Help! Yellow Tang with “lipstick” mark?

[TigerReef]

Hi all,
My yellow tang, Sunny, has a weird “lipstick” looking spot on his side. This just appear overnight. He is eating and swimming normally. Does anyone know what this is?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi all,
My yellow tang, Sunny, has a weird “lipstick” looking spot on his side. This just appear overnight. He is eating and swimming normally. Does anyone know what this is?

No doubt in my mind- a bite mark which should match the mouth of one of your occupants
If not although I believe it is, a component such as probe, filter tube, etc

 

[TigerReef]

No doubt in my mind- a bite mark which should match the mouth of one of your occupants
If not although I believe it is, a component such as probe, filter tube, etc

Wow. A bite mark really? I don't know if anyone can open that wide... except maybe one of my megalodon bristle worms...

 

[Sharkbait19]

What is the stocking?
Definitely looks like a bite mark.

 

[TigerReef]

What is the stocking?
Definitely looks like a bite mark.

(2) clowns
(1) sailfin tang
(1) bristle tooth tang
(1) blue hippo tang
(2) sand sifting gobies
(1) lawnmower blennie
(4) anthias
(3) PJ cardinals
(2) bengai cardinals
(1) foxface
+CUC

Everyone has been living together peacefully for ~17 months. Maybe an egg crate divider until it heals up?

 

[Sharkbait19]

Seems like it may be an isolated incident. I’d monitor for now and make sure it doesn’t get infected. Kinda looks like a blenny bite to me.

 

[Bucs20fan]

Its a bite mark from a tang for sure, you would be very surprised how far a tang can open its mouth if it wants, Its lips are very similar to a large mouth bass. Lips full of little teeth, similar to low grit sand paper for scraping algae off of rocks.

Also the lawnmower could be the culprit, those are the meanest blennies in existence and they have a very similar mouth.

 

[Tamberav]

It does look like the shape of a mouth.

Worth looking at for curiosity...

Tang Fingerprint Disease

Wanted to start a thread on this, as a member of my local forum recently had a brush with this elusive condition/disease (photos below). I myself have had no experience with it, so everything I know comes from anecdotal evidence obtained online. Probably the best description of Tang Fingerprint...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[MnFish1]

One important fact thats missing - how big is the tang? If it's 6 inches long (doubtful) - it's too big to be a bite. If it's 2-3 inches - it's possible. Watch carefully for infection - IMHO

 

[vetteguy53081]

Wow. A bite mark really? I don't know if anyone can open that wide... except maybe one of my megalodon bristle worms...

Bristletooth likely culprit

 

[MnFish1]

Bristletooth likely culprit

Curious - without knowing the size of the lesion - where does this come from - for my education

 

[vetteguy53081]

Curious - without knowing the size of the lesion - where does this come from - for my education

having 20 tangs, Ive had this more than once and knew who the culprit was

 

[MnFish1]

having 20 tangs, Ive had this more than once and knew who the culprit was

All good without knowing the size of the tang - it's impossible to know with any certainty. I assume you know the size of the tangs in your own tank. I agree with you - it looks like a bite mark - or injury. I would not begin to "Guess" whether its the bristle tooth - or anything else - without more information

 

[vetteguy53081]

All good without knowing the size of the tang - it's impossible to know with any certainty. I assume you know the size of the tangs in your own tank. I agree with you - it looks like a bite mark - or injury. I would not begin to "Guess" whether its the bristle tooth - or anything else - without more information

Look at his list. My culprit was my bristletooth which he also has one according to his list and I dont expect this bvristletooth is going to spend its time biting fish. Likely there was a squabble occuring

 

[MnFish1]

Look at his list. My culprit was my bristletooth which he also has one according to his list and I dont expect this bvristletooth is going to spend its time biting fish. Likely there was a squabble occuring

I only asked the size of the tang. LOL. If it's a 6 inch tang - a bristletooth tang did not do that right? If its a 2 inch tang - extremely likely

 

[Auquanut]

Bristletooth likely culprit

For what it's worth, without even seeing the stock list, my first thought was bristletooth tang. Could be wrong, but that's sure what it looks like.

 

[MnFish1]

For what it's worth, without even seeing the stock list, my first thought was bristletooth tang. Could be wrong, but that's sure what it looks like.

Just curious if the tang was 6 inches as compared to 2 inches - would you say the same thing? For my knowledge.

 

[Auquanut]

Just curious if the tang was 6 inches as compared to 2 inches - would you say the same thing? For my knowledge.

Not saying that is WAS the tang. If the mark is obviously of a size that couldn't have been made by the brisletooth, then the answer is something else. Just throwing out that it looks suspiciously like a bristletooth mouth print.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Whether its 2 inches or 9", its a bite mark likely and of what the OP wanted to know what the mark was.

 

[MnFish1]

Not saying that is WAS the tang. If the mark is obviously of a size that couldn't have been made by the brisletooth, then the answer is something else. Just throwing out that it looks suspiciously like a bristletooth mouth print

I just asked the question. we don't know