Please help my poor yellow tang…

[saltyfish10]

Can anyone advise how you would treat my yellow tang, it’s breaking my heart. Have already treated DT with eSHa Oodinex… now he’s been removed to QT. We had to move all fish to new tank (due to house renovation) 3 weeks ago and he hasn’t been right since.

He won’t eat, breathing rapid, stays in one place.
Trying to decide whether it’s velvet (but as I understand velvet is a fast killer?) or something bacterial. Have ordered both Kanaplex and NT Labs marine anti-bacterial but neither has arrived yet. But if the best treatment is copper then I will go out tomorrow and try and get hold of some of that.

Please be kind - we have a regular tank maintenance company but so far what’s been suggested hasn’t worked and so I feel I need more advice as I feel out of my depth. He’s been in our tank for 7 years and he’s like another of my children.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Can anyone advise how you would treat my yellow tang, it’s breaking my heart. Have already treated DT with eSHa Oodinex… now he’s been removed to QT. We had to move all fish to new tank (due to house renovation) 3 weeks ago and he hasn’t been right since.

He won’t eat, breathing rapid, stays in one place.
Trying to decide whether it’s velvet (but as I understand velvet is a fast killer?) or something bacterial. Have ordered both Kanaplex and NT Labs marine anti-bacterial but neither has arrived yet. But if the best treatment is copper then I will go out tomorrow and try and get hold of some of that.

Please be kind - we have a regular tank maintenance company but so far what’s been suggested hasn’t worked and so I feel I need more advice as I feel out of my depth. He’s been in our tank for 7 years and he’s like another of my children.

This fish has been through war already and is very thin and has bacterial issue in progress.
Is this tank medicated and what foods are you feeding it?
This is Progressive if youve had this fish this long and allowed to get to this point. Kanaplex will help but this fish needs to be fattened up.

 

[reefernc02]

Start feeding selcon soaked nori that and nitrofurazone or kanaplex is also a necessary

 

[MikeReefs]

Fatten this guy up with the above suggestions + Kanaplex and monitor ammonia in the QT. Following, hoping for a turn around

 

[reefernc02]

Agree with kanaplex not sure how others feel but I really love nirtofurazone as well it’s been a life saver for so many of my fish

 

[vetteguy53081]

Agree with kanaplex not sure how others feel but I really love nirtofurazone as well it’s been a life saver for so many of my fish

Nitro is risky, and some fish are sensitive to it and it is broken down slowly with bright light and offers a weird tint to the water. Nitrofurans are more bacterial-static not antibacterial making Kanaplex my first choice.

 

[reefernc02]

Agree with kanaplex not sure how others feel but I really love nirtofurazone as well it’s been a life saver for so many of my fish

Nitro is risky, and some fish are sensitive to it and it is broken down slowly with bright light and offers a weird tint to the water. Nitrofurans are more bacterial-static not antibacterial making Kanaplex my first choice.

Thankyou for the clarification my Achilles did well with it but I will be cautious using it with other fish

 

[reefernc02]

How long has this been going on I have a contact at NC state university aquatic veterinary department who may could give me a little help they do all the veterinary work for the nc aquarium at fort fisher and several graduates who work at the GA aquarium

 

[saltyfish10]

I am very aware how thin he is and that he needs to fatten up but he won’t eat. I have tried pellets, frozen mysis and nouri but he won’t eat any of them.

He hasn’t been happy since he moved into the new tank about 4-5 weeks ago. I assumed he was stressed from the move and he was hiding so I couldn’t see him very well. When I saw that he was looking unwell I dosed the eSHa oodinex on 6-8 November (for the whole tank). Waited to see if there was an improvement and there wasn’t so moved to QT this week.

Tank currently not medicated as have been trying to get hold of Kanaplex (I am in the UK and the delivery seems to take a while). It won’t arrive for another week at least, so ordered the NT marine labs treatment on Friday but that hasn’t yet arrived either. Is there something else comparable that I can try and get hold of today?

 

[saltyfish10]

Btw, other fish all seem to have settled in new tank, are all eating and do not seem to be showing signs of illness.

 

[reefernc02]

I don’t think anyone was trying to belittle you vetteguy was just pointing out what he thought from his visualizations of the fish I understand you panic so I suggested selcon and mabye garlic guard the garlic being a appetite stimulant not a treatment for the bacterial issues same with selcon

 

[saltyfish10]

I don’t think anyone was trying to belittle you vetteguy was just pointing out what he thought from his visualizations of the fish I understand you panic so I suggested selcon and mabye garlic guard the garlic being a appetite stimulant not a treatment for the bacterial issues same with selcon

Thanks so much - I will try and get hold of either or both of these today.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Can anyone advise how you would treat my yellow tang, it’s breaking my heart. Have already treated DT with eSHa Oodinex… now he’s been removed to QT. We had to move all fish to new tank (due to house renovation) 3 weeks ago and he hasn’t been right since.

He won’t eat, breathing rapid, stays in one place.
Trying to decide whether it’s velvet (but as I understand velvet is a fast killer?) or something bacterial. Have ordered both Kanaplex and NT Labs marine anti-bacterial but neither has arrived yet. But if the best treatment is copper then I will go out tomorrow and try and get hold of some of that.

Please be kind - we have a regular tank maintenance company but so far what’s been suggested hasn’t worked and so I feel I need more advice as I feel out of my depth. He’s been in our tank for 7 years and he’s like another of my children.

The fin erosion is how yellow tangs show head and lateral line erosion. There may be some tankmate aggression added in as well. I suspect the fish has developed a secondary bacterial infection as a result of that. With it not eating, it may be too far gone for treatment, but you could use a broad spectrum, gram negation antibiotic like Neoplex in a treatment tank.

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/head-and-lateral-line-erosion-hlle.784/

 

[exnisstech]

Just curious if you bought the fish in this condition or did it happen while under your care?

 

[saltyfish10]

Thank you to everyone who gave suggestions so quickly. I am so happy to say that the Kanaplex seemed to be a magic solution… the lesions on his skin are nearly gone and he is eating again (nori and mysis) and swimming around. After 3 weeks in QT we have moved him into the sump of the main tank (complete with live rock, coral etc) so he’s got more space to move around but doesn’t have to contend with the other bigger fish. Will keep monitoring but it seems like he is on an upward trajectory - I am just so relieved.

 

[MikeReefs]

Thank you to everyone who gave suggestions so quickly. I am so happy to say that the Kanaplex seemed to be a magic solution… the lesions on his skin are nearly gone and he is eating again (nori and mysis) and swimming around. After 3 weeks in QT we have moved him into the sump of the main tank (complete with live rock, coral etc) so he’s got more space to move around but doesn’t have to contend with the other bigger fish. Will keep monitoring but it seems like he is on an upward trajectory - I am just so relieved.

Glad to hear