Identify Sailfin Tang & Unicorn Tang desease

[Sanctuary]

On 4-9-2021 my Sailfin Tang in photos attached showed up with tiny black spots and by 7-9-2021 they turned white and after doing a freshwater bath the spots seem like they are gone. The Unicorn Tang in the same tank showed up with a slightly frosting on one eye which now seems swollen. Both fish are in the same tank with corals, snails, hermit crabs that have shown no signs of issues. I did also have a small pair of Picasso clowns, pair of cardinals, bi-coloured bleny which were in the same tank but all died within the last 2 weeks on seperate days. All fish have been eating as normal. I did notice the Unicorn tang swimming against the flow for around a month or 2 prior to noticing the black spots. What is happening and what should i do to save these guys and the tank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ouch- looks like black ich and velvet
For temporary relief, give them a 5 minute freshwater dip and then quarantine treating with copper safe or similar but make sure medication says “ treats OODINUM “
Also get a reliable copper test kit to monitor levels. I would not buy api brand

 

[Jay Hemdal]

On 4-9-2021 my Sailfin Tang in photos attached showed up with tiny black spots and by 7-9-2021 they turned white and after doing a freshwater bath the spots seem like they are gone. The Unicorn Tang in the same tank showed up with a slightly frosting on one eye which now seems swollen. Both fish are in the same tank with corals, snails, hermit crabs that have shown no signs of issues. I did also have a small pair of Picasso clowns, pair of cardinals, bi-coloured bleny which were in the same tank but all died within the last 2 weeks on seperate days. All fish have been eating as normal. I did notice the Unicorn tang swimming against the flow for around a month or 2 prior to noticing the black spots. What is happening and what should i do to save these guys and the tank.

Can you post a short video or two taken under white light? I want to see their respiration rate….

Jay

 

[Sanctuary]

I'm not sure what changed but both Sailfin and Unicorn have recovered. Now swimming normally, alert and eating well and their eyes are back to normal. They no longer swim against the water flow. I left them in the display tank and just fed them 2-3 times a day, no water changes. All my smaller fish like pair of Cardinals, small pair of picasso clowns, bi-coloured blenny, Goby, Abalone died one by one over a 2-3 week period.
The only thing I can think that I did just before is a 25% water change but this time I used some salt a someone gave me that was a sealed bucket but expired around 5 years ago. The salt was one big clump and I had to scrape it to get it back to powder form. After mixing I let my wavemaker continuously mix and the heater kept it at 25degrees for around a week before I used it. Can the salt have caused this issue and not a parasite problem as I never introduced any fish. The first to die was the Abalone which from memory died a couple of days after the water change.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I'm not sure what changed but both Sailfin and Unicorn have recovered. Now swimming normally, alert and eating well and their eyes are back to normal. They no longer swim against the water flow. I left them in the display tank and just fed them 2-3 times a day, no water changes. All my smaller fish like pair of Cardinals, small pair of picasso clowns, bi-coloured blenny, Goby, Abalone died one by one over a 2-3 week period.
The only thing I can think that I did just before is a 25% water change but this time I used some salt a someone gave me that was a sealed bucket but expired around 5 years ago. The salt was one big clump and I had to scrape it to get it back to powder form. After mixing I let my wavemaker continuously mix and the heater kept it at 25degrees for around a week before I used it. Can the salt have caused this issue and not a parasite problem as I never introduced any fish. The first to die was the Abalone which from memory died a couple of days after the water change.

I don't use clumped salt as a matter of course - I worry that the many different salts in the product can react and change if exposed to too much moisture before mixing. That said, I don't know of any direct danger from this. Certainly none that would cause those spots. Also, the timeline wouldn't have been that long - "On 4-9-2021 my Sailfin Tang in photos attached showed up with tiny black spots and by 7-9-2021" then to today, - almost six months stat to finish?

One of the organisms that causes black spot disease in tang, Paravortex can be "self-limiting" in that it can go away on its own. I suspect, given the timeline, that is what you saw.

Good deal in any event though!


Jay

 

[Sanctuary]

Thanks Jay, I couldn't 100% blame the salt unless it stressed the fish causing these issues. Do you think it's safe to purchase more fish or should I wait. Either way if i purchase any more fish I'm going to quarantine them in a seperate tank for 30 days and then place them in the DT. This will give the Sailfin and Unicorn over 30 days to fatten up before new fish come in and I would only add 1 fish a week.
I'm also going to do a 20% water change this weekend with fresh salt I purchased and not use the old salt.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thanks Jay, I couldn't 100% blame the salt unless it stressed the fish causing these issues. Do you think it's safe to purchase more fish or should I wait. Either way if i purchase any more fish I'm going to quarantine them in a seperate tank for 30 days and then place them in the DT. This will give the Sailfin and Unicorn over 30 days to fatten up before new fish come in and I would only add 1 fish a week.
I'm also going to do a 20% water change this weekend with fresh salt I purchased and not use the old salt.

I generally wait at least 30 days beyond the time that I last saw symptoms before adding new fish.

Here is a link to my current quarantine process:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com

Jay