Help Rapid Death Blonde Naso Tang with Pic

[AcroAcres]

Another attempt at keeping a Blonde Naso Tang and another let down. This guy was at my local fish store for 2-3 weeks and was eatting at the store. His belly wasn't pinched, and seemed healthy over all. In some past attempts my other tangs would stress the Naso's which I assumed contributed to their deaths. So this time all the other tangs went on vacation in the sump when the naso was put in the dt. The first 2 days were good, the fish was eatting some not as much as I liked but figured he was settling in, then today when I got home I noticed he was breathing a little heavy so I watched him. He went from picking at alge on rocks to dead in 1 hour and 30 mins, symptoms went from heavy breathing, to gasping, to gasping at surface, to laying against rocks, to on his side convulsing, then dead. I noticed the white spot pictured went from pea sized when I noticed it to that at death. No other signs of damage/infections. The only tangs I have ever lost in this tank are nasos. I ve had sailfins, chocolates, yellows, scopus, and a purple tang with no issues. Currently all i have is the purple and chocolate tang. A common theme is the nasos seem not to eat well when put in the DT. They will pick at a little food but not enough. I can feed the exact food they ate in the fish store and they dont seem interested. What ever bacteria or infection is happening only takes out the nasos. Some last a month, some a couple weeks, this one died the fastest. The longest lasted 6 months. But they all go from seeming fine to dead over night or very quickly. This is my favorite kind of tang so any help is appreciated.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Another attempt at keeping a Blonde Naso Tang and another let down. This guy was at my local fish store for 2-3 weeks and was eatting at the store. His belly wasn't pinched, and seemed healthy over all. In some past attempts my other tangs would stress the Naso's which I assumed contributed to their deaths. So this time all the other tangs went on vacation in the sump when the naso was put in the dt. The first 2 days were good, the fish was eatting some not as much as I liked but figured he was settling in, then today when I got home I noticed he was breathing a little heavy so I watched him. He went from picking at alge on rocks to dead in 1 hour and 30 mins, symptoms went from heavy breathing, to gasping, to gasping at surface, to laying against rocks, to on his side convulsing, then dead. I noticed the white spot pictured went from pea sized when I noticed it to that at death. No other signs of damage/infections. The only tangs I have ever lost in this tank are nasos. I ve had sailfins, chocolates, yellows, scopus, and a purple tang with no issues. Currently all i have is the purple and chocolate tang. A common theme is the nasos seem not to eat well when put in the DT. They will pick at a little food but not enough. I can feed the exact food they ate in the fish store and they dont seem interested. What ever bacteria or infection is happening only takes out the nasos. Some last a month, some a couple weeks, this one died the fastest. The longest lasted 6 months. But they all go from seeming fine to dead over night or very quickly. This is my favorite kind of tang so any help is appreciated.

I have once again noticed a trend both in US and overseas with sudden death in tangs where they seem fine and suddenly stop eating and/or shut down and are listless in a corner. I also know most are coming from Sri Lanka and I suspect methods of capture is part of this.
It saddens me to this this fish and about 30 others over the last 4 months in this state. These guys do startle easy and have been known to crash into glass and objects but there is more of a trend than accidental cause it seems.

@Jay Hemdal = any idea on Sri Lanka capture methods?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Sorry about the naso. We’ve been seeing a disproportionate amount of blonde nasos coming in but the suddenly dying. Larger ones are worse in this regard. I don’t know if it is cyanide collection on problems with long supply chain. I think we hear about it more because now that Hawaii is closed, those nasos aren’t available, so more people are buying Asian ones like this.
Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I have once again noticed a trend both in US and overseas with sudden death in tangs where they seem fine and suddenly stop eating and/or shut down and are listless in a corner. I also know most are coming from Sri Lanka and I suspect methods of capture is part of this.
It saddens me to this this fish and about 30 others over the last 4 months in this state. These guys do startle easy and have been known to crash into glass and objects but there is more of a trend than accidental cause it seems.

@Jay Hemdal = any idea on Sri Lanka capture methods?

Sri Lanka used to be nets only, but a lot of blonde naso come from Indonesia, and that is a cyanide area for sure.
Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Sorry about the naso. We’ve been seeing a disproportionate amount of blonde nasos coming in but the suddenly dying. Larger ones are worse in this regard. I don’t know if it is cyanide collection on problems with long supply chain. I think we hear about it more because now that Hawaii is closed, those nasos aren’t available, so more people are buying Asian ones like this.
Jay

Im suspecting cyanide myself- the behaviors are similar with all the ones falling down.

 

[AcroAcres]

Thanks for the input. Could there be some bacteria or something living in this tank or in the other tangs that would cause similar symptoms. I m asking cause I ve had this tank 2 years and have been trying blonde nasos on and off the whole 2 years. I ve tried small ones to big guys all seem to meet the same fate.

 

[pasquale petrovia]

Try him in quarantine tank for 30-45 days. That will tell the tale

 

[AcroAcres]

Try him in quarantine tank for 30-45 days. That will tell the tale

Yes I ve thought of this too my only concern is how will a 4-5 inch tang (typical size I find in my area) do in a 10 or 20 gallon tank for that long. Plus I couldn't use any bio media from this tank as not to contaminate anything.

 

[AcroAcres]

I have once again noticed a trend both in US and overseas with sudden death in tangs where they seem fine and suddenly stop eating and/or shut down and are listless in a corner. I also know most are coming from Sri Lanka and I suspect methods of capture is part of this.
It saddens me to this this fish and about 30 others over the last 4 months in this state. These guys do startle easy and have been known to crash into glass and objects but there is more of a trend than accidental cause it seems.

@Jay Hemdal = any idea on Sri Lanka capture methods?

I do have a acclimation box in the tank made out of plex glass so sharp corners. If he did dart into the corner hard enough would that cause that white spot and maybe some internal damage or bleeding that would kill him that fast.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I do have a acclimation box in the tank made out of plex glass so sharp corners. If he did dart into the corner hard enough would that cause that white spot and maybe some internal damage or bleeding that would kill him that fast.

Not necessarily, but for sure- shock. At time brushing or injury but this is just a possibility. Most of these tangs are coming from Sri Lanka and coming down with sudden death

 

[Ocean_View]

Well i dont feel bad i have tried and lost 4 over the last 7 months. i have given up on the naso. It was my drean tang for my 300 My purple, yellow mimic and salfin are doing fine. Just keep losing the naso. Longest i had one last was 3 weeks. And all of them gone same from doing great and eating and swmining fine to just drop dead one day.

 

[AcroAcres]

Well i dont feel bad i have tried and lost 4 over the last 7 months. i have given up on the naso. It was my drean tang for my 300 My purple, yellow mimic and salfin are doing fine. Just keep losing the naso. Longest i had one last was 3 weeks. And all of them gone same from doing great and eating and swmining fine to just drop dead one day.

I read and hear alot that nasos are easy and mine has been alive for 12 years. Its always 12 years too not 10 or 15, 12 years, so I know the pain.

 

[69cam]

This same thing is happening to my Blonde Naso I got a week ago.
Eating and acting normal at the store for 2 weeks, now in quarantine and heading south fast after eating well for the first couple of days....

 

[Reeflix]

maybe they are using cyanide in Sri Lanka now to catch the naso tangs? this is very sad and cyanide should not ever be used!! most fish die when caught with cyanide so there really is'nt much point in using it! very annoying

 

[Rawsreef]

very sorry to hear this. If you do try again, make sure to try to get them to eat in your DT, ASAP. Not sure if you said yours was, but I feel like that is extremely important to them feeling less "stressed" and being able to last the transition.

 

[jda]

Hawaii is supposedly heading to getting permits again soon. I would wait and see how that turns out.

 

[Ocean_View]

maybe they are using cyanide in Sri Lanka now to catch the naso tangs? this is very sad and cyanide should not ever be used!! most fish die when caught with cyanide so there really is'nt much point in using it! very annoying

Its sad if thats whats happning in the end they are killing fish just for the hell of it. And thats what give the hobby a bad rap.

 

[Reeflix]

Exactly! they just die anyways

 

[pasquale petrovia]

I have had one now about 5" for about 4 weeks. He was a bear to get to eat anything except off the rocks. I give him red algae soaked in Vita chem, but that is all he will eat. He passes up brine shrimp even. He has a small white patch on his side like the one in the picture that hasn't changed since I got him. I will keep everyone posted.

 

[blecki]

I had the identical experience with a sailfin last week, white spot appeared on the belly - and fish was dead within 24 hours. The sad truth of cyanide fishing is that because the fish appears fine for a month after catching, by time it dies the supplier, the importer, and the LFS all have our money.