Anything else to reduce stress on New Yellow Tang?

[spatten]

I added a yellow tang to my tank Tuesday evening. He seemed fine at the store. The first few hours he seemed to pick around the gravel, but now he is staying in hiding.

The water params are fine, and stable. The other fish (2 chromis, and 1 fasle percula) seem to leave him completely alone. I acclimated him slowly to the new water. He isn't breathing heavy, but he does have some brown stress coloration. I've put some nori in the tank, and he isn't coming out.

I've turned off the light, and am trying to leave the tank alone -but it's basically in the middle of my open floorplan house.

Is it typical for them to hide, stay stressed for several days? - when I added the chromis and percula they swam and ate right away. Is there much chance he will come out and explore? Anything else I can do for him? Or is this just a sign he likely has ich?

TIA,
Scott

PS- I did set up a QT last month - and its parameters are fine, but it got over run with this brown rust like substance. I was also told the 10gallon QT was too small for him. So I weighed the options, and felt that giving him the better water of the DT was less stressful?

[jimbo78]

my YT still hides most of the time and i've had him a couple years at least. hard to say if anything is wrong or not.

[eyebedam]

Keep your lights off for atleast 24hrs & try to get some live brine shrimp. Feed a little brine a couple hours before you turn your lights back on (this may lure him out to eat a treat) then after about a hour after you turn your lights back on feed the remainder of the shrimp. He will want another treat :). See if that works for ya.

[pkarakis]

Mine did the same thing until I got some chromis. The little chromis stay out front all the time, so now so does the Yellow Tang. They just need to see it is safe out front.

Pete

[Jhutto]

Agree, make sure your water parameters are fine. Give him time.

[HOZER62]

New enviroment, new settings can be alittle spokey he or she will come around!!

[Bontrager]

I had the same problem as you are now experiencing. My tang is 3 months old and still likes to hide when he sees me. I have added a yellow tail damsel and that seems to give him company and he is much more prone to come to the front of the tank now.

They have excellent eye sight and can easily spot you coming.

I would add another fish and that should help.

[spatten]

Sad ending to this story. I turned the lights on eventually, and the chromis started two-timing him. They would hover just above him- like they were constraining where he could swim. He seemed to be holding his own.

Then about two hours later, I look over and see my cat pacing around the tank. That's odd, I think - and go back to my work.

Well, the tang is gone - and I guess my cat had an expensive snack.

That's two fish my DEMON chromis have caused to jump. What can I do about these guys - I'm tempted to send one back to his maker.

[otrlynn]

Have you considered covering the tank. Any fish can jump--some are just more likely to than others... And sorry to hear about your fish ;-(

By the way, the rusty stuff in the QT was probably diatoms--the QT going through its own cycle. If you still have it up, let it run and do a couple of water changes and you should be fine. You can use a clean (aquarium dedicated sponge) and wipe the diatoms off of the glass if you wish.

[SNAKEMANVET]

The cat could have caused the tang to jump out.