Fw dip tang HELP!!!

[lmgoetze]

Just did a fw dip on my chocolate tang and now it’s gills are black and barely swimming what can I do?!

 

[Miami Reef]

Put it in saltwater and glide the fish in the water so saltwater can flush through his gills.

Is this fish still alive? It’s been 7 minutes since you posted. Let us know.

 

[Miami Reef]

How long did you dip it for? It’s common for tangs to act dead in the dip. No more than 5 minutes max for FW dip, and if you ever see a negative reaction, it’s best to cut the dip short.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Just did a fw dip on my chocolate tang and now it’s gills are black and barely swimming what can I do?!

It is due to stress . Same with rabbitfish and naso tangs that gets spots. Within minutes it should return to normal. Added oxygen helps also.
Hopefully you had water at same temp as display tank. In the future, add a pinch of baking soda for PH
Very nice size chocolate- about the same as mine

 

[lmgoetze]

Still alive and still struggling and I dipped for 5 min exactly! Kinda moving fins now but sinks to the bottom. Should I keep guiding through the water? Yeah it’s been awhile but willing to do what it takes!

 

[lmgoetze]

Just don’t know if I’m stressing more by touching, or if I need to!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Still alive and still struggling and I dipped for 5 min exactly! Kinda moving fins now but sinks to the bottom. Should I keep guiding through the water? Yeah it’s been awhile but willing to do what it takes!

It takes a little bit for them to return to normal. If you have pump/airstone- utilize it. If not give it time. Lowering or turning white light for about 20-30 mins will relax fish further

 

[vetteguy53081]

Just don’t know if I’m stressing more by touching, or if I need to!

Unless it has buoyancy issue, no need to

 

[vetteguy53081]

What was the purpose of dip?
Unless known flukes or it needed temporary relief from parasite- no need to

 

[lmgoetze]

When I guide the tang

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When I’m not guiding

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Thank you guys! I just got it from lfs yesterday and today I clearly noticed what looked to me to be velvet, so wanted to dip in case it had any other parasites (smh now) - these videos might show it clearer. Ok, I will lay off touching the tang for now and pray to the fishie gods the tang will recover! It was oxygenated rodi water for >30 mins so I was surprised it reacted this way. Anyway, thanks again and I’ll update soon!

 

[tundraguy1106]

Just did a fw dip on my chocolate tang and now it’s gills are black and barely swimming what can I do?!

Fish will change colors a bit when stressed. I have a chocolate tang as well and when he’s stressed he looks patchy and darker. I do not think the Gill color change is anything to worry about. FW dips are stressful on both you and the fish. Give it a few minutes and it should bounce back

 

[lmgoetze]

Up top swimming! Thank you guys again for helping me through our (my) freak out!!

 

[tundraguy1106]

Up top swimming! Thank you guys again for helping me through our (my) freak out!!

Just an FYI in the FW dips. As others have said, 5 minutes max for relief of any diseases or for flukes to pop off. 30 minutes is a lot and probably why it took longer for him to recover. Make sure you squirt some tank water in the FW to buffer the PH as well. Good luck!

 

[lmgoetze]

Just an FYI in the FW dips. As others have said, 5 minutes max for relief of any diseases or for flukes to pop off. 30 minutes is a lot and probably why it took longer for him to recover. Make sure you squirt some tank water in the FW to buffer the PH as well. Good luck!

No, I only did the dip for 5 min… the 30 min was how long I oxygenated the water prior. Def didn’t do a 30 min dip!!

 

[tundraguy1106]

No, I only did the dip for 5 min… the 30 min was how long I oxygenated the water prior. Def didn’t do a 30 min dip!!

Ahh ok… yeah that’s the way. Glad he’s doing better.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

No, I only did the dip for 5 min… the 30 min was how long I oxygenated the water prior. Def didn’t do a 30 min dip!!

Just for future reference; doing a FW dip on a brand new fish is just too stressful, and that far outweighs any benefit. I once added that process to my quarantine protocol, but then noticed that the overall mortality rate in the fish (weekly shipments) shot way up, so I stopped. I now let the fish adjust for 48 to 72 hours before doing any invasive treatment.

That said - you mentioned that you noticed velvet? FW dips won't cure that, they only buy you some time. However, you may have seen something else on the fish - the typical first symptom of velvet is just rapid breathing.

Jay Hemdal