Tangs keep dying.

[Piercy87]

Hi that is very intresting. I never add the water tho as it is good pratice not to. But that dosent mean that the tang may have not relesed the scent after I added. I don't like to acclimate to long as I read that cos there is no Eco system in the bag ammonia will build up quite quickly once the bag has been opened. The sent would also explain why the other fish were going up and watching it.


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[tomtom14]

Are you giving the injured tang any medication?

If not I will recommend feeding your tang garlic enriched food. It may seem insignificant but my friend had a tang with some of the worst white spot I had ever seen and it made a full recovery just by him feeding it garlic enriched food.

Unfortunately this will only work when the fish is willing to eat. Otherwise it's a great medication.


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[tonedogz]

Its best to acclimate the fish in a bucket and drip the tank water through a plastic tube into the bucket for a couple of hours

[Andy Sager]

I have to agree, Bag acclimating is okay for some fish but more sensitive fish, such as tangs, it is not a good practice and may be the cause of the outcome. Ich, is an indicator that the fish was stressed and unable to fend off the infestation. All fish carry parasites so it's the stress level that does them in and determines if they get sick. By bucket acclimating over a longer period of time, the fish gets to slowly adjust to the new water parameters in your tank and makes a less stressful transfer. The length of time needed is determined by the volume of water the fish is started in. The object is to go from 100% bag water to approx. 5% bag water and 95% tank water.
As for the eco system in the bucket, since you are adding new water continuously, this is not a real concern. What does need to be watched is the oxygen level of the water and that can be remedied simply by adding an airstone in the bucket ( from the start) with a slow setting to not over aerate the water. Your fish should look "normal" with normal respirations while in a bucket being acclimated. A drip of approx 1 drop/ second is an average rate to use.

Hope this helps