EMERGENCY-Kole Tang

[bcarl77]

Hi my Kole tang I have had in my 250gal is not doing so well. No signs of ich/velvet. Nothing new added to tank in a very long time. Any ideas? He is 5+ years old

 

[bcarl77]

View attachment 20251203_172621_A64F2040-BC5B-4EDF-8B52-DD5F4C8D2629.mov

 

[vetteguy53081]

With the heavy breathing and loss of color/spotty patches, Flukes are my suspect cause. If true, some signs you will see heavy breathing, yawning effect, loss of color, loss of appetite, red or swollen gills and sudden darting as examples. Often a Freshwater dip for 5 minutes(same temp as display tank) will offer temporary relief and some flukes if present will drop off, however I am reluctant when fish is breathing this heavy to move forward with that

 

[bcarl77]

I was able to isolate him in a QT tank and dosed general cure for now.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I was able to isolate him in a QT tank and dosed general cure for now.

Add an air stone

 

[bcarl77]

Good call. I lowered salinity to about 30 in the holding tank as well.

Not sure what we are chasing though…

 

[bcarl77]

Bump. And other ideas here?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Bump. And other ideas here?

I agree that the symptoms look like flukes, but there is also some skin and fin damage that could very well be from aggression.
It’s possible that the dynamics between fish changed and this one got beat up.

While flukes can be in a tank in low levels for months and then flare up as an active infection, the chance of that happening drops if nothing new has been added to the tank for 6 months to a year.

 

[bcarl77]

View attachment 20251204_064835_687863F6-4260-49ED-8D40-5B49547D07A0.mov

Morning update. Seems a little better after the General cure + kanaplex. Need to see if I can get him to eat. Still breathing a little heavier that normal. A bit better color.

He is currently in a little 15g cube. Whats the thoughts on next steps? At a minimum thinking one more round of antibiotics.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Morning update. Seems a little better after the General cure + kanaplex. Need to see if I can get him to eat. Still breathing a little heavier that normal. A bit better color.

He is currently in a little 15g cube. Whats the thoughts on next steps? At a minimum thinking one more round of antibiotics.

You need to dose the general cure a second time, after 6 or 7 days. Sometimes a third dose is needed.

Kanaplex should be dosed twice, label directions.

Be sure to manage the ammonia level in the tank.

 

[bcarl77]

The good news was the cube had live rock and water in it for months before i moved him there. I have live rock that I can add if needed however hoping the biofilms have enough nitrifying bacteria to handle the waste. I didn’t want to add rocks as this would soak up meds.

How long do we think he will last in a 15g cube? I have a 20L I can set up for him as well.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

The good news was the cube had live rock and water in it for months before i moved him there. I have live rock that I can add if needed however hoping the biofilms have enough nitrifying bacteria to handle the waste. I didn’t want to add rocks as this would soak up meds.

How long do we think he will last in a 15g cube? I have a 20L I can set up for him as well.

That size tank is fine for short to moderate lengths of time - up to 6 months I’d say.

 

[bcarl77]

The good news was the cube had live rock and water in it for months before i moved him there. I have live rock that I can add if needed however hoping the biofilms have enough nitrifying bacteria to handle the waste. I didn’t want to add rocks as this would soak up meds.

How long do we think he will last in a 15g cube? I have a 20L I can set up for him as well.

That size tank is fine for short to moderate lengths of time - up to 6 months I’d say.

Thanks Jay, he is comfy in there and started swimming again. I couldn’t get him to eat yet. Hopefully soon…

 

[bcarl77]

Update: Breathing is back to normal. Much more lethargic today and not swimming as much. No signs of eating or any desire to. The areas that were once translucent are now like a darker black. Next rounds of meds going in here shortly.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Update: Breathing is back to normal. Much more lethargic today and not swimming as much. No signs of eating or any desire to. The areas that were once translucent are now like a darker black. Next rounds of meds going in here shortly.

Can you post a video?

 

[bcarl77]

View attachment 20251205_144505_E313F525-BCED-4F81-9D04-FE10297D8F04.mov

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sorry - I can’t make anything out in the video. Tough to see inside the pipe. Breathing and general attitude seems ok though.

 

[bcarl77]

Agree, nothing obvious.

 

[bcarl77]

Update for today. He is just chilling in the tube normal breathing no others signs. No desire to eat.

 

[bcarl77]

Same update as yesterday. Only exterior visible sign of distress is some discoloration on fins. At what point do I just put him back in the display? I am not sure if the current behavior is a symptom of his current environment.