Tang problem, here we go again

[Breakthecycle2]

I have 6 fish in QT. Golden Pygmy angel, quarter size purple tang, pintail fairy wrasse, cleaner wrasse, yellow scopas tang and a Caribbean deep water snow bass. I am almost ready to add fish back to my tank next week. I am on week 10 of a fishless DT due to ICH/Velvet. The scopas was fine (he has been in there for a month), eating everything. He's a little shy, but always comes out to eat. Today he's hiding in his PVC he claimed. Not eating, not coming out...except maybe a little bit when Im not around. The tank is a back room and I "sneak" up on the tank. Im watching him in the PVC and he appears to be breathing very rapidly, but I don't see any symptoms of anything. Last week, I did a normal dose of prazipro, waited three days and did a water change. I then added 4ml of cupramine. The QT tank is a 40 breeder. Could it be the combination of the meds? Possible something else? I just did a 15 gallon water change and added some carbon to try and pull everything all out. Im not sure what to do at this point.

 

[Baaron530]

How are the water parameters???? Maybe high ammonia, trite or trates???

 

[melypr1985]

He could be sensitive to the copper and having a bad reaction. Your already pulling the copper out of the tank, so if you try it again... ramp it up very slowly after getting him eating again.
If your able... TTM may be a better method with him.

 

[4FordFamily]

I've actually only had issues with Zebrasoma tangs and copper. They can definitely handle it but they're the most fragile with regards to it - particularly when small. As medium or large fish they have very little if any sensitivity. Much like I've seen with halichoeres wrasse, established zebrasoma do better than "newer". After a month in captivity they're generally hardier.

I do admit I've never put a scopus through copper but I've put dozens of yellow, sailfins, and several purple through.

Unfortunately I've noticed that once they seem noticeably stressed in copper they do not generally recoop. I would say raising cupramine .2ppm per day should be safe with these guys going forward

 

[Breakthecycle2]

I jus tested params. All zero except 5ppm nitrate. Not sure what's happening. All the others seem ok

 

[melypr1985]

Prazi and copper are safe to use together, so its not that. I still think it's copper sensitivity. But maybe he's being picked on and what you are seeing is him being stressed.
I'll say that my Kole tang hides all the time and always looks stressed. He only comes out to eat when nobody is near the tank -which is hard because its in the living room where we all are all the time- and when he does he zips around the tank and goes back into hiding.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

He is very shy...does the Kole breath heavy? That's the one thing besides not eating that worries me.

 

[melypr1985]

He is very shy...does the Kole breath heavy? That's the one thing besides not eating that worries me.

Only when i make an effort to find which cup he is in. I relate it to him being scared that I'm going to kill him. Otherwise he's fine.
He's just a big wuss lol

 

[Breakthecycle2]

Crap...well, I don't know what to do

 

[melypr1985]

Step one: Get the copper out
Step two: Get him eating again - The usual suspects here: garlic, nori, selcon
Step three: Try either TTM, or ramping up the copper slowly as 3ford suggested.

Take it one step at a time and try not to overreact. He could still be getting picked on ya know?

 

[Breakthecycle2]

True. I just did the water change and added chemipure back, so that just take out any remaining meds.

 

[Humblefish]

You said in your OP that you did one round of Prazipro; did you do the second round 5-7 days after the first?

 

[4FordFamily]

Again, I'm not sure removing copper will help often when I see zebrasoma tangs acting negatively to copper it's too late. BUT because I think you had him a few weeks or a month I think? That should help.


Also it cannot hurt... Unless of course you have velvet or a bad case of ich in which case it may hurt but your options are little anyway so heck give it a shot. Just pay attention to parasites. Always remember it's what you don't see on the gills that is the problem. By the time you see them on the fish the gills are often far more infested.

I wish you luck though!

 

[Breakthecycle2]

Well, he's still alive. I can't get a good look at him yet. I'll check back in a few.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

You said in your OP that you did one round of Prazipro; did you do the second round 5-7 days after the first?

I did not.

 

[Humblefish]

I did not.

Then it could be flukes inside the gills. The first round of Prazi would have killed any flukes present, but NOT any eggs they might have left behind. The "next generation" hatches and their life cycle starts all over again. This is why it is so important to do a second round of Prazipro, 5-7 days after the first. You time it just right so you can zap the "next generation" of the little buggers before they are sexually mature enough to start laying eggs of their own.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

So you think I should do another round? I mean, he has no symptoms of anything, none of them have, until the copper was added.

 

[4FordFamily]

Then it could be flukes inside the gills. The first round of Prazi would have killed any flukes present, but NOT any eggs they might have left behind. The "next generation" hatches and their life cycle starts all over again. This is why it is so important to do a second round of Prazipro, 5-7 days after the first. You time it just right so you can zap the "next generation" of the little buggers before they are sexually mature enough to start laying eggs of their own.

X2.

 

[4FordFamily]

So you think I should do another round? I mean, he has no symptoms of anything, none of them have, until the copper was added.

Prazi is pretty harmless. I might try to spend a day or two getting him to eat first.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

Yeah he's still not eating. My last one did the same thing. Not sure if it was the disease or copper. I'm contemplating just putting him in the tank in a few days. I mean, unless he's just going to die, I don't see disease. None of them are flashing or rubbing. He seemed completely normal before the cupramine. I'm going to pick up some coppersafe today. I hear it's a little less harsh. Thought?