Sick Yellow Tang? (Video)

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Do you know if there are any treatments I can do? Should I remove him from the DT to a quarantine tank? I don't know what to do in these circumstances. Thanks.

I would investigate the blindness a bit more. Try to get it to react. You can even try putting your hand in the tank and moving it slowly to the fish. If you don't create any water currents and you can get really close (or even touch the fish) it probably has diminshed sight.

There are things that mimic blindness - a fish that is severely compromised due to some issue may not react to motion and seem blind.

There isn't any treatment for blindness. I do know people have had blind fish that they are able to hand feed (but not a tang though).

Jay

 

[shawnriv]

I would investigate the blindness a bit more. Try to get it to react. You can even try putting your hand in the tank and moving it slowly to the fish. If you don't create any water currents and you can get really close (or even touch the fish) it probably has diminshed sight.

There are things that mimic blindness - a fish that is severely compromised due to some issue may not react to motion and seem blind.

There isn't any treatment for blindness. I do know people have had blind fish that they are able to hand feed (but not a tang though).

Jay

Thanks Jay. I'll give that a try today. If he does react to my hand coming towards him or doesn't do you think I should remove him into a quarantine tank? It does seems odd that both eyes appear to have lost sight; I made gestures to the glass when he swam back and fourth and had no response. I thought about removing him, putting him into a quarantine tank, and treating with Melafix to cover a broad array of different infections? I feel bad leaving him in the DT while he aimlessly swims around. If nothing works...I hate to say it, but it seems inevitable he'll starve to death and die.

 

[shawnriv]

I would investigate the blindness a bit more. Try to get it to react. You can even try putting your hand in the tank and moving it slowly to the fish. If you don't create any water currents and you can get really close (or even touch the fish) it probably has diminshed sight.

There are things that mimic blindness - a fish that is severely compromised due to some issue may not react to motion and seem blind.

There isn't any treatment for blindness. I do know people have had blind fish that they are able to hand feed (but not a tang though).

Jay

Hi Jay,

I went over to him with my hand and didn't get much reaction. Here is another video I shot of him a moment ago. One eye seems to be infected. It's very odd though he didn't move when I went over to him since his other eye looks normal.

https://youtube.com/shorts/GwXKFCsJQ3I?feature=share
Thanks again for the help,
Shawn

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi Jay,

I went over to him with my hand and didn't get much reaction. Here is another video I shot of him a moment ago. One eye seems to be infected. It's very odd though he didn't move when I went over to him since his other eye looks normal.

https://youtube.com/shorts/GwXKFCsJQ3I?feature=share
Thanks again for the help,
Shawn

I would skip the Melafix, that is just a herbal tonic and sometimes can clog a fish's gills (and the tang is still breathing a bit heavy).

There may not be anything that you can do if it is an injury. I would give it a week (it won't starve in that amount of time). If it doesn't start eating, you would then want to consider euthanizing it.

Jay

 

[Vasir]

so what ended up happening, Shawn?