Yellow Tang Help!

[Greg129]

I just bought a Yellow Tang from the local fish store. I tested the salinty in the Tang's bag with a refractometer, and it was 1.015! I keep my tank at 1.025. How long can I keep him in the bag without getting too stressed while I take out bag water and add tank water?

[2crazyreefers]

You can put it in a small bucket and slowly add some of your water, a little at a time to get the salinity close. But first float him to get the water to temp. Yellows are tuff should be no problem.

[yoboyjdizz]

until the bag water and matches your tanks water. I would just keep doing cup full of your tank water poor it in then wait 15min then poor some bag water in the sink and fill it again do this a couples time should be alright 1hour or so

[TKByrnes]

use a air line to syphon water from the tank and he could live in there for prob a couple days. just do the drip thing with the airline and let it sit for about 2-3 hours. maybe add a little water with a cup like every half hour or so.

[Greg129]

Thanks guys. Right now. I'm taking out three turkey basters full of bag water out, then adding two turkey basters full of tank water in. I'm doing this in 10 minute intervals. Is this alright?

[theatrus]

They are either trying to maintain a hyposalinaty environment to combat ick, or their tank parameters are messed up :)

[TrojanScott]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7916682#post7916682 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Greg129
Thanks guys. Right now. I'm taking out three turkey basters full of bag water out, then adding two turkey basters full of tank water in. I'm doing this in 10 minute intervals. Is this alright?

That'll work fine. Yellow Tangs are really hardy fish. You could probably float him for a half hour, and let him loose. Your method is fine with that fish, I'm sure he'll be okay.

[Greg129]

Thanks. He's still floating. I only have raised the salinty to 1.018. Would it be alright to speed it up a little? He's been floating for exactly one hour now.

[jeffbrig]

Maybe I'm overly cautious, but my readings suggest that fish don't tolerate rapid increases in salinity very well. I religiously treat all of my new fish with hyposalinity, and the most I'll drop fish is .004 every 12 hours. On the way back up, it's much slower.... .002 PER DAY. (these numbers are recommended by Steven Pro and others) You can probably exceed these guidelines somewhat for a one time correction, but you're going to create stress for the fish.

At a minimum, I'd get that fish into a clean bucket, add a bubbler, maybe a heater (depending on room temp), and drip acclimate with tank water over the next 24 hours.

[Greg129]

Thanks for the input, jeffbrig. But, the Tang is already in the tank after 2 1/2 hours of acclimation. Every 10 minutes I took some bag water out and added tank water in. The Tang is doing really well. No signs of ich or stress and he's swimming about grazing on the numerous supply of various types of algae. The Tang's stomach is pinched, but hopefully he'll survive. The girl at the fish store said that they had the Tang for a month and that they were only feeding him mysis and brine. I'm guessing that's why he's so thin. He was also only in a 5 gallon holding tank with no visible algae. I'm happy I could save him.

[jimbo045]

I keep my Yellow Tang at 1.026, seems fine. JD