Kole Tang on it's last legs

My Yellow Eyed Kole Tang that I got a couple months ago is probably about to die. He never really got very fat, even though he always ate like a pig. He slowly became more and more emaciated, especially in the last couple weeks. A few days ago he contracted ich, a sure sign of stress because none of my other fish have it, and they are all very healthy. Now, I can see his whole bone structure and it is sticking out hes so thin. Today hes been hiding in a corner all day, and he didn't take any food, even full of garlic. I don't think he'll make it much longer.

I think it may have to do with an intestinal parasite. That would make sense if he kept eating and eating with no gain of mass. I'll keep you posted.

LCP

 

I've never had good luck with these fish. I'm sure there is something about their diet that is still unknown. Sorry for your loss.

 

They are detritavors, and for an animal who's diet is mostly detritus I don't think an aquarium can quite provide whats needed. I probably should have waited for this guy until my tank was very mature.

 

What do you feed him?

 

He had the same diet as the rest of my fish. I fed him a rotation of 5 things. Spirulina Brine, Omega1 Flake, Formula 2, Mysids, and Cyclop-Eeze. He got veggies every day as a tang should. My Yellow Tang is thriving, so I don't think that I fed the wrong things for a tang. This guy also constantly grazed on my microalgae and detritus build up.

 

Well, that's not the answer then. Boy o boy....Yeah, my yellow had done quite well for months but in the last two has gone downhill like your Kole has. Who knows on this one. Sorry dude. Watching a fish go down slow is a hard thing to deal with.

The internal parasite idea you had is my only guess as well. I would treat as such if there is any treatment. Maybe that is the problem with my tang.

 

I don't know what kind of treatments there are for this guy. The other problem is that hes hiding in the rocks and I don't know if hes ever going to come out. He seems too far gone to really help. Thanks and sorry about your YT.

 

Don't know if this helps; Characteristics & Compatibility:
Even though the Kole Tang is one of the less aggressive Surgeonfishes, it will battle with its own kind, and possibly with close relatives. Because it is less aggressive it may also be picked on by other, more aggressive Surgeonfishes. For this reason it is best kept singly, one per tank, but it does make a good choice when it comes to compatibility with other more docile, non-related species. To reduce compatibility problems it generally helps to introduce them into the aquarium at the same time. Like all Surgeonfishes, the Kole has a very sharp spur or razor by the tail, so use caution when handling this fish.
Diet & Feeding:
The Kole Tang spends it day constantly grazing and eating, so providing it with an environment with plenty of algae growth is best. However, beware not to put one in a small reef tank, as it can do a lot of damage if you have delicate plants and algae growth that you want to keep. In a very large reef tank the plant growth can recover, as the Kole has so much to pick from. The Kole Tang adapts to tank fed foods very well. It likes nori (dried seaweed), flake foods made from dried marine algaes, and will even nibble on some meaty foods like dried shrimp and blood worms.
Minimum Tank Size:
55 gallon.

 

I've got a Cole, and he's thriving. I've had him for about 6 months. It's my 2nd one. The first died in a few days.
Good luck.

 

Hes looking worse and worse. I cant imagine he will be here by morning. I feel terrible not being able to do anything for him.