BT driving me Nutz!!

[Domino]

Hi everyone!!!

I got this small BT three weeks ago. The tank in the LFS did not look good and yet I bought it. Put the BT through 3 weeks quarantine...

Super extra shy ... It would hide the whole day in a plastic tube ... only come out to eat... I pampered it with good food and vitamins/ preventive medicine and it seemed to be doing OK... Got one or two small white spots that appeared and disappeared (is this white spots disease?) couple of times but in general remained healthy and eating for three weeks... but hiding ...

Finaly, I tranfer it to my 4ft display tank and there at first it hides (ok... normal...) then after an hour it comes out and swims in the open with the Chromis and the banggais (that's all I have) Finally! I was happy...

After not even ten minutes it disapears again... Shortly after it comes out to swim again for a few minutes and that was it, it disappeared again... and now it's been hiding like before for two days behind a powerhead ... It just looks miserable!!

I am just worried that it will not get it's food and get weak and sick and mess up the tank with diseases... I've never had any diseases in my tank since I set it up 4 months ago, but I stock it up very slowly... I only have 5 chromis, 2 banggais 3 tubeworms two snails and... one small BT ... Will also soon add a yellow tailed damsel to add some more color.

What should I do? Anybody had similar experience?

[odi]

Sell to me??

[DeepBlue]

avoid spooking it...let it come out...it will get use to it and become the king of the tank

[untouchables]

i used to have the same problem. one fine day u will realise u cant find it anymore...

i put any fish that i plan to introduce into a container hanging in the main tank. let it stay there for a few days and make sure it eats while inside the container. once it starts eating, then release it.

works for me after so many failed attempts using other methods!

[Domino]

Deep blue!! It really did look like the king of the tank for a few minutes... I was so happy...

Unthouchables!

i was thinking of this method too... Is the container you use a strainer or a clear container with lots of holes like the bottom part of a big plastic bottle?

[ReDDeviLs]

i think the cromis were too aggressive in feeding that scare the blue tang?

i use to have a blue tang in the past..

it was my first fish in the tank,the fellow always hide until i introduce a clown and 2 other fish together.

[untouchables]

Unthouchables!

i was thinking of this method too... Is the container you use a strainer or a clear container with lots of holes like the bottom part of a big plastic bottle?

im using those plastic containers with lots of big holes at sides and bottom with 2 hooks. i think shops sell them as holders for shampoo, etc to be used in bathrooms.

[tineng]

brough mine from a LFS with very bad condition also, full of ich....but manage to nurse it back to health after 3 months....so you might need to be patient....

I place it in the main tank directly as I read from somewhere they don't seems to do well when they are put in a quarrentie tank...

anyway, during the first 2-3 month, ich comes on and off, i suspect that ich will aways be there but only show up when they are stress, initally ich alway come back when I change water....!!!

Don't worry too much, as long as your water conditions are ok and there are no agressive fish in there, your tang will slowly get use to the envirorment and come out...

[untouchables]

brough mine from a LFS with very bad condition also, full of ich....but manage to nurse it back to health after 3 months....so you might need to be patient....

I place it in the main tank directly as I read from somewhere they don't seems to do well when they are put in a quarrentie tank...

anyway, during the first 2-3 month, ich comes on and off, i suspect that ich will aways be there but only show up when they are stress, initally ich alway come back when I change water....!!!

Don't worry too much, as long as your water conditions are ok and there are no agressive fish in there, your tang will slowly get use to the envirorment and come out...

i used to have high casulties. almost all, with the exception of clown fish, dies within 1 week of putting in main tank. i put them in direct without quarantine, etc. the problem is not the itch (which always happens) but a combined problems of itch, new environment so hiding, not getting food, etc.

my new regiment has seen no casualty (touch wood). when first brought back, i put 1 drop of malachite green. leave the fish in the original bag for 30 min. then catch out to q tank. put myxazin or other anti itch, anti parasite medicine. leave fish in q tank for a few days. make sure they look ok and feeding before i put into plastic container in main tank. leave it there for a few days. make sure it looks comfortable, no sickness and most importantly, eats at every feeding (this indicates it is not frightened anymore and not eating becos it is starving) then let go into main tank.

simple steps but it works. should have found this out much earlier cos my ls that died cost more than juz hundreds of bucks! ouch

ps u can skip the q tank regime. i only do it after my ranchus died and thus have extra tank.

cheers!

[nicky30092002]

avoid spooking it...let it come out...it will get use to it and become the king of the tank

and ur nightmare as well ..

[seamonkee]

With your BT now so spooked out, please dun get a yellow-tailed damsel... they are very aggressive.

And they are somewhat similar in colour to the BT so yellow-tailed damsel might further spook it....

[kee]

look after the BT if u spot any bully or wat faster remove it.. if not.. hai...

[DeepBlue]

and ur nightmare as well ..

yup..my black tang...white spots and all..has dominated the other tangs......

hope he gives my atlantic blue some chance...the bugger is fighting hard to get all the food it can eat though........

Back to the Blue tang....A suggestion would be to hang/clip some green vege or nori near his hiding place so he can come out for a bit of munching when he thinks it is safe to come out ...hope it will be helpful

[bubble_gum]

i bought a bt for my FOWLR.... i became paranoid cos at the shop it was eating but at home it wasnt.... add flake,bbs,pellets.... den i try nori and it came out from hiding and started eating..... the best part was i bought it today