Sailfin Tang not eating

[jballa15]

I just visited my father's house and noticed his sailfin tang (about six or seven years old?) with protruding bones and sunken stomach. He has always been in good health eating a vaariety of frozen foods, flakes, and algae sheets. My father said he stopped eating the normal flake and pellets suddenly several days ago. We offered him a mix of omnivorous frozen food and an algae sheet. He picked at the algae but didnt seem to be ingesting a significant amount of it.

I maintain my own tanks, but they are smaller and contain primarily corals so I'm not up to date on tang illnesses, parasites, or medications. He has no skin abnormalities other than an overall faded color and still swims fine just less active. He shows absolutely no interest in any of the food other than the algae.

I was once involved with the club and payed my dues as a member last year, but college and many animals, plants, and girlfriends keep me too busy to keep up. I recall one of the best qualities of the club was the friendliness and helpfullness of the online forums and people involved. This was the first resource I thought of to help my father's fish. I will continue to try my own ideas, do my own research, and perhaps set up a quarentine if possible for medications. However, I would greatly appreciate any suggestions from similar experiences.

Thanks,
John B.

 

[ralph atl]

get some nori sheets from publix (any publix that sells real sushi has them) & Selcon & a clip for the seaweed. fold up a small sheet and soak with Selcon 3 X's a day. Soak all foods with garlic extreme & Selcon.

 

[lawsonr81]

Barbara;352678 wrote: What size tank is this fish in? I love sailfins, but my tank's too small to have multiple tangs and I already have a blue hippo. I wonder what is the average life expectancy of these tangs? Could it be that this fish has lived out his prime and is perhaps dying of "old age"?

I agree on the old age idea. I'm not exactly sure how long the average Tang lives, but it seems like a 6 or 7 year old fish is definitely getting up there in age. It may just be that he is running out of sand in the hour glass.

 

[jonathan]

My sailfin is around 10 years old. How much stray voltage is in the tank? Temp swing perhaps?

Jonathan

 

[jballa15]

I plan to clean the tank and change about a third of the water tonight. I will also pick up some nori sheets on the way over there. I believe it has been around two months since the last water change and I don't know the chemical levels at the moment. The aquarium has been well established for many years and the other fish, corals, and invertabrates appear healthy. The aquarium is somewhere between a 75 and 90 gallon oceanic with sump and skimmer. I realize that the aquarium is too small for any tang really. I actually attempted to post him on this website to gauge interest and find him a larger home, but my father wavered on getting a larger aquarium himself and nothing came of it. Anyways, the tang is about four or five inches long and I don't think he is at the end of his life expectancy. There have been no changes to the aquarium as far as I know anytime within the last few months.

If he has some internal parasite, would'nt the other fish be affected as well? How can I treat a parasite?

Thanks for the help. He looked extremely emaciated the other day and I hope he is still alive when I get there tonight : (

 

[jballa15]

A temperature swing could definitely be possible as my aquarium suffered from that catastrophe while I was out of town for a week and my roommate was watching after the tank. Many of the corals began to bleach when the temp went from 78 degrees to around 81-82.

I have heard about stray voltage, but I don't know how to test for that other than feeling the water (no buzzing).

I know at one point he had garlic extreme and it may still be there, but that was over a year ago. Does it go bad? Can I try real garlic if I can't get to the fish store tonight?

He has Zoecon (not sure of the spelling) as a food additive as well, but no Selcon. Are they similar amino acid and vitamin food additives?