Need help, new yellow tang laying on its side, doesn’t look too good

[Stevenpandas]

Hi everyone, I recently obtain a yellow tang and it has been laying on its side most of the time at the bottom of the tank. I acclimated it to my 60gallon tank while my 90 gallon tank was being set up. On the first day, it ate mysis and nori. Show stressed signs, swam droopy, and hid. I had to drain my tank to move it for the new tank and placed it back in the 60. Definitely got more stressed from that, but now it would go to the nori clip and swim away and lay down in the cave. I felt like it was getting too stressed in the 60 and decided to move it into the 90 gallon. It laid on the sand bed in the back corner for the whole night and morning. When I came back from work, it has moved to the other side of the tank corner and is still laying down on the sand bed.I’m not sure what to do, it’s not eating. I tried soaking nori in reef nutrition and garlic. I’m in the mist of building more rock work so it can have more hiding places but I’m waiting on glue. I try nudging it and it stiffen up but wouldn’t swim. It’s super skinny and I believe it has swim bladder issues due to being so skinny. What can I do? It’s in with a small tomini tang, thinking it would do better with another fish. Please help. Photo attach is on the second or third day when he was in the 60 gallon and not eating.
I don’t know if it’s internal parasites or something, I got general cure and maracyn two for meds.

 

[hds4216]

Moving it that much was probably not helpful. You should try to provide as stable an environment as possible. My royal gramma, when I first moved it to QT, laid on the bottom of the tank for about 2-3 days. It made a full recovery.

It's possible it has a disease or parasite, but there's no way to really know. It may have also come in sick and weak. I would just try to leave it alone, make sure food is available periodically, and watch it very closely for signs of disease.

 

[Stevenpandas]

Moving it that much was probably not helpful. You should try to provide as stable an environment as possible. My royal gramma, when I first moved it to QT, laid on the bottom of the tank for about 2-3 days. It made a full recovery.

It's possible it has a disease or parasite, but there's no way to really know. It may have also come in sick and weak. I would just try to leave it alone, make sure food is available periodically, and watch it very closely for signs of disease

Yeah I know I moved him quite a bit too much. I didn’t have much of a choice because the tank came in right when I got him. Timing was messed up. I do have nori in the tank clipped on. He hasn’t moved from the bottom of the sand bed ever since this morning. I hope he pulls through but he is super skinny and can barely swim

 

[DaddyFish]

Do you have a QT/Hospital tank available?

 

[Stevenpandas]

Do you have a QT/Hospital tank available?

Yes I do, i have a 20 gallon long ready for fill and a hang on the back filter. I just don’t have general cure at the moment, but will hopefully be getting it by tomorrow or Monday. I’m really hoping it’s internal parasites because he’s so skinny he can barely swim, he just sinks.

 

[DaddyFish]

Yes I do, i have a 20 gallon long ready for fill and a hang on the back filter. I just don’t have general cure at the moment, but will hopefully be getting it by tomorrow or Monday. I’m really hoping it’s internal parasites because he’s so skinny he can barely swim, he just sinks.

No external signs of parasites, no spots, discoloration? How's respiration?

 

[Stevenpandas]

No external signs of parasites, no spots, discoloration? How's respiration?

No external signs of parasites. coloration that looks like HLLE. I thought it was stress coloration as it did have a small white patch discoloration on the second day but it went away. my tomini tang had the same thing when it was new. I think it’s internal parasites because the Stomach sunken in, I can see bones/ ribs and it’s spine, and can barely get itself upright, swim bladder issues. Breathing seems to be regular, maybe slightly fast.

 

[DaddyFish]

Your photo did not attach. Sunken stomach certainly indicates possible internal parasites.
API General Cure has both meds for parasites. I'd dose that immediately.

From HumbleFish...

2. Internal parasites/flagellates
Symptoms: White stringy feces, pinched stomach, fish has faded coloration, fish eats voraciously but still seems to be losing weight. Flagellates are more virulent than worms, and thus can kill faster.
Treatment of choice: Metronidazole

Internal parasites vs. intestinal worms – Since these can be difficult to distinguish due to near identical symptoms, it is best to always treat with praziquantel + metronidazole so both pathogens are covered. You can combine different medications (e.g. Prazipro + Seachem Metroplex), or API General Cure contains both.

 

[Stevenpandas]

Your photo did not attach. Sunken stomach certainly indicates possible internal parasites.
API General Cure has both meds for parasites. I'd dose that immediately.

From HumbleFish...

2. Internal parasites/flagellates
Symptoms: White stringy feces, pinched stomach, fish has faded coloration, fish eats voraciously but still seems to be losing weight. Flagellates are more virulent than worms, and thus can kill faster.
Treatment of choice: Metronidazole

Internal parasites vs. intestinal worms – Since these can be difficult to distinguish due to near identical symptoms, it is best to always treat with praziquantel + metronidazole so both pathogens are covered. You can combine different medications (e.g. Prazipro + Seachem Metroplex), or API General Cure contains both.

Here is the photo on the third day I think. Yes I’m going to get him set up in a qt tank once I get my meds

 

[hds4216]

Here is the photo on the third day I think. Yes I’m going to get him set up in a qt tank once I get my me

As you said, that fish is clearly extremely malnourished. Frankly, unless you've had this fish a while, the seller sold you an unhealthy fish and you should probably make a complaint.

 

[Stevenpandas]

As you said, that fish is clearly extremely malnourished. Frankly, unless you've had this fish a while, the seller sold you an unhealthy fish and you should probably make a complaint.

The seller was a person I know. He said the tang was the boss of his tank. I’m going to qt him once I have my medicine. I hope the medicine will help give him a boost and get his appetite back

 

[crnozemski]

Prazipro is reef safe, I wouldn't risk moving him again to QT. Try to get him eating before you dose though because it can suppress appetite. Good luck bro

 

[Stevenpandas]

Unfortunately it passed away

 

[katiestl]

My YT is also lying on its side heavy breathing. But I’ve been treating copper for either ich or velvet. I’m so sorry. Heartbreaking when you lose fish. We all love them so much.

 

[Lovefish77]

I think I am having the same with my yellow tang. It was eating and perfectly fine till yesterday. Then this morning, then it started swimming vertically. Now on its side and breathing heavy!!!
Dont think it will make it. I dont want to stress it by moving t ok another tank. Had this guy from 2014, bought from live aquaria since it was a baby

 

[jmichaelh7]

Wow the yellow tang looked really bad I haven’t seen one like that yet.

Sorry for the loss. Hopefully you paid $0 for the way the fish looked

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I think I am having the same with my yellow tang. It was eating and perfectly fine till yesterday. Then this morning, then it started swimming vertically. Now on its side and breathing heavy!!!
Dont think it will make it. I dont want to stress it by moving t ok another tank. Had this guy from 2014, bought from live aquaria since it was a baby

Hi, your fish looks well nourished, not like the original one in this post.
Do you have other fish in with it, do you see any symptoms with them?
Is the tang breathing fast?
Jay

 

[Lovefish77]

Hi, your fish looks well nourished, not like the original one in this post.
Do you have other fish in with it, do you see any symptoms with them?
Is the tang breathing fast?
Jay

Yes the tang is breathing fast. There are 2 other tangs and they are doing perfectly fine. No idea what is going on, I feed them a lot. And the yellow tang does not have a single speck or mark or infirmity on its body. Very strange!!!!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Yes the tang is breathing fast. There are 2 other tangs and they are doing perfectly fine. No idea what is going on, I feed them a lot. And the yellow tang does not have a single speck or mark or infirmity on its body. Very strange!!!!

Yes, strange. Obviously a very serious issue, but without some other symptoms, there isn’t really anything to go on. Like - if you come across a person collapsed in the road - could be a number of issues.
Jay

 

[Uncle99]

I think I am having the same with my yellow tang. It was eating and perfectly fine till yesterday. Then this morning, then it started swimming vertically. Now on its side and breathing heavy!!!
Dont think it will make it. I dont want to stress it by moving t ok another tank. Had this guy from 2014, bought from live aquaria since it was a baby

That’s about 7 years in captivity, not bad, maybe “old age”, I believe the average is 5-10 years in captivity.