tang on its side ( did not survive the move)

[TonyNPS]

HI folks,
So i decided to purchase an established tank rather than starting from scratch.
A month ago I put a deposit on a 40 gallon tank and 20 gallon sump.
Beautiful tank ( in my opinion ).
the tank has been going for over 2 years without adding anything new.
so i thought awesome... i can just take over from here...
I saw some aptasia.. but that could be sorted out.

after a month of preparing I picked up the fish tonight ( the rest of the tank and corals tomorrow ) and put them in a brand new 20 gallon tank...
i wanted to be sure that if i had problems at least the fish would be ok for a few days.
i have seen the tank 4 times since i agreed to purchase.
the 2nd time i saw the tank the blue tang was scraping its bottom side on the rocks a few times.
same with the 3rd time i saw it.

Today the tang did not seem terribly happy before the move.
we placed all the fish and invertebrates in a 5 gallon big als pail and i drove straight home... 40 minutes.
tank temperature was 77degrees...went i got home temperature was 74.5.

i warmed up the new water and moved everyone into their new temporary home ....everyone seems OK except for "dory".
she was on her side at the bottom of the pail.
once in the tank it was on its side wedging itself against the corner ...or under the heater ( it was not on)
its only breathing thru its fins... mouth not opening....
i do not see any white spots or anything abnormal...
i dont have another tank to put the tang in for quarantine

thoughts?
i am thinking to do nothing and wait until the morning and see if a miracle happens.
perhaps she was not well to begin with and the moves stress pushed the poor thing over the edge

 

[I never finish anythi]

Could be aggression. 40gallon tank is not large enough for those two fish you got .

 

[TonyNPS]

I spoke to the local expert at my local fish store....
He says that blue tangs will behave like this when stressed...
whats funny is that when feeding he is completely normal.
We moved the tank 40 kilometer( approx 25 miles) so it makes sense that he would be stressed.
took two days to tear it apart and put it back together...
Knock on wood i have not lost anything in the move yet.

Doubt it is aggression as they were both tiny when the fellow that purchased them 2 years back.
and in my observation over the last month neither is chasing each other.

Yes I realize they will outgrow my tank... i will either upgrade or find a good home for them.

Thank you for your input

 

[davidcalgary29]

He says that blue tangs will behave like this when stressed...

They really do stress easily, and that's exacerbated by keeping them in a tank that's too small for them. That tank is, indeed, beautiful, but it contains very little aquascape, and consequently few places for it to hide while stressed.

The previous owner also gave you some really bad advice. I wouldn't buy fish with the thought that you can rehome them when they outgrow their tanks -- we don't do this with dogs or cats, and these fish have many of the same requirements for safe, stable environments in which they can live out their lives. And their lifespans can exceed those of common household pets!

 

[Tired]

Could be from aggression, but someone who gave advice that lousy probably didn't quarantine, so disease is definitely another concern.

Re-home the other tang as soon as possible, for its sake and for the sake of your other livestock. I'm assuming the blue has died and therefore doesn't need to be rehomed.

 

[vetteguy53081]

HI folks,
So i decided to purchase an established tank rather than starting from scratch.
A month ago I put a deposit on a 40 gallon tank and 20 gallon sump.
Beautiful tank ( in my opinion ).
the tank has been going for over 2 years without adding anything new.
so i thought awesome... i can just take over from here...
I saw some aptasia.. but that could be sorted out.

after a month of preparing I picked up the fish tonight ( the rest of the tank and corals tomorrow ) and put them in a brand new 20 gallon tank...
i wanted to be sure that if i had problems at least the fish would be ok for a few days.
i have seen the tank 4 times since i agreed to purchase.
the 2nd time i saw the tank the blue tang was scraping its bottom side on the rocks a few times.
same with the 3rd time i saw it.

Today the tang did not seem terribly happy before the move.
we placed all the fish and invertebrates in a 5 gallon big als pail and i drove straight home... 40 minutes.
tank temperature was 77degrees...went i got home temperature was 74.5.

i warmed up the new water and moved everyone into their new temporary home ....everyone seems OK except for "dory".
she was on her side at the bottom of the pail.
once in the tank it was on its side wedging itself against the corner ...or under the heater ( it was not on)
its only breathing thru its fins... mouth not opening....
i do not see any white spots or anything abnormal...
i dont have another tank to put the tang in for quarantine

thoughts?
i am thinking to do nothing and wait until the morning and see if a miracle happens.
perhaps she was not well to begin with and the moves stress pushed the poor thing over the edge

When stressed or scared, they play dead and in the ocean, when a diver is over them, picture a school of them playing dead. Keep light brightness low for next 48 hours to keep fish relaxed and observe tank from a distance until fish settles in. When feeding, step back and see if fish goes after food which it should