Help Diagnosing Yellow Tang

[Zach0918]

My yellow tang has been acting pretty lethargic lately is not really eating as aggressively as normal. He stays around the same area of the tank, usually away from strong flow for long periods of time. He also has redish spots on his skin. I was dealing with high nitrates and may have gone a little overboard with the water changes. I read that the red marks could come from salinity changes but its been over a week of this behavior and I am worried. I will post some pics of him.

Also today I did an ammonia test even though all other fish seem fine and it showed a small amount of ammonia in the water (0.2-0.4ish), 0 nitrites. I treated with Dr. Tim's One and Only. I read the these test can sometimes be unreliable but I am also concerned I may have started a mini cycle by adding some sand a couple weeks ago. All other fish (2 clowns, flame hawk, 2 chromis, 1 wrasse) are eating and acting normal. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

First, please read this and post whatever additional information you can...

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Aquarium Fish Disease Problem Solving Determining the best course of action for a problem with your aquarium can be a difficult task. Even advanced aquarists will often need to seek the help of others for complicated or unique issues. Our intent here on Reef 2 Reef is to offer expert advice...

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[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

#fishmedic

 

[Bucs20fan]

That tang is dangerously thin, you can see its spine and facial bones through the skin. When was the last time you got it to eat?

You definitely have ammonia in that tank judging by that test kit. Adding sand will cause a mini cycle of sorts for algae but not for bacteria. Did you rinse the sand in regular tap water or ro/di water?

 

[Zach0918]

That tang is dangerously thin, you can see its spine and facial bones through the skin. When was the last time you got it to eat?

You definitely have ammonia in that tank judging by that test kit. Adding sand will cause a mini cycle of sorts for algae but not for bacteria. Did you rinse the sand in regular tap water or ro/di water?

It will pick at pellets but refuses to eat frozen or nori for a couple weeks now. I have tries different flakes and types of frozen but shows no interest. I added one back of live sand from caribsea but did not rinse. Used a PVC pipe to try avoid cloudiness which was somewhat successful. It got cloudy for a day but cleared up after that.

 

[Zach0918]

I added half the bottle of One and Only Bacteria but I could add the rest right away if that is best.

120g total volume

 

[Bucs20fan]

How long have you had this tang?

 

[Zach0918]

How long have you had this tang?

I have had it about 4 months but it was from another reefer so I am not sure on age.

 

[Bucs20fan]

Was it fat when you obtained it? Because it has been losing weight for some time now judging by the photos. Which tells me this has been an ongoing issue for this fish, not related to your sand. Im not familiar with the red spots, but my best guess would be some sort of internal parasite.

 

[Zach0918]

He was definitely not as skinny as he is now. Is there anything I can do to treat him? I am just not really sure what I right move is at this point or if anything can be done.

 

[Bucs20fan]

Ill tag someone who will know for sure #fishmedic @Jay Hemdal .

 

[MnFish1]

My yellow tang has been acting pretty lethargic lately is not really eating as aggressively as normal. He stays around the same area of the tank, usually away from strong flow for long periods of time. He also has redish spots on his skin. I was dealing with high nitrates and may have gone a little overboard with the water changes. I read that the red marks could come from salinity changes but its been over a week of this behavior and I am worried. I will post some pics of him.

Also today I did an ammonia test even though all other fish seem fine and it showed a small amount of ammonia in the water (0.2-0.4ish), 0 nitrites. I treated with Dr. Tim's One and Only. I read the these test can sometimes be unreliable but I am also concerned I may have started a mini cycle by adding some sand a couple weeks ago. All other fish (2 clowns, flame hawk, 2 chromis, 1 wrasse) are eating and acting normal. Any help would be much appreciated.

I'm going to give my own opinion - without reading the rest - if they are repeated - I apologize.

1. The tang is thin.
2. More information is required - any recent water changes, etc. "Often confused with an internal bacterial disease which appears very similar, the improper acclimation of marine fish can cause capillary congestion leading to the rupture of the capillaries through sudden exposure to higher salinity levels. This is most often seen with newly purchased fish that have not been acclimated very slowly, as in days long periods to higher salinity or when replacement water is above the aquarium's salinity when performing a large water change. As long as the fish is eating properly and it develops no other problems, it should heal in due time and recover. If the fish develops such red markings in the absence of salinity changes then I would suspect a bacterial infection due to poor water quality and the fish should be removed and treated by feeding it an anti-bacterial laced food while taking steps to get the organic levels of the aquarium under control."
3. I would - if you have not made any recent changes in the tank - move the fish to a hospital tank and treat with a broad spectrum antibiotic

 

[Jay Hemdal]

My yellow tang has been acting pretty lethargic lately is not really eating as aggressively as normal. He stays around the same area of the tank, usually away from strong flow for long periods of time. He also has redish spots on his skin. I was dealing with high nitrates and may have gone a little overboard with the water changes. I read that the red marks could come from salinity changes but its been over a week of this behavior and I am worried. I will post some pics of him.

Also today I did an ammonia test even though all other fish seem fine and it showed a small amount of ammonia in the water (0.2-0.4ish), 0 nitrites. I treated with Dr. Tim's One and Only. I read the these test can sometimes be unreliable but I am also concerned I may have started a mini cycle by adding some sand a couple weeks ago. All other fish (2 clowns, flame hawk, 2 chromis, 1 wrasse) are eating and acting normal. Any help would be much appreciated.

Ammonia in an established tank is really unusual, and is typically linked with something that killed off the beneficial bacteria (like antibiotics). The test sure does seem to show higher ammonia, but many tests are flawed. If you have any freshly mixed seawater, you could test that and see if it shows green as well - that would implicate the test kit.

As the others said; the tang is pretty thin, but additional background information may help dial in what the problem could be. Red petechia on yellow tangs is pretty common, it seems to be a sign of stress. It isn't always related to a bacterial infection, but in can be.

Jay

 

[Zach0918]

Okay I am going write up a more detailed description of the situation now.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Okay I am going write up a more detailed description of the situation now.

How long have you had fish?
Would you say it has lost weight since youve had it ?
What test kits are you using ?
WHAT FOODS ARE YOU FEEDING AND HOW OFTEN ?
Are there other fish in the tank and are they eating ?

 

[Zach0918]

This is a reef tank in my classroom. This was the first summer after putting the tank up in May. As you know the summer was hot this year and unfortunately the AC in my room couldn't keep up. The tank temps reached as high as 83.5. We lost a number of corals, anemones, but no fish. This led to a dump of nutrients in that water. Of course this to algae so I began hitting it with water changes pretty aggressively and did try to increase the salinity slightly while doing that. I also had to add some sand to replace the sand that was siphoned out. The tang had been eating relatively normally but has gotten worse as of late. He ate this morning but then wouldn't touch any other food I offered (pellets, nori, frozen mysis, frozen herbivore, garlic flavored flakes). I was hoping that his odd behavior was due to all the changes going on causing stressed. I stopped doing water changes for the last 2 weeks to try and help him recover but that doesn't seem to be working. I don't know if it was a coincidence but he did seem more active today after I added the bacteria. He was at least moving around the tank, although not quickly. At this point I just don't know what to do. I am afraid to do nothing but also to do something in QT and kill him from stress. This is my first time dealing with sick fish like this.

Aquarium Parameters:
Aquarium type: Reef
Aquarium water volume: 110.4g
Filtration type: Sump, skimmer, carbon, GFO, filter socks
Lighting: 2 AI Hydra 32HD
How long has the aquarium been established? 5 months
Other fish: 2 clowns, 2 chromis, flame hawkfish, melanurus wrasse (all seems fine, eating normally)

Water quality (be sure to indicate what measurement units you are using)
Temperature: 78F
pH: 8.28
Salinity / specific gravity: 36 ppt
Ammonia: 0.4-0.6
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 35

In-depth information:
Have you lost any fish to this problem yet? (see below) No
Are any invertebrates affected? Limited CUC right now but haven't noticed anything
Are the affected fish still feeding? Limited feeding
What remedies have you tried so far? Different food types, just tried nitrifying bacteria (Dr Tims One and Only)
Digital image of the fish with the health issue, taken under white light
- if needed, indicate by drawing a line around the area in question.
not under white light but picks are above
Short video of the fish (linked YouTube videos work well)
(Live)

The tank isn't normally this cloudy, it got like that after adding bacteria

 

[Zach0918]

How long have you had fish?
Would you say it has lost weight since youve had it ?
What test kits are you using ?
WHAT FOODS ARE YOU FEEDING AND HOW OFTEN ?
Are there other fish in the tank and are they eating ?

How long have you had fish? 4 months
Would you say it has lost weight since youve had it ? Definitely
What test kits are you using ? Red Sea Marine Care
WHAT FOODS ARE YOU FEEDING AND HOW OFTEN ? 3 cubes of frozen per day while I am in the school, pellets from an Apex auto feeder 3x a day, nori left on clip (although it has always been a challenge to get him to eat it.
Are there other fish in the tank and are they eating ? 2 clowns, 2 chromis, flame hawk, melanurus wrasse - all eating really well

 

[MnFish1]

How long have you had fish? 4 months
Would you say it has lost weight since youve had it ? Definitely
What test kits are you using ? Red Sea Marine Care
WHAT FOODS ARE YOU FEEDING AND HOW OFTEN ? 3 cubes of frozen per day while I am in the school, pellets from an Apex auto feeder 3x a day, nori left on clip (although it has always been a challenge to get him to eat it.
Are there other fish in the tank and are they eating ? 2 clowns, 2 chromis, flame hawk, melanurus wrasse - all eating really well

The test kit IMHO does not matter - the fact that weight has been lost is an issue. My guess - is that since you are in a school you did not buy a 500$ yellow tang. as I posted previously - if the tang is eating, etc - this is likely related to stress from transfer. Given the fact the the rest of your fish are doing well - it is unlikely (unless something happens in the next couple days) - to be a disease. My guess is that it's a 'small' (size?) tang?

 

[MnFish1]

BTW - 3 cubes of frozen - means various things - if you're using 3 cubes of xxxari brand you're not feeding enough in all likelyhood

 

[Zach0918]

The test kit IMHO does not matter - the fact that weight has been lost is an issue. My guess - is that since you are in a school you did not buy a 500$ yellow tang. as I posted previously - if the tang is eating, etc - this is likely related to stress from transfer. Given the fact the the rest of your fish are doing well - it is unlikely (unless something happens in the next couple days) - to be a disease. My guess is that it's a 'small' (size?) tang?

He wasn't 500 but wasn't cheap either, although I am not really following you on this point. The transfer was about 4 months ago and he was doing well at one time. He was constantly swimming around, eating foods, picking at rocks. There has been a definite decline. And I am worried that the eating is getting worse and worse. As you can see he is really skinny.