constipated tang??

danerss · Jul 10, 2025

i previously posted a thread about this but all the video were bad but i got the fish in a isolation box now and was able to get a better video. still trying to figure out if the fish is backed up or something worse. i tried feeding peas to the tang but it won’t touch them. also the fish wasn’t the easiest to catch leading me to believe it doesn’t have bloat. the swimming pattern was more normal outside of the isolation box but still concerning but in the isolation box, the fish is constantly trying to swim down. i’m just looking for a clear answer to my problem considering the rarity of the fish i would hate to lose it.

The fish is fed mysis, spirulina brine shrimp and mermaids delight with green nori feedings throughout the day. i have stopped feeding the past 2 days but fed brine shrimp this morning and added some peas to the isolation box. all help is very appreciated. Thank you guys!

vetteguy53081 · Jul 10, 2025

danerss said:
i previously posted a thread about this but all the video were bad but i got the fish in a isolation box now and was able to get a better video. still trying to figure out if the fish is backed up or something worse. i tried feeding peas to the tang but it won’t touch them. also the fish wasn’t the easiest to catch leading me to believe it doesn’t have bloat. the swimming pattern was more normal outside of the isolation box but still concerning but in the isolation box, the fish is constantly trying to swim down. i’m just looking for a clear answer to my problem considering the rarity of the fish i would hate to lose it.

The fish is fed mysis, spirulina brine shrimp and mermaids delight with green nori feedings throughout the day. i have stopped feeding the past 2 days but fed brine shrimp this morning and added some peas to the isolation box. all help is very appreciated. Thank you guys!

Funny is we had a Hybrid yesterday with same issue. Do you know where this fish came (wholesaler?) May be constipation and if so, dont feed for 24 hours and see if it shows weight loss from this state.
What foods were you feeding ?

danerss · Jul 10, 2025

vetteguy53081 said:
danerss said:

i previously posted a thread about this but all the video were bad but i got the fish in a isolation box now and was able to get a better video. still trying to figure out if the fish is backed up or something worse. i tried feeding peas to the tang but it won’t touch them. also the fish wasn’t the easiest to catch leading me to believe it doesn’t have bloat. the swimming pattern was more normal outside of the isolation box but still concerning but in the isolation box, the fish is constantly trying to swim down. i’m just looking for a clear answer to my problem considering the rarity of the fish i would hate to lose it.

The fish is fed mysis, spirulina brine shrimp and mermaids delight with green nori feedings throughout the day. i have stopped feeding the past 2 days but fed brine shrimp this morning and added some peas to the isolation box. all help is very appreciated. Thank you guys!

Click to expand...

Funny is we had a Hybrid yesterday with same issue. Do you know where this fish came (wholesaler?) May be constipation and if so, dont feed for 24 hours and see if it shows weight loss from this state.
What foods were you feeding ?

the fish is from quality marine, i’ve had it for about 3 months and everything has been fine up until now. i haven’t fed the fish in 2 days and there has been no changes. the food i was feeding in mysis and spirulina brine shrimp

Jay Hemdal · Jul 10, 2025

danerss said:
the fish is from quality marine, i’ve had it for about 3 months and everything has been fine up until now. i haven’t fed the fish in 2 days and there has been no changes. the food i was feeding in mysis and spirulina brine shrimp

As I mentioned, this is gas from some decomposition in the digestive tract. A blockage can occur, then food backs up and gets worked on by bacteria and that produces gas with makes the fish swim "head down". This is a very severe case, I don't think it is going to work itself out....

Peas won't help at all - that's a specific treatment for fancy goldfish that a marine person took and started telling people to try....

danerss · Jul 10, 2025

Jay Hemdal said:
danerss said:

the fish is from quality marine, i’ve had it for about 3 months and everything has been fine up until now. i haven’t fed the fish in 2 days and there has been no changes. the food i was feeding in mysis and spirulina brine shrimp

Click to expand...

As I mentioned, this is gas from some decomposition in the digestive tract. A blockage can occur, then food backs up and gets worked on by bacteria and that produces gas with makes the fish swim "head down". This is a very severe case, I don't think it is going to work itself out....

Peas won't help at all - that's a specific treatment for fancy goldfish that a marine person took and started telling people to try....

so do i give up and let the fish die? nobody is giving me a answer. i understand whats going on just need help figure out what to do to help the fish? what can i do? i’ve been in the hobby for 4 years now and have multiple tanks. i’m not new to the hobby but ive never had this happen. simply looking for guidance.

Jay Hemdal · Jul 10, 2025

danerss said:
so do i give up and let the fish die? nobody is giving me a answer. i understand whats going on just need help figure out what to do to help the fish? what can i do? i’ve been in the hobby for 4 years now and have multiple tanks. i’m not new to the hobby but ive never had this happen. simply looking for guidance.

Sorry, but just like in human medicine, sometimes, there simply is no cure.

The fish may possibly build up enough gut pressure to dislodge the blockage and built up gas, but I’ve seen enough of these cases to not hold out hope for that.

There isn’t anything you can do for it other than to keep it calm under lower light levels.