new yellow tang

my yellow tang (that i don't have anymore because he was visious) was pale every morning when i turned on the lights, but he'd color up pretty quick.

I think being stressed will make it last even longer.

Also a fish rubbing on rocks, sand, or glass isn't a good thing. generally it means they have an itch, and it could be from ick or something similar. but if it isn't showing any signs I'd give him a day or two and let him settle down.

Guy

With my tang, the paleness lasted for 4 days. After that, his color returned and he brightened up dramatically. Color loss is usually due to stress, although fish do tend to lose color once the lights go off. Make sure the tang has plenty of algae and seaweed to graze on, and make sure it is getting enough vitamin C.

With the scratching on the glass, it could be several things: the tang could just be feeling out the new tanks boundaries, or he could be itching. Look to see if he is rubbing up against other decorations and live rock in the tank. If he is, then that is flashing, a symptom of ich and velvet. Look for pinhead sized white bumps on the tang's fins and body. That is the easiest way to identify Ich. Velvet appears as a "dust" of small whitish or gold colored flecks on the fish's skin. Yellow tangs are also succeptable to black Ich, which is caused by a parasitic turbellarian worm. The symptoms are the same as white spot Ich, but the spots are black, and highly visible against the tang's yellow skin.

Hi Tim - just a few questions...

How did you acclimate him? How are your water parameters? What size tank? Was he eating at the LFS? Did he have good color at the LFS? Is he eating now?

Hopefully all is well and he's just getting used to his new home and recovering from shipping stress.

The rubbing may also be a sign of diff. water conditions that your tank has versus what the fish came out of as well. Anything from salinty to a KH change can create an "itch". Yellow tangs are pretty hardy fish but the one thing they dont tolerate very well is nitrites or nitrates.

Is Black Ich more or less harmful than white Ich? do you treat it the same? (low salinity, methylene blue, etc.)???

Thanks

my yellow tang

Have had a yellow tang for 4 days, 1st day he was ok but stayed in the rocks. Next day he was eating well and doing fine. 3rd and 4 day he was wierd and swimming fast and turning on a dime, tested the water found salt was high. 1.024 > brought down the salt slowly over the next day he seems better With the 120 gallon and lights i loose around 2 liters of water a day. need to set up a drip system with r.o water. Any one have this problem?

Before ya get freaked out, is he playing in his reflection?

I have had my powder blue for two weeks and he plays with his relfection constantly, up and down the glass, flashing his dorsal fin, nipping .. He has done this since day one, this is the badest tang I ever have had. . I was like, "hope he aclimates" , hes like, "Aclimate this!" a tough bugger who never developed ich *shoulda got a lottery ticket this day* and isn't afraid of anything. . including his own image. So see if this may be the case.

Well, first of you should have QT the fish in a tank for 2 weeks and treated with various copper treatments, this would have eliminated to chance of the fish getting ICK, unless it is in the display tank, also how big is you tank?

i disagree with the copper meds. i think that fish should be q-tanked for a few weeks to see if they show any signs of parasites/problems, i dont think you should treat a fish with copper meds unless they need it. kinda like dosing additives into a tank without testing for it.