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Maxie Maxie
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  • Posted on: 10/9/2007 15:11
yellow Lipstick tang #1
I got a yellow lipstick tang last thursday.
Since he's gone into the tank he is not eating algae or brine shrimp. The last couple of days he was lying at the bottom right corner in the tank, some times i thought he was dead as he was on his side.

All water readings are fine and all my other fish are active and healthy. He also has lots of white spots and circled in the picture is where his colour is changing to white.

I have my temp at 28oC and SG at 1.018 as this speeds up the cycle of the parasite/white spot.

I done a 30% water change today and since i have done that he is swimming around but still won’t eat anything and retreats back to the sandbank from time to time.

Any ideas on what to do as i dont wanna loose him...

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Cheers

Rgds
Dave
Dublin, Ireland
Howard Howard
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  • Posted on: 10/9/2007 17:17
Re: yellow Lipstick tang #2
Hi there,

I have read somewhere (been looking for it , but can't find it ) ... that when tangs are newly introduced , they can sometimes spend some time on their sides ...

However , not eating is not good .... what size is your tank ?

Did you actually see it eating in the LFS before you bought it ? as it may not eat brine shrimp etc and need to be weaned on to it ....try it on some nori in a clip ..

The whitespot unfortunately is common with tangs , some more so than others , they usually get over it unless it is particularly severe...

Have you got a UV , if so , now might be the time to turn it on . Reduce your lighting period to give him time to adjust ....

As for it changing colour, i've no idea i'm afraid ...

Good luck

H

EDIT :- Reproduced from WetWebMedia ( US fish help site ) . It's regarding a Yellow, but may be applicable to you ...

Tang Color Changes
Hi! I have a couple questions

<Ask away! Scott F. with you tonight.>

I have a 44 gal salt water tank with a yellow tang and a few other fish, everyone seems to be doing fine, except I notice once in a while the tang will loose his bright yellow color and become almost a white yellow then go back to normal. Is he ok or does he need more food:?

<Well, there are a few possibilities here. The first is that you may be witnessing the fish's nocturnal coloration, which is significantly more "washed Out", and reveals the presence of a white line running the length of the body. The fish will generally color up once the lights have been on for a while, so that is what you are witnessing if this coloration coincides with lighting changes. If this happens throughout the day, you could be seeing a fright reaction, or a response to some sort of stress (whether caused by harassing tankmates, poor environmental conditions, disease, or even a tank that is too small). Check out all of these possibilities. Yes, overall lack of color could be a result of malnutrition, so be sure that your Tang has access to plenty of algae, or consider purchasing/cultivating some macroalgae, such as Gracilaria parvispora (you can get it from etailers like Indo Pacific Sea Farms), which is relished by most herbivorous Tangs, and provides many nutritional benefits to the them.>
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smarttony smarttony
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  • Posted on: 10/9/2007 17:40
Re: yellow Lipstick tang #3
Tang are prone to white spot but get through them and still eat and are lively as well. your tank seem to be fine but looking at the photo the colour is quite faded and this tang has a strong bold colour than the one on the photo.(maybe it the camera not doing any justice to the colour). But if it is a faded colour then I would blame ur lfs for not feeding and giving it the malnutrition it need, which a lot dont care about feeding them as long they are sold quickly. I've seen regal tang in the lfs and have a faded pale blue colour whereas they should be strong blue like mine. if it not eating after a few day then it most probalbly have an internal infection because of a lack of malnutrition and if it dies take it back and u should get a refund. next time look at the book and note the colour and make sure it the same at ur lfs and asked them to feed it so u can see it eating ur entitle to that otherwise shop elsewhere. Hope it recovered. can't recommend any medication as I don't use them at all, sorry about that.
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Howard Howard
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  • Posted on: 10/9/2007 18:19
Re: yellow Lipstick tang #4
Hi Tony,

I think i'm confused ... are you keeping a regal tang in a nano ?
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Maxie Maxie
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  • Posted on: 10/9/2007 19:00
Re: yellow Lipstick tang #5
Before i bought him he ate in the lfs. i seen him eating.
He seems to be breathing very heavy at the moment. he is swimming on his side now on the sandbank. He seems to be getting worse. Will i just leave him to die in the tank.

He must have got some bacterial infection.

All other fish are fine and readings are ok.

If he dies I' going to get another one as i think there a cool fish but this time i will make sure he's in the LFS for at least 2 weeks before i take him as this fella was only in the LFS a few hours so he probably would have been mad stressed by the time he got to my tank.

thanks for your help everybody. I'll let you know how he gets on.
Cheers

Rgds
Dave
Dublin, Ireland
Maxie Maxie
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  • Posted on: 10/9/2007 19:13
Re: yellow Lipstick tang #6
I've just noticed something by watching him the last while. He'd be on the sandbank on his side breathing very heavy maybe for 1-3mins, he will then swim up to the surface and stick his head out, he will then lye doen again and surface to the top again.

Will i try putting a airstone in ?
Cheers

Rgds
Dave
Dublin, Ireland
cmw328i cmw328i
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  • Posted on: 10/9/2007 19:18
Re: yellow Lipstick tang #7
airstones wont help and will rapidly clog in a marine environment. Airstones work by causing water to rise to the surface where it exchanges its oxygen. You can do the same thing much more effectively by pointing a powerhead up
Safety tip 1: Water + Electricty = ZAP
Maxie Maxie
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  • Posted on: 11/9/2007 13:19
Re: yellow Lipstick tang #8
Just been doing some searching on the net.

By the way he died last night.

Lipstick Tang Disease,

The vast majority of "incidental losses" of this species in captivity are environmentally mediated... Caused by placing this animal in inappropriate circumstances... The road to heck may be paved with good intentions, but meaning to move a Naso into suitable quarters will not save it... even when small, this species needs room... Even a tiny specimen should be kept in nothing shorter on a length than four feet... Many die from "psychological stress" with little warning, or understanding by their hapless keepers, when kept in smaller, shorter confines. Related to too-small surroundings are the ills of low (hyp-) and a lack of (an-) -oxic, oxygen situations... often showing as gasping/panting behavior, pale color... and death. Of course, a larger volume also allows for dilution of such a large, active animal's copious waste production.

Many Nasos develop "Pop-eye" problems, mechanical injuries from rough handling, small bag/shipping traumas... These by and large can/will heal themselves, given, once again, adequately large settings, and good, clean, well-oxygenated water. Oh, and a note re the practice of "de-clawing" just-collected Nasos... often their tangs are "clipped" (yes with "toe nail clippers") to prevent damage to the collector, other fishes in the collecting/holding gear. No long-term problem should arise from this practice. The "tangs" do grow back... in a few months time.
Cheers

Rgds
Dave
Dublin, Ireland
smarttony smarttony
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  • Posted on: 11/9/2007 16:33
Re: yellow Lipstick tang #9
Sorry to hear ur loss. But take it back still and tell them it must have bacterial infection as it cost a lot to buy as u only had it for a few day. answering ur question about the regal tang, it was in the large tank i had b4. I would'nt dream of having one in a nano although i wish there was a minature version of it as tang are gorgeous.
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Howard Howard
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  • Posted on: 11/9/2007 16:59
Re: yellow Lipstick tang #10
Yeah , i love tangs , but my tank is too small for even a yellow !!

I was sure you didn't have one in a nano , but when i read it , i thought 'what?!!'

H
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