Help I have become a skilled Tang Killer

robnuti · 04/23/2008, 12:10 PM

I purchased a Naso Tang. I kept him in QT for weeks and no problems. Then one evening, after work, I moved him into the DT. When he was moved, he found a hiding spot, and everything seemed fine. I went to work the next day, asking my wife to check in on him. She told me he was hiding but seemed fine, he ate when she feed them. The next morn. I checked on him he was hiding behind a coral, the lights were out so I ran to the store, came home, and he was stuck to a powerhead dead.

So if he did well in the QT, and died in the DT I know I did something to kill him. While moving him the lights in the DT went out, and he was moved into the DT while the tank was dark. My QT just has a 10K flo. bulb on it, the DT runs two T5s and two MHs. So my wife pointed out that maybe the lights caused too much stress and that killed him.

All my other fish seem fine and are doing great. If anyone could shed some light on what I could have done, so I don't repeat it, I would appreciate it.

My tank paramaters are:
SG - 1.025
ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10
PH - 8.2
ALK - 9.5
Calcium - 500
Mag - 1400

TIA

Rob

kzickovich · 04/23/2008, 12:16 PM

Did you aclimate him to the DT? if so how long? I always put my fish and inverts in the tank while lights are out and I never lost a fish doing it that way.

robnuti · 04/23/2008, 12:19 PM

I did a slow acclimation for about 1.5 to 2 hours.

adunne · 04/23/2008, 12:23 PM

could he have swam into the power head while you were out. Maybe your doing nothing wrong and just need to cover the PH's.

rhkingsfan · 04/23/2008, 12:29 PM

Could've been the powerhead. My Koralia killed my favorite clown yesterday.

robnuti · 04/23/2008, 12:36 PM

I guess it could have. He was stuck to the side of it.

I have seen my fish swim by them and pick food off of them.

an411 · 04/23/2008, 12:43 PM

I don't think that is the cause of the death. Usually fish get stuck to the powerhead cause they are floating and the powerhead sucks in water and the fish at the same time. It could of just been a freak thing that he died its not always caused by something particular. Seeing that you put him in QT and he was doing fine and was eating. Then put him in the diaplay and died. Are the parameters different then what was in the QT tank. When i QT I usually add water from the DT To the QT so the water will be the same. The lights I guess could have stressed him possibly.

robnuti · 04/23/2008, 12:50 PM

Yes the gravity in the QT is 1.021. also the calcium, magnesium and ALK. are lower. I still have a mean Coral Beauty in there. I thought with the slow acclimation that would help with the discrepancy between the tanks.

EricButler · 04/23/2008, 12:50 PM

kingsfan

You said that your Koralia killed your clown. I have a fairly new tank with three Koralias in it and I definitely don't want any dead fish because of it.

Can you explain a little more as to how this could have possible happened?

an411 · 04/23/2008, 12:58 PM

There are only 2 ways that I could see a powerhead killing a fish.

1) swims straight into the powerhead. Which is highly doubtful that a fish is going to have the power to swim right into it unless its tiny and does not get held back as much bt resistance.

2) The fish is weak or dead and cant swim away from the powerhead and gets sucked onto the side

adunne · 04/23/2008, 01:35 PM

not all power heads are designed like a HK. Most have an intake on the bottom. a small narrow hole. I have had a fox face get sucked onto the intake. Once the fish is on its side with that much flow being pulled through them i dont see how it could get out.. JMO

either way the PH's should be fish proof and covered.

Tswifty · 04/23/2008, 02:29 PM

Powerheads like AquaClears are notorius for it...

I had a porcupine puffer get stuck to one about 3 times... looked like a baseball when I found him each time... I had to buy a small filter cage to stick on the bottom to finally stop it.

Playa-1 · 04/23/2008, 02:49 PM

Might wanna check the O2 level.

robnuti · 04/23/2008, 03:28 PM

I have not checked my O2, I have 40 times turn over in the tank, with plenty of surface turn over, also good skimmer. could it still be O2?

snorvich · 04/23/2008, 04:01 PM

Tell me how you acclimated the tang to the display tank from the QT please.

robnuti · 04/23/2008, 04:05 PM

It was acclimated for about 1.5 to 2 hours. I started with a temp acclimation and then slowly added water over the time frame.

tmz · 04/23/2008, 10:39 PM

Tangs including nasos are prone to ich as I"m sure you know. Have you ever had ich in your display? It can linger for up to 11months undetected even if your fish have developed some paritial immunity.

rhkingsfan · 04/24/2008, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by EricButler
kingsfan

You said that your Koralia killed your clown. I have a fairly new tank with three Koralias in it and I definitely don't want any dead fish because of it.

Can you explain a little more as to how this could have possible happened?

Well my clowns started hosting my powerhead that feeds into the protein skimmer (right after I put the thing in). The Koralia is right next to the powerhead. Both my clowns would spend 80% of their time in that little spot. I'm watching them, then I go to have dinner. An hour later I come back and he's missing his dorsal fin. He's dead within the next 6 hours. Could it have been something else? Sure, but I doubt it.

nasotang · 04/24/2008, 11:26 PM

What other fish do you have in the tank? Could one of the tank mates have been harassing him for the three days he was in your DT?

04/23/2008, 12:10 PM	#1
robnuti Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Roseville, CA. Posts: 249	Help I have become a skilled Tang Killer I purchased a Naso Tang. I kept him in QT for weeks and no problems. Then one evening, after work, I moved him into the DT. When he was moved, he found a hiding spot, and everything seemed fine. I went to work the next day, asking my wife to check in on him. She told me he was hiding but seemed fine, he ate when she feed them. The next morn. I checked on him he was hiding behind a coral, the lights were out so I ran to the store, came home, and he was stuck to a powerhead dead. So if he did well in the QT, and died in the DT I know I did something to kill him. While moving him the lights in the DT went out, and he was moved into the DT while the tank was dark. My QT just has a 10K flo. bulb on it, the DT runs two T5s and two MHs. So my wife pointed out that maybe the lights caused too much stress and that killed him. All my other fish seem fine and are doing great. If anyone could shed some light on what I could have done, so I don't repeat it, I would appreciate it. My tank paramaters are: SG - 1.025 ammonia - 0 Nitrite - 0 Nitrate - 10 PH - 8.2 ALK - 9.5 Calcium - 500 Mag - 1400 TIA Rob

04/23/2008, 12:16 PM	#2
kzickovich Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Zion Il Posts: 959	Did you aclimate him to the DT? if so how long? I always put my fish and inverts in the tank while lights are out and I never lost a fish doing it that way. __________________ Ken Current Tank Info: 90 Gal mixed reef 55 Gallon basement pump up Sump 25 Gal fuge 2 Mp40 DIY led light fixture Bubble King Mini 200 Gen2 skimmer BRS Duel reactor

04/23/2008, 02:29 PM	#12
Tswifty Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: PA Posts: 14,022	Powerheads like AquaClears are notorius for it... I had a porcupine puffer get stuck to one about 3 times... looked like a baseball when I found him each time... I had to buy a small filter cage to stick on the bottom to finally stop it. __________________ "Enough light? Heck I could go barebottom and grow SPS in the stand!" - DiscoReefRover

04/23/2008, 04:01 PM	#15
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	Tell me how you acclimated the tang to the display tank from the QT please. __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

04/23/2008, 10:39 PM	#17
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	Tangs including nasos are prone to ich as I"m sure you know. Have you ever had ich in your display? It can linger for up to 11months undetected even if your fish have developed some paritial immunity. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

04/23/2008, 12:19 PM	#3
robnuti Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Roseville, CA. Posts: 249	I did a slow acclimation for about 1.5 to 2 hours.

04/23/2008, 12:23 PM	#4
adunne Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: enfield ct Posts: 498	could he have swam into the power head while you were out. Maybe your doing nothing wrong and just need to cover the PH's.

04/23/2008, 12:29 PM	#5
rhkingsfan Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Glendale Posts: 696	Could've been the powerhead. My Koralia killed my favorite clown yesterday.

04/23/2008, 12:36 PM	#6
robnuti Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Roseville, CA. Posts: 249	I guess it could have. He was stuck to the side of it. I have seen my fish swim by them and pick food off of them.

04/23/2008, 12:43 PM	#7
an411 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Derby CT Posts: 2,861	I don't think that is the cause of the death. Usually fish get stuck to the powerhead cause they are floating and the powerhead sucks in water and the fish at the same time. It could of just been a freak thing that he died its not always caused by something particular. Seeing that you put him in QT and he was doing fine and was eating. Then put him in the diaplay and died. Are the parameters different then what was in the QT tank. When i QT I usually add water from the DT To the QT so the water will be the same. The lights I guess could have stressed him possibly.

04/23/2008, 12:50 PM	#8
robnuti Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Roseville, CA. Posts: 249	Yes the gravity in the QT is 1.021. also the calcium, magnesium and ALK. are lower. I still have a mean Coral Beauty in there. I thought with the slow acclimation that would help with the discrepancy between the tanks.

04/23/2008, 12:50 PM	#9
EricButler Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Broomfield, CO Posts: 40	kingsfan You said that your Koralia killed your clown. I have a fairly new tank with three Koralias in it and I definitely don't want any dead fish because of it. Can you explain a little more as to how this could have possible happened?

04/23/2008, 12:58 PM	#10
an411 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Derby CT Posts: 2,861	There are only 2 ways that I could see a powerhead killing a fish. 1) swims straight into the powerhead. Which is highly doubtful that a fish is going to have the power to swim right into it unless its tiny and does not get held back as much bt resistance. 2) The fish is weak or dead and cant swim away from the powerhead and gets sucked onto the side

04/23/2008, 01:35 PM	#11
adunne Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: enfield ct Posts: 498	not all power heads are designed like a HK. Most have an intake on the bottom. a small narrow hole. I have had a fox face get sucked onto the intake. Once the fish is on its side with that much flow being pulled through them i dont see how it could get out.. JMO either way the PH's should be fish proof and covered.

04/23/2008, 02:49 PM	#13
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	Might wanna check the O2 level.

04/23/2008, 03:28 PM	#14
robnuti Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Roseville, CA. Posts: 249	I have not checked my O2, I have 40 times turn over in the tank, with plenty of surface turn over, also good skimmer. could it still be O2?

04/23/2008, 04:05 PM	#16
robnuti Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Roseville, CA. Posts: 249	It was acclimated for about 1.5 to 2 hours. I started with a temp acclimation and then slowly added water over the time frame.

04/24/2008, 11:26 PM	#19
nasotang Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: SF Bay Posts: 576	What other fish do you have in the tank? Could one of the tank mates have been harassing him for the three days he was in your DT? __________________ -Mike Current Tank Info: ELOS 120XL , PowerModule 10x54 watt, Vortech MP40, BK250 Internal, Custom Sump 2010-210 reef , (2)400w MH Luminarc , 50 gallon sump, 18 gallon refugiu, 30 gallon r-DSB, BK250 internal, OM-8way