Help Mutant Tang disease ID please

[Mus]

Please could I have some help identifying what is wrong with my Yellow eyed mutant tang.

I purchased her two and half weeks ago and it took her a week before she would come out to eat and is still a little shy.

I have been feeding lots and lots of Nori, flake and various frozen foods to bring her strength up and she is eating but still slightly shy.

Originally I thought it was I ich and treated Esha Oodinex as she is in a reef tank. However obviously it’s not and now thinking flukes, Lymphocystis, HLLE or fungus? I definitely won’t be able to catch her in my tank and any treatment will have to be reef safe.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi, welcome to Reef2Reef!

That isn’t flukes or Lymphocystis. HLLE could be involved, but there is certainly either a bacterial or (more rarely) a fungal component to this. I’m not a big fan of “reef safe” medications, as most disease organisms are as tough or tougher than the invertebrates in your tank.
The best course of action would be to set up a treatment tank - it would serve double duty in the future as a quarantine tank!

Jay

 

[Mus]

Hi Jay thanks for the advice and I can understand that a treatment tank would be ideal but I don’t think I could remove him from my tank and don’t have space for another tank.

The meds I have do seem to treat fungus and possibly bacterial infections.

https://www.eshalabs.eu/europe/products/esha-oodinex.pdf
Mus

 

[Cole.mormon]

im thinking it would be fungal infections
or HLLE

 

[Bbfishb81]

I'd does metro. Its reef safe, I had to use it when my eel got a bacterial infection. I have a fully mixed reef and zero issues using metro. And my eel is fully recovered.

 

[HB AL]

Definitely hlle and most likely something else going on. If you absolutely can't catch it I would get some meds you can put in its food. And feed it whatever it likes the most and feed it as much as it will eat. Keeping sick fish well fed and in pristine water does wonders for helping alot of fish get well on there own even with no meds.

 

[Tamberav]

Build or buy a fish trap... Tangs are pretty greedy and eventually go in as long as it is still eating.