Tang gill issue

[fernalfer]

So it's weird my Yellow peel Tang has been in QT for 6 weeks i just got done doing 2 rounds of prazipro and he didn't skip a beat eating like a tank. About 8 days after my last round of prazipro i noticed a little spike in ammonia and used prime because i did not have water ready for a change. The next day i got a nasty bacterial bloom could not even see inside the tank. I did a 50% water change and added carbon. Now the Tang is only breathing with one gill. All 6 weeks in QT breathing fine but today only with one gill and the other gill is breathing normally. Any thoughts? I though flukes but just treated 2 rounds of prazipro, how could that be?

 

[4FordFamily]

@Humblefish

To me it sounds like maybe bill damage from ammonia burn, based on your story?

 

[melypr1985]

Ammonia burn coupled with the lower oxygen levels during the bacterial bloom probably caused some issues for him. Is there any redness around the gills?

You can try this:
Malachite Green/Methylene Blue: Treats ammonia burn, cuts, injuries.

How To Treat - Comes in both liquid and powder form, sometimes mixed in with another medication(s). So, follow the directions on the label. Best used as a 30 minute bath solution, but you also can treat with it in a quarantine tank. Aerate heavily. If you are using it in a bath solution, then it is also a good idea to treat the fish with nitrofurazone (active ingredient found in Furan-2 and Nitrofuracin Green Powder) once he is returned to the quarantine tank. Nitrofurazone is great for treating open wounds or sores.

Pros - Highly effective.

Cons/Side Effects - Depletes oxygen from the water. Malachite Green is considered “harsher” on fish than Methylene Blue.

Of course Make sure to aerate more than you normally would for a bath. Then again, if he looks otherwise healthy then he might be able to recover on his own with the addition of Selcon or Vitachem to his food (if your not already doing that).

 

[fernalfer]

Ammonia burn coupled with the lower oxygen levels during the bacterial bloom probably caused some issues for him. Is there any redness around the gills?

You can try this:
Malachite Green/Methylene Blue: Treats ammonia burn, cuts, injuries.

How To Treat - Comes in both liquid and powder form, sometimes mixed in with another medication(s). So, follow the directions on the label. Best used as a 30 minute bath solution, but you also can treat with it in a quarantine tank. Aerate heavily. If you are using it in a bath solution, then it is also a good idea to treat the fish with nitrofurazone (active ingredient found in Furan-2 and Nitrofuracin Green Powder) once he is returned to the quarantine tank. Nitrofurazone is great for treating open wounds or sores.

Pros - Highly effective.

Cons/Side Effects - Depletes oxygen from the water. Malachite Green is considered “harsher” on fish than Methylene Blue.

Of course Make sure to aerate more than you normally would for a bath. Then again, if he looks otherwise healthy then he might be able to recover on his own with the addition of Selcon or Vitachem to his food (if your not already doing that).

Ammonia burns but never really had ammonia. It was at the first color on the ammonia badge and when i tested it with 2 test kits it was hard to tell it could of been 0 on both but added prime just incase. And lower oxygen could be possible but doubt it i have a powerhead that has an air tube and puts out some serious microbubbles for O2

 

[fernalfer]

this tang is killing me. He went 1 straight hour breathing with one gill. Now i look and he is using both again. This fish is going to worry me to death.

 

[melypr1985]

Ok! Well glad he's breathing normally again!

 

[fernalfer]

just wondering if thats normal to only use one gill for a short period of time.

 

[4FordFamily]

just wondering if thats normal to only use one gill for a short period of time.

Not normal I wouldn't say but may not be alarming. I've never witnessed it but I don't inspect my fish that closely very often.

 

[melypr1985]

just wondering if thats normal to only use one gill for a short period of time.

certainly not normal.... but since it worked itself out. I'd say that it was just a temporary reaction to ammonia exposure (low though it was) followed by the bacterial bloom and resulting low oxygen. Remember, that even low ammonia exposure can hurt the gills then having the oxygen depleted made it even harder on the poor guy. It seems that you did the right things to correct the issue quickly enough for him to recover. Nicely done!

 

[Humblefish]

He might have bumped or scraped it on something in the QT (like a PVC elbow).