Naso on hunger strike

[samksy]

Anyone had a naso tang that went through a hunger strike? I have a naso tang all of sudden stop eating a few days ago. It's been in my tank for like 4 months or so if i remember correctly. The naso is perfectly fine, i don't see any disease visually, no nip fins. Other fishes in the tank are doing great. No one is bothering him, as the naso is pretty big and non is close to his size. It just won't eat anything i offer it. Nori, pellets, mysis, brine....nothing.

I did have a few additions to the tank lately, but they are small fishes that don't go bother the naso. Water parameter seems in check.

I have read other posted online people having similar problem but no one actually have a solution. Some people naso ending up eating at the end, but don't really know the cause and reason and treatment.

 

[Macropora]

I had a pair of Naso Tangs with streamers when I had my 180 gallon reef tank about 15 years ago. They thrived for several (~ 4) months before starving themselves. Back then, I think it was the cyanide kicking into the fishes immune system causing perfectly healthy fishes to die in less than a week. They both died a week apart.

 

[Euroreefer]

Have you tried soaking any of the food in Garlic.

 

[samksy]

I had a pair of Naso Tangs with streamers when I had my 180 gallon reef tank about 15 years ago. They thrived for several (~ 4) months before starving themselves. Back then, I think it was the cyanide kicking into the fishes immune system causing perfectly healthy fishes to die in less than a week. They both died a week apart.

I think my is slightly different situation than yours. Cyanide posion have no signs at all, they are perfectly healthy and probably eating and suddenly die the next day. My went on hunger strike, just like when I got it. It start eating after a week, I'm hopping for the same scenario, that it'll eat again but just see it ignoring his food worries me. Oh man, that really sucks to loose two wihin a week. Could it been internal parasite? I thought cyanide fish don't survive too long, maybe several weeks.

 

[samksy]

Have you tried soaking any of the food in Garlic.

I soaked everything in selcon and garlic, except for seaweed. I'll give that a try, hopefully it starting eating. Oh darn, I don't want to loose his guy.

 

[Dre]

I soaked everything in selcon and garlic, except for seaweed. I'll give that a try, hopefully it starting eating. Oh darn, I don't want to loose his guy.

Selcon and Garlic is not even necessary as a matter of fact i poured too much selcon in my tank and my Naso tang was affected. The fish didn't eat and was placed into another tank to recover. Recovery took about a week...What are your pars exactly? Too high nitrate can be a problem...

 

[B.BASH]

Are their stomachs pinched it could be intestinal parasites

 

[Macropora]

I think my is slightly different situation than yours. Cyanide posion have no signs at all, they are perfectly healthy and probably eating and suddenly die the next day. My went on hunger strike, just like when I got it. It start eating after a week, I'm hopping for the same scenario, that it'll eat again but just see it ignoring his food worries me. Oh man, that really sucks to loose two wihin a week. Could it been internal parasite? I thought cyanide fish don't survive too long, maybe several weeks.

Could have been parasites like you describe. Hopefully you can get it to eat again.

 

[samksy]

Selcon and Garlic is not even necessary as a matter of fact i poured too much selcon in my tank and my Naso tang was affected. The fish didn't eat and was placed into another tank to recover. Recovery took about a week...What are your pars exactly? Too high nitrate can be a problem...

Par? hmmm, to be honest, i didn't even test after cyclying it for a month. But stuff are thriving, lps, sps, soft and fishes are are fine. Tanks is already 1/2 year ish i think, so it has to be mature. I do feed a lot but i do 35 gallon water changes weekly out of 150g so that should help with over size skimming. All other 30 fishes seems to be doing well so......

As for Selcon and Garlic, i have been using it for severall months and i see my fishes are healthier and less fatal rate so i do believe in it, i was totally a disbeliever before....lol!

Are their stomachs pinched it could be intestinal parasites

The huger strike was for like 3-4 days so far, it's still fat and i don't see any signs of sick fish. I'll have to observe closely.

Could have been parasites like you describe. Hopefully you can get it to eat again.

i doubted, i'll have to pray every night before i go to sleep...hahaha!

PLEASE PRAY FOR MY NASO

 

[Custom05Taco]

Par? hmmm, to be honest, i didn't even test after cyclying it for a month. But stuff are thriving, lps, sps, soft and fishes are are fine. Tanks is already 1/2 year ish i think, so it has to be mature. I do feed a lot but i do 35 gallon water changes weekly out of 150g so that should help with over size skimming. All other 30 fishes seems to be doing well so......

As for Selcon and Garlic, i have been using it for severall months and i see my fishes are healthier and less fatal rate so i do believe in it, i was totally a disbeliever before....lol!




The huger strike was for like 3-4 days so far, it's still fat and i don't see any signs of sick fish. I'll have to observe closely.



i doubted, i'll have to pray every night before i go to sleep...hahaha!

PLEASE PRAY FOR MY NASO

30 fish is a lot even for a 150. I would check your levels. I don't test often but its the first thing I do when something seems off.

 

[samksy]

30 fish is a lot even for a 150. I would check your levels. I don't test often but its the first thing I do when something seems off.

Only got one big blue throat trigger, naso tang and a powder blue, the rest are small/tiny fishes, so i'm not too concern with the number of fishes in my tank. If the water is off, the first fish to get in trouble would be the powder blue tang as they are super sensitive to water changes but he is perfectly fine, swimming and eating happily.

I searched RC, this seems to be something some what common with naso tang, some got lucky the naso start eating again but who knows how many didn't make it.

I placed another piece of seaweed on the clip last night for naso, he seems to eat a little bit. I then also soaked a piece of seaweed in garlic and selcon 2 hours later and tored it up and see if it helps with feeding, naso didn't eat it. I'm hoping the naso will regain his appetite slowly.

 

[1UCKY]

If you have a qt, I would put him in there till it starts eating well. That's what I tend to do when my fish suddenly stop eating.

 

[Dre]

So you think six months is long enough to call success and you haven't tested since tank cycle? And you think because one fish is sick and the others are fine there is nothing to worry about? That is crazy, you need to listen to someone who has ten+ years of keeping fish...

 

[robscool]

Something must be in the air

Talk about deja vu. This literally just happened to me. I had my Naso for over 3 years.. 3 weeks ago he just stopped eating out of nowhere. No major changes in my tank, no issues with parameters, nothing I can think of that would have caused this to happen...all other aquatic life was acting normal. My Naso did show interest in mysis, he just wouldn't eat. This lasted 1 week and then he started eating again...pretty aggressively. Unfortunately that only lasted 2 days before he became lethargic again and died 4 days later.
I certainly hope that yours has a better fate than mine, and I'm sorry for being Debbie Downer. From the research that I've done, everything points to internal parasites though I'm not sure where they could have come from...My 9 year old Hippo Tang is more lively than ever.
Best of luck, just wanted to let you know that you're not the only one that this has happened to. Sad Sad Sad.
My replacement Tang will be a Kole...we'll see how that goes.

 

[samksy]

If you have a qt, I would put him in there till it starts eating well. That's what I tend to do when my fish suddenly stop eating.

Thanks for the info, i might setup a side by side tank instead in the future, i am too lazy to keep up another tank and keeping the water up to par.....It'll be hard to catch the fish and quarantine it unless the fish is so weak or beat up but definetly a good idea. thanks!

So you think six months is long enough to call success and you haven't tested since tank cycle? And you think because one fish is sick and the others are fine there is nothing to worry about? That is crazy, you need to listen to someone who has ten+ years of keeping fish...

Dre, nope 6 months is not long at all. I have been in the hobby just slightly under 10 years. Sold everything 2 years ago and back now. I never tested my water since the cycle because i know what i was doing and also because i had no test kit. It is probably a good idea to test now for nitrate. I'll need to get my hands on one of those kits. I tried to do some research online first before posting here, and from what i read this is some what common to naso tang "go on hunger strike" so chances are slim it's a water problem but will get my hands on a test kit like i said. Will keep you posted.

Talk about deja vu. This literally just happened to me. I had my Naso for over 3 years.. 3 weeks ago he just stopped eating out of nowhere. No major changes in my tank, no issues with parameters, nothing I can think of that would have caused this to happen...all other aquatic life was acting normal. My Naso did show interest in mysis, he just wouldn't eat. This lasted 1 week and then he started eating again...pretty aggressively. Unfortunately that only lasted 2 days before he became lethargic again and died 4 days later.
I certainly hope that yours has a better fate than mine, and I'm sorry for being Debbie Downer. From the research that I've done, everything points to internal parasites though I'm not sure where they could have come from...My 9 year old Hippo Tang is more lively than ever.
Best of luck, just wanted to let you know that you're not the only one that this has happened to. Sad Sad Sad.
My replacement Tang will be a Kole...we'll see how that goes.

Rob - thanks for sharing your experience, sorry your naso didn't make it but i think you did a great job for making the 3 year mark. Mine naso is now picking at the seaweed 2 days ago, I hope his appetite gets better. Will keep you posted.

If he goes down, i think i'll skip naso but they are so gorgeous!

PRAY PRAY PRAY

 

[Dre]

As stated earlier the only time i had a problem with a Naso was when i over dosed my tank with Selcon. Maybe its the way they are being collected these days. I hope it comes around. One of my favorite fish, good luck...

 

[samksy]

As stated earlier the only time i had a problem with a Naso was when i over dosed my tank with Selcon. Maybe its the way they are being collected these days. I hope it comes around. One of my favorite fish, good luck...

Thanks Dre.

Just an update and for future reference if anyone had the same problem. The hunger strike is over. I did nothing different than usual, didn't do water change, didn't change a thing except i did attempt to soak the seaweed once and didn't really help. Was only monitoring it closely and that's about it. It has beening eating for a week or so. The naso diet WAS strictly seaweed only. After the strike it started to accept pellet which i'm shock.

 

[Awibrandy]

Thanks Dre.

Just an update and for future reference if anyone had the same problem. The hunger strike is over. I did nothing different than usual, didn't do water change, didn't change a thing except i did attempt to soak the seaweed once and didn't really help. Was only monitoring it closely and that's about it. It has beening eating for a week or so. The naso diet WAS strictly seaweed only. After the strike it started to accept pellet which i'm shock.

I love happy endings!:meow:

 

[brunoboarder2444]

glad to hear that naso stopped acting up

 

[Dre]

He needs purple and brown seaweed as well. Green alone won't cut it.