Help!! New Tang not doing well - Advice needed quickly

[ASpec]

I just got a small yellow tang from my LFS. I observed him in the store for a good 30 minutes. He was eating well, swimming well. Look good.

So I bring him home, drip acclimate him for about 30 minutes, then float him for about 30 more. Quick freshwater dip in distilled water and relased him into the tank.

For about an hour he was doing great. Swimming all over, gazing some seaweed I put it.

He's now been in the tank for about 90 minutes and is sitting at the bottom, breathing hard and not moving. Kinda propped up against some of my LR.

I tested all may water parameters this morning. All was normal.

Amm: 0 -> Nitrite: 0 -> Nitrate: 5 -> PH 8.2 -> Temp 78 -> Salt 1.022

Is there anything I can do for him? I hate to see him like this. Any advise please?

This is my first fish in this tank. It's been well cycled. It's been running since October 2004.

 

[quarryshark]

He is very stressed out right now.
A. Thats a pretty fast acclimation IMO
B. Dips are also stressful on a fish
Add this all up to one stressed out fish. Give him some time. In fact, you may want to turn off the tank lights and let him rest. Your water parameters look fine.
No qt? You may want to consider setting up one for the future. Will keep fingers crossed for you that he is parasite free.

 

[ASpec]

The lights were off since I got him home. I won't turn the back on until at least tomorrow, maybe even Sunday.

I dripped him in a 2 1/2 gallon bucket, pretty slow drip, but the bucket got full after about 30 minutes so I decided to float him.

I am setting up a QT for any future fish/inverts I add. I figured since he was my first fish I could just let him go. Maybe not such a good idea now that I think about it.

I just feel really bad for him right now. I feel like a "bad parent".

 

[quarryshark]

Its normal for a new fish to be stressed out. He's been through a lot in the past weeks. Now he can rest up and get used to his new home.

 

[lando]

I agree with Qshark. It is most likely an acclimation issue. Combine that with the stress of a FW dip and he is pretty unhappy. Are there any other visible signs of stress besides the rapid gilling?

 

[ASpec]

Are there any other visible signs of stress besides the rapid gilling?

Such as? He is just sitting in the same spot, propped against a rock.

All lights are out, except the lunar (moon) lights.

Thanks for all the advice... I feel a little bit better.

 

[lando]

Look for anything out of the ordinary. Pale or mottled coloring, red or white spots, loss of "balance"...

 

[quarryshark]

Also watch closely to see if he starts eating in the next couple of days.

 

[clowninround]

Awww, hopefully he recovers well. Did the ph and temp match the water it was in on the FW dip?

 

[ASpec]

He did not make it. I woke up this morning and he was gone. I re-tested all my water parameters when I removed him from the tank. Nothing had changed except the PH, went down to 8.0.

I feel really bad about this. I can't help but feel if I would have dripped him longer this outcome may have been different. But then in the back of my head I wonder if it was just meant to be?

The LFS I purchased him from has a 48 hour guarantee (pending a water sample). Since I know the water is fine I would assume them will offer me a refund, store credit, something.

What would you guys do? Purchase another fish from the same store (tangs were all in the same tank) or try another store (maybe get something else?)

Thanks so much for all the help and support though this.

 

[lando]

Sorry to hear about your tang Take it back to the LFS and see what they can do for you. I would not get another one today. Test your water parameters over the next couple of days and make sure you do not have a small ammonia spike. If this LFS has good staff and nice looking livestock I see no reason not to buy from them again. Just make sure you observe your next fish in the store for a few days and have them feed it fo you so you know it its eating. Read up a bit on acclimation techniques and avoid the FW dip unless it is actually indicated. Good luck...Lando

 

[quarryshark]

So sorry.
The big thing with acclimation is to make sure the temp and the PH match between the container you are acclimating in and your tank. Also slow down the accimation to several hours. I also agree with my buddy lando, skip the dip and opt for qt. Much less stressful.
Good luck
QS

 

[afilter]

I would try again with a much longer acclimation 1.5-2 hour drip. Use a bigger bucket. Ask the LFS what their readings are as well PH temp and salinity, then you will have a better idea how much change there is.

What are your long term stocking plans? Maybe something other than a tang to start with. I had the exact same problem early on with tangs. Now I have 2 with no problem. My tank was over 6 months old before I was successful though.

QT would also be a good option although I realize not all abide by this myself included when I first started.