I've been in the saltwater hobby for 2 month now and just recently purchased a blue tang from a lfs. He eats very well and is swimming around the tank constantly. I've noticed occasionally he scratches his side against a rock and is paying a lot of visit to my cleaner shrimp. My water parameters are really good. All other tank inhabitants show no sign for sickness or acting funny.
Blue tang. ICH?
- Thread starter Hmart24
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BestMomEver
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Your pictures are blurry so I can’t see spots but his gills look really red. Flukes maybe?
@ngoodermuth @HotRocks @4FordFamily
@ngoodermuth @HotRocks @4FordFamily
BestMomEver
2500 Club Member
Wow! Where are my manners? Welcome to the best reef forum on the internet!
BestMomEver
2500 Club Member
Also, how big is your tank? Can you give us some full tank shots? Also, water parameters would help too.
Thank you. It's a 75 gallon with 2 clowns and a coral beauty and 1 cleaner shrimp. I checked my water parameters about 2 days ago and they loom really good. I used API master kit. Sorry it's really hard to take a steady picture of the fish
4FordFamily
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Red gills is generally a sign of ammonia burn. Can you report back your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels?
Also that fish looks to have severe HLLE (nutrition and clean water are about all you can do, add zoe, selcon, or vita chem to water). Feed nori as well, vary food offerings.
Scratching is likely flukes, ich, or velvet — perhaps all of the above these days. Is the fish swimming in to powerheads? Breathing heavily?
I’d start with a freshwater dip for the fish in temperature matched to tank temp in a dark bucket so you can look for worms and flukes dropping off. Most flukes look like “sesame seeds” when they dislodge.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/freshwater-dip.248898/
Also that fish looks to have severe HLLE (nutrition and clean water are about all you can do, add zoe, selcon, or vita chem to water). Feed nori as well, vary food offerings.
Scratching is likely flukes, ich, or velvet — perhaps all of the above these days. Is the fish swimming in to powerheads? Breathing heavily?
I’d start with a freshwater dip for the fish in temperature matched to tank temp in a dark bucket so you can look for worms and flukes dropping off. Most flukes look like “sesame seeds” when they dislodge.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/freshwater-dip.248898/
BestMomEver
2500 Club Member
It’s no problem. I would wait for one of the folks above. They are the fish disease experts. A few things.... I would try to invest in some different test kits. API kits are notoriously inaccurate. Try Salifert or Hanna checkers. Also... there will be folks that come along and tell you that you shouldn’t have a hippo tang in that small a tank. They’re called the “Tang Police.” They aren’t always the most forgiving folks but they mean well. And yes, as your tang gets bigger, you’ll need a bigger tank. ;)
@4FordFamily doesnt it look a bit like HLLE as well? (I can't tell how big the tang is - but the coloration to me does not look 'right')
Suggestion - lay the tubes down against the white part to read them (thats how they are supposed to be read) - its hard to see what's what with the blue background in your pic:). FWIW - I use API tests for the most part - and havent had any problem with accuracy if the test is done correctly - and the reagents are not expired. That said - Ive heard the ammonia test often reads a low level instead of '0' even if the level is '0'
Aardvark1134
Well-Known Member
take a pic of that chart outside in the sunlight you have to read API out in the sun to get the colors to match right.
If I am reading that right I am not sure your tank is cycled yet...that would be bad. Please take the test kit and new test outside in the sun and take a pic. Especially that ammonia one. That blue lid and being inside is definitely messing with the colors.
You do know Dory gets like 12 inches...it's like a saltwater oscar for size.
If I am reading that right I am not sure your tank is cycled yet...that would be bad. Please take the test kit and new test outside in the sun and take a pic. Especially that ammonia one. That blue lid and being inside is definitely messing with the colors.
You do know Dory gets like 12 inches...it's like a saltwater oscar for size.
Dory 'can' get to a large size over the course of decades - not months. I dont read my API tests 'in the sun' but they do need to be read in bright enough light against the white card.
I held it up against the light and they all read 0. I am planning on upgrading tanks in the near future. All my equipment I bought Is rated for double the size of my tank other than my sump. I run gfo and carbon on my tank as well as cheato and a bunch of marine pure spheres. I also run a reef octopus 150ss.
Aardvark1134
Well-Known Member
There are some studies linking gfo/carbon to hlle in tangs. Be careful with how much of that you use with tangs in there. I would at this point recommend taking a sample of water to a local pet store and asking them to test it to double check. While you are there see if they have some seachem ParaGuard. Do you have any corals in your tank or just fish as most meds are bad for corals.
Aardvark1134
Well-Known Member
double post
With all the filtration he has I can believe that ammonia nitrite and nitrate are 0. Double check is always a good idea:)
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