Blue Tang Loss

Well, I picked up a baby blue tang (approx 2 inches in size) on monday and this morning on my way out the door to work I found him in the back of the tank being eaten by my arrow crab. However, I dont believe the crab was the culprit that killed the fish. I have 1 medium cleaner shrimp, 2 small pepermint shrimp, 1 medium arrow crab, 2 true percula, 1 six lined wrasse, about 10 burgundy hermits, 10 nassarius snails, and 7 margarita snails. I am going to test the water conditions again tonight, but when I checked them last (monday) my nitrate was about 20, ammonia and nitrite were 0. Salinity is 1.024 and my temps were 81. I know its probably really hard to diagnose a loss like this, but hopefully someone has some ideas. I had been reading my temp gauge incorrectly and adjusted my heater last night to bring the tank temps down to shoot for temps around 76-78. I would really like to get another blue tang, but don't want to lose another one. Did I somewhat set my self up for failure getting such a small one?

Thanks in advance for any help,
Mike

 

sorry to hear Mike,
It is possible you did everything right and the fish was just too stressed from the move.
I don't think any of your other tank inhabitants harmed it.

Was it eating for you?
How long had it been @ the LFS before you bought it?

J

 

Thanks for the response Jason. I didn't ask how long it was at the LFS, I will have to remember that next time before buying. We did see the fish eating the seaweed off the clip in my tank, and about 2 inches of it was missing which he was the only fish that seemed interested in that food. He would be out and swimming around during the day and at night found a hole in a rock that he would sleep in. Stress from the move to the new tank could have finally done the fish in 3 days later? Poor fish..I feel soo bad...he was soo cute

 

A Lot of the time it's the stress from the trip from a capture site. Basically the airplane ride I have lost fish before by purchaseing them too soon after they arrived at the LFS or at least that is what I narrowed it down to.

What other fish do you have in the tank and how big is it?

J

 

I think they probably arrived at my LFS pretty recently before I bought it. It looked like it was doing well in my tank other than when I first put him in the true perculas were picking on him a little. My tank is a 46gal with 15gal sump/refugium. My tank inhabitants are as follows: 1 medium cleaner shrimp, 2 small pepermint shrimp, 1 medium arrow crab, 2 true percula, 1 six lined wrasse, about 10 burgundy hermits, 10 nassarius snails, and 7 margarita snails.

 

Karma For Your Loss boostenmkiv Regal Tangs Can be kind of sensitive. How long has your tank been set up?

 

Thanks fletch The tank has been up for about a month. Tested levels again today and nitrate is around 10, ammonia 0, ph 8.2, salinity 1.023. I guess the fish was probably just too stressed from the move to america then again from the LFS to my house..is it normal that it would have lived "normally" for 2-3 days in my tank before stress of the move did him in?

Thanks again to everyone for your help,
Mike

 

Yes I would say 2 to 3 days would be pretty normal. If it was stressed it would not be eating like it should and that would weaken the fish even further and add to the stress.
I would wait until your tank has stabilized a little longer before getting another Regal Tang. JMO
Also Regal Tangs diets are a little different from some other Tangs as algae is not there primary diet, They like mysis shrimp, brine shrimp and so on.

 

Well that sucks...I thought after seeing him swim around seemingly happy, and also eating the formula 2 as well as seaweed that he must have been doing pretty well and pretty happy with his new home. I will have to get some mysis and brine on hand when I get my new one. Live I take it? Which reminds me, there was a live shrimp in its bag on the way home that it ate.

When you say stabilized, what do you really mean by that? The tank has quite a bit of purple corraline growth on the LR, TONS of pods which im sure the fuge has helped progress. I also have added a few select items from my old (4+ yr) tank..like mini brittle stars, some tiny bristle worms etc. The salinity, nitrate, ammonia and nitrite have been pretty solid for quite some time now..my only problem that I can't seem to "control" is my temps (which I am about to post a new topic about).

Thanks again for your help fletch! et. all

 

I just meant that a tank that hasn't been set up for a month yet ( in my opinion ) is still relevantly new and may be prone to larger fluctuations in Ammonia, Nitrite,Nitrate, PH est.. than a tank that has been running for 6 months or more. JMO
My Regale Tang loves frozen Mysis, I also feed him Ground up Table Shrimp with a little garlic added ( Yum Shrimp Scampi ) He was never too interested in the dried algae sheets until after I got my Achilles Tang, Now he loves it also.