Tang Breathing Heavy, Lethargic, Not Eating

[kwalber]

I doubt he's going to make it but 2 days ago he stopped eating. Now he is stationary and breathing heavy. Rarely moves around the tank.


-Been in the tank for 2 weeks. Tank about 2 months old.
-I did not quarantine
-Dosed Prazipro into DT today
- All other fish happy and healthy(puffer, clowns, small blue hippo)
-He is just barely sitting off the bottom at a 45 degree angle downward breathing very rapidly(120-140 per minute)


-Amm 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 2
Cal 430
Mg 1330
Alk 9
SG 1.026

I don't really know what to do. I know I should qt but dont think I can get a setup fast enough. Should I freshwater dip or will that just kill him? Thanks for any advice.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I doubt he's going to make it but 2 days ago he stopped eating. Now he is stationary and breathing heavy. Rarely moves around the tank.

-Been in the tank for 2 weeks. Tank about 2 months old.
-I did not quarantine
-Dosed Prazipro into DT today
- All other fish happy and healthy(puffer, clowns, small blue hippo)
-He is just barely sitting off the bottom at a 45 degree angle downward breathing very rapidly(120-140 per minute)


-Amm 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 2
Cal 430
Mg 1330
Alk 9
SG 1.026

I don't really know what to do. I know I should qt but dont think I can get a setup fast enough. Should I freshwater dip or will that just kill him? Thanks for any advice

Unfortunately to say bur for about 22 months now, this has been a trend. An influx of these fish are coming from Sri Lanka and it is suspected that a method of capture is contributing to this trend in which the fish appears healthy the first few days and then weakens quickly with loss of appetite and strength and as you found laying on its side, thin body and breathing heavy until death. It may be due to cyanide capture but unconfirmed.
Sorry to hear of this and being the bearer of bad news. Often in this state of health , recovery is very low as they are moribund and adding air stone may or may not help, but there is no additive that can be recommended for this

 

[kwalber]

Unfortunately to say bur for about 22 months now, this has been a trend. An influx of these fish are coming from Sri Lanka and it is suspected that a method of capture is contributing to this trend in which the fish appears healthy the first few days and then weakens quickly with loss of appetite and strength and as you found laying on its side, thin body and breathing heavy until death. It may be due to cyanide capture but unconfirmed.
Sorry to hear of this and being the bearer of bad news. Often in this state of health , recovery is very low as they are moribund and adding air stone may or may not help, but there is no additive that can be recommended for this

Well that sucks. He's not on his side yet. just 45 degrees nose down. Still not hittling walls or sand.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I doubt he's going to make it but 2 days ago he stopped eating. Now he is stationary and breathing heavy. Rarely moves around the tank.


-Been in the tank for 2 weeks. Tank about 2 months old.
-I did not quarantine
-Dosed Prazipro into DT today
- All other fish happy and healthy(puffer, clowns, small blue hippo)
-He is just barely sitting off the bottom at a 45 degree angle downward breathing very rapidly(120-140 per minute)


-Amm 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 2
Cal 430
Mg 1330
Alk 9
SG 1.026

I don't really know what to do. I know I should qt but dont think I can get a setup fast enough. Should I freshwater dip or will that just kill him? Thanks for any advice.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

As said, the hardiness of this species has really changed in quality since COVID, I don’t know why….they are usually caught in nets, so cyanide capture shouldn’t be an issue. They don’t handle long supply chains well at all. I might even be a viral issue like on Banggai cardinals.

Prazipro would be the course of action, just in case it is flukes. I would not do a FW dip, less effective than the prazi you’ve already tried. It takes a few days for prazi to show any improvement. It kills the flukes right away, but it takes a few more days for the wounds left behind to heal.

 

[kwalber]

Looks like the store I got it from treats with prazi. So not a good sign. Thanks

 

[MnFish1]

Looks like the store I got it from treats with prazi. So not a good sign. Thanks

You may be right - however, they may not be treating properly with praziquantel- and depending on how long ia tank has been exposed to it -bacteria can degrade it more quickly - so I would not think this alone would be a bad sign. That said - the bad sign is the way the fish looks - but good luck with the treatment. Be sure to increase oxygenation!

 

[kwalber]

You may be right - however, they may not be treating properly with praziquantel- and depending on how long ia tank has been exposed to it -bacteria can degrade it more quickly - so I would not think this alone would be a bad sign. That said - the bad sign is the way the fish looks - but good luck with the treatment. Be sure to increase oxygenation!

He died that night. Thanks for the help everyone. All other fish doing fine.