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Tang Trouble, Marine Stocking and Disease 11/6/07 Dear Crew, hope everyone is better than I. (had my wisdom teeth extracted) <That does not sound like a good time.> I had written a day or so ago about the Yellow Tang and Coral beauty my boyfriend brought home, that was not quarantined, shame on me, and I believe it was Mich that replied the 40 gal. tank and it's inhabitants were way too small for a Yellow Tang. <Agreed, and probably too small for the Angel too in my opinion.> Everyone was doing fine for a few days, but today the Tang has developed a cloudy eye, and keeps rubbing one side of his body on the rock as he swims by. We have been dosing daily with an antifungal, and antibacterial since we put them in the tank, <Bad idea to treat the main tank, too much collateral damage.> but I am wondering if this behavior is caused by stress from the new small environment, or does she have something? <I would guess it has something.> I should probably take her back to the LFS if they will take her. Or maybe the worker there who has a 150 gal. will take her. I don't want to be a killer! <Then as you said, back to the LFS or the friend's tank.> Please offer me your best advice O wise Crew! <I would try to find this fish a new home. Unfortunately if it does have some sort of illness it has infected your tank. Watch your current livestock closely for signs of illness and be ready to remove them to a hospital tank for treatment.> <Chris> Nematode treatment, not Cu 11/4/07 Dear Crew, <Mark> My yellow tang appeared to have "small strings" coming from its vent. I merely observed for 3 weeks, but the fish started to hide excessively and become lethargic. Water tests showed good water quality: pH=8.1 in a.m. - 8.4 in p.m. Hardness=9dGH Ammonia=0 Nitrite=0 Nitrate<5ppm Phosphate<.5ppm So I captured the tang and put him in a quarantine tank and treated with .50ppm ionic copper. <Mmmm, I would not have done this> I know tangs don't always do well with copper, but I like using it because I can test how much is present vs. " the dumping and hoping you added enough/not too much" method associated with most other treatments. <Good point> I did not try a freshwater dip because I have had poor luck/skill with its use . Anyway, my yellow tang seems to be responding well to the treatment so far (2 days). So how long should the tang be treated? And how long should the display tank (90 gallon reef) remain fallow? Thanks, Mark <If you had a microscope... I would cease the copper exposure and try an anthelminthic here instead... in both the treatment and main tank... Prazi-.... see WWM re. Bob Fenner>
QT tang with
Ich 8/26/07 Hello all: Need some words of wisdom from
you guys at WWM. Have a yellow tang that I purchased from my local LFS
2 Saturdays ago, he was immediately placed in QT( SpG 1.019 temp 80
degrees), <... what spg was this fish in previously?> and within
2 days began to show signs of Ich which is not surprising since LFS is
notorious for this problem since they tend to overstock. <And
don't employ prophylactic processes> Began treating last Friday
with CopperSafe and have been maintaining level between 1.5 and 2.0 ppm
since then. He has been eating like a hog the whole time color is great
no rapid respiration, flashing or rubbing and within the last 3 days
the lesions have resolved completely and areas of irritation have also
diminished. My question is I have read a lot of information regarding
Tangs and copper therapy and it is my understanding that they should be
treated no longer that two weeks due to damaging their intestinal
flora. <This is so> This being the case how do I go about
ensuring he is free of infection prior to introducing him to my display
tank. <Continue, finish the copper treatment... allow to rest up,
observe... use a dip/bath in moving to the main display...> If I
reduce copper levels after 2 weeks of therapy and keep him in QT
another two weeks more will I not be waiting for another exposure when
the cysts begin to hatch in 28 days???? <Mmm, will 'hatch'
out much sooner than this... Would likely show within another week if
not gone...> Marie Jones <Bob Fenner> Yellow tang and copper 8/22/07 I have a tang in qt <Not quarantine, but treatment> for ick using CopperSafe, and now it has developed a dark spot on one side. <... from copper exposure, stress, metabolite accumulation... > I was reading on here about copper with tangs can you go into more detail about this since I am using it, and what can I do for the dark spot, when I first put the tang in qt I had a fake rock in there and it rubbed on it I thought that maybe it rubbed to hard and made the spot (but looks like it is getting bigger to me) would appreciate any info thanks <Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ytangdisfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> Yellow Tang Growing
Thin -- 08/21/07 I currently have a 55-gallon saltwater aquarium...
Inhabitants include 1 Yellow Tang <<This fish really does need a
bigger environment>> 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 Coral Banded Shrimp, 2
hermit crabs, 1 Coral Beauty Angel, 1 Maroon Clown, 1 Chocolate Chip
Starfish, and a good amount of live rock. Protein Skimmer, EHEIM
canister filter, salinity is good, taking water in to work to get it
tested today. I just came home on my lunch break and looked at my tank
and noticed that my Yellow Tang's body seems to be caving it just
below his side fins. He is eating fine and acts completely normal...
Any ideas on the cause of that and if so how do I go about fixing this
problem? -Crystal <<Mmm, you say the fish is eating fine, but
eating what? My guess at this point is the fish is not getting enough
of the 'right foods' to eat. I suggest feeding New Life
Spectrum pellets and a macroalgae like Two Little Fishies Sea
Veggies...soaking all in a supplement like Vita-Chem or Selcon before
feeding. Another thought is that this fish has been exposed to an
antibiotic or copper treatment that has damaged its gut-fauna making if
difficult/impossible for the fish to properly digest food. If this is
the case, exposure to other tangs 'may' help it to re-establish
these. Regards, EricR>> Sick Yellow Tang, Treating Main Tank, Lack of QT 8/9/07 I bought a yellow tang about three weeks ago. It was from someone else's tank, relinquished to the local store, and bought by me (lots of moving.) Also, when store clerk was bagging it up, she practically wrestled with it to get it in the net and then in to the bag. <Not good.> Fish came home and ate a bit of algae the first couple of days, but I didn't know its preferred food, so I basically starved it for about a week. <Algae is its preferred and natural food.> Then it developed many symptoms - cotton mouth, white specs, cloudy eyes. THEN I found out what it likes to eat (brine shrimp) <worthless> but by then the eyes were so cloudy it had trouble eating. I have to spoon-feed it so that the shrimp touches fish's lips, and then he will suck it in. (Named the fish Nicole Ritchie.) Nicole has gotten some stomach mass back since the spoon-feeding began (was looking gaunt) and we treated the whole tank with a round of erythromycin. <Not good to treat the main tank, the antibiotic probably killed off your bio-filtration and your water quality could be in jeopardy here, making the whole situation worse. Check your water parameters here.> The box says a second round may be necessary. Nicole's eyes are still cloudy, but less cloudy than before, and body looks better, but her ability to feed seems to be hindered by not being able to see. Her fins are relaxed, she moves freely about the tank, and what looks like bruising on a peach, discolored marks on her body, seems better in the past couple of days. She associates one particular corner with being fed, and she goes there regularly, but it's hard to get the tiny shrimps right up to her lips, but we try. <Need to get better foods than brine into it, potato chips of the sea.> I was told she likes seaweed sheets, but she hasn't eaten any of it since I bought it, after her eyes were cloudy, not even if I hold it up to her lips. I know that everything Nicole went through to get here was bad, and I can understand that the stress wigged her out, but when do I administer the second round of antibiotics, or should I use something else? I left Nicole in the same tank since she's been here, as moving her to the smaller, empty tank I have seemed like more stress she didn't need, but I do have a 29 gal tank available, if you think moving is better. <This fish needs to be in a QT tank where it has a chance to settle down, fatten up and recover.> The tank she is in now is 55 gal, with live rock, some corals, a clown fish and a marine Betta, who are all still in good health and eat good. There seem to be no aggression problems with any of them. Please help me save Nicole Ritchie. Missy Kisner <You need to get your water parameters in check here, I'm guessing they are off. Also, all fish need to be QTed before adding to the main tank, since treating them in there is near impossible.> <Chris>
Hey! Questions of Yellow Tang. Yellow Tang Not So Yellow 6/27/07 Hello Crew, <Hi> I had a question to ask, I had just seen it a couple seconds ago, and I recall I've used your site to look for questions/answers before. Okay, here's my problem. I have a Yellow Tang and he seems to have turned white. He's definitely not the vibrant yellow that he was before, but he has a white line in the middle of his body. <Stress lines maybe.> Both on the side, and you can see his organs. <Not good.> I was hoping if you could help me, I'm not sure if it's the food, I'm going to try and see if I can find some plant food. He's eaten all of my plant that I had in my tank! <Sounds like it could be from diet, stress, or poor water conditions. Check your water parameter and make sure they are in line, make sure it is not being picked on by tankmates and has plenty of swimming room, and make sure it gets plenty of vegetable matter in its diet.> Hope you have a good day. Kind regards, Isabelle <And good day to you.> <Chris> Yellow Tang Health 6/5/07 First off, what a beautiful and informative site you all have here, I have been reading for hours. <Thanks> My tank is around two years old and I feel that I am still a hopeless novice. None-the-less there have been no sharp or major upsets in my 38 gallon tank for some time now. My problem is my yellow tang. When we bought him around 9 months ago (maybe more) he was sunshine yellow, the pride of our tank. Around 5 months ago there has been an ongoing problem. He has white marks that look like scratches I guess, that are systematically running around his gills, down his nervous receptors (a straight line down his sides) that end in a final diamond shaped dot at the base of his tail. This is an even pattern on either side. <Sounds like stress markings.> Other then the white marks he has no other discoloration, there is some fraying of the dorsal fin, but that has stopped and there is no sign of an on going problem in that area. We have tried what feels like everything. He has purple and green Nori, Zoe vitamins, Marine diet, brine shrimp, zoo plankton etc. as well as a grounding rod to eliminate the chance of stress caused by small electrical charges in the tank. He eats very well, is very active and dominates the tank. His tank mates are two small clowns, one damsel, a cleaner shrimp and a fire shrimp. Our water quality has a clean bill of health (most of the time.) Thank you in advance for any insight you may be able to give me. -Aisha <I think you are seeing the signs of keeping the tang in what is quite frankly a way too small of a tank. The lines you are seeing are most likely stress markings, caused by not having enough room to move about. Realistically you need a tank at least double in size to get to the minimum needed to keep this fish healthy over its life.> <Chris> Yellow Tang, hlth. most folks would list as/in 5/23/07 Hi, I have a 60 gal. fish only aquarium with a wet/dry filter, Ocean Clear canister and in-sump skimmer. Among my fish is a yellow tang that I've had for 8 years. Unfortunately, during the early years of my hobby, I made many errors and had glitches which almost killed the tang on quite a few occasions. She's now as healthy as a horse but has sustained upper and lower fin loss which has not regenerated (about 2-3 years since it happened). I was wondering if there are any antibiotics that might help her regain some or all of this loss. Thanks, Rich Aylward <Mmm, not if the damage is "too far gone"... too deep/close to the fin spine origins... Bob Fenner>
Question about Marine Fish Disease... Zebrasoma flavescens, constant Cu exp. 4/18/07 Bob, I have a yellow tang that wants to hide out when food is put in the tank. I haven't seen him eating, but it doesn't look like he is losing much weight. He also has pale patches above his eyes. There are no visible white dots on him. His breathing is slightly rapid and when I changed the charcoal filter I put in the Chemipure Elite he started scratching. I took out the charcoal after around 30 minutes, since I read that it removes copper, which I keep in my tank all the time. <A mistake> He quit scratching when I removed the charcoal. Also I added an Imperator Angel to the tank and the angel has taken on the task of cleaning the tang. The angel must see something that I don't. <Could be... this Pomacanthus is a facultative cleaner in the wild when small> Is there anything more that I should do, other than the copper? Thanks, Sherri <Mmm, all sorts... improve the environment... more/better filtration, skimming... Definitely cease the copper exposure... Bob Fenner> Yellow Tang 'Disease' 4/11/07 I've had a yellow tang for a few months now and although its behavior seems normal, I am growing more and more concerned over some color changes I've noticed over the last few weeks. The changes started out as some reddish streaks on its body near on its body near its dorsal, caudal and anal fins. <That's not good.> Those streaks have since faded and disappeared. <Well that is good.> Then I noticed that the yellow color was fading to a much lighter whitish yellow. <Hmmm.> In addition, a horizontal white bar appeared on both sides of its body, that started behind the gills and runs about half of the way towards the caudal fin. <This is his stress coloration. They do this while they are sleeping and when they are very unhappy.> Any input as to the cause or solution to this would be greatly appreciated. <Well, without any information about his environment or diet, it is hard to say. Except that this is clearly a stress reaction. Something is wrong in his environment: water quality, malnutrition, tankmates, tank size perhaps. These symptoms and possible causes are described here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ytangdisfaqs.htm Read this page and associated links for more info. I would start with focusing on water quality and diet.> Thanks, Jeff <You are welcome. Alex> Yellow Tang Lost
Balance 4/3/07 Hi Crew, <Gideon> I've written
to you before, long ago, and got prompt and accurate response. Thanks!
I'm hoping you can help me again. I've searched your site
(especially the Yellow Tang Disease section), but can't find an
answer. My Yellow Tang seems to have lost her (let's say it's a
she) balance. It seems to me that her tail fin isn't co-operating /
moving. She does all her swimming with the other fins. <Mmm,
Zebrasomas, other tang genera do "hop/skip" on their pectoral
fins mostly... only really use their caudals for "jetting"
about in need...> When coming to a standstill, she either hangs head
up or head down (she favours a particular spot), and she also swims
"on her side" often. <Yikes... bad behavior> She is
eating whenever I feed, and takes frozen food, flakes and Nori. I first
noticed this about 5 days ago (had her for about 8 months, I think).
She doesn't look at all thin and her eyes are alert. No recent
changes to the tank (2 months ago some rock and 2 fire gobies).
It's a low-stocked 180g tank with about 40kg of live rock and lots
of sandstone. Tunze 9010 skimmer, T5 lights, Tunze 6000 Turbelle Stream
for circulation (another one would help, but low on $). Thanks in
advance ... Gideon <Mmm, a few possibilities come to mind... Would
you list the other tankmate species (fishes and invertebrates)... Do
you offer live macroalgae... like Ogo/Gracilaria...? I would... Have
you tried screening (attaching paper to) the outside of the area where
this flavescens "hangs out"... a reflection of its image may
be "bumming it out"... Bob Fenner> Tang with Paravortex, Overstocking and lack of QT - 3/23/07 I was reading an article on your web site about this but it didn't answer my questions. <Ok, I'll see if I can't help> I have a 55 gal with ys maroon clown, coral beauty, 3 damsels, long nose hawk, and yellow tang, along with several soft corals, LR, and Live sand. <Quite a crowd for a 55 gallon -- and an inappropriate one at that. Tangs will not live out a comfortable life in a 55 gallon tank, there will be psychological and physiological problems down the road here. This doesn't even take into consideration the pesty nature of the damsels, who will likely become an eventual handful, as well as the overt aggression of the maroon clownfish.> I had my tang for 3 weeks before I put my maroon and long nose in and he was doing great. About a week later he got black spots. Only a couple. I didn't medicate and in a couple of days they went away <No quarantine regimen? This is a craps shoot from the start without such, especially involving a tang.. Tangs are some of the leading causes of parasitic invasions in salt water aquaria.> Now they are back and there is more of them (I figured this). So I took action. I am medicating with Ick attack and took carbon out. <Useless, toxic, shouldn't be treating the whole tank, and further, this is not an Ich issue. More likely an issue with Paravortex.> Its been 3 days of medicating the whole 55 gal tank. Spots are still there. <Yes, this medication is useless here. You are not trying to rid yourself of Ich. Further, by treating your entire display, you are putting your live rock and corals at risk, as there are no 'reef safe' solutions for Ich. That said, there are chemicals that can be added, that are marketed for Ich, that will not cause problems, but it is my opinion that a 'reef safe' Ich solution would be a placebo and not really doing anything anyhow.> What do I do? Should I just keep medicating and wait to see. The bottle says do it for a week? <Stop medicating with the Ich attack, and find yourself a way to setup a quarantine tank, quickly. You will not be able to treat for this disease in your aquarium without detrimental effects to your other inhabitants.> He hasn't lost any color, still has a great appetite, but does scratch occasionally. Anything I can do or should do. <Have an in-depth read through here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/paravortexfaqs.htm and here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/YellowTang.htm . There is a ton of information preexisting on solutions for this problem.> Should I buy a cleaner shrimp, will that help? <Not going to eliminate the problem on its own, but assuming you stop treating for parasites in your display tank, I see no problem here.> Any other medications? (that are reef safe) <None, as in they don't exist. There is no easy solution here, just the longer winded ones that you were trying to side-step.> Fresh water dip? ( and if so is temp and PH of freshwater a big deal?) <Can help, if the dip is en route to a proper quarantine facility. Yes, pH and temperature are crucial. If you are not able to accurately match these, do not attempt a freshwater dip.> Did this come from clown and hawk, or did my tang always have it and its just coming out now? <Likely from the tang, but the overall situation was avoidable, with a proper quarantine regimen and a little foresight.> Please respond. Thanks <We respond to all, my friend. Hope this helps you! -JustinN> Yellow Tang/Health 3/7/07 I have had this tang for about a month, and it was eating and doing fine. Lately though I have noticed on both sides of his body next to his fins and about a quarter length or small white markings. I never notice this before. It's doesn't look like Ich as I am well familiar with Ich. <Usually indicates stress. Not enough information provided, such as tank size, water parameters, tank mates, etc.> Also, it seems to dart around a lot and swim backwards and fan the sand bottom with its tail. It eats fine and get feed three times a day with shrimp, and dried seaweed. <Need a more varied diet than this, especially if the shrimp you are referring to is brine shrimp.> Any ideas what this is about? Also, can fish see their reflections in the aquarium and think it's another fish? <Yes on the reflection. Do read here and linked files above for more information. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/YellowTang.htm> Thanks, Leonard Paragon <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Re: was UV/skimmer, now Tang
parasite... 3/6/07 Bob et al., Well, some small progress on
the BGA situation. It seems to be slowing
down. Friday it was going through one of it's
let-go-and-float-to-the-surface phases, so I picked as much out as I
could. It seemed to be more cohesive and pick able than
usual. It has been regrowing slower than usual
since. So the UV and/or the water changes with homemade
RO/DI water may be helping slowly. <Yes, likely>
Another siphon attack and water change tonight and see what
happens. The new problem of the day is that I am concerned about my
yellow tang. I added a yellow tang and a baby purple tang about 6 weeks
ago. <Mmmmm> They had been in quarantine after
purchase, and did develop Ich. I treated with hyposalinity
(1.009) first, <For how long? Tangs don't like reduced
salinity...> that didn't work and the next wave of the parasites
was pretty bad. I ended up treating with copper <Nor much copper
exposure> and the Ich resolved and they both were symptom free for 4
weeks before going in the display tank. The yellow tang had
gotten pretty thin, as he did not eat well in QT, the little purple was
a pig and seemed to always beat him to the food, and I tried to be
conservative about the feeding, as the tank was small and so quickly
polluted. <Good> I assumed he was thin because he was too
stressed to eat much. <Yes, likely so> He was not
thin when I purchased him, but lost weight during the
quarantine. So right after adding him to the main tank, I
noticed an apparent cyst in his muscle just below his dorsal fin, on
the left side. It was not visible in QT with normal
lighting, but only under the reef lights. You can only
really see it as a shadow when the light comes through him. You
can't see it from the right side. It is about halfway
between the skin and the bones on the left side about 1/4" below
dorsal fin. There is no visible skin lesion, but if the
light hits it just right, an opaqueness in that spot, about the size of
a sesame seed. I did not worry too much about this, as he seemed fine,
and it could have been some scar tissue or something. He
began eating well right away, and his behaviour has been very
normal. He has the typical night-time color change with a
dark spot and a white stripe when the lights go out. He is
not quite as aggressive as the others at feeding time, but seems to be
eating well. He does not show any interest in the Nori, so
he only eats when I feed flakes or frozen, but I worry he is not
grazing enough. Their new favorite food is Formula 2 with
garlic. They all seem to love it. He is still thin, and I am
worried that this cyst is a tapeworm or nematode. His guts
do have a lumpy kind of appearance, and he could have worms of some
sort. But this could just be the normal intestinal
appearance that is visible because he is so thin. I have not seen any
abnormal protrusions or worm-like excrement. I have tried to
get a picture, but he is not cooperating with that of
course. If I don't have a camera he poses very nicely
right in front of me. All the other fish are fat, and he is
not gaining weight. He is not losing more weight, he is just
not improving. In reading all I could find here on cysts
and intestinal parasites, it seems there are not a lot of answers
without a positive ID on a parasite. <Not possible w/o necropsy...
microscopic examination> I found a few with identical descriptions
but no one knows what to do because of unclear
identification. I can't find any similar pictures or
descriptions on the external links. And I have not seen this
particular intra-muscular cyst described in any of my
books. It seems it would be impossible to ID without a
biopsy anyway. <Yes> The purple tang who was quarantined with him
is doing great. He is fat and growing. I will
need a bigger tank soon if he keeps it up. He had some
stress lines on his face after QT, but he is beautiful now.
<Good> Should I try to get the yellow tang out and put him back
in quarantine? <I would not. I'd leave in the main display...
and hope for the best> I don't want to infect the whole tank if
it is something that doesn't need an exotic intermediate host.
<Not likely to spread> I don't want to overreact
since he doesn't seem ill. I am just getting more
concerned because he is still so thin, and the other references to this
mysterious cyst involve fish who expired suddenly. The only
choices I see are to quarantine and treat as worms and try to get his
intestines cleared out and feed him without competition for a while
-or- leave it alone and watch to make sure he does not go down
hill. He is so thin I just worry that he doesn't have
much reserve for additional stress. He seems fine
otherwise. Fins are good, behavior seems very
normal. Even in quarantine, I wouldn't know what to do
about the cyst. It is deep in the muscle, so would be
unaffected by fresh water dip. Without an ID it seems futile
to throw medications at it. <There are purposeful Anthelminthics...
covered on WWM... that one could try...> Some of your writings
suggest that these parasites may not be a problem if the other stresses
are low, so may not be a plague if the other fish are healthy?
<Yes> Very much enjoying reading "Reef Invertebrates"!
Thanks so much! Your website is so addictive. <Methinks
you may be coming up to being a responder...> I am wondering how I
survived 12 years of fish-keeping without it! (or how my fish survived
anyway! :-)) Seriously, it is great to have somewhere to go for current
and trustworthy answers. Alex Miller 75 gal, Instant Ocean, Aqua-C
Remora, Emperor 400 filter, 9 W UV sterilizer, too-small refugium/sump,
2 powerheads, CoraLife Deluxe PC 4x96W. Aragonite
substrate, plenum, live rock. Fish: Sailfin Tang, Purple Tang, Yellow
Tang (LFS convinced me 3 different tangs would work, but am expecting
to have to get a bigger tank soon - <Good... Zebrasomas can become
real tusslers at times... stress levels escalating respectively> I
really wanted the purple tang, already had the sailfin, the yellow was
to make it an odd number), maroon clownfish, watchman goby, yellow-tail
damsel, flame angel. Inverts: emerald crab, Lysmata cleaner
shrimp, pistol shrimp, a few hermits, a few snails. Corals: Xenia
(going crazy), Euphyllia, mushroom polyps, Zoanthids. pH 8.2, NH3 = 0,
NO2 = 0, NO3 = 0, P = 0, Ca = 360, kH = 8, temp = 75 F, SG = 1.025
<If it were me, mine, I would not medicate here... Bob
Fenner> Yellow tang with red scratches around face 3/6/07 I know you hear it all the time, but you guys and gals rock. The information you provide is extremely helpful. Thanks so much!! <Welcome> I have a yellow tang that has been in the quarantine tank for 6 weeks this coming Wednesday. The main tank had a case of Ich and I removed the fish and treated the quarantine tank with copper for two weeks. The quarantine tank is 25 gallons and water parameters are all good except nitrates which are about 20ppm. <Borderline... and indicative of other circumstances here> Last week the tang got red tinged scratches around his eyes. <Is the quarantine stress and copper exposure> I read your site and soaked his Nori and Mysis shrimp in Vita Chem, no Selcon available. He eats well but sometimes swims a little excitedly, shaking his tail and moving rather quickly. The scratches do not seem to be any better or any worse. I was going to move him to the main display tank in hopes that he is stressed due to the lack of room in the quarantine, only other fish in the quarantine tank is a yellow tail damsel which is fine. <I would do this. Now> I would like your advice as to whether I should move him or leave him in the quarantine tank and provide medication of some kind, keep with the food soaking longer in the quarantine or go ahead and move him into the display. Any advice you have to offer would be most appreciated. Thank you Karen <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ytangdisfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> Poor Tang Health....diet is to blame I have a yellow tang that I see eating but is extremely skinny. His skin is tight around his bones with no fat what so ever. I feed him frozen brine shrimp and he eats <Ahh...here we are, brine shrimp is virtually devoid of any nutrition....no protein...basically just water, like your or me eating popcorn or crackerjacks or whatever it is the devil kids eat these days (I'm only 20 but that's not a kid ok?). For protein try something of a marine origin, mysids.....krill, etc. . Furthermore surgeons rely on vegetable matter to make up most of their diet, try some sushi Nori. We need more variety my friend.> No other signs of disease. Tank set up for over 1 year. I have a snowflake eel, striped damsel, yellow tale damsel and misc. cleaning crew. Haven't witnessed it getting attacked or chased by anything else in tank. Worried it might starve to death. What would cause an eating fish to be so skinny (looks like Nicole Ritchie!). <Ooh....that's a good one....> thanks <Anytime, AdamJ.> Tang Wrangling Anemone - 01/28/2007 Hi, have looked all through information on anemone stings and I found nothing about stings on other fish. <I know we have such queries.... somewhere.... a Google search of WWM on "anemone sting" might provide some useful information.> I have a yellow tang that was being terrorized by another fish in the tank. <How big is the tank? What fish was responsible for terrorizing the tang? Sounds like some potentially dangerous incompatibilities....> As he dashed about I saw him dash thru the anemone. <Oh dear.... And what sort of anemone?> I didn't think much about it and I put a divider in the tank so that I could let him recover from, the nipping fish and hope to identify the fish nipper. <Ah, I see. Culprit not yet identified, gotcha. I'm glad you're trying to get to the root of it!> I have a tomato clown, strawberry Basslet <Either of these can be aggressive.... In a large enough system, though, neither should be of much threat to the tang. I am curious how large this tank is, and if it perhaps is not providing them enough territory.> 4 green Chromis <Not the problem, I'm sure. Placid little guys.> and yellow tang, and the anemone. <I would like to urge you to look through our anemone FAQs; I would rarely if ever recommend an anemone in any fish tank, aside from captive-propagated bubble-tip anemones, and even then, best to keep them in systems where they will not be harmed, and they will not harm fish. Anemones just don't make great additions in fish tanks. A reef tank might elicit a different opinion from me, but on that hand, anemones often don't mix well with corals, so.... Basically, were it *me*, and I intended to have an anemone, I'd go with a bubble-tip and I would base my aquarium and stocking plan around the anemone's needs and potential threats.> The next day I was looking at his fins as I had put some vita Chem in the tank to stimulate fin growth ad I noticed bubbled areas in the lower sides. I's sure it must be the anemone stings. <Oh yes, quite likely.> A few day have past and one side is much better, while the other is still a red sore. Will this heal OK <Only time can tell.> or do I need to help with something? <Removing him to a quarantine tank where you can observe him well and provide him with pristine water conditions would be ideal. At this point, I might consider treating with a good antibiotic (Kanamycin sulfate, Nitrofurazone....) to prevent secondary infection in these wounds - but DO NOT do this in the main tank, lest you risk destroying your anemone and in turn the rest of your livestock when the anemone keels over. Furthermore, once the tang is healed, don't return it to this system. Either the tang or the terrorizer needs to go, or you'll be in the same situation again soon, more than likely.> I have been using VitaChem. Thanks for your time. -Debbie <All the best to you and your wounded tang, -Sabrina> Yellow Tang/Health 1/22/07 Hey! Thanks for the great
site! <You're welcome.> I cant find answer to a question
about my yellow tang, he has white all around his mouth as if it is
rotting. He also has red veins coming from his mouth, his
poop looks like it has the same white rot around it. He wont
eat. About my tank: 120 gallon, lots of corals, live rock,
two damsels, one Chromis, a mandarin goby, a lawnmower blenny, crabs,
shrimp, star fish, cucumber?? (it was a hitchhiker) Water is
fine. Feeding the fish frozen brine, brine in a can, and
some pellet food, and seaweed for tang, but lately my chocolate chip
starfish has been stealing it. The tank has its own shrimp
growing in it, so we only feed once a week. Please help I don't
want to lose my fish. <Your tang is suffering from a diet
deficiency. Pellet foods and brine shrimp should not be the
major portion of the fishes diet. I suggest adding Selcon or a similar
vitamin supplement to the food. Water quality is very important
also. Do read here and linked files above for more
information, especially the FAQ's on Tang Feeding and Tang
Systems. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/YellowTang.htm James (Salty
Dog)> Robin Standard Yellow Tang with Red Blotches 1.19/07 Hello Wet Web Media Crew. <Hi> I have tried to find a treatment plan in your many FAQ but was not able to find something. I have got 2 Moorish idols, one juvenile emperor, a white ribbon eel and a yellow tang in quarantine in a 100 litre hospital tank for the past 20 days. I had white spot in my main tank and am in the process of running it fallow for the second time. (the first time it ran fallow for 35 days and when I introduced the fish back the white spot came back as well) this time I have increased the temperature to 29 C. <Ok> All fish have been treated with copper Cupramine for 2 weeks at the recommended dosage and are disease free. Only the yellow tank I had to remove after 9 days as he had stopped eating and got rather thin. He picked up fairly quickly in a 3rd tank (which was not cycled and I had to do daily water changes). When the other fish finished the treatment with Cupramine I put all fish into the 100 litre tank that is cycled but without copper. All fish are fine except for the yellow tang. He has developed red spots under his skin that look like bruises. He is not eating well , his breathing is a bit more rapid then usual and his mouth is slightly open. <Sounds environmental, perhaps poor water quality + copper (tangs generally fair poorly with copper) + lots of fish in a small container.> I found these symptoms on your website but unfortunately not the name of the condition or a treatment for it. I know that my hospital tank is a bit crowded (the water parameters are all in a good range). My options for the tang are: 1: Put him into the main tank that has run fallow for only 3 weeks now but with more space (420 litres) and heaps of life rock to pick on. <Will most likely cause all of your previous work against Ich to be for naught.> 2: Leave him where he is and take the chance that he gets worse and dies!?! <Not a great option, but in some ways better than putting him back in the main to get Ich again.> 3. get out the third tank (70 litres) and quarantine him in there by himself but the water will not be of good quality and I will have to do daily water changes. <Best option.> Could you please advice of what he is actually suffering from and what you would do in this case. I'd like to get rid once and for all of all white spot in my main tank, and after may hours of studying your wonderful website I believe I can, but I don't want to loose my fish in the process. Any advice would be really appreciated. By the way, I love your website, it's great!!!!!!!!!!! many thanks, Jana. <Best bet is to put him in a QT alone for a while. At least daily water changes will be necessary to keep the water good but this is his best chance. If Ich comes back in the future do not use copper on the tang, they really don't tolerate it well. Go with hyposalinity next time.> <Chris> Yellow Tang Turning Brown 1/9/07 Hello, <Hi there> I was looking at some of the forums and there was one identical to mine. I have a very active Yellow Tang, about 2 weeks ago he got some brown at the top of his eyes. Now it is on his fins and some around his mouth. <This is usually a sort of "stress" marking... something (size, lay-out of the system, water quality, social/psychological is amiss> My water quality is PH 8.4, Nitrite 0, Am 0, and my nitrate level was high at 10 but with a water change about a week ago it is at about 4ppm. <These are all fine> He is very active and eats well. I do not know what to do for him as the forum just recommended feeding him Nori. <Need more than this...> I have 2 percula clowns, 1 blue hippo, and a coral beauty angel fish all doing will. Just the Yellow Tang is having problems. Anything that I can do for him? Rick <Could be either the Centropyge or other Tang is mal-influencing your Yellow... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/YellowTang.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> Yellow Tang Spots 12.29.2006 Dear WWM Crew: I really hope you can give me an idea on what the problem is with my Yellow Tang, He was moved from the main tank to a QT almost two weeks ago, after developing Ich. I have been treating him with copper at the QT and Ich seems to be gone, but he still shows a few white blotches on one of his sides and on his tail...Any ideas on what it is or what to do? He is eating well and seems to be very happy. I hope you can give me an idea. Thank you, Oscar <Hi Oscar. It's very difficult to distinguish parasites or infections without a picture. I have always had great luck giving my tangs a pH adjusted freshwater dip to rid these types of ailments. Please read more here, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dips_baths.htm. Send in a picture if this info isn't helpful. Thanks, Ryan> Sick Yellow Tang 12/28/06 Hi, <Hey Otis, JustinN with you today.> I have a 110 gallon marine aquarium with rock and sand. A few days ago I noticed black spots on my yellow tang and I treated the tank with "Copper Power". My tang now has red spots and is doing very poorly. <Mmm, you've likely damaged the biofilter in your tank. Treating in your display tank is a very risky and poor idea.> I also have a clownfish, a domino damselfish, and royal Dottyback. They seem to be doing fine. <Ok> My plan is to have a fish only tank so I thought that copper treatment was okay. After reading through your website I am not so sure. <By now you know that your substrate, any live rock you have, and possibly even the silicone sealing your tank now contain copper traces. This won't help keeping any invertebrates later on, whether they are corals or otherwise.> What would you recommend for my remaining fish? <Quarantine all the fish, for 6-8 weeks while allowing the tank to run fallow (fishless) for the same duration.> How can I get rid of the parasites from my main tank? <See my recommendation as stated above> <<Mmm, I would've referred this writer to our FAQs on Paravortex... RMF>> I am setting up a HT for future fish, however I am concerned that my main tank will get them sick. <Not of concern if you allow your display to run fallow for a minimum of 6 weeks. Without a fish host, the parasites will run through their lifecycle and die in this period.> Any help would be welcomed. Thanks, Otis Ferguson <Hope this helps you! -JustinN> Tang with HLLE 11/29/06 Dear Crew, <Hi> This Yellow Tang is suffering from what appears to be HLLE. <Picture did not come through.> The upper fins continue to deteriorate with poor color (faded yellow), however the lower fins appear to deteriorate very little to none. She is approximately 2 1/2" inches long. I've had her for 7 months. 44 pentagon gallon tank (I know this is a bad tank) <Quite> 25 lbs of Live rock Other Inhabitants: (1) 1 1/2" percula clown (1) Skunk Cleaner A few Hermit crabs Water parameters are: 10 PPM Nitrate 0 Nitrite 0 Ammonia The tang eats Mysis shrimp, Nori and formula 2. She has been in a hospital tank for 4 months and treated with the following medications: 1. Furazone Green - treated 3 months ago - twice Fins improved a little bit Returned into main tank. Fish got worse. Returned to hospital tank. 2. Erythromycin -treated 2 months ago, and again a month ago. Cured Tail and lower fin. Cured top fins for a week, then top fins got worse 3. Regular water in hospital tank - slow improvement - returned to main tank I have returned her to the main tank and her color has improved however the main fin (sorry I do not know the proper name) never seems to heal/improve. The fish eats well and seems happy, however looks terrible. Any suggestions? <HLLE is generally caused by poor nutrition, increase plant material in feeding and limit the meaty foods which are not part of its natural diet. Please see http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hllefaqs.htm for more.> <Chris> Question about ick? Need... to read 11/25/06 Hey, <Neighhhhhh!> I was looking over the website and I wasn't sure if I answered my question or not. I have been treating a yellow tang and a percula clown in my quarantine tank <Now a treatment tank> for ick over the last few days. They had all the classic symptoms for it. The clown seems to be getting better, he is eating and swimming well. The tang's eyes have become cloudy, fins are starting to look bad, and gill working pretty hard. Is this a symptom of ick or could it be something else. <Could be, but more likely a symptom of the treatment (Acanthurids are sensitive to copper, poor water quality, the combo.> I have been treating them with rid ick for about 4 days. <And Malachite...> Thank you for your help. It is greatly appreciated!! Zach <Read on my friend... your present answers and some others to soon come are answered on WWM. Yellow Tang Disease, Crypt... Bob Fenner> Fading tangs 11/22/06 hey bob, Anthony and all <Shane! Where's your capitalization dude?> I thought I would look into what information I might find here concerning the fin erosion and color loss with yellow tangs, which I found discussed in one of your postings, a malady that has been cropping up in many of my retail customers' and aquarium service client's aquariums over the past few years. <IMO/E such "corrosion" is due to a synergism twixt mainly water quality and poor nutrition... possibly with a psycho-social component tossed in... the worse these factors are the faster, more obvious the damage... Oh, and can be reversed to an extent, especially if caught early...> I have seen this problem develop dozens of times, but have never been able to find any information that adequately explained the possible causes, which will appear in a wide range of aquaria, both reef and fish-only, as well as a wide range of water quality parameters. I have also seen it develop in purple tangs as well. <Mmm, yes... Notice that this rarely happens in Leng Sy's "Miracle Mud" systems? I suspect the catalytic effects of the mud improve both water quality and the make-up of the nutrient component of the water... which marines "drink" freely> unfortunately, the explanation given in your post entitled "fading tang" sheds no light at all on this syndrome. the pictured fish is as near a textbook example of the malady as I have seen, and it cannot be attributed simply to fin nipping as suggested in your article. <Agreed... this is at best a minor cause> short of performing empirical scientific research, which I have neither the time, energy, financial resources nor qualifications to attempt, my anecdotal explanation would be that some sort of toxic dissolved organic buildup in the aquarium water column is interfering with the fishes metabolic processes. <Agreed re some "chemical-physical" component here> in almost every case a fine sand substrate has been used, live and otherwise, which could likely result in anoxic or anaerobic zones that could release some nasty toxic d.o.c.'s like hydrogen sulfide. but then again, I've also seen this occur in fish-only tanks with a #3 or #5 grade crushed coral, so go figure. as I stated earlier, this phenomenon occurs in a wide range of aquaria and water parameters and in every case the fish is offered a fully balanced nutritional regime. perhaps it's occurrence is somehow related to collection, shipping and acclimation practices and their long term effect on the fish's immune system and osmo-regulation.... but now I'm grasping at straws. <I don't think it's collection, holding, shipping... almost all Zebrasoma flavescens are collected out of Hawai'i (am out there now, and visit a few months a year usually, including w/ friends in the "trop." industry... Their methods, holding systems are close to ideal... and the animals only held for a short while... a few days to about a week max.> interestingly enough, I have seen the telltale symptoms develop very quickly - almost overnight, rather than develop over a matter of weeks or months as it usually does, whenever stray ozone finds it's way into the aquarium, either via ozonizers with no carbon filtration, or via uv sterilizers. but ozone toxicity can't be attributed to every case since many of the aquariums with yellow tangs displaying the symptoms don't have either appliance. still, this connection might be a valuable clue to those with a background in biochemistry. I have also considered the possibility that commonly used pvc glues or other plastic plumbing fittings may be releasing toxins over time, but again, I have no empirical data to support this conjecture. <Interesting... would not be hard to test these hypotheses> anyway, this is an all too common disease that certainly deserves some attention from us professional aquarium folk. I have also seen this occur to a more limited extent with pacific blue tangs as well, and hole-in-the-head facial erosions seem to be part of the symptoms as well in every case. btw, I have checked for stray voltage, which is almost always a factor in the hole-in-the-head cases I've investigated with angelfish and tangs. while in some cases there has been a few volts present, such was not the case in most every instance of the yellow tang fin erosion and color fade phenomenon. <Yes> so let us know what you guys can dig up on this one. <Mmm, I too do exceedingly little science, but "borrow" ala Watson and Crick, syncretize others findings, observations... I do think there is still a nutritional component at play here... or at least an ability to counter whatever root cause/s with supplementation> oh, and kudos to you all for your Herculean efforts and keep up the great work! Shane Clayton owner/operator AquaTech aquariums manager capitol aquarium Sacramento, ca <Danke. Bob Fenner> Normalcy, ammonia and Zebrasoma appearance -
10/28/06 Hi, <Greetings> I am from
India where marine fish hobby ain't that popular, I have a 60g tank
set up with a Eheim 2215 canister filter which holder 1liter of
Ehfimech and 2 litre of Ehfisubstrat and a Octopus HOB protein Skimmer
for 90g tank, I lost almost lost 5 fish in the beginning not knowing
the reason for their death, then I was advised to use a UGF with the
current set up, which I did the NO2 NO3 NH4 always showed normal
<Normal?> not zero, but then however once the UGF was set it did
make a difference I put a clown and a yellow tang and it did survive,
It's almost eight months now, two questions 1. why
doesn't the NO2 NH4 not show zero what should I do for that.
<Depends on the cause/s... perhaps you still have inadequate
biological filtration... maybe too much in the way of food/feeding...
Could be your test kit/s are bunk> 2. My yellow tank
eats very well shows not sign of stress and looks very calm I noticed
mild reddish streaks on his pectoral fins and a small red patch on his
mouth is that normal <Mmm, no... not normal as in
healthy> Regards, Joel <Please take a read on
WWM re Biofiltration, Ammonia, Yellow Tang Health. Bob
Fenner>
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