In need of a Doctor URGENTLY!

[masterkaw]

I have a blue tang about 2" long. I've had the fish for a year now. Never had ich while I had it. Everything was fine. This past friday I bought 3 emerald crabs, 5 peppermint shrimp and two hawaiian feather dusters. Since then the blue tang went into its home in the rock and doesn't come out. It is lying a bit side ways like if its dieing. I look at the fish and it still moves its eyes when I move my hand around. But I have no idea what's wrong with the fish. At first I thought it was dead, so I lifted the rock on top of it and it still moved but it let me touch its tail without a problem. I didn't want to stress the fish so I let it be. On Saturday night it came out for a little bit, but didn't swim far, it only stayed next to its home. Since then it has been in its home. It moves a little bit and I could see its eyes moving when I move my hand around.

I checked the parameters thinking that maybe by adding the feather dusters, maybe there was some kind of ammonia released into the water.
My parameters are:
Nitrites - 0
Ammonia - 0
Nitrates - 0
Salinity - 1.025
PH - 8.2

I don't want to take the fish out of the tank and put it in a quarantine because I think the stress will finish killing it.

Does anyone know what I could do? Or have any experience with something like this? Hopefully I could save the fish.

 

[got2envy]

I am no doctor, but...
I have a Hippo and he hides all the time eventually I am sure he will come back out...they are really prone to not liking any changes in the tank and will stress easily and thats when the ich happens

 

[Hooked Newbie]

Wait... 2" after over a year?!

 

[Amphiprion]

Try not to panic. There may not be anything wrong with the fish. It may just be spooked by something. It isn't uncommon for them to wedge themselves in at odd angles, either (mine used to go upside-down). For now, I'd just go about your normal schedule of doing things. If it refuses to come out after another couple of days, you may want to consider shooing it out of the rock to see if it is stuck or something.

 

[masterkaw]

Wait... 2" after over a year?!

That's what I thought too. Only 2". I got him when he was like 1". And it is kind skinny. I started feeding it twice a day because I was wondering why it was so skinny compared to some other ones I've seen at the store. I feed it dry seaweed, frozen plankton, flake food, and frozen formula two food.

Do you think the fish could not be getting enough nutrients? It does look skinny. What do you think?

 

[Amphiprion]

If it is visibly skinny, then no, it isn't getting enough nutrition. Twice a day is easily necessary for a relatively young fish. That could explain the growth stunting.

 

[masterkaw]

Try not to panic. There may not be anything wrong with the fish. It may just be spooked by something. It isn't uncommon for them to wedge themselves in at odd angles, either (mine used to go upside-down). For now, I'd just go about your normal schedule of doing things. If it refuses to come out after another couple of days, you may want to consider shooing it out of the rock to see if it is stuck or something.

I took the rock that was on top off to see if it would swim away, but it didn't. I then pull the fish by the tail, and still it only moved very little and stayed on that rock. I then put the rock back on top. It used to come out every day and at night time it would go to its home. Now, it doesn't come out.

 

[masterkaw]

I am no doctor, but...
I have a Hippo and he hides all the time eventually I am sure he will come back out...they are really prone to not liking any changes in the tank and will stress easily and thats when the ich happens

I was surprise because I've heard a lot that they are prone to ich, but this one has never had ich since I owned it. And it never done this before. It was always happy swimming around. I hope it doesn't die.

 

[masterkaw]

If it is visibly skinny, then no, it isn't getting enough nutrition. Twice a day is easily necessary for a relatively young fish. That could explain the growth stunting.

If this is the case, is there something I could do immediately to give it energy?

 

[Almondsaz]

I am a bit puzzled....you keep saying ich, but yet you don't mention that your blue tang has granular white spots. So...I am wondering why you say ich? I used to have a blue hippo tang and he would wedge into the most peculiar places - and if I changed the environment you could count on him hiding for a while. The fact that you moved the rock on him when he was stressed out might not have been the best option.

If he has no visible signs of ich (your reference) then I would leave him alone for a few days and just keep up the feeding regimen and if after a couple of days of being left alone he doesn't come back out...then perhaps a gentle intervention.

I know you want to help your fish, but the best way to help is be patient and let him adjust. You don't want to overstress him.