Blue tang stopped eating

[ErikVR]

Hi all,

My tank is currently in the last week of hyposalinity after an ich outbreak. My powerbrown and blue tangs were infected. The powerbrown quite bad and the blue a little bit. Both have recovered and were doing great.

Since three days, the blue has stopped eating. He is still going after food but either turning away at the last moment or taking a piece and spitting it back out.

He has no visible signs of illness or physical injuries. There’s no aggression. No measurable levels of ammonia and nitrate. Temperature is perfectly stable throughout the day and so is the salinity at 1.009 sg.

Could the hyposalinity be the issue? He was eating like a pig until a few days ago and then he just stoppen when nothing changed in the tank.

 

[littlefoxx]

Hi all,

My tank is currently in the last week of hyposalinity after an ich outbreak. My powerbrown and blue tangs were infected. The powerbrown quite bad and the blue a little bit. Both have recovered and were doing great.

Since three days, the blue has stopped eating. He is still going after food but either turning away at the last moment or taking a piece and spitting it back out.

He has no visible signs of illness or physical injuries. There’s no aggression. No measurable levels of ammonia and nitrate. Temperature is perfectly stable throughout the day and so is the salinity at 1.009 sg.

Could the hyposalinity be the issue? He was eating like a pig until a few days ago and then he just stoppen when nothing changed in the tank.

@Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081

 

[MnFish1]

Hi all,

My tank is currently in the last week of hyposalinity after an ich outbreak. My powerbrown and blue tangs were infected. The powerbrown quite bad and the blue a little bit. Both have recovered and were doing great.

Since three days, the blue has stopped eating. He is still going after food but either turning away at the last moment or taking a piece and spitting it back out.

He has no visible signs of illness or physical injuries. There’s no aggression. No measurable levels of ammonia and nitrate. Temperature is perfectly stable throughout the day and so is the salinity at 1.009 sg.

Could the hyposalinity be the issue? He was eating like a pig until a few days ago and then he just stoppen when nothing changed in the tank.

Yes IMHO it could. How many total days did you keep them in hypo salinity. It may be related to another parasite or problem

 

[ErikVR]

Yes IMHO it could. How many total days did you keep them in hypo salinity. It may be related to another parasite or problem

I’m currently at day 28 at 1.009

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi all,

My tank is currently in the last week of hyposalinity after an ich outbreak. My powerbrown and blue tangs were infected. The powerbrown quite bad and the blue a little bit. Both have recovered and were doing great.

Since three days, the blue has stopped eating. He is still going after food but either turning away at the last moment or taking a piece and spitting it back out.

He has no visible signs of illness or physical injuries. There’s no aggression. No measurable levels of ammonia and nitrate. Temperature is perfectly stable throughout the day and so is the salinity at 1.009 sg.

Could the hyposalinity be the issue? He was eating like a pig until a few days ago and then he just stoppen when nothing changed in the tank.

Hyposalinity is accepted by many fish while few are affected by it as it causes a small level of stress. They are very bashful which plays a role but next feeding step away right away and see if takes the food in your absence

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’m currently at day 28 at 1.009

Youre doing the right measures and at this point the fish should be noticeably free of parasites and unusual behavior issues

 

[ErikVR]

Hyposalinity is accepted by many fish while few are affected by it as it causes a small level of stress. They are very bashful which plays a role but next feeding step away right away and see if takes the food in your absence

I usually walk away when feeding and observe from the other side of the living room. His behaviour stays the same whether I’m there or not unfortunately.

 

[ErikVR]

Youre doing the right measures and at this point the fish should be noticeably free of parasites and unusual behavior issues

Any signs of ich disappeared a week or two ago. And he’s been behaving normal. He’s not timid at all and he was eating aggressively until a few days ago.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I usually walk away when feeding and observe from the other side of the living room. His behaviour stays the same whether I’m there or not unfortunately.

They know youre presence. try this:
set your cell phone on video mode for about 30 mins and drop a little food and walk away - YOU MUST walk away as they know youre there. Review the video and see if it eats when you have cleared the area for a few minutes

 

[MnFish1]

I’m currently at day 28 at 1.009

Are your fish in a separate tank - or are you treating your display tank? Did you ever treat the fish when you bought them (i.e. with prazipro)? Agree with Vetteguy - would consider the possibility of an internal parasite etc if you have not QT'd the fish before. Have you seen it pooping?

 

[ErikVR]

Are your fish in a separate tank - or are you treating your display tank? Did you ever treat the fish when you bought them (i.e. with prazipro)? Agree with Vetteguy - would consider the possibility of an internal parasite etc if you have not QT'd the fish before. Have you seen it pooping?

No I’ve only started with quarantine after their arrival. They were with my first batch of fish and went into the DT right away. So yeah I’m treating my DT. I have a QT but it’s at 1.025 sg. It has been eating like a pig for over 3 months though.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

No I’ve only started with quarantine after their arrival. They were with my first batch of fish and went into the DT right away. So yeah I’m treating my DT. I have a QT but it’s at 1.025 sg. It has been eating like a pig for over 3 months though.

No rapid breathing in the fish?

It may be reacting to hyposalinity, not all fish handle it well. What if you start bringing the tank out of hypo now? Take 4 days or so to get back up to full salinity.

Jay

 

[ErikVR]

No rapid breathing in the fish?

It may be reacting to hyposalinity, not all fish handle it well. What if you start bringing the tank out of hypo now? Take 4 days or so to get back up to full salinity.

Jay

No not al all. He’s acting normal as well.
How would you go back to normal salinity? I was thinking calculating the needed salt and adding it spoon by spoon to the sump over a period of 4 days.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

No not al all. He’s acting normal as well.
How would you go back to normal salinity? I was thinking calculating the needed salt and adding it spoon by spoon to the sump over a period of 4 days.

One of our Fish Medics is just finishing up on a salt calculator that can figure this out for you, but it isn't ready for release yet.

What I would do is figure that you are at a bit less than half salinity. That means you will need to add a bit more than 1/4 cup per gallon of actual tank capacity, or one cup per four gallons. Figure out how much salt this will be, and then split that amount into quarters, and add one quarter gradually to your sump each day. Use your hydrometer/refractometer to judge the salt changes of course.

jay

 

[ErikVR]

BRS has a Red Sea salt calculator on the site that is always spot on

 

[MnFish1]

I would check this calculator: https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/DirectSaltCalculator.php

 

[ErikVR]

I'm currently at 1.018 sg and the blue is eating again.