kole tang help

[SteveNMegz]

Hey guys.

So we picked up a kole tang 2 days ago, we've been observing him at the LFS for the last few weeks, so we did not quarantine the fish.

We acclimated him and put him in the display. Day 1 he found a cave that he basically lives in now, but he was also taking short little journeys around the tank while picking at the rock.

now day 2 we've seen him come out maybe 3-4 inches out of his cave but thats it. We haven't seen him eat any of the food we provide to the other fish, but the dried seaweed we put on the food clip is gone everynight (no one else eats it except for the blenny we have, and he doens't eat that much)

we've come to see a lgihter colored blotches on his face, we're thinking it stress related, we've been trying to stay out of the room the tank is in so he feels safe to come out of the cave.
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg22/MegznSteve/016-2.jpg


you can kind of see lighter blotches on his face in this pic (which was taken on day one, and are a little lighter now)

any ideas??? should we just be patient. water params are all in check

[Jerry W]

I would give the fish a few days to settle in. It's not uncommon for them to be skittish. I have one in my 120. It does sound as though the tang is eating the algae, and he'll probably start doing so in full view once he's comfortable. The color blotching is something I've noticed with these fish. Mine will go from a deep purple to a washed out pale color in seconds. It can be stress related and as long as your parameters are in check, it may be nothing. Are there any other fish which might be pestering the tang? Watch it closely for the next several days. Quarantine is always a plus with any fish, but tangs in particular. Parasites are not uncommon but hopefully you won't encounter problems.

[SteveNMegz]

thansk for the reply. Not much is pestering except for a cleaner shrimp that tries to jump on him everyonce in a while. our lawnmower blenny has been kinda following him around but keeping his distance, hes doing much better today, actually staying out most of the afternoon with short trips back to his cave