Biota Group - Yellow Tang

[dudleyedd]

I purchased a small Hawaiian Yellow Tang from the Biota Group about 6 weeks ago. I am an experienced and successful reefer - in the hobby for 18 years. Upon receiving the fish, it was clear to me that the fish was sick. It was emaciated - so thin that it was translucent. You could see every bone of its skeleton. I acclimated it by floating the bag in the tank for one hour - as I have always done successfully -- and introduced the fish to the tank. The fish would not accept food. I contacted the Biota Group and sent them photos and videos of the fish struggling to stay upright. I had three different chat sessions with them over the next several days, explaining that the fish was sick. They told me that I had left the fish in the bag too long - they recommend only 30 minutes -- and that it was likely suffering from shock - blaming the condition of the fish on me. I did not ask for a refund.
Over the next week or so, I tried at least 10 different types of food hoping to get the fish to eat. Finally, on day 10, the fish started eating. It continued to eat quite well from that point forward - always gobbling up what I gave it - frozen mysis, Formula 2, algae sheets, etc. However, the fish continued to waste away. Clearly this fish had some sort of disease, parasite, etc. It got to the point where it was as thin as a sheet of paper. Finally today it died.
I am very unhappy with the Biota Group. I realize they need to protect themselves from people who are trying to get a free fish - but they didn't even give me the benefit of the doubt that I knew what I was talking about. If they had inspected the fish prior to sending, they would have seen that the fish was sick. Yet they sent it to me anyway.
That is the last time I will purchase from them. There are other captive bred options such as ORA and I will instead purchase from them.

 

[Biota_Marine Verified Sponsor]

I purchased a small Hawaiian Yellow Tang from the Biota Group about 6 weeks ago. I am an experienced and successful reefer - in the hobby for 18 years. Upon receiving the fish, it was clear to me that the fish was sick. It was emaciated - so thin that it was translucent. You could see every bone of its skeleton. I acclimated it by floating the bag in the tank for one hour - as I have always done successfully -- and introduced the fish to the tank. The fish would not accept food. I contacted the Biota Group and sent them photos and videos of the fish struggling to stay upright. I had three different chat sessions with them over the next several days, explaining that the fish was sick. They told me that I had left the fish in the bag too long - they recommend only 30 minutes -- and that it was likely suffering from shock - blaming the condition of the fish on me. I did not ask for a refund.
Over the next week or so, I tried at least 10 different types of food hoping to get the fish to eat. Finally, on day 10, the fish started eating. It continued to eat quite well from that point forward - always gobbling up what I gave it - frozen mysis, Formula 2, algae sheets, etc. However, the fish continued to waste away. Clearly this fish had some sort of disease, parasite, etc. It got to the point where it was as thin as a sheet of paper. Finally today it died.
I am very unhappy with the Biota Group. I realize they need to protect themselves from people who are trying to get a free fish - but they didn't even give me the benefit of the doubt that I knew what I was talking about. If they had inspected the fish prior to sending, they would have seen that the fish was sick. Yet they sent it to me anyway.
That is the last time I will purchase from them. There are other captive bred options such as ORA and I will instead purchase from them.

It’s Felicia here - I had the pleasure of chatting with you on November 13th. First, I want to say I’m so sorry to hear about your fish; I know how disappointing and upsetting that can be. In our last messages, I'd asked to please keep me posted on how the fish is doing. It sounds like the fish started to "perk up" but sadly eventually succumbed.

From the photo and video you sent, the fish appeared to have good body condition and color. I also mentioned that the vertical striping is normal for this genus of fish when young and doesn’t indicate thinness. There didn’t appear to be any signs of dorsal atrophy, and the stomach appeared to be filled out.

That said, I wanted to address a potential cause of the fish's issues based on the acclimation process you described. When fish are shipped overnight, the ammonium levels in the water increase. However, our ammonia binders and the naturally lower pH keep it in that less toxic form. When tank water is added to the shipping water during acclimation, it can dilute the binder and raise the pH, converting the ammonium into highly toxic ammonia. This can cause significant stress and ammonia toxicity in the fish.

While this method may work for fish transported a short distance from a local fish store, it can unfortunately lead to issues with fish that have been shipped overnight. That’s why we emphasize following the steps in our Acclimation Guide, which we highlight at the top of the Yellow Tang product page, in order confirmation emails, shipping emails, and all other email correspondences. Over the years, data has shown that when our fish are acclimated according to our guide, they have far better survival rates.

If you’d like to try another Yellow Tang, I’d be happy to provide a discount code for your next order. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need guidance. We're always happy to help.

Thank you,
Felicia