Large blue hippo tang dying of old age??

Has anyone on here ever had a large tang that they thought died of old age and not some sort of disease or illness? If so, what were the symptoms you observed?

I have a large blue hippo tang that I estimate to be close to 10 years old based on its 10-12" size and known captivity history. The guy before me had it for 5-6 years and I've now had it for over 3 years.

About a week ago, she (I've always assumed it was a she) starting showing symptoms of decreased strength (swimming towards the bottom and kind of bumping into things). She started hiding 24/7 about 4 days ago and doesn't appear to be eating. Each night I use a flashlight to peek into the cave she's in and make sure she's still breathing. Based on her gill movement, her breathing appears to be shallow and abnormal. Her eyes are clear and she seems to be aware of her surroundings. She used to constantly explore my 265 and eat like a pig! This makes me really sad because she is a sight to behold and had a great curious personality. :-/

The reason I believe that it might be old age and not disease or illness is her size and age and because I have several other tangs that appear normal and still act normal. These fish have been together for about 4 years now and I have not added any new fish that could have introduced something. Water params have remained stable and feeding routine has not changed.

 

Here is a picture of her and my other tangs. This was taken right before she started hiding 24/7.

 

Let's see if this works...

 

Completely unrelated. But what size tank do you have? And how did you go about having a shark in a reef tank? This is be very cool to have!

 

It's 265 gallons (7 feet long and 30" wide). That's a banded cat shark that we hatched from an egg and have had for about 3 years now. He's about 14" long. For the most part, cat sharks just like to hang out on the bottom and don't swim as much as other sharks which makes them the most compatible with captivity. He has behaved for the most part... I don't mind having to pick up an occasional knocked over coral. He seems to like to push my clams around and loves to steal my tangs' algae strips! Here's a video of him doing just that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV6hpiZTeoQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

Thanks for the info. by the way your fish look amazing.

 

Thanks!

 

Regaurdless 10 yrs is a lot for fish... no? i mean some only last yr at best... maybe 5 but to 10? It has to be effecting him no doubt. I also dont know the natural life span of those in the wild which could give you their "Max" lifespan, but im sure someone on here would know.

 

I googled it, life expectancy is roughly around 20 years, according to a couple sources.

A member here had a 21 year old clown fish.

ParacBehFAQs

 

i wouldn't think 10 years is too old. However, that doesn't mean it couldn't have an ailment unrelated to your tank such as a failing heart or liver cancer. Humans die at 40 or younger all the time even though the life expectancy is much greater.