Tang turning brown/black

[reef3400]

I have about 20-25 yellow tangs. None have ever turned brown on me before but this one. It seems to be starting at the tip of his "nose" and the tip of his tail. I know it's not stress he's been in the tank for about 4 months now no problem he eats/grazes normally and acts normal. I can honestly say the tank is not too small and there is not too many fish being its about 15 fish in about 1500 gallon system. parameters are fine other then calcium is a bit higher due to it being a farm for the coral. If you have any advice or tips to get him back to normal please let me know thanks.

 

[FishyReef]

Can you post a picture of it?

 

[reef3400]

Im going to try i have to move the coral which im in the process of i will take a pic of the tank he is in and you will understand pretty quick its not easy

 

[reef3400]

Ok coral out. 2 pieces left for algae so he can eat. As i said before it's 1500 gallons it's going to be a PITA

 

[FishyReef]

Just try to get a shot of him as he zooms by... my guess is that he is a juvi tang that is turning into an adult - there are some species that dramatically change color from juvis to adults, and one of those is a tang that is yellow in color. My other guess is that it is a scopas tang who was just very light tan to start with and so it looked like a regular zebrasome yellow tang.

 

[reef3400]

Not the greatest pics but in one you can see clearly his tail is blacker then his body.

 

[FishyReef]

Yeah, too hard to see in that pic. If you can get a shot of his body not from the top down it will help us to determine species based on body shape.

 

[reef3400]

Zebrasoma flavescens, basic yellow tang. I know what he is just the cause is unknown.

 

[FishyReef]

I know you *think* that is what it is (and it very well might be). What you describe sounds like something that occurs in some types of tangs, and I wanted to see a picture to rule out that you indeed are seeing some abnormality and not just a normal process in a tang that has in fact been mislabeled as a Zebrasoma flavescens

 

[bjohanson1234]

You sure it isnt a Mimic Lemon Peel?

Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Mimic Lemon Peel Tang

They start to darken when they get older and look almost identical to a yellow tang.

 

[FishyReef]

Yup, that was my exact thought BJ. That's why a picture would be hugely helpful. I have a lemonpeel mimic tang and their facial structure is very different from the zebrasoma tangs, so would be a dead giveaway as to whether he's got a mimic tang or zebrasoma. If its a zebrasoma, it could be a scopas tang which have the more brown appearance. I think we have to verify the type of tang first before knowing for sure whether its actually turning color due to a problem.

 

[reef3400]

It is a yellow i appreciate the concern to make sure all the info is correct. I'm positive its a yellow tang body is not as circular longer nose/mouth. I will take a pic of the other dozen i have in another tank that are identical and you can make the final decision based on that if it helps at all. still trying to find my nikon as of now all pics are taken on my IPhone.

 

[FishyReef]

A picture of a fish other than the specimen you are talking about isn't going to help us help you identify and solve the problem. So really it isn't useful to take a picture of your fish at home for the purposes of this thread.

 

[reef3400]

Here she blows 6 yellow tangs (or what i belive are yellow tangs) and 1 sailfin. These are identical to the one browning just in my 700 gallon frag tank i have had all these about 1 1/2 years now and they all do great except the exception on the one mentioned. Please correct me if im wrong but i do believe that they are indeed Zebrasoma.

 

[Kelz88]

Yellow scopas tang maybe? Looks alot like a yellow tang

 

[bjohanson1234]

A picture of a fish other than the specimen you are talking about isn't going to help us help you identify and solve the problem. So really it isn't useful to take a picture of your fish at home for the purposes of this thread.

This.

Until we get a clear picture of the fish, it will be difficult for us to determine what is going on.

 

[reef3400]

ok, so went up to my display tank to get a picture of the "mystery" tang and here it is from the side he was moving couldn't get a perfect shot but i assume this will work. And for sh!ts and giggles why i was up there took a quick pic of some coral and a mad duncan.

 

[bjohanson1234]

ok, so went up to my display tank to get a picture of the "mystery" tang and here it is from the side he was moving couldn't get a perfect shot but i assume this will work. And for sh!ts and giggles why i was up there took a quick pic of some coral and a mad duncan.

I thought you took all the rock out? And did you transfer the tang from the other tank into this one?

I don't see any darkening on that yellow tang.

 

[reef3400]

i will never get a good picture of the ever so mentioned specimen hes in a 1500 gallon vat and im not emptying it lol. this is just one of the 20 or 25 i have that i could get a decent picture of.

 

[bjohanson1234]

Like stated before, you can show us pictures of all the other tangs you have. It will not let us figure out what is going on with your one that is changing color. There are many species in the ocean. Many look very similar to each other. Many can be misidentified even by scientists that deal with them on a day to day basis. It is very possible that you have one of those species that was misidentified as a yellow tang because it looks very similar to one as a juvenile.

I would say, as long as he is eating, is active, and shows no signs of disease, then let it be.