Tang issue help

mginster

Premium Member
i have a yellow and blue that have been fine for years. Both are now not eating and staying near the bottom of the tank. Nothing visibly wrong and they don't look like they fought. One is out and just barely hovering above the sand and the other is hiding in a rock.  Anything that affects tangs but no other fish? The others are fine and nothing has changed in months. 
 
Have you tested your tank for nitrates, nitrites and ammonia just to make sure water is good? Some fish tolerate these levels more than others. You might do a big water change just to be on the safe side.I know fish can get spooked easy and sometimes they dart into the rocks an injure themselves, but usually bounce back pretty quick.  How long has it been going on, just start today?I haven't heard of something that effects tangs and not others. Hopefully others will chime in with any experience in this.
 
First, do you have a QT tank that the tangs can be moved to?Well, since you said nothing is visible to you that should rule out crypto which is often referenced when talking about tangs..but you should be seeing some white spots.  I googled looking for diseases/parasites that Tangs are PRONE to...and from Bluezooaquatics I did read the following:"[There are several other protozoan infestations of which the marine aquarist should be aware. They are ]Amyloodinium ocellatum[(sometimes called marine velvet disease) and two additional ciliate protozoans, ]Brooklynella hostiles[ (sometimes called anemonefish disease) and ]Uronema marinum[ (often called uronema). All three of these can affect tangs, and all can be devastating to your system if not treated quickly. All three infestations present in roughly the same way (skin damage, rapid breathing, rubbing on rocks and substrate, and extreme lethargy) and are the results of very similar parasitic organisms with almost identical life cycles."]It was the 'lethargy' part that caught my eye.  I hope someone more knowledgeable and experienced than me will respond.  Here is the link to the article I was reading (um..hope it's ok to post things like that..I don't know all the rules yet) https://www.bluezooaquatics.com/resources.asp?show=378 
 
I've heard that tangs are easily stressed and one of the reasons they are susceptible to ich and velvet.   The one I had was skittish and died after I did a big clean on my tank. This just my observation and should be taken with a grain of salt so to speak.
 
Thank you for your responses, unfortunately, he died a few days after. I never saw any physical signs of disease or damage.  The blue tang hiding in the rock she was in showed something odd, she is Always hiding in one spot that is hers and this was new.  She is perfectly fine and out and about back to her normal spot now.  I assume old age (estimate at 6+) or a fight that stressed him.
 
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