Blue Tang Itching but heavy breathing, copper or prazi first?

[punchy7080]

I run copper and general cure or prazi all the time and don’t have problems. Both of those fish tolerate QT pretty well. Know that the hepatus tang is extremely shy when first introduced so the hiding is very normal. If it does have flukes, you’re much better off just adding the prazi in some form vs not because you’re likely to lose the fish then if it’s infected.

 

[Hezam]

Copper does not kill adult flukes.

I would let the fish stay in the copper for three days to see if the improvement continues, and then deal with possible flukes.

Because of the life cycle of some protozoans, moving a fish to a new tank can give some temporary improvement, so you need to see if the copper then starts to kick

Thanks for the advice. I will observe closely for three days. I just setup another QT but it's not yet cycled. I also have a coral QT tank but I can't put copper in that tank. Maybe I can transfer the HOB filter into the new tank. So it can instant cycle. For now I think I will observe for 2-3 days then decide what to do.

 

[Hezam]

I run copper and general cure or prazi all the time and don’t have problems. Both of those fish tolerate QT pretty well. Know that the hepatus tang is extremely shy when first introduced so the hiding is very normal. If it does have flukes, you’re much better off just adding the prazi in some form vs not because you’re likely to lose the fish then if it’s infected.

Hmmmm interesting point.. i might consider that. But do you think it's still better to wait a day or two to let them settle into the copper right? I feel like they went from nothing to full on copper, prazi and metro in 24 hours.

 

[punchy7080]

Hmmmm interesting point.. i might consider that. But do you think it's still better to wait a day or two to let them settle into the copper right? I feel like they went from nothing to full on copper, prazi and metro in 24 hours.

I personally would not wait if the tang is flashing/scratching. They are also more prone to just do that than other fish but it shouldn’t be seen regularly unless they are infected.

 

[ajremington68]

Hello guys,

So some good news, yesterday I administered the copper and confirmed it was at a level of 2.34. I checked on the blue tang and it was looking ROUGH, it was pale blue and wasn't breathing. I honestly thought that this was the end and it died. I went to sleep very sad. Next day I go to the QT as soon as I wake and its looking MUCH better. Swimming around and not hiding, it regained its color, and its appetite was much better. Both the foxface and the blue tang were eating and swimming around.

Although its much more active now, its still twitching, here is the video I got. Can anyone help me with this behavior? I am looking for prazipro but I can't find it. I only have general cure.

From observations of my own hippo tangs and your hippo tang. Mine love to wedge themselves on stuff to sleep and call home, and that looks like what yours is doing with the side of the PVC pipe. Now, with him "flashing" its top dorsal fin is puffed almost as if it might see its reflection and based that you have no sand and ambient lighting on it might be creating a mirror in the glass and in the spots that it is flashing it could see its reflection and is reacting to that. Also, it seems to do it in the same 2 spots from the video. Also for the tang, it is a very strange environment with no sand, if it came from sand at the fish store or previous owner so this could warrant the strange actions.

Just my take and I am no expert like Vetteguy or Jay.

 

[Rappa]

Hippo Tangs are the strangest actors! They are always doing weird stuff. Mine frequently lays down flat in the sand when he's going to sleep. If I put my hand in the tank, he will go between 2 rocks and play dead. I am no expert, but for a hippo tang, that swimming behavior looks almost normal with the strange things that they do. When mine plays dead laying down flat, or sandwiched between rocks, even the breathing slows down. I have even been able to pick Hippos up with my bare hands, without a net in the past... They are the only Tang that I know of that will let you do that. You might be confusing some of their normal behavior with sickness... or it's just a combo of behavior and being sick. I just wanted to throw that out there... Hippo's are an awesome but definitely weird fish.

 

[Hezam]

Hey guys, unfortunately the blue tang passed away today. I am devastated to be honest. I dosed general cure with copper and it was doing very well. The scratching stopped and it was eating and swimming again. It was active for a week. I was so happy I thought I saved it. It even regained some color. Suddenly day 9 of copper it stopped eating and day 10 it was lying breathing heavy all day. I have no idea whats the cause, there are no white spots or velvet.

The scratching did come back on the second dose of general cure but went away after 48 hours. but it stopped eating even before the second dose of general cure. I tested ammonia it was zero, the tank is heavily aerated with air stone and a wave maker pointed on top. Copper was at 2ppm the whole time. I dipped the fish after death in freshwater and no flukes dropped, was I mistaken in diagnosing flukes because of scratching? Any idea what could have caused this? I'm feeling really bad because I think could've saved it if I was more experienced or knew better.

The picture in the tank is literally 20 minutes before it died, where its flaring its fins, the rest are dead in freshwater. The foxface is unaffected throughout all this ordeal. Should I move it? or continue with copper with the foxface.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hey guys, unfortunately the blue tang passed away today. I am devastated to be honest. I dosed general cure with copper and it was doing very well. The scratching stopped and it was eating and swimming again. It was active for a week. I was so happy I thought I saved it. It even regained some color. Suddenly day 9 of copper it stopped eating and day 10 it was lying breathing heavy all day. I have no idea whats the cause, there are no white spots or velvet.

The scratching did come back on the second dose of general cure but went away after 48 hours. but it stopped eating even before the second dose of general cure. I tested ammonia it was zero, the tank is heavily aerated with air stone and a wave maker pointed on top. Copper was at 2ppm the whole time. I dipped the fish after death in freshwater and no flukes dropped, was I mistaken in diagnosing flukes because of scratching? Any idea what could have caused this? I'm feeling really bad because I think could've saved it if I was more experienced or knew better.

The picture in the tank is literally 20 minutes before it died, where its flaring its fins, the rest are dead in freshwater. The foxface is unaffected throughout all this ordeal. Should I move it? or continue with copper with the foxface.

Sorry to hear. I’m not sure what happened to the tang.

I may have missed it, but how is the foxface doing? That has some bearing on whether the issue is a tank wide on or something wrong with just the tang.

 

[Hezam]

Sorry to hear. I’m not sure what happened to the tang.

I may have missed it, but how is the foxface doing? That has some bearing on whether the issue is a tank wide on or something wrong with just the tang.

The fox face is doing fantastic in copper. It's very active and is swimming always. I just fed it like 5 minutes ago. It eats everything tbh from frozen to pellets. Continue normally with copper for the rest of the duration?

What do you mean if you think it's an issue with rest of the tank or with tang it self

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The fox face is doing fantastic in copper. It's very active and is swimming always. I just fed it like 5 minutes ago. It eats everything tbh from frozen to pellets. Continue normally with copper for the rest of the duration?

What do you mean if you think it's an issue with rest of the tank or with tang it self

If it was a disease or water quality issue, all fish would be more or less affected equally.

I would continue with the copper.

Hepatus tangs are not sensitive to copper, so I’d say that your fish had some underlying issue. Do you know, was this fish newly captured? They often use cyanide to collect this species and a percentage of those fish just drop dead at some point after capture (usually with 2 months).

 

[Hezam]

If it was a disease or water quality issue, all fish would be more or less affected equally.

I would continue with the copper.

Hepatus tangs are not sensitive to copper, so I’d say that your fish had some underlying issue. Do you know, was this fish newly captured? They often use cyanide to collect this species and a percentage of those fish just drop dead at some point after capture (usually with 2 months).

Yeah this fish was recently captured for sure. I am located in Saudi Arabia. LFS stores here have no idea how to handle freshwater fish, much less saltwater fish. I'm pretty sure this fish was captured from somewhere in Indonesia and shipped directly.

I am really struggling over here because the fish in the LFS has all sorts of diseases plumbed. One time I saw everything , ich, velvet, stringy poop. You name it it's there. I am trying to save what I can buts it's really difficult. I have a 300 gallon display that is basically empty. I managed to quarantine two clowns and put them there. Only live stock in the DT. I am thinking of making a thread documenting the quarantine process and wild stuff I see here. Any tips? I feel like most people on the states just plop the fish in the DT with no worries.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Yeah this fish was recently captured for sure. I am located in Saudi Arabia. LFS stores here have no idea how to handle freshwater fish, much less saltwater fish. I'm pretty sure this fish was captured from somewhere in Indonesia and shipped directly.

I am really struggling over here because the fish in the LFS has all sorts of diseases plumbed. One time I saw everything , ich, velvet, stringy poop. You name it it's there. I am trying to save what I can buts it's really difficult. I have a 300 gallon display that is basically empty. I managed to quarantine two clowns and put them there. Only live stock in the DT. I am thinking of making a thread documenting the quarantine process and wild stuff I see here. Any tips? I feel like most people on the states just plop the fish in the DT with no worries.

I’d say about half the people in the US just drop fish in, a quarter use some preventative (pre quarantine, short quarantine, etc.) the final 25% use a comprehensive quarantine like this one:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com

I don’t know anything about the retail pet trade where you are - any chance on getting fish direct from local collectors? There used to be some in Jeddah.

 

[Hezam]

I’d say about half the people in the US just drop fish in, a quarter use some preventative (pre quarantine, short quarantine, etc.) the final 25% use a comprehensive quarantine like this one:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com

I don’t know anything about the retail pet trade where you are - any chance on getting fish direct from local collectors? There used to be some in that area.

Yes I'm working on that. A couple of coral collectors with very fancy expensive SPS around me. But none sell fish that I know off. they may have the odd fish here and there but not what I want.

Yes I am following that protocol very closely. I bought all the medications except formalin. and prepped a fish room with 3 tanks, a big double 90 gallon mixing station. I setup my RODI there. Also separate AC unit for temp control.