please help my tang

[dnafishin]

i had this tang for over a year . hes my favorite always following me watching my every move like a stocker {ha} well i notice the other day hes in the dark color mode. well i thought sence i just turned the lights on hes always like that . well now i notice hes dark like he got burnt.colors missing on his skin and fins. please help i dont know whats wrong or what do i do. thanks.

 

[jaytizzle]

Wow... I haven't the slightest clue what that is. Doesn't appear to be anything common like ich. What size tank is he in?

 

[dnafishin]

hes in a 20gal. he has plenty of room to swim. hes been healthy i have 3 clowns and him. they all get along.

 

[110reef]

What are your water parameters?

Also, a vlamangi tang gets really, really big, and needs a lot of room. I am not a member of the tang police by any means, but a 20 gallon is way too small for that tang, which may also be part of its problem.

That being said, it looks like he is in his "stressed" colors to me. The top 2 pics look normal, the bottom two look like he's stressed (maybe by that big hand all around him? ) Is he missing any scales/flesh or is his coloration just wierd? Tangs in the naso family often can change to a blotchy coloration at night and when upset, which is what it looks like to me.

 

[jaytizzle]

Ok... I'm not trying to sound like the tang police here. That fish cannot be housed long term in a 20 gallon tank. Odds are that your fish is not going to live and here is why. The myth out there is that fish only grow to the size of their environment. This is completely false but it may be viewed, at best, as a partial truth for some fish.


What you have there, and correct me if I am wrong, is a Naso brevirostris. They grow to a wild size in excess of 20 inches.

Tangs, as far as I understand, will grow to the size of their environment. That only applies to the outward appearance of the fish. Their internal organs, however, continue to grow. This essentially results in a slow, painful death. The fish appears to be perfectly healthy to the aquarist and then all of a sudden takes a turn for the worse.

I cannot guarantee this is what is happening in your case. Odds are, though, that the fish is terribly stressed because that tank isn't nearly big enough. The stalking behavior that you described is because he just didn't have enough room in that tank. I am surprised that you have been able to keep him alive this long in a tank that size.

 

[dnafishin]

well i understand that. but hes like 2 and half inches. and he has plenty of room so swim and hide. i wonder if i do a water change maybe he'll get better.
ive had him for atleast a year and hes never been like this. hes missing scales and color. thanks for not aresting me by the way. lol thanks for the help an info.

 

[XCrunnr36]

yeah i gotta say +1 on the tank size... why he would get the scared colors randomly after a year is a little odd... maybe 2 of the clowns paired up and are getting territorial? any signs of that?

 

[dnafishin]

no. no signs at all. nobuddy picks on him . infact they like to stay in schools with each other.

 

[jaytizzle]

I would bet that he hasn't grown a whole lot in the last year, either? That is completely due to what I mentioned in my post. Unfortunately this fish isn't likely to get better. I would honestly euthanize him in a humane manner. I hate doing this myself and I hate to recommend it to anyone else even more. He doesn't have plenty of room to swim and hide. he doesn't have any quality of life. The time span in that tank has taken its toll on his body and his life is (most likely) coming to an end. I know that sounds harsh but it is the honest truth.

 

[110reef]

Is the blotchiness on both side of the fish?

Is it possible that he got involved in a rockslide or something that could have caused him trauma? It doesn't look like a disease to me, either its the stressed/nighttime colors, or a trauma caused problem. Have the clowns been picking on it? They can be very mean and territorial too.

 

[XCrunnr36]

I would bet that he hasn't grown a whole lot in the last year, either? That is completely due to what I mentioned in my post. Unfortunately this fish isn't likely to get better. I would honestly euthanize him in a humane manner. I hate doing this myself and I hate to recommend it to anyone else even more. He doesn't have plenty of room to swim and hide. he doesn't have any quality of life. The time span in that tank has taken its toll on his body and his life is (most likely) coming to an end. I know that sounds harsh but it is the honest truth.

now while i totally agree with your theory about the growth... i think a better choice would be to try and send it to a larger home and see what happens... just my opinion though

 

[dnafishin]

thanks i understand. and now im starting to agree. its just crazy and wierd. i swear i just got him 8 months ago. no theres wasnt and rock slide or anything. he swims with the clowns like there in school. no picking or any bullying. its on both sides.

 

[dnafishin]

sorry guys. hes passed away . thanks for your help and everything

 

[Aqua Amie]

Just curious...did you have plans to upgrade to a larger system, or were you not planning on keeping him long in the 20g....please know I'm not being rude in any way....just saying if the LFS sold you this Vlamingi knowing he was going into a 20g...well, shame on them...if you bought him and are housing him while he is smaller while you are working on your 250g upgrade or something..that is different. I know you care about your fish, or else you wouldn't have started this thread so please know the advice given is only in the best interest of your little guy. He certainly needs to be placed into a substantially larger tank immediately. He may color back up and recover, but like most others here, I would bet the issue you are seeing is due, one way or the other, to his living arrangements. It MAY not be to late, but I certainly wouldn't put it off anymore...

Not Tang Police either...
I think we need a smilie holding a sign that says "Not Tang Police" LOL

 

[Reef lvr]

Sorry to hear that. I had the same tang,started out in a 20g too. He outgrew it in three or four months,then moved to 60g then 125 and when he hit that 125 good lord did he grow like crazy!!! Unless you have a huge tank i would'nt reccommend that tang again. The tang is now located at pacific east aquaculture dr mac's in the greenhouse very happy in his huge tank,he probly 12''+. Hope you have better luck next time around.

 

[110reef]

sorry guys. hes passed away . thanks for your help and everything

sorry to hear that.

 

[Aqua Amie]

Very sorry to hear!

 

[EMTDIVER16]

Sorry to hear that. I had the same tang,started out in a 20g too. He outgrew it in three or four months,then moved to 60g then 125 and when he hit that 125 good lord did he grow like crazy!!! Unless you have a huge tank i would'nt reccommend that tang again. The tang is now located at pacific east aquaculture dr mac's in the greenhouse very happy in his huge tank,he probly 12''+. Hope you have better luck next time around.

Thats great! I seen your tang on monday and it is looking good. I stopped on my way back from OC and bought a few things. Very nice store, it was the first time I had been there!