Black Spot Disease

[PuffersMadeMeDoIt]

Hey Squad. Yesterday I noticed my baby Atlantic Blue Tang had a couple (literally just 2) specs of white on his tail fin. I figured it was some sand or particles in the water as I noticed some particles in the water column after feeding. This morning the poor little guy is nearly covered in black spots.

I'm as positive as I can be that it's Black Spot Disease/black ich/paravortex turbellaria worms. I've read that a fresh water dip and prazipro is the way to go. Unfortunately a fresh water dip isn't an option as I can't imagine catching this speedy swimmer from my main display. I don't see him rubbing though as if he's irritated, maybe breathing a little fast, hard to tell for sure though, definitely not gasping though, and he just ate a good amount of breakfast per usual (he's a porker).

So here's my question: What's the best approach to treating him with his tank mates? The tank has a variety of LPS corals, the sick baby atlantic blue tang, a baby half black tang, target spot mandarin goby, a bennetts toby puffer, two clowns, eibli angelfish, a newly added blue star leopard wrasse, and 2 long spine urchins for my CUC.
- Will Prazipro harm any of these fish? I worry about my puffer as I believe puffers can be sensitive to some treatments.
- Will Prazipro harm my new blue star leopard wrasse? I've read a warning somewhere to not OD Prazipro especially if there are wrasses in the tank?
- Is there a better treatment option that I've missed? I do have these medications on hand all by Seachem:
- MetroPlex
- Focus
- KanaPlex

Thanks in advance!

 

[PuffersMadeMeDoIt]

Bump/Update - I don't see the black dots on the atlantic blue tang anymore, though I see some white/glittery specs. Though the leopard wrasse had just buried herself again, so it could just be particles on the tang? Has anyone had black spots on a fish where there were probably around 12 spots and then disappeared same day???

 

[PuffersMadeMeDoIt]

With no responses, I suppose I'm just going to use this as a journal for trying to treat my fish with whatever is going on with them..

This morning the black spots are back... Last night the LFS diagnosed the white spots as ich and I started treatment by feeding a combination of metroplex, kanaplex, and focus to bind the meds to the food. Everyone ate some except the new blue star leopard wrasse. This morning, most ate, though I couldn't see if the half black tang ate much... The blue star leopard wrasse was still sleeping. The blue star leopard wrasse came out later in the morning, but wouldn't eat mysis brine shrimp, flakes, nor pellets. Hungout a bit, chased by the angel once or twice, and after a bit just went back in the sand not even when the angel was chasing her... She seemed like she was breathing fast, but I don't know if I'm a good judge of that.

Fingers crossed the meds work and I can get the blue star leopard wrasse to eat some let alone some food with the meds just in case.

 

[PuffersMadeMeDoIt]

This morning the atlantic blue tang seems to have less black spots (though still a handful, can maybe count 5) and one noticeable white dot. Though his complexion seems a bit milky... The half black tang is eating less and less and it's showing. I'm real nervous for her and not being able to get her to eat. I'm feeding a variety and a hefty amount (need to do extra water changes at this point), so fingers crossed. Yesterday in the afternoon she was picking algae off the back glass and rocks with the atlantic blue, so hopefully she pulls through and fattens up over time. Just don't think she can afford to get any skinnier..

 

[Jay Hemdal]

This morning the atlantic blue tang seems to have less black spots (though still a handful, can maybe count 5) and one noticeable white dot. Though his complexion seems a bit milky... The half black tang is eating less and less and it's showing. I'm real nervous for her and not being able to get her to eat. I'm feeding a variety and a hefty amount (need to do extra water changes at this point), so fingers crossed. Yesterday in the afternoon she was picking algae off the back glass and rocks with the atlantic blue, so hopefully she pulls through and fattens up over time. Just don't think she can afford to get any skinnier..

Sorry - even with the updates, your post never made it onto my radar, not sure why, but I've had that happen once in awhile....unsure why nobody else saw it either, again very sorry.

Here is a link to additional information that helps us make a diagnosis: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...sease-treatment-and-diagnosis-section.775547/

Photos and video taken under white light is pretty helpful for us.

Oral metroplex, kanaplex, and focus is not the preferred method to treat ich, I would be surprised if it controls the infection. Copper or hyposalinity in a treatment tank is the best way to deal with it.

Based on what I've read in your posts, it does seem like you won't be able to effectively treat this in yur display tank.

Jay

 

[PuffersMadeMeDoIt]

Sorry - even with the updates, your post never made it onto my radar, not sure why, but I've had that happen once in awhile....unsure why nobody else saw it either, again very sorry.

Here is a link to additional information that helps us make a diagnosis: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...sease-treatment-and-diagnosis-section.775547/

Photos and video taken under white light is pretty helpful for us.

Oral metroplex, kanaplex, and focus is not the preferred method to treat ich, I would be surprised if it controls the infection. Copper or hyposalinity in a treatment tank is the best way to deal with it.

Based on what I've read in your posts, it does seem like you won't be able to effectively treat this in yur display tank.

Jay

Hi Jay,

Unfortunately I cannot treat with copper or hyposalinity with the fish and urchins I have in the tank. May I ask why metroplex, kanaplex, and focus wouldn't help? I ask because it's what my LFS is swearing by.

These were my water parameters as of yesterday afternoon:
1.025 salinity
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
20 nitrate (higher than normal, I believe due to the extra feeding I've been doing trying to fatten up the half black tang)

These have been the best pics I've been able to get from the beginning of all this:

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Take a look at my medicated food article here, I think it is about the 15th down on the list, the link to the pdf is on the right side of the page. It describes why miscalculated oral meds won’t work. Additionally, of the drugs you mentioned, only the metronidazole works on protozoans, but only as a bath, not orally.
The mimic tang in your photo looks like it is getting picked on, and the juv blue tang does indeed seem to have black ich. You might be able to treat the latter with formalin dips, my understanding is that praziquantel won’t work for that.
Jay

 

[PuffersMadeMeDoIt]

Take a look at my medicated food article here, I think it is about the 15th down on the list, the link to the pdf is on the right side of the page. It describes why miscalculated oral meds won’t work. Additionally, of the drugs you mentioned, only the metronidazole works on protozoans, but only as a bath, not orally.
The mimic tang in your photo looks like it is getting picked on, and the juv blue tang does indeed seem to have black ich. You might be able to treat the latter with formalin dips, my understanding is that praziquantel won’t work for that.
Jay

Thank you for your advice. Yeah, my dwarf angel picked on the mimic for the first 1.5 days, but hasn't since. The half black tang has been in the tank about a week now.

I've tried catching the atlantic blue tang with no avail, and I'm worried to keep trying and stress it out too much and make him even more susceptible to his illness. He's been acting and eating normally, so is it possible for him to beat it in this situation? I've heard of tangs getting ich and beating it just by staying healthy and eating/happy through the illness, or is that dependent on the type of tang or fairytale?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Black ich (turbellarians) on tangs is frequently self-limiting, it can go away on its own. Regular ich, Cryptocaryon never goes away without treatment once it gets to a certain level of infection.
Jay

 

[PuffersMadeMeDoIt]

Black ich (turbellarians) on tangs is frequently self-limiting, it can go away on its own. Regular ich, Cryptocaryon never goes away without treatment once it gets to a certain level of infection.
Jay

Ok, thank you for the information. I appreciate it.