Flukes?

[sumpreef]

Hello,

I got this yellow tang from my lfs who quarantines their fishes with copper and prazi. After buying it I placed it in observation for a week and it was doing ok. It was skittish but ok. I moved it to the main tank and it was very happy. Started eating well. The display tank hasn’t had any new additions in a while and all other fishes are doing well. However, I have noticed the yellow tang suddenly hiding more and breathing fast. Also with head twitching. Treating it with PraziPro at 85% of recommended dosage with strong aeration. Any other thoughts.

I did do a freshwater dip but the fish started playing dead ie on its side and got nervous and moved it back. The dip was maybe for 5-10sec only.

No ammonia or nitrite. Nitrate at 6. Salinity at 1.025. Stable display tank. The last addition was this yellow tang. I don’t seem to have good luck with yellow tangs… Any other thoughts?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello,

I got this yellow tang from my lfs who quarantines their fishes with copper and prazi. After buying it I placed it in observation for a week and it was doing ok. It was skittish but ok. I moved it to the main tank and it was very happy. Started eating well. The display tank hasn’t had any new additions in a while and all other fishes are doing well. However, I have noticed the yellow tang suddenly hiding more and breathing fast. Also with head twitching. Treating it with PraziPro at 85% of recommended dosage with strong aeration. Any other thoughts.

I did do a freshwater dip but the fish started playing dead ie on its side and got nervous and moved it back. The dip was maybe for 5-10sec only.

No ammonia or nitrite. Nitrate at 6. Salinity at 1.025. Stable display tank. The last addition was this yellow tang. I don’t seem to have good luck with yellow tangs… Any other thoughts?

The picture is too dark to clearly see. Recommended is bright white light, No blue. If you just added Prazi, it takes 3-4 days to start to take effect. If not done, do add air stone as przi reduces oxygen slightly. Also monitor ammonia levels with a reliable test kit such as Salifert or Hanna brand.
With acquisition of new fish even when quarantined, do your own quarantining as many LFS use low level copper for treatment

 

[sumpreef]

Thank you. Yes extra aeration is on. Will try and take another video later this evening with white lights.

Supposedly they keep it with copper for 2weeks at 2.25ppm who knows.

 

[sumpreef]

Here’s a video under white light. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or if you think the diagnosis is not flukes.

The many small white things that you see on the video are from the small air bubbles from air stone.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Here’s a video under white light. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or if you think the diagnosis is not flukes.

The many small white things that you see on the video are from the small air bubbles from air stone.

Dont see anything sticking out other that heavy breathing which may be flukes.
How are you testing water quality?

 

[sumpreef]

Testing with salifert and also cross checked with local lfs testing. Not sure what test kit they are using

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Here’s a video under white light. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or if you think the diagnosis is not flukes.

The many small white things that you see on the video are from the small air bubbles from air stone.

Is the tang still eating?

 

[sumpreef]

It is somewhat interested in food. Comes up to eat the pellets but not sure if it is actually ingesting it. Usually the nori sheets are gone within a few hours after i put it in. The last few days they have been untouched.

 

[sumpreef]

Here’s a video under white light. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or if you think the diagnosis is not flukes.

The many small white things that you see on the video are from the small air bubbles from air stone.

Is the tang still eating?

This is today’s video. It is about 40hrs since treatment began with PraziPro. Still breathing fast

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

This is today’s video. It is about 40hrs since treatment began with PraziPro. Still breathing fast

When fish have flukes, and prazi knocks them off, the fish may actually breathe faster the day after treatment. However, at 40 hours, the breathing should have slowed down if this was flukes.

Sorry - I don’t have a good course of action to try next…..

 

[sumpreef]

This is today’s video. It is about 40hrs since treatment began with PraziPro. Still breathing fast

When fish have flukes, and prazi knocks them off, the fish may actually breathe faster the day after treatment. However, at 40 hours, the breathing should have slowed down if this was flukes.

Sorry - I don’t have a good course of action to try next…..

Thank you very much for your help regardless. I very much appreciate everybody’s input. Will provide supportive care and keep you all posted on what happens next.

 

[christinna77]

Just a thought, but is it possible the clowns are bullying him when you're not looking? I can see them swimming around the tang in both videos. In the second one it looks like one of the clowns charges at him and he flicks away.

 

[sumpreef]

Thank you. The clowns in this tanks are completely benign and rather stupid. I have not seen them bully any fish.

I was looking at it up close just now and saw that the tang is almost unable to completely close its mouth. See attached short clip. Not sure what this finding may represent

 

[sumpreef]

I also still see it shaking its head once in a while

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you. The clowns in this tanks are completely benign and rather stupid. I have not seen them bully any fish.

I was looking at it up close just now and saw that the tang is almost unable to completely close its mouth. See attached short clip. Not sure what this finding may represent

The open mouth breathing occurs when the breathing becomes so fast that there just isn’t time for the fish’s mouth to close between breaths.

Oddly, it doesn’t look like the cardinal fish is breathing fast at all - protozoan or flukes would involve most/all of the fish in the tank.

I wonder if there is something causing anemia with just this one fish? That would cause rapid breathing. You can sometimes diagnose this if you can get a glimpse of the fish’s gills. They should be dark red. If the are pink or white, that indicates anemia.

 

[sumpreef]

Thank you. The clowns in this tanks are completely benign and rather stupid. I have not seen them bully any fish.

I was looking at it up close just now and saw that the tang is almost unable to completely close its mouth. See attached short clip. Not sure what this finding may represent

Ok thanks for the tip about the open mouth breathing. Between the fact that all the other fish seem to be unaffected in the tank and it has been three days since the prazi was dosed without significant relief, I’m beginning to think that this may be less likely to be fluke. I am hoping to transfer it to Hospital tank and start some broad-spectrum antibiotics to see if there is some sort of occult bacterial infection.

I’m not sure how this would become anemic when it was previously fine. It is hard to look at the gills with any sort of clarity.

 

[sumpreef]

Thanks for all your inputs. Very much appreciate the collective problem solving with this one

 

[sumpreef]

The other piece of the puzzle I can’t quite place is the occasional head shaking…. I would think there is something sort of irritation to the fish. Is it just from traumatized tissue or something like a protozoan?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Anemia can be caused by viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Nutritional issues can also cause it, but not with this quick of an onset.

 

[sumpreef]

Anemia can be caused by viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Nutritional issues can also cause it, but not with this quick of an onset.

Thank you