Lost a fish today :(

[Jynxgirl]

My tank seems to be doing great. I have a refugium that I am running at opposite times as my lights. My temp is constant at 80. My water tested normal and none of the other fish were/are sick. I would have though my skiddish baby naso or my ich prone blue hippo would have gotten sick before my powder brown. I noticed he didnt come out today to eat when the lights came on and then I refeed the tank a few hours later trying to tempt him out and he still didnt come out. I found him gasping down in a cuby whole under a rock thanks to the engineer gobies great landscaping they are doing. I could just see the powder browns tail. I relandscaped to get him out and put him in my sump hoping to save him. :( He was breathing very fast and but looked fine. He died a few hours later.

I haven't had a fish just die after being in the tank for a period of time... with no signs of disease and no major catastophy happen. I am sad and bummed out about this. :( He was just such a beautiful fish. Got along great with everyone. Do other people have a hard time with powder browns?[/list]

[blueboy]

sorry to hear about your loss. powder browns are among my favorite fish.

[caferacermike]

Sorry about the loss.

Could you inform us what you fed it? I lost a powder blue and a naso due to them ignoring algae for my frozen mysis that I fed to my other fish. They basically starved to death with fat bellies. They seemd so eager to eat the mysis I figured they were absolutely healthy and in great condition.

[Jynxgirl]

I way overfeed. I feed the cubes of brine, mysis, the mixture packet that has a white cube mixed in stuff, some algae specifc marine cubes, formula one flakes and their pellets, 2 different kinds of seaweed dry stuff, plus I made a big cube of food that has a mixture of seafood including clam, shrimp, mussels, and other things because I have an aggressive tank. I drop some of this in the big tank every few days as well. The poweder would chow down on everything. I feed the seaweed usually daily in the morning wihtout anything else. Everything is hungry after a long night. I would put in other food a few hours later. Then right before lights off at night I feed again. He always ate everything and anything. I dont think I had any issues with another tang beating up on him. He didn't have any torn fins and I never saw any aggression in the tank. All the fish are on the smaller side and he was one of the largest fish in the tank at about three and a half to four inches across.

[caferacermike]

NOt for sure if it was the problem but keep in ind what I said happened to mine. Basically eating meaty foods is very unhealthy for tangs. It's like living off fast food alone for humans. They are not built to handle those types of foods in nature. They eat continuously throughout the day nipping at algae. After my losses (I was told they were super easy fish at time of purchase) I began reading about their diet needs and swore off buying them ever again. Of course I also read that a few never had those troubles but the majority said that in the wild they never have a sense of being full from their diet. they must graze all day long. In our tanks when they eat meaty foods they suddenly trigger the "full" feeling and will no longer graze. They eat the foods but actually starve to death as their diet needs are not being satisified.

I do feel your loss as they are beautiful and interesting fish.

[eddie]

Sorry to hear your loss. I just lost a green chromis for no reason. I feed my powder brown flake food all week except Sunday when he gets mysis. He gets it when I feed my bta. He does great. I only feed the fish one time per day, most of the time.

[murkywaters]

sorry for your loss :hugs:

[bgood1]

sorry for the loss =(

I was told the same thing about Tangs also....need lots of algae in their diet. I too make my own meaty food with the oysters, shrimp etc for my fish and corals and wasn't sure how to address that. So just based on common sense I guess, I took some dried seaweed sheets and mixed with very little water and pureed into a thick paste - then smooshed into an old cube tray I had left over some some of that store bought food. I froze it and now just add a cube of that frozen seaweed to my feedings and my Naso actually go around and eats just the small chunks of seaweed (mostly anyways). At least I know he is getting his algae =)

I am new to the hobby also and this whole feeding thing looks like it is going to be quite a science/chore. By the time I get everything into my tank I want I might as well go to the grocery store and get one of everything so I can feed my tank!! ;o)

[mathias]

I put in a sheet of algea and all the fish love it even the clowns...