Added Blue Tang Today

[antikas]

Long Story short, we had a pink hawkfish, then we got a little yellow clown goby and the hawkfish killed it :grumble: So we caught the hawkfish and traded it in on a blue tang today.

We have two clowns (not true clowns) and a yellow tang. The Blue tang is about the same size as the clowns (~2") and every time he swims over to where the yellow tang and clownfish hang out they pick on him. You would think he would just stay on the other side of the tank where they don't usually go, but he doesn't seem to learn or care much. I'm worried that his small size is what is making the clownfish pick on him. The lfs said I might quarantine any fish that are pestering him for a few days and then put them back in so they aren't so territorial. I turned out the lights early so he could calm down. I'm just worried that he is going to get stressed and die like the goby because of the hawkfish... Any suggestions?

P.S. He ate well today but he leaned/got stuck? against the k4. He wasn't struggling, but I didn't wait to see if he was truly stuck before I turned it off. Hopefully he isn't back on it in the morning. He is hiding in the upper left corner behind the heater dial now that it is dark.

 

[messiah023]

As prevalent as blue hippo tangs are, I see them do very poor in the aquariums.
They stress REALLY fast and are prone to ick.

Keep an eye on him... Very small ones can go VERY fast...

 

[Bifferwine]

If he got stuck to the powerhead, he is not doing so well. Healthy fish don't get stuck to powerheads. They are very difficult fish to keep and are extremely prone to disease. The smaller you buy them, the lower their chances of survival. So if yours is as tiny as you say he is and he's already showing signs of distress, I'd be my guess that he's unfortunately not likely to make it.

Let us know how he's doing in the morning, hopefully he'll be okay.

 

[yote]

Blue Regals will do some crazy stuff.I've seen them lay on filter intakes,pumps,beside the glass.You think their dead untill you go to remove them.
But they do stress and are ick magnets.

 

[KidJ57]

How much rock do you have in your tank? Rather than just quarantining the other fish, if you switch around the rock formation a bit (maybe adding a couple more hiding places with a new smaller rock or two), you can occupy the resident fish enough to where they leave the new guy alone, or at the very least give the new guy a few new hiding places other than behind your heater control knob.

Then again, on top of what the other guys have already said, my LFS warned me that multiple tangs in a tank, unless introduced together, typically don't get along.

Hope all turns out ok!

 

[antikas]

Here are a few pictures. After I posted last night he found a hole in one of the rocks and hid in there. The clownfish have mostly stopped pestering him, but the yellow tang still goes after him when he gets near. He is still eating well. However, I saw one small white spec on his fin... I hope it isn't the start of ich.

P.S. I didn't have the date set right on the cam. And I don't know what the deal is with the white area on his dorsal fin in the second pic, It isn't there now (40 mins later). Also kind of embarrassed to show my brown algae farm seeing all the awesome tanks in here. We are slowly adding more non-fish life.

 

[parrotchute]

One of the reasons they might be fighting is that your tank really isn't big enough for tangs at 70 gallons.
They are already low on territory and are fighting over what they've got most likely...

 

[billm]

I believe given time, they will get along. earlier this year i had to replace my 5 yr old blue hippo when it passed away. i replaced it with a 2 inch one and it took about a week or so for the yellow to accept the new fish. but, i did have to treat the tank with no-ick for ten days because they are ick magnets and the new fish from petco had a good case a day or two after being intoduced into my tank

 

[Piggy]

That is hubbys favorite fish. He wanted one but I talked him out of it. Maybe one day I'll try one but not for a very long time. I already have two tangs in my tank. He looks good has great color. Keep us updated on how it goes.

 

[antikas]

Thanks for all the comments. Yesterday the yellow tang stopped harrasing him for the most part. Today I haven't seen the yellow tang go after him at all and he hangs out with the group now (It's odd they how they all prefer the black sand section of the tank...) He acts really healthy and eats a lot, but it looks like he is starting to get ich... a couple more white spots popped up. Guess I'll get a hospital tank up and going and hop over to the fish disease section soon. Thanks again everyone.

 

[yote]

Go ahead and get the QT.But I wouldnt fool with actually QTing the tang UNLESS in stops eating.By moving it to the QT,you'll just cause more stress for him and futher supress his immune system.

 

[Bifferwine]

Not to mention, if you only quarantine the hippo tang, and no other fish, the hippo tang will just get sick again as soon as you add him back to the display tank. With ich, you have to treat ALL the fish, even the ones that aren't showing symptoms. They are all carrying the parasite, and treating just one fish does no good.

 

[antikas]

Sounds good, thanks. I was dreading trying to catch him after the hours it took to catch the dang hawkfish to trade in for the tang. My wife was threatening to skewer the hawkfish with a fork right before she caught it lol. Seems like the mean fish are always the most hardy and difficult ones to catch.