Yellow Tang Losing Color

[Otters]

I feed him every single day pellets, 2 times a day for 3 minutes, then I place a 1 by 1 " piece of algae every other day and he eats it all, however he is starting to lose color around the edges of his body, wants wrong?

[WillieM96]

I'm not sure but I'll give it a shot. I've been wanting to get a yellow tank for a while but people keep telling me that a 50 gallon tank is too small for it and that stress will eventually be too much for it. If you have a 46 g tank, that might be stressing it out. Anyone else have any ideas?

[leebca]

Good job Willie! Stress is a contributor for sure.

Otters may wish to review this long (and boring ) post: Stress (and the Single Marine Fish)

However, there are complications to the space stress. I think the Yellow Tang is also suffering from nutritional stress. I suggest that pellet food be fed sparingly and not as a reliable steady food source for an extended period of time.

If you would switch its diet to what is recommended here, I'll bet the color will return to a very vibrant color in a couple of months! Feeding Marine Fish and Fish Nutrition

I don't know the size of the fish. I'm not sure that the algae you feed is enough. But if the fish is eating it all up, then it might not be enough. Try putting in a larger supply and see just what it will consume during the 'average' day.