sos tang going down!

[molldoll]

I have had a powder blue tang for about 8 months now and everything has been fine except for an ich outbreak in the past but that was taken care of. Now i discover him with his belly, face and lateral line pale and blueish white. He is swimming slowly and panting and lost interest in food. I do not think this is hlle because there are no wounds just lack of color in these spots. I have a lemon butterflyfish, sixline wrasse, coral beauty, 2 clownfish, royal gramma, psuedo strawberry chromis, and a lawn mower blenny. 75 gal tank, salinity and levels all normal. i will try to post a pic but i dont know how.

 

[molldoll]

http://ssomail.charter.net/do/mail/message/view?msgId=INBOXDELIM5694&l=en-US&v=ssomail

here is a pic, i also forgot to mention slight redness around the fins and he has been swooping against the sand but there are no white dots on him.

 

[melosu58]

First order of business would be a good 33% PWC. Before you do do your water tests and post them here.

 

[Krypt]

From what I've seen, lateral line disease victims don't always have the sores right away, but the sites that these sores are going to show up on lose color and make that line on the side of the fish. I saw you mention redness developing on the fins also which may be a sign of a fin rot bacteria problem starting.

I would follow Mel's advice to get some water readings and do a water change asap. You may want to also think about getting a QT started if you don't have one, as you may need to remove the fish to treat with antibiotics to save the poor guy.

If you can get him to eat something, try to feed him some garlic enriched seaweed to help boost his immune system to help win the war.

 

[MollyDoll]

i have a 20 gallon quarantine tank that i can use at the moment, but the real problem is how do i catch the tang? Is stressing it out more worth it?

 

[MollyDoll]

salinity-1.023
nitrate-5 mg/l
nitrites- 0
ammonia- 0
ph-8.2

 

[Krypt]

It's one of those tough choices, if you do, and if you don't. If you take him out and QT him, you have to do it very carefully. I'd even go as far as to do drip acclimation to get him into the QT to try and ensure as little stress as possible. Another thing you can do is while he's in QT, lower the salinity of the QT down to around 1.019-1.021 over the course of about two weeks while treating him.

If you choose to leave him in the DT, it could limit your treatment options and you may risk spreading whatever he has to other fish in the tank.

 

[ccCapt]

How did you "take care of" the ich outbreak? Labored breathing can be a sign of an infestation of parasites in the gills.

A Powder Blue tang is a very poor choice of fish for a 75g tank. Besides the fact they are a delicate fish, they get too big and are way to aggressive for that size tank.

 

[MollyDoll]

We took all the fish out of the tank and did a copper treatment for 8 to 10 weeks and then we put them back in the main tank when all of the spots were gone. If i put the tang in the qt then is there any medicine i should use or just lower the salinity?

 

[Krypt]

I believe there is a specific medicine you'll use. The lowering of the salinity reduces stress on the fish and helps them breath easier.

 

[melosu58]

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: A Quarantine Tank for Everything by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part I by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part II by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

ATJ's Marine Aquarium Site - Reference - Hyposalinity Treatment