Stressed tang?....video

[zenn]

I was hoping steve or someone could tell me if this tang is stressed or what? I've attached a video of him in action. He does a verticle motion at the end of each swim across the tank....what's wrong...is this normal...what needs to be done to help him?

http://www.alanmorehead.com/fish/crazy_tang.html

 

[ronj]

i can't get the link to work....how big is your tank??? what kind of tang is it??? what are your water parameters???

 

[zenn]

i can't get the link to work....how big is your tank??? what kind of tang is it??? what are your water parameters???

I'll be honest, I don't know. It's a friends tank and I'm just trying to help. You have to have the newest flash player for it to work(i think version 9).

THe tank is a 54g corner. It's a yellow tang.

 

[zenn]

i can't get the link to work....how big is your tank??? what kind of tang is it??? what are your water parameters???

I would also like to add, that I have a yellow tang i my 75g. It has always been very healthy for the year i've owned it. Recently, i had a cuke nuke and the tang seemed to be the only one affected. Ever since the cuke nuke, my YT has had similar behavior to the tang in this picture. In escence, he's more figity, makes wierd jutting motions, ect. But the cuke nuke happened months ago, and i'm sure i've replaced the water several times since then. I even ran heavy carbon for some weeks. The only thing I can think of with my tang is that he was permanently damaged from the cukes toxins.

My buddy's tang is having similar problems. I just figured maybe there was something else to this and that we might have the same problem in both our tanks.

 

[ronj]

the tank pretty much says it all!!! that is waaaayyy to small for a yellow tang!!!!..the fish is more than likely extremely stressed from lack of swimming room...i would still check the water parameters, maybe even check for stray voltage....my bet is on the tank size though...not trying to be the tang police, but that is only like 3ft? of swimming room, maybe less!!!!

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I saw the video, agree with Ron 100%. Tangs do not belong in small tanks. Best 120 as a minimum. They are fast swimmers by nature and there is no room to swim in that tank. Have your friend swap it at a LFS for something that is smaller and sits more in lieu of full time cruising

 

[btuck]

I agree with Ron. I think the tank is too small for a tang of that size.

Not sure if the tang is stressed or just simply bored. (Can fish get bored). Long ago before I knew better I had a yellow tang that would lift a piece of caulerpa with its snout then let it fall again. Over and over. Maybe this tang just is bored and swims back and forth stopping and starting again. Over and over.

The tang isn't rubbing on anything is it? No parasites or anything of that nature.

ONce again I would stress that I believe the tank is not large enough though. Putting it into a larger tank may relieve the problem.

 

[coil1002]

The tang needs swimming room. I have to agree with every one else

 

[zenn]

I saw the video, agree with Ron 100%. Tangs do not belong in small tanks. Best 120 as a minimum. They are fast swimmers by nature and there is no room to swim in that tank. Have your friend swap it at a LFS for something that is smaller and sits more in lieu of full time cruising

I'm going to agree and disagree with you here. Most of the advice I've ever heard...to include Scott Michael who's studied marine fish his entire life, recommends a 75g tank as a minimum for a yellow tang. Sure a 120 is better, but many have had great success keeping them in a 75. .

However, I'd agree with you that the 54g corner is too small. It's simply too short and has no swimming room.

 

[zenn]

Thanks for all the feedback. I'll pass on the advice.

 

[balogh03]

Yellow tang could probly get by in a 75, until about 4" of length. I have a small (2") yellow tang in my 55gal frag to eat some algea and as for now he is fine in there, but i have 2 other tanks that are are over 200gals that he is going in as soon as he grows. Maybe yours in a 75gal has some disease or parasite for it to stress out other than swim room? Just trying to help out a little and giving some advice with my experience. But i think we know that the yellow tang in the 54gal (that big) is just too stressed out about the swimming room.

good luck

-augustus

 

[ronj]

any corner tank is too small for a tang!!!! i am not sure as to why you would pass on advice for your friend though!!

 

[zenn]

Yellow tang could probly get by in a 75, until about 4" of length. I have a small (2") yellow tang in my 55gal frag to eat some algea and as for now he is fine in there, but i have 2 other tanks that are are over 200gals that he is going in as soon as he grows. Maybe yours in a 75gal has some disease or parasite for it to stress out other than swim room? Just trying to help out a little and giving some advice with my experience. But i think we know that the yellow tang in the 54gal (that big) is just too stressed out about the swimming room.

good luck

-augustus

yep, i totally agree. He just got the tang recently, and it's huge. So that doesn't help at all. He's planning on upgrading tanks very soon, so he thought he could get by. I am going to suggest he take the tang back, and trade it in for either a much smaller yellow tang, or something else. Preferably, something else until he upgrades tanks.

My tang on the other hand got zapped by the cuke nuke. Now, I don't want to make it sound like he's constantly acting wierd. In fact, 99% of the time he acts normal. It's just every now and then, he starts doing his crazy dance. It's the same thing he did when the cuke nuke happened. I'm wondering if his nervous system was damaged or if it just takes a while to heal.

 

[zenn]

any corner tank is too small for a tang!!!!

agreed, corner tank = not tang friendly.

i am not sure as to why you would pass on advice for your friend though!! you asked a question and got a real answer

caues i'm trying to help out and be nice........

I thought maybe there was a connection between his problem and mine since after seeing the video...his tang was doing something similar to mine. After thinking about it and listening to the advice here, i'm thinking there's no real connection.

 

[goosewine]

My corner tank is 350 litres - is that too small for a tang?

 

[sgwill122]

The tang is seeing his reflection and is trying to fight off what he sees as a mass of invading tangs. If the tank were larger he would not be nearly as surrounded by reflections. Have your friend turn on the lights inside the room this should make the reflections go away and the tang should settle down. If he continues to act crazy then it is a certifiable tang.

 

[balogh03]

The tang is seeing his reflection and is trying to fight off what he sees as a mass of invading tangs. If the tank were larger he would not be nearly as surrounded by reflections. Have your friend turn on the lights inside the room this should make the reflections go away and the tang should settle down. If he continues to act crazy then it is a certifiable tang.

Go look out a window...can you see your reflection? Yes, but barely and only at certain angles. This is the same way with fish, they dont have a reflection in there tank. If it was that bad of a reflection you wouldnt be able to see in the tank, because it would be a mirror :lol:. The only way you can get a reflection if you are looking at a double pane (i.e. veiwing the front of the tank from the side) and you cant look through both.

-augustus

 

[sgwill122]

Big difference between my room and a fish tank...the water, add to that the greater light intensity inside the fish tank and you have the makings of a mirrow. A more accurate comparison between this tank effect for us air dwellers is to look into a body of water, ie pond or lake with a bright light behind you and you see your reflection. Same thing happens with fish tanks, this reflectivity appears more intense with the absence of light from the room. Go ahead and google "water reflection light" and read up on it. It has to do with the angle of light and relative density differences of the two mediums air and water.

At night when my tank lights are on and room lights are off my yellow tang will often perform similar posturing with his reflection.

 

[saltguy21]

Agreed, Tangs need to swim