Purple Tang - Ick like spots

Shaun Sweeney · Jun 29, 2017

Just a bit of an update ... seems there is some chance that these fish are stressed out. Both of them are partnered with yellow tangs and now that I watch them more, the yellow tangs are definitely bossing the others around. Situation hasn't gotten any worse. More to follow.

Shaun Sweeney · Jun 30, 2017

Getting read to do the Prazipro treatment. Next few days I hope.

Shaun Sweeney · Jul 7, 2017

Well, things have gone to hell in a hand basket. I treated for flukes with Prazipro last Sunday and since then, both purple tangs have died and the yellow tang - that lived with the original purple is looking pretty bad. Expecting him to pass on pretty soon. I think the clowns in the one tank are affected as well. I'll give up on the Prazipro tomorrow, fire up the skimmers and do a large water change. Looks like I'm in for a long slow down hill slide. Best guess now is that it is marine velvet that has infected the tanks.

aykwm · Jul 7, 2017

So sorry for your loss. What medication did you use along with prazi? Any water conditioners? I doubt marine velvet from what you mentioned earlier, but a photo can confirm that, ich can still be fatal too but needs some time unlike velvet which wipes out a tank in few days or even hours also fluke is fatal too. Did you notice any symptom or odd behavior from the fish?

Shaun Sweeney · Jul 10, 2017

I really need to get a pic of the yellow tang that I thought would die. Has dark coloured patches on the side. One good thing is that the cleaner shrimp has been working on both yellow tangs daily and the one in the dining room tank seems almost recovered. Probably just coincidental but both tanks brightened up as a result of two water changes and I use local ocean water.

DancingShark · Jul 10, 2017

Did you take the yellow tang out. I might have a bruise from trying to get away from you.

Shaun Sweeney · Jul 10, 2017

No. I know I'd be lucky to catch any of the fish although I have trapped some of them in the past. Describing it as a bruise is pretty much bang on. Unfortunately, the fish has stayed mostly in hiding. Pretty strange markings that I've never seen before.

Shaun Sweeney · Jul 11, 2017

The story continues ... the yellow tang that had all the blotchy patches on the sides has mostly cleared up. Meanwhile, the spots have shown up on my 2 pyjama fish but only slightly. Both yellow tangs have spent a lot of time in the car wash run by the cleaner shrimp so that probably helped them. Things have gotten a tad better but aren't going to hell in a hand basket. Based on research, my best bet at the moment is that I'm dealing with marine velvet. I'm starting a build for a complete quarantine system tomorrow.

4FordFamily · Jul 11, 2017

This sounds like you're attempting ich management. This can work for zebrasoma but unfortunately it can and will also be a ticking time bomb. If velvet isn't already a factor (I've had a few odd zebrasoma live months with velvet), it will be eventually, unfortunately.

Shaun Sweeney · Aug 1, 2017

Time for an update ... after a few weeks boating in the PNW. So .. in the end, I lost about 10 fish and for some time, I was resigned to the fact that I would lose them all - if I didn't tear the tanks down to catch all the fish and quarantine them. At it's worst, the two yellow tangs looked terrible. One was so skinny you could see his bones and the other had dark patches on the sides. Of course, I lost both purple tangs and two of the 5 clowns not to mention several other beautiful fish. When I left for the last boating trip about a week ago, I was sure I'd lose another clown but the rest of the fish were back to eating so I left instructions for an aggressive feeding regime. To my surprise, when I got back, all indications of the disease (which I believe was marine velvet) were gone from the clown and no other fish showed any sign of sickness. At this point, all fish are feeding well and there is no sign of disease.

In summary, I did treat with Prazipro but if anything, that seemed to accelerate the disease. The only other thing I did was do a couple of relatively fast water changes (about 15%) with new ocean water that I collect locally. My tanks run on 100% ocean water that I add salt to to bring the salinity up.

One other point of note, while I was away, the caretaker mistakenly ran the salinity up to 0.030 when I normally keep it at 0.025.

Comments are most welcome folks.

4FordFamily · Aug 1, 2017

Shaun Sweeney said:
Time for an update ... after a few weeks boating in the PNW. So .. in the end, I lost about 10 fish and for some time, I was resigned to the fact that I would lose them all - if I didn't tear the tanks down to catch all the fish and quarantine them. At it's worst, the two yellow tangs looked terrible. One was so skinny you could see his bones and the other had dark patches on the sides. Of course, I lost both purple tangs and two of the 5 clowns not to mention several other beautiful fish. When I left for the last boating trip about a week ago, I was sure I'd lose another clown but the rest of the fish were back to eating so I left instructions for an aggressive feeding regime. To my surprise, when I got back, all indications of the disease (which I believe was marine velvet) were gone from the clown and no other fish showed any sign of sickness. At this point, all fish are feeding well and there is no sign of disease.

In summary, I did treat with Prazipro but if anything, that seemed to accelerate the disease. The only other thing I did was do a couple of relatively fast water changes (about 15%) with new ocean water that I collect locally. My tanks run on 100% ocean water that I add salt to to bring the salinity up.

One other point of note, while I was away, the caretaker mistakenly ran the salinity up to 0.030 when I normally keep it at 0.025.

Comments are most welcome folks.

Unfortunately, your fish are little typhoid Mary's that will infect and kill fish that you add if they go untreated..

Shaun Sweeney · Aug 1, 2017

Well keeping in mind that an optimist is just a pessimist who doesn't know any better, I'm hoping that they have developed an immunity to whatever was ailing them. For the moment, they are all looking healthy which is much better than the situation I was facing a couple of weeks ago. I am setting up a QT but I dread the thought of tearing the tanks apart to catch the fish.

4FordFamily · Aug 1, 2017

Shaun Sweeney said:
Well keeping in mind that an optimist is just a pessimist who doesn't know any better, I'm hoping that they have developed an immunity to whatever was ailing them. For the moment, they are all looking healthy which is much better than the situation I was facing a couple of weeks ago. I am setting up a QT but I dread the thought of tearing the tanks apart to catch the fish.

That's a realist -- you're correct that's probably what happened. Now, any remote stress event can trigger a death event. Worst of all though, every new addition you add will come down and likely succumb as it won't have said resistance.

Shaun Sweeney · Aug 1, 2017

I'm going to test that theory by adding a couple of low cost fish and I forgot to mention, my big interest has always been the corals and other invertebrates who fortunately, are not affected by the disease. I'll put a post up if the newbies come down with the disease.

4FordFamily · Aug 2, 2017

Shaun Sweeney said:
I'm going to test that theory by adding a couple of low cost fish and I forgot to mention, my big interest has always been the corals and other invertebrates who fortunately, are not affected by the disease. I'll put a post up if the newbies come down with the disease.

That seems kind of cold, don't you think?

ngoodermuth · Aug 2, 2017

not fun for the test fish, but it's not the first time it's been suggested. I've seen others suggest black mollies for the same purpose.

But, perhaps it is different when we feel there is a better chance of success...