Regal Tang is not eating as it use to...

[knhassan]

I have Regal Tang for approx 3 months 3.5". Until last week it used to eat like pig and now it spend lots of time behind the rocks with cleaner shrimp. It comes out and eat as well but not like it used to, half or less the amount.

I also notice that her mouth always stays open. Can someone with Regal Tang check and confrm if its normal Regal to keep the mounth open all the time or they open and close. I hope she is not getting sick

[leebca]

A fish that eats voraciously is sometimes not a good sign. It could mean the fish was starving. See this post: Does Your Fish Eat Like a Pig? - Not so Good?

Please check all your water parameters and perform water quality tests and give us the results: pH, temp, sp. gr., ammonia, nitrites, nitrates. If you have also the alkalinity, that may be of value. Review the source water you are using. Has your source water been tested?

If you are sure your source water is proper and clean: WATER - Source and NSW then perform a large water change (over 65%) and see if the fish perks up.

Tell us what you've been feeding this fish. List everything. Also tell us what you've been adding to the aquarium system -- iron, elements, etc.

Tell us more about your system -- what size aquarium? do you use a sump? a skimmer? a refugium? how many gallons per hour does the water circulate? etc.

Lastly, list everything you've added or changed to the aquarium system during the last 6 weeks -- marine life, decorations, rock, substrate, equipment, etc.

[rjs5134]

Just a thought, could the very large bio-load be a contributing factor? That list looks exceptionally long for a 65 gallon tank.

Rob

[knhassan]

Hi Lee,
I think I have the same problem as you did. I bought this fish from a guy who said he had it for approx a year. I bought it at the end of December and it was not too skinny looking but, in my tank (even in QT) it ate like pig J. Very quick mover and try to eat everything I feed. If I feed after an hr she will repeat the same. But the good part is whatever she was eating it was digesting. People who have visited me called her Fat Tang, she is not partially fat, its overall thickness and she has grew in length as well.

I used to feed 3-4 times (now cutting down to 2-3), different food every time. Omega One Flake, Omega One Veggie Flake, Omega One Garlic Pellets, Frozen Mysis and freeze-dried Brine Shrimps. Nothing has been added in my tank for past 3 months, last weekend I sold my 30-gallon setup it was sitting beside my DT, maybe she has realized the landscaping changed in the surrounding? She is eating more like normal but not like till last week (which I’m used to watch)

I know its wrong but I use Tap water and keep it over night with Sachem Prime. No additives and IO salt. I just tested water parameters; everything came ok except Nitrate shows just the beginning of the chart. It maybe because of Floss I was using in sump baffles to catch debris but I rinse/replace every other day. I did 6-gallon water change yesterday; I do that every 4 weeks. Below is the list of my setup detail.
Equipment:
65 gallon tall tank, Coralife T5 10k/Actinic (N/O), 2x27w Phillips Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, CT Moonlight rope, 20 gallon long Sump with Fuge (Chaetos), Mag 9.5 as a return pump, Coralife Super Skimmer 125, 2x MJ1200, 1x MJ900 approx 46 lb Live Rocks, 55lb Aragonite

Live Stock:
2 Ocellaris Clown, Yellow Tang, Regal Tang, Flame Angel, Diamond Goby, Sixline Wrasse, Yellow Clown Goby, Cleaner/Peppermint Shrimps, 1 Fighting Conch, 6+ Blue/Red Hermit Crabs, Nassaurius, Turbo, Astrea, Stomatella along with various other type snails, Frog Spawn, Green Star Polyps, Green Button Polyps, Cotton Candy & Xenia

[leebca]

I think Rob is correct, up to a point. You are pushing your bioload. You might want to test for ammonia and nitrites with very good test kits like this: One hour after feeding; two hours after feeding. See if you get any readings.

The tank is small for tangs. The highest probability is the fish is first of all space stressed and second of all nutrient stressed. The Tangs are herbivores and should be eating a lot more vegetable matter. Have you read this long post? It has an attached chart that is easier to follow: Feeding Marine Fish and Fish Nutrition

The fish needs vitamin and fat supplements in addition to daily feedings of marine algae of various colors. The above post will explain more.

If I had been a bit less rushed and more observant, I would have seen your aquarium system in your signature. Sorry about that. I was leaving to catch a plane when I read your post.

I'd recommend getting rid of the hermit crabs. I would also recommend getting rid of all the Tangs. That will leave the proper fishes and in about the best 'quantity' for that system.

If you're interested in more general information about various stressors on fishes, this may be of help: Stress (and the Single Marine Fish)

I want you to buy distilled water or RO/DI from the store and make up 40 gallons of saltwater with it to do a large water change. You said it best -- you shouldn't be using tap water. This is a good article about the source water and another article about tap water. You have a lot of reading to do!

WATER - Source and NSW
and
Chemistry and the Aquarium


Let us know what happens after you do that water change.

[knhassan]

Thanks Lee for all the info, I will go through that. I'm looking to upgrade my system so Tangs will have better home. I test the water before water change and after feeding and still everything was zero. I have seen numbers going up earlier so the Kit works fine (I hope). I will look into the Distilled or RO/DI water option, Since I have Tap water now, I should start using RO/Disstilled water for change and it should be ok?

I also feed my fish Nori alomost everyday. What else you recommend. Starting this afternoon she has eating like pig again I will observe it for next couple of days to see how it goes.

It looks like same situation as your prev. note mention.

[leebca]

You have to be careful about feeding Nori. Nori is the Japanese human food. It sometimes contains preservatives and/or flavorings. It is better to stick with actual marine algae. Marine algae comes in a variety of colors. Every other day feed the green algae; on the other day, alternate red, brown, and purple.

The foods I would suggest are in that long post, neatly listed and outlined for you.

Using distilled, RO/DI water as the source water to make up artificial salt, and distilled water to add back to compensate for evaporation are your best choices.

Good luck!