Why is my mustard tang losing weight?

[Wowkuh]

So I've had a mustard tang for a couple months now and it seems like he's slowly losing weight.

Seems to eat ok. Theres the occasional day where i skip feeding due to me forgetting/keeping nutrients down. Hes kinda finicky only eats smallest pieces of food he can find before even attemping larger pieces. he doesnt care for nori at all so its not like he can graze all day long. After feeding he has a decent sized belly but doesn't gain weight.

He's been through copper treatment twice.

I've fed him GC with focus twice on separate occasions. First one a span of 10 days and second one a month later for a span of about 14days (no less). I also FW dipped twice on separate ooccasions for flukes.

You can really see it on his face. Its sunken in between his eyes and mouth as well as above his eyes.

@Humblefish @4FordFamily @HotRocks @Big G

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

He’s really thin and malnourished. What are you feeding him on a daily basis? I would recommend a sheet of seaweed daily and at least a quarter cube of mysis at night. The great thing about a Tang is even if your nutrients come up a little they are natural lawnmowers. My 150G has one Tang and not a strand of algae can be found.

 

[Wowkuh]

He’s really thin and malnourished. What are you feeding him on a daily basis? I would recommend a sheet of seaweed daily and at least a quarter cube of mysis at night. The great thing about a Tang is even if your nutrients come up a little they are natural lawnmowers. My 150G has one Tang and not a strand of algae can be found.

I make my own mixture of food. Which contains market shrimp, muscles, clams, scallops, squid, PE mysis, krill, nori, garlic and selcon. I feed him every day now. And as mentioned earlier, he doesn't like nori so I focus more on meaty food.

 

[VSVP bet]

you ever try romaine lettuce? my clown tang doesn't touch nori, but loves romaine lettuce...

 

[Wowkuh]

you ever try romaine lettuce? my clown tang doesn't touch nori, but loves romaine lettuce...

I haven't tried but I will. Actually I have some spinach I can try now.

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

I make my own mixture of food. Which contains market shrimp, muscles, clams, scallops, squid, PE mysis, krill, nori, garlic and selcon. I feed him every day now. And as mentioned earlier, he doesn't like nori so I focus more on meaty food.

Tangs need a source of algae. If he’s not a fan of Nori try Julian Sprungs seaweed sheets. You may also want to try attempting to feed in a different way. If you clip it try to rubberband around a rock, get a grazer (magnet through glass). Put a few drops of garlic on it, etc. either way try the seaweed sheets. My Tang can’t enough of this stuff and loves the Nori also.

 

[4FordFamily]

I agree that’s a very malnourished tang. Finnicky tangs often devour red nori first. Try rubber banding it to a rock so he can mimic natural grazing patterns at first.

 

[Wowkuh]

I agree that’s a very malnourished tang. Finnicky tangs often devour red nori first. Try rubber banding it to a rock so he can mimic natural grazing patterns at first.

So you think it has nothing to do with any meds I've been giving or any disease that I missed or failed at treating?

And where's your preferred choice to buy red nori

 

[4FordFamily]

So you think it has nothing to do with any meds I've been giving or any disease that I missed or failed at treating?

And where's your preferred choice to buy red nori

It’s possible but we have brought hundreds of fish through sinilar regiments without much issue— tangs have high caloric needs and high metabolisms. They need lots of greens/algae to subsist. This is why they’re dirty fish.

 

[Big G]

Two suggestions for your finicky tang:

https://www.reefcleaners.org/aquarium-store/gallon-of-gracilaria

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/hika...&utm_term=4577473065982530&utm_content=Hikari

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

I agree he may just be a picky eater but I have had praziquantel resistant intestinal patasites several times over the last 6 months. Just something to Consider.

 

[Wowkuh]

I have some cheato and grape culirpa (sp?) Shall i try offer these? Buuut its in my DT which is fallow and and its close to being end of fallow. And I currently have all my fish in a QT with copper at theroputic level

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

I have some cheato and grape culirpa (sp?) Shall i try offer these? Buuut its in my DT which is fallow and and its close to being end of fallow. And I currently have all my fish in a QT with copper at theroputic level

Why is your tank fallow? Did you go fallow because he is thin? Or did you have another isssue he was exposed to?

 

[Wowkuh]

Why is your tank fallow? Did you go fallow because he is thin? Or did you have another isssue he was exposed to?

I had a TON of fish in my 180 well not a ton. Just a good amount. Bout 17 fish. never did follow a QT protocol. And fish had ich and probably all sorts of other stuff. i slowly started losing fish, so took what I had left And treated while main DT goes fallow

 

[Wowkuh]

This guy is seriously not doing so well. I tried red seaweed with no luck. He usually rushes the glass as soon as he sees me begging for food. and now I noticed tattered fins. He is sectioned off alone so no one is harassing him. Also, as mentioned I did a FW dip twice on separate occasions and nothing came off him. Also, currently in copper power at 1.87 check with Hanna high range copper checker. See video.

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

This guy is seriously not doing so well. I tried red seaweed with no luck. He usually rushes the glass as soon as he sees me begging for food. and now I noticed tattered fins. He is sectioned off alone so no one is harassing him. Also, as mentioned I did a FW dip twice on separate occasions and nothing came off him. Also, currently in copper power at 1.87 check with Hanna high range copper checker. See video.

Will he eat Mysis?

 

[laverda]

Tangs are herbivores so greens should be a large portion of their diet. The other stuff is like feeding a kid candy. They will it it all day till they get sick if you let them. It may eat your Chaeto but that usually passes through them largely intact. I bet it would love the calorpa as mine always have. Mine also love GHA. I have plenty in my sump, so I just pull a rock out and toss it in the display for an hour. I also highly recommend Julian’s veggies. Soaking nori with a little garlic extract may help as well. If you feeding nori from the grocery store my tangs will not eat some varieties. You also need to make sure it dose not have anything added to it.

 

[Wowkuh]

Eating aside....

Why would his fins be tattered if he's isolated.

 

[laverda]

Ammonia poisoning, decaying health, poor diet come to mind

 

[Wowkuh]

Ammonia poisoning, decaying health, poor diet come to mind

So its not necessarily "eating aside" lol