New Kole Tang, May be sick, Need Help!

[Glasswalker]

Quick summary:
Kole Tang now laying on it's side, and acting lethargic. White splotches above/behind eye, and on side. He's not looking well. Opening mouth a lot as well (rapid breathing?)

More details:
Just purchased a pair of new fish:
- Kole Tang
- One Spot Foxface

Both from same respected LFS on the 23rd. Asked store owner about behavior, and while the Kole was being a bit shy, he was swimming about, and owner said he was not showing any signs of illness... We had store owner feed in front of us, he ate one or two pieces of spirulina enriched brine.

Upon adding to our QT after acclimation, he seemed fine, but was definitely being shy, and not very active. We fed, and he did definitely eat (only 1-2 pieces of brine though that we could see).

We hung Nori, but he didn't touch it.

There is algae (we have some rock in the QT for cover), so lots of algae in the tank for him to graze on.

We've continued feeding multiple times per day. The foxface is eating tons, but the Kole is only eating 1-2 pieces when we see... Haven't seen any signs of illness up until now, however he's hiding a lot, and hard to see clearly.

Today we notice he has white spots above/behind one eye, and on the other side.

He's started laying on the bottom of the tank, when we approach he gets up and swims away to hide, but is lethargic.

I'll post pics here, I am at work, my wife is at home observing and taking pics now.

I need help to diagnose this so I can pick up medications at LFS if need be on my way home.

She's recording a video to post as well will post it up once it's uploaded.

Any help to save this fish greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Glasswalker]

Attaching photos, sorry wanted to get the post up, was waiting for them to arrive on my cell:

Laying on bottom:


When startled, he swam to hide (can see white above/behind eye on this one):


[HASHTAG]#reefsquad[/HASHTAG] help?

 

[Glasswalker]

Another photo, and more info.

Wife says from what she can see, white spots look a little raised, not sure to what degree.

Here is the photo. I'm still uploading the videos.

More white spots, easier to see on this side of him (more of them):

 

[Glasswalker]

First Video:

 

[helen ann]

@melypr1985 & @Humblefish

 

[Glasswalker]

Next Vid uploaded:

 

[Glasswalker]

More Info and another video:
Wife checked parameters.
Current:
Salinity: 1.025 Sg
Ammonia: 0

We just tested the QT a couple days ago for all params:
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
ph: 8.0 approx (hard to tell exactly on API ph kit)

Video:
Floaties in the water are brine we tried to feed.
He's laying down in this one a bit near the end.
You can more clearly see the rapid breathing rate here.

 

[domination2580]

First thing we need to do is determine what is wrong with it. It doesn't look like it has ich or velvet or even flukes, it looks lot either brook, hlle, or maybe a bacterial infection from a wound. @Humblefish, i need your and @melypr1985 help on this one.

 

[Glasswalker]

First thing we need to do is determine what is wrong with it. It doesn't look like it has ich or velvet or even flukes, it looks lot either brook, hlle, or maybe a bacterial infection from a wound. @Humblefish, i need your and @melypr1985 help on this one.

Thanks for jumping in! I agree, don't want to jump the gun and mis-treat it (causing more harm).

I had been worried it was Ich, I'm still fairly new at this, so interesting you didn't think it looked like ich. And glad to hear it doesn't look like velvet, from what I hear not something we want to deal with. Is there any "safe" steps we can take now as a preventative/stop-gap measure that won't make things worse? Or is it better to wait for the experts to chime in?

First fish that's shown real signs of being not well, and I'm really concerned for him.

Thanks!

 

[domination2580]

Thanks for jumping in! I agree, don't want to jump the gun and mis-treat it (causing more harm).

I had been worried it was Ich, I'm still fairly new at this, so interesting you didn't think it looked like ich. And glad to hear it doesn't look like velvet, from what I hear not something we want to deal with. Is there any "safe" steps we can take now as a preventative/stop-gap measure that won't make things worse? Or is it better to wait for the experts to chime in?

First fish that's shown real signs of being not well, and I'm really concerned for him.

Thanks!

Well you could do a freshwater dip to buy some time and relieve it.

 

[Glasswalker]

Well you could do a freshwater dip to buy some time and relieve it.

Will the freshwater dip be at risk of stressing the fish and making things worse?
Do you by any chance have a link to a clearly defined protocol for executing a freshwater dip safely?

Thanks!

 

[TCFletch]

My joke has the exact same thing going on. Humble says it's a bacterial infection. Furan 2, Kanaplex, and something else (I forgot the name of it). Maybe Humble will dive in; he'll know what it is and what to do. I'm following.

 

[TCFletch]

Not joke!!!! Kole. Stupid spellcheck.

 

[domination2580]

The freshwater dip should be fine. It also helps to see if there is any flukes or parasites on the fish. What you need to do is fill preferably a dark bucket with rodi water. Bring it up to temp using a heater to the same temp as the tank. Then you need to aerate the bucket for AT LEAST 30 min before the dip. Then you will put the fish in the freshwater dip. Most people recommend 5 min but i think 10 min tops. But make sure you keep an eye on him. If he stays breathing worse or going downfall gayer, take him out. I would have a qt up and running do your ready for when we di the medications

 

[domination2580]

Would you say that this is what it looks like?

 

[domination2580]

Also i would pick up kanaplex, prazipro, copper, just to be ready, that way you have meds either way.

 

[domination2580]

Im kinda leaning towards hlle.

 

[TCFletch]

That's exactly what my Kole looks like. He's in a heavily stocked 240 gallon DT. Will my other fish catch it?

 

[domination2580]

Well part of the causes for hlle is poor water parameters. And stressed. What are your parameters?

 

[Humblefish]

That's most likely a bacterial infection, but it might be secondary to a preexisting worm or parasite infestation. I would FW dip the fish (instructions below) to check for flukes. The FW dip may kill him, but to be quite honest with you I don't except that fish to live much longer anyway. So it's a calculated risk at this point.

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes & "Black Ich", Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.