Tang is acting crazy!

[Joshsmit56001]

I have had my yellow tang in my tank now for about 3 weeks and he has done fine. Recently though he started to act crazy. He darts back and forth through the tank and rubs himself up against the glass constantly. I just did a 5 gallon water change with the water I had on hand. My PH is low also, would that cause this to happen? He also is starting to turn red under his skin by his tail. PLease help I don't want my favorite fish to die!

Thanks,
Josh

 

[Corty]

GAH! This is my second reply that AA has eaten!

Ok, to sum up the previous ones..

As far as the glass goes, he may just be acting territorial - very common for Yellow Tangs. Ours waves his spine at us (white thing between the body & the tail) every now and then. We call it "The famous Tang-butt dance". He hasn't figured out that he isn't good at killing us yet. But who knows, maybe with practice :]

This behavior seems normal to me.. seems like he's done acclimating and this is "his" territory now. How big is the tank?

The red is likely caused by a bacterial infection.

I suppose I should have asked this earlier, but what else is your water like? Tangs are very sensitive to water quality.

I've heard of low PH doing it. You'll want to get that up, but slowly. Quick changes don't usually make things happy.

I wouldn't worry about him dying just yet.. just keep that water quality good, watch for other signs, and make sure he's eating a good diet.

 

[srgetz]

The red spots and activity are probably due to the low PH and possible bacteria. The best way to fix this: do several large water changes (25-40%) with aged (24hrs) and aerated sw. You should aim for 8.3, then do water changes at least biweekly. Low PH is likely from poor water quality; I.E. don't use chemicals to fix it. The water changes will also lower the bacteria in the water column helping him heal faster. You really don't need any meds if you follow this. You also should check the PH of your newly mixed SW to make sure it is up to snuff.

 

[lando]

If this tang is in the 30 gal. listed in your profile, it may be a space issue. It could be getting stressed and upset due to lack of swimming space.

 

[MACATUA]

Yea if it is a 30, my guess would be he feels a bit cramped and stresed.