Tang Mortality

[rwyatt4424]

I have a 75 gallon reef that’s around a year old. I have several wrasses a Flame Back Angel and a few gobies that are all doing well but I can’t seem to keep any tangs, Fox faces or rabbitfish alive. I’ve tried multiple different kinds and they all do well at the beginning. Eat well and are active then one day I’ll find one stuck to a powerhead. Does anyone know of a reason why tangs would be so hard to keep?

 

[bluemon]

probably diseases such as ich. The fish that you do have right now are a bit less susceptible to ich than Tangs.

Which tangs have you tried? Any tangs that are not bristletooth tangs would be too big for the tank. Same with rabbitfish. Maybe the stress of having not enough swimming spaces compounded the issue. Did you also feed them nori? All the fish you listed are algae eaters and thrive with nori provided.

 

[littlefoxx]

I have a 75 gallon reef that’s around a year old. I have several wrasses a Flame Back Angel and a few gobies that are all doing well but I can’t seem to keep any tangs, Fox faces or rabbitfish alive. I’ve tried multiple different kinds and they all do well at the beginning. Eat well and are active then one day I’ll find one stuck to a powerhead. Does anyone know of a reason why tangs would be so hard to keep?

My guess is stress, tank is small for a tang. They stress the heck out in small tanks and get sick with ich and stuff from my experience. Best success Ive had with tangs are in my 300 gallon tank

 

[rwyatt4424]

probably diseases such as ich. The fish that you do have right now are a bit less susceptible to ich than Tangs.

Which tangs have you tried? Any tangs that are not bristletooth tangs would be too big for the tank. Same with rabbitfish. Maybe the stress of having not enough swimming spaces compounded the issue. Did you also feed them nori? All the fish you listed are algae eaters and thrive with nori provided.

Thanks for the reply. Every one that I've put in has been very small including white tail brisletooth,Flame fin tang and blue eyed Kole. I'm running a uv so I'm sure about ich. I've not seen an signs of ich

 

[Catawba_Valley_Reef]

Are you getting all of these fish from the same vendor?

Are they already skinny when you get them?

Do they get skinnier in your care?

Are you feeding nori? Daily?

How many have you tried and which types?

Is the 75g a 4 ft tank?

 

[rwyatt4424]

My guess is stress, tank is small for a tang. They stress the heck out in small tanks and get sick with ich and stuff from my experience. Best success Ive had with tangs are in my 300 gallon tank

I've always tried small ones and only 1at a time. No competition or aggression to deal with.

 

[rwyatt4424]

Are you getting all of these fish from the same vendor?

Are they already skinny when you get them?

Do they get skinnier in your care?

Are you feeding nori? Daily?

How many have you tried and which types?

Is the 75g a 4 ft tank?

Various vendors including my lfs
All seem to be healthy and eating aggressively right up until death.
Have tried nori with limited interest
Yes it is 4ft

 

[Catawba_Valley_Reef]

I think you should be able to keep a Tomini or small tang in a 4 ft for a while.

I don’t necessarily think it’s the tank size that’s killing them…stressing them out, etc.

In my experience it’s pretty normal for them not to be super interested in nori at first…especially on a clip. You could try rubber banding it to a rock to get them going.

If they are getting skinnier and dying then I would suspect internal worms or parasites.

Tangs have a thin slime coat and are definitely more susceptible to ich/velvet…but you should be seeing signs if they have that.

Is there good flow and surface agitation in the tank? Are you running a skimmer? Tangs in general like/are used to higher flow and need higher oxygen levels.

What about trying a captive bred option? You could get a Biota Yellow Tang and grow it out in that size tank for quite a while.

 

[rwyatt4424]

Just for reference I’m not inexperienced. I’ve had this 180 for many years

 

[Catawba_Valley_Reef]

Lol, nobody accused you of being inexperienced.

You asked a question and we are trying to get all of the details to help figure out your issue.

I’m not inexperienced either as I’ve been doing this for 20 years plus some experience working in an LFS.

Moving on.

 

[rwyatt4424]

Lol, nobody accused you of being inexperienced.

You asked a question and we are trying to get all of the details to help figure out your issue.

I’m not inexperienced either as I’ve been doing this for 20 years plus some experience working in an LFS.

Moving on.

I said just for reference. Just supplying some back ground on myself.

 

[W31Olds]

RW, how long do they usually last in your 75 before they suddenly die? Do you notice high respiration rate in your DT? Do they look injured?

 

[rwyatt4424]

RW, how long do they usually last in your 75 before they suddenly die? Do you notice high respiration rate in your DT? Do they look injured?

Anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks. I haven't noticed any respiration issues or injuries. Since I've had so many perish, I've gotten into the habit of watching them very closely. The rabbitfish that died today was active and feeding aggressively yesterday but when the lights came on today it was stuck to a powerhead.

 

[W31Olds]

Does that 2 to 6 weeks include QT or are they going right in your DT?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a 75 gallon reef that’s around a year old. I have several wrasses a Flame Back Angel and a few gobies that are all doing well but I can’t seem to keep any tangs, Fox faces or rabbitfish alive. I’ve tried multiple different kinds and they all do well at the beginning. Eat well and are active then one day I’ll find one stuck to a powerhead. Does anyone know of a reason why tangs would be so hard to keep?

Start with the source you are buying from. I have 27 of them and main reason is long lifespans as mine range from several months to 8 years in age

 

[NCsalt]

Dwarf angel could be smoking them at night. I have had two different small fish that would kill at night including baby tang victims.

 

[GoodGreef15]

Try soaking mysis in garlic. Feed like that foor a few days. Soak nori in garlic and see if there is any interest. Got my 2 spot to eat nori that way