Gem tang fin damage

[ELChingonsReef]

I have a gem tang here with upper and lower fin recession. I was told it was possible stray voltage. I checked and there's no stray voltage in this aquarium. Originally I thought another fish was picking on it but there's only a 6 line wrasse (very small) and a flame hawk in the tank with the gem. 100 gallon full reef is its home. I was told the fins would never grow back. This is permanent damage. Is this true? I feed frozen brine. Mysis nori and I just started putting selcon in the food. This fish doesn't seem to like pellets or flake food. He won't eat any dry food. He is healthy otherwise. An active swimmer. Very territorial.

 

[MnFish1]

It could be a fin rot type of situation, or part of an injury from something with transport, or another fish. How big is the tang compared to the others? If it is slowly worsening, I would move it to a hospital tank and treat. If you haven't treated all of your fish with a QT protocol I would do that for all of them. Gem tangs - given their coloration are difficult. If you did not treat with QT, I suppose it could be a fluke issue as well.

 

[MnFish1]

PS - if it is rapidly worsening, I would consider a broad spectrum antibiotic. Generally speaking fins can regenerate - do they always? No.

 

[exnisstech]

The only time I have seen this it was cause by aggression from other fish and the fin did not grow back. My experience is limited to that one fish and it was a yellow tang. On a side note stray voltage is a red herring and has no effect on fish or coral. Jay Hemdal has confirmed this and I confirmed it as well when I fell off a chair after sticking my hand in a tank that read 49v in the water from a leaking power head. I have no idea how long it had been leaking but all livestock were behaving normally.

 

[ELChingonsReef]

It could be a fin rot type of situation, or part of an injury from something with transport, or another fish. How big is the tang compared to the others? If it is slowly worsening, I would move it to a hospital tank and treat. If you haven't treated all of your fish with a QT protocol I would do that for all of them. Gem tangs - given their coloration are difficult. If you did not treat with QT, I suppose it could be a fluke issue as well.

The tang is bigger than the flame hawk. And way bigger than the 6line wrasse. It definitely is the king of the tank. When food is introduced to the tank he chases the other fish away. I'm not sure he's sick. He eats good . But I'm no fish expert. Just a moment ago he chased the flame hawk to the other side of the tank. I have a full sps tank with many rocks and corals everywhere. Maybe he's damaged his fins on the rock edges chasing other fish. I'm not sure what to think

 

[fishguy242]

how long have you had gem ? any other new additions lately ?

 

[MnFish1]

The only time I have seen this it was cause by aggression from other fish and the fin did not grow back. My experience is limited to that one fish and it was a yellow tang. On a side note stray voltage is a red herring and has no effect on fish or coral. Jay Hemdal has confirmed this and I confirmed it as well when I fell off a chair after sticking my hand in a tank that read 49v in the water from a leaking power head. I have no idea how long it had been leaking but all livestock were behaving normally.

This is an important post - and I agree completely - stray voltage should be removed from the differential diagnosis of the average aquarium

 

[MnFish1]

The tang is bigger than the flame hawk. And way bigger than the 6line wrasse. It definitely is the king of the tank. When food is introduced to the tank he chases the other fish away. I'm not sure he's sick. He eats good . But I'm no fish expert. Just a moment ago he chased the flame hawk to the other side of the tank. I have a full sps tank with many rocks and corals everywhere. Maybe he's damaged his fins on the rock edges chasing other fish. I'm not sure what to think

So just to make sure - at the start - the fish looked normal?
Then what happened - this is not an idle question - because - if the fish was fine, and then slowly developed this - it could be a significant bacterial infection - and likely a gram negative one - which would be best treated with kanamycin or neomycin - in my opinion

 

[ELChingonsReef]

how long have you had gem ? any other new additions lately ?

I've purchased the gem a couple years ago.. It was a juvenile when I got it. It had a small nick in his upper fin when I first saw the fish. So I got it at a discount. Shortly after I added a couple flasher wrasse. The tang would chase the flashers until they finally jumped. So I got the flame hawk because he was less likely to jump. The 6 line wrasse I've had since I cycled this sps tank. So he's always been here. These 3 fish are the only fish I have in this 100 gall sps reef. I got the gem for algae control. The wrasse for pest control and the hawk because I didn't know what else to get that would not jump. I started noticing the fin recession late this summer. Around August 2023. It has gotten worse.

 

[ELChingonsReef]

It could be a fin rot type of situation, or part of an injury from something with transport, or another fish. How big is the tang compared to the others? If it is slowly worsening, I would move it to a hospital tank and treat. If you haven't treated all of your fish with a QT protocol I would do that for all of them. Gem tangs - given their coloration are difficult. If you did not treat with QT, I suppose it could be a fluke issue as well.

When I first purchased the fish it was fresh out of quarantine. It was in a tank full of yellow water. I think it was some kind of medication. A few weeks later I purchased it at a discount. This was back when gem tangs were still 1000$

 

[vetteguy53081]

Looks to be bacterial and coinciding with hlle seen and points to water quality and not aggression . Do a verification of ammonia and nitrate levels and assure fish is getting proper diet

 

[ELChingonsReef]

PS - if it is rapidly worsening, I would consider a broad spectrum antibiotic. Generally speaking fins can regenerate - do they always? No.

It hasn't gotten worse but I first noticed it in August. The fish is still very active and shows no signs of illness in my opinion. It eats well and chases other fish around

 

[ELChingonsReef]

Looks to be bacterial and coinciding with hlle seen and points to water quality and not aggression . Do a verification of ammonia and nitrate levels and assure fish is getting proper diet

Nitrates are at 9ppm and phosphates are at 0.09 according to hanna checker. If I had poor water quality wouldn't that affect my sps colonys?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Nitrates are at 9ppm and phosphates are at 0.09 according to hanna checker. If I had poor water quality wouldn't that affect my sps colonys?

Not so much coral and water quality refers to elevated levels, excess use of carbon, low salinity, inadequate diet as examples.
You say it eats well- what foods are you feeding and how are you testing water ?

 

[ELChingonsReef]

Not so much coral and water quality refers to elevated levels, excess use of carbon, low salinity, inadequate diet as examples.
You say it eats well- what foods are you feeding and how are you testing water ?

Salinity is always at 0.026. I check it with hanna Salinity tester and a refractometer once a week when I do a water change. I test my aquarium and salt mix. As for food the tang eats frozen brine with spurlina. frozen mysis, a full sheet of nori a week. However it doesn't seem to like flake food or pellets. I recently started using selcon. I put 5 drops in with the frozen food. Now I just started this a few weeks ago so I haven't always done that. I do use activated carbon. The BRS ROX 8.0 brand. I use 1/2 a cup for this 100 gallon reef. I change it once a month. It's in a reactor. I use UV sterilizer too. I use hanna checkers to test for nitrates phosphate alkalinity calcium and magnesium. I also use a trident. I'm glad your helping me out with this vetteguy. You have helped me out in the past with coral related problems. Hopefully we can figure this out as well.

 

[ELChingonsReef]

Not so much coral and water quality refers to elevated levels, excess use of carbon, low salinity, inadequate diet as examples.
You say it eats well- what foods are you feeding and how are you testing water ?

Here's a photo of him right now

 

[ELChingonsReef]

Close up photo

 

[vetteguy53081]

Close up photo

Top/bottom fin likely past aggression or deformity and this may be the extent of healing and HLLE is there. Often HLLE can be repaired with good diet and water. Some foods (not all of these ) to feed are:
LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
TDO Pellets
small plankton
Hikari Marine cuisine
Ocean nutrition veggie diet
spirulina brine shrimp
mysis shrimp
Prime reef
Nori seaweed basted with garlic extract

Add selcon vitamins to foods occasionally

 

[ELChingonsReef]

Top/bottom fin likely past aggression or deformity and this may be the extent of healing and HLLE is there. Often HLLE can be repaired with good diet and water. Some foods (not all of these ) to feed are:
LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
TDO Pellets
small plankton
Hikari Marine cuisine
Ocean nutrition veggie diet
spirulina brine shrimp
mysis shrimp
Prime reef
Nori seaweed basted with garlic extract

Add selcon vitamins to foods occasionally

Will his fins grow back with time? I was told this was permanent damage. Is this true?

 

[ELChingonsReef]

Top/bottom fin likely past aggression or deformity and this may be the extent of healing and HLLE is there. Often HLLE can be repaired with good diet and water. Some foods (not all of these ) to feed are:
LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
TDO Pellets
small plankton
Hikari Marine cuisine
Ocean nutrition veggie diet
spirulina brine shrimp
mysis shrimp
Prime reef
Nori seaweed basted with garlic extract

Add selcon vitamins to foods occasionally

Thanks for your advice ill buy these foods and start feeding.