs have pretty decent eating habits, so if your's is fasting, there must be something wrong besides shyness.

water readings?
amm
trite
PH
trate

those should be your first concern, especially if the red streaks are on the face, which is a sure sign of PH instability
red streaks on the side are part of a tang's night/fright response
a tang that fasts for more than a few days runs the risk of permenent stomach damage, hopefully it wont get to that point.

what are you soaking in garlic? seaweed? what else are you feeding?

good luck

[nolofinwe]

also, is the tang hiding alot? do you have a good amount of live rock?

[marquesalan]

The tang is in a QT but he is not eating at all. I have tried a variety of different foods.

[Wrassman]

How high is the ammonia in that QT, marquesalan? Didn't you say in another thread that it was very high in that tank? If it is, you should change the water in that tank, immediately. Also, using those sponges for filtration is not really a GOOD thing in saltwater tanks. It would probably be much better to get an airstone and let that provide some circulation, and a rock or two for the tang to hide behind. That's about all I would have in that tank.

HTH.

[marquesalan]

I emptied the tank completely and filled it with new RO water. There is no ammonia, an airstone, and AquaClear filter, and two small corals. I am treating the tang with Spectrogram. So far no change for the better

[Wrassman]

I'm not familiar with Spectrogram. What are the main ingredients in this medication? What does it say it's primary uses are?

[marquesalan]

Kanamyclin Sulfate & Nitrofurazone Activity

[MJC]

Here's a suggestion, instead of filling the QT with all RO water, I'd use a majority, if not all main tank water (assuming it's a reasonable size QT, e.g., 10 to 20 gallons).

If using just an airstone without a filter, you might consider changing out a percentage of QT tank water every day or two with either new SW or water from your main tank to prevent buildup of ammonia.

As wrassman suggested, keep a few rocks in there, larger pieces ideally, for your livestock to hide behind.

I keep a separate QT (or two as I'm currently curing LR in one QT) running with a wet/dry, skimmer, two power heads and some LR regardless if it's stocked or empty. Once in a while,. I'd turn on the power heads and 'pods will shoot out, some a pretty good size.

Do you know if the tang was originally net caught vs. "other methods"? I came across a few tangs for clients that originated in the Phillipines and I'll be darned if they all didn't keel over one me within a week or so of each other.

[marquesalan]

Great idea about the water changes. Right now I have Spectrogram and Coppersafe in the tank. There is a filter, airstone and 2 pieces of coral.
I purchased the tang at Petco but it has been healthy for about 2 months. I had a fish die in my display tank and ever since that I have had trouble keeping fish alive. Everything in the display tank seems back on course. I only have 2 damsels and a bird wrasse.

[nolofinwe]

what exactly are you treating the tang for?

nitrofurazone and copper is a pretty caustic solution, and most meds can deter a tang from eating. especially in a sparse QT tank.

[marquesalan]

I am treating him for hemorraging. At least that is what it was to start with. He stopped eating about 4 days ago and I just added copper yesterday.

[nolofinwe]

phew, sounds like quite the symptom
what do you mean exactly? does your fish have red burns on its face and body?
a single brown/red, horizontal stripe on the side?
bulging, especially in the stomach sections?

unless your fish has visible parasites, ie. black spot, velvet, ich, then i would discontinue the copper.

i would also reccommend maracyn B for saltwater, instead of the nitrofurazone. if your fish has visible cuts/openings/burns on its skin, then you want an antibiotic, excellent water quality (preferably somewhat aged) and a dim, stress-free setting.

get back to me

[nolofinwe]

Originally posted by marquesalan
I am treating him for hemorraging. At least that is what it was to start with. He stopped eating about 4 days ago and I just added copper yesterday.

you said originally, what are the full symptoms you are aware of?
and have you checked the water levels recently? i dont think i saw a listing...

[marquesalan]

He is in a QT tank and the levels are fine. He has red streaks on his top and bottom fins. and he cannot balance. His nose points down and his stomach looks like it is caving in. Rapid breathing too!

[nolofinwe]

boy, im sorry to hear that.
its late in treatment for this, but i would discontinue the use of the medicines you are ueing immeadiatly. use a polyfilter in the aquaclear to remove old medicine and go with maracyn 2, make sure it is the Saltwater variety,
maracyn is an antibiotic, and will eleminate and prevent secondary infections in the fish, it also has a B vitamin in it and will stimulate the fish's appetite.
being an antibiotic it will kill your biological filter possibly, so water changes are the key here. mix up a batch of water at about 1.010 specific gravity, and change a pint of water out every few hours while possible. continue to monitor amm and do a larger water change if it becomes necessarry.
id also leave a clip of seaweed available in the tank, soaking it in garlic or zoe or selcon was and is a good idea.

good luck, you're a champion in my book if you keep up the treatment.

[marquesalan]

I will pick some up tomorrow on the way home from work. Thanks for the advice!

[nolofinwe]

oh, this treatment is what i would reccommend to treat wounds caused by physical aggrivation, bacterial infestation, and chemical/toxin burns.

if these woulnds are caused by a parisitical infestation, i would quickly implement hyposality, but that would require a refractometer or an excellent hydrometer. standard hydrometers are very inaccurate at determining specific gravity belove 1.015 or abouts.

adding stress coat would also be a good idea, but use half the reccommended dose.

oh, and by the way, take out the polyfilter before you add maracyn or any other medicine :D

[nolofinwe]

Its my pleasure, i lost a yellow tang when i first started to similar problems

-tang got black spot, i (incorrectly) treated with femeldihyde (which can work, but is a very harsh chemical to an already stressed out fish that happens to be a tang)
-tang lost appetite due to stress caused by infestation, incorrect meds, and poor environment (no live rock, CC, low PH)
-stopped dosing to stimulate appetite, but damage was done. tang wouldnt eat, and began to be consumed by black spot.

it was pretty awful, but it was the kick that got me doing research. now i baby my fish to absurd degrees :)

[note that in previous post i edited 'freshwater' maracyn2 to read 'saltwater'. sorry]