Purple Tang Treatment Plan?

[Macimage]

Thank you in advance for your help. I am new here but have been a member of another reef board for over 20 years.

I would like to know what disease my purple tang has so that I can use the appropriate medicine. I think it may be ick but I really don't know. A recommendation of the correct treatment would be most appreciated.

I have 180 gallon tank that is primarily live rock with some soft corals. Tank parameters are all good.

The purple tang is the only fish in the tank. He is approximately 15+ years old. I added some new corals on 3/3021 without quarantining them and killed off my 15+ year old maroon clown and yellow tang.

I would like to know if I can treat him in this tank or if I should try to catch him and put him in my 50 gallon qt tank.

Here are some photos of the purple tang. I have had him a very long time and don’t want to lose him.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Did the maroon clown and YT die from ich?

I see three possible issues with the purple tang:

1)The white patch below the dorsal fin could be a secondary bacterial infection.
2)Many of the spots are too large to be ich, they are "mucus plugs". Trouble is, tangs develop mucus plugs as a reaction to stress, and ich can cause them.
3)Some of the spots look to be ich.

Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

Agree on mucus plugs and ich along with bacterial.
A freshwater dip will offer temporary relief IF fish is not breathing heavily. After dip, You will need to place fish in Quarantine tank and treat with Coppersafe or Copper Power at therapeutic level 2.25-2.5 For a FULL 30 days (do not interrupt this 30 day period) monitored by a reliable Copper Test kit such as Hanna Brand- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off.
Fortunately, you can treat the bacteria issue at the same time with seachem Kanaplex, But assure you add aeration as mentioned and maintain GOOD water quality.

 

[MischiefReef]

Thank you in advance for your help. I am new here but have been a member of another reef board for over 20 years.

I would like to know what disease my purple tang has so that I can use the appropriate medicine. I think it may be ick but I really don't know. A recommendation of the correct treatment would be most appreciated.

I have 180 gallon tank that is primarily live rock with some soft corals. Tank parameters are all good.

The purple tang is the only fish in the tank. He is approximately 15+ years old. I added some new corals on 3/3021 without quarantining them and killed off my 15+ year old maroon clown and yellow tang.

I would like to know if I can treat him in this tank or if I should try to catch him and put him in my 50 gallon qt tank.

Here are some photos of the purple tang. I have had him a very long time and don’t want to lose him.

Welcome to R2R. Sorry to hear about your fish being sick, but you’ve come to the right place to seek info to hopefully help your PT. Someone with more experience than myself will be along shortly with help on treatment/medication.
I would just chime in that the treatment will probably be best done in a QT for a number of reasons. The medications will likely affect your corals in DT. The cost of medicating DT is higher. Since medications can contain traces of substances we don’t test for, I’m always concerned about residual medications in the DT and their impacts on my tank. The only case I would medicate the DT is if I had somewhere to transfer the corals, and if it were easier to move the corals than to catch the fish.

edit: need to type faster, I see Jay and Vette already on the case!

 

[Macimage]

Thank you for three such quick replies. I will attempt to catch him and move him into the quarantine tank and treat him as you have advised. I was confused about that spot on the upper left side. Also, I would never have known about mucous plugs. I do not know what my other two fish died from but it did not appear to be ich. Thank you again.

 

[Macimage]

I have some filter socks that have been in the sump that I was going to use for biological filtration in the qt tank. Is that ok or will it affect the Copper Power and Kanaflex? Or will the copper just kill off the filtration ability?

I ordered the Hanna meter, reagents, copper power and kanaplex from amazon.

 

[MischiefReef]

I have some filter socks that have been in the sump that I was going to use for biological filtration in the qt tank. Is that ok or will it affect the Copper Power and Kanaflex? Or will the copper just kill off the filtration ability?

I ordered the Hanna meter, reagents, copper power and kanaplex from amazon.

Should be okay to use in your QT, just to confirm you’d be using the filter sock and running water through it with a pump? Do you have some LR in the QT? I would not put the socks back into your DT afterwards though as copper will likely be transferred.

 

[Macimage]

Should be okay to use in your QT, just to confirm you’d be using the filter sock and running water through it with a pump? Do you have some LR in the QT? I would not put the socks back into your DT afterwards though as copper will likely be transferred.

Yes I was going to cut them up and put them in a hang on filter on the back of the qt tank. I won’t reuse them in the display tank. I was not planning on using any of my live rock in the qt as I thought it would absorb the medication?

I read that the ammonia test kits are inaccurate with copper. Is that true? I also ordered the ammonia alert badges.

 

[MischiefReef]

Yes I was going to cut them up and put them in a hang on filter on the back of the qt tank. I won’t reuse them in the display tank. I was not planning on using any of my live rock in the qt as I thought it would absorb the medication?

I read that the ammonia test kits are inaccurate with copper. Is that true? I also ordered the ammonia alert badges.

It is true the LR would adsorb medication. However, I believe you can “reset” it again with a soak in activated carbon. If still concerned about reusing the LR you could always get some bio block media to use only for your QT. And then jumpstart the cycle by using something like brightwell microbacter startxlm. I personally use this method as it’s easier to store away and take out and lighter than lugging around LR! Haha.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have some filter socks that have been in the sump that I was going to use for biological filtration in the qt tank. Is that ok or will it affect the Copper Power and Kanaflex? Or will the copper just kill off the filtration ability?

I ordered the Hanna meter, reagents, copper power and kanaplex from amazon.

Filter socks do not offer biological capabilities. Run the QT and as mentioned maintain water quality. Ammonia Badges are as useless as Api Kits. They are ok the first two weeks.
As mentioned reliable test kit such as Hanna or Salifert. I will never trust $7 badge or cheap kits to sustain a couple hundred dollars of livestock.

 

[Macimage]

Thank you. I was getting the badges as a back up because I read on one of these threads you should have them but I will cancel them. I have a new salifert ammonia test kit coming as mine is old.

The filter socks have been in the sump of my 180 gallon tank for the past few months and I will stuff them in the qt hang on filter to provide some biological filtration.

 

[MischiefReef]

Thank you. Getting the badges as a back up because I read on one of these threads you should have them but I will cancel them.

I thought that the filter socks that have been in sump for the past few months would provide some biological filtration.

Technically filters are only mechanical filtration. To some extent they would host bacteria, likely not enough to count as effective biological filtration. Definitely not a replacement for LR or bio media. Not sure why, this is just my experience and observations!

 

[Macimage]

Which is the best water conditioner to use with the copper power? I believe some of them are not to be used with copper?

 

[MischiefReef]

Not sure about that part, I’ve always used either RODI or Prime if dechlorinating tap water for copper QT.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Which is the best water conditioner to use with the copper power? I believe some of them are not to be used with copper?

You should not use reducing agents (formalin, dechlor or Prime) with Cupramine. Copper Power and Coppersafe are safer, but still avoid using excess dechlor and ammonia remover with them as well….just to be safe.
Jay

 

[Macimage]

Thank you Jay. I will just do water changes.

 

[Macimage]

You should not use reducing agents (formalin, dechlor or Prime) with Cupramine. Copper Power and Coppersafe are safer, but still avoid using excess dechlor and ammonia remover with them as well….just to be safe.
Jay

I caught him and did a freshwater dip matching temperature and ph. I put him in the 45 gallon quarantine tank with a dose of kanaPlex. It expired in 2018 but I thought if it’s like human medicine it would be just less effective. He’s lying on the bottom it looks like he is dying. I’m tempted to put him back in the 180 gallon tank And don’t know what to do. Thank you.

 

[Macimage]

I put him back in the 180 gallon tank.

 

[MischiefReef]

I caught him and did a freshwater dip matching temperature and ph. I put him in the 45 gallon quarantine tank with a dose of kanaPlex. It expired in 2018 but I thought if it’s like human medicine it would be just less effective. He’s lying on the bottom it looks like he is dying. I’m tempted to put him back in the 180 gallon tank And don’t know what to do. Thank you.

How long was the freshwater dip for?
I know this is an obvious one, but just confirming the water was dechlorinated correct?
Just to check is the water from city or well?
Freshwater dips can be quite a shock, I’m guessing particularly for older fish who haven’t been dipped in a long time, if ever. It should start looking back to normal again within an hour or so. I know it’s tempting to put him back in the 180gallon, but unless something was significantly wrong with how you made the water for 45gall, it likely won’t make a difference and could just stress the fish more.

 

[MischiefReef]

I put him back in the 180 gallon tank.

Any improvement?