What
advice..ANY advice can you give about keeping a Yellow Tang? I have
had 4 now and they all died. One did ok but got stuck in between the
sand and a rock. The last one I just bought, died in 2 days and seemed
to fit right in!!!! Then he was white one morning which I heard they do
that when they sleep. Well...he was yellow when I came home from work
but dead..."
The potential lifespan of coral reef fish is much longer than people tend to think. For Yellow Tangs who make it through the initial trials of their lives, for instance, potential lifespan is measured in decades.
99.9% of newly hatched Yellow Tangs will become food for other fish as they drift along in Hawaii's offshore waters before settling onto a coral reef. If their chosen reef happens to be one protected from aquarium collecting, after picking a spot in a finger coral patch, they'll stay within a few meters of that very spot for many months where they will eat algae, grow and hide from predators.
On this protected reef, an estimated 99% of these young tangs, will also be eaten by other fish, playing an important role in the reef food web. But a surprising 1% of those who first made it to the reef will survive to be 5 to 7 years old, and as an adult fish, will spawn for the first time and contribute to the survival of their species.
As adults they'll move into shallower areas where they'll graze on the algae growing on sunlit reefs, keeping everything in balance. Many of these adults will live for decades on this protected reef where the average Yellow Tang age is 11, many are in their 20's and 30's and some even make it past 40.
This is the life of a Yellow Tang in the wild.
But, for those initial open water survivors who happen to choose a reef frequented by aquarium collectors, not only are their days numbered, but the reef will suffer the loss, as well.
Of the few who manage to survive the cumulative stressors of capture, shipping and inadequate care, few will survive even a year in captivity before succumbing to stress related disease.
Baby Damselfish Sheltering in a Sea Star
Take, for example, the practice of using damselfish to "cycle" a new tank. Cycling is an essential process requiring organic materials and 2 - 8 weeks to develop the chemistry and proper levels of beneficial bacteria for nutrient cycling. Live rock, live sand and fish are used to accomplish this. Though the word "torture" is used by aquarists to describe the impacts to fish used in tank cycling, and many fish will die in the process, hobbyists and experts, alike, still recommend it. Read more about it here.
Every day, both new and experienced hobbyists post questions in online forums, asking for guidance on how to keep their fish alive. The example below was posted by "Jeff M" on Yahoo! Answers on April 4,2011, and is a classic example of what's happening to these animals:
"Yellow Tang help please, all advice?
According to industry experts, the highest mortality rates before reaching the hobbyist, are shipping related and are due to stress and starvation. But the mortalities begin with capture and many animals are dying in Hawaii while under the "expert" care of collectors and wholesalers, before they're ever shipped.
In January, 2010, over 600 fish collected for the trade were found dead, dumped in a Big Island boat harbor trash can. As outrageous as it was, it's just a drop in the bucket. An estimated 3% of all wildlife collected in Hawaii dies before being exported (min. estimate is 10 - 20 thousand annually).
Injuries associated with capture include barotrauma from being surfaced too quickly; organ piercing while attempting to resolve barotrauma; unnecessary exposure to air (as pictured below); fin and spine trimming (as pictured at the bottom of the page); tissue tears; and, various other stressors.
Aquarium trade handling and starvation/shipping practices translate to, on average, an additional 9% of the wildlife shipped arriving dead or dying with 3 days at the receiving wholesaler or retailer's facility - each time they're shipped. That's 4% DOA and an additional 5% dead within 3 days. These are industry standards with repercussions (i.e. invoice deductions) only for DOA's above 5% (the receiver takes responsibility for deaths after arrival).
According to an industry member, fin and spine trimming is a a common practice, saving money on layers of shipping bags and heavy paper that would otherwise be used when shipping fish with sharp appendages.
Fortunately, fin and spine trimming, starvation for more than 24 hours and organ piercing were recently recognized by Maui County as cruel and inhumane, and are practices the trade is now prohibited from engaging in.
Fortunately, fin and spine trimming, starvation for more than 24 hours and organ piercing were recently recognized by Maui County as cruel and inhumane, and are practices the trade is now prohibited from engaging in.
It is clear that for a multitude of reasons, reef wildlife in the aquarium hobby is unable to
survive for anywhere near their wild potential and suffers from essentially non-stop inhumane treatment before finally dying. This raises serious societal as well as environmental concerns - after all, for each animal that dies in a hobby tank, many more are taken from reefs to replace them.
For the Fishes
Protecting Coral Reef Wildlife From the Aquarium Trade
Protecting Coral Reef Wildlife From the Aquarium Trade
Working to Keep Hawaii's Reef Animals on Hawaii's Reefs!
Reef Animal Welfare