Yellow tang has started to look rough after treating ChemiClean.

[Tturner]

Hello fellow reefers, I am in need of your expertise. I used chemi clean about a week ago he had some redness on his skin(didn't take picture). I have done two water changes since, one a 30% and another 20% three days after. Is this possibly just stress related because of everything. He still eats and swims around or does it look more like fin rot or something worst. I have a strawberry pseudochromis who is a little aggressive and the tang likes to keep it in line so maybe they got in a little scrap as well. All water parameters seem to be normal.

 

[MnFish1]

From all information I've read - Chemiclean is an antibiotic - so I don't see how that would relate to that red area - or the ragged areas on the dorsal and pectoral fins.

The dark area - to me - looks like the beginnings of an infection. The fin could be damage from other fish, etc. Stress (as you mentioned) may have made any infection more likely.

Here are a couple questions:

1. How do all of the other fish look?
2. How long have you had the tang?
3. Over the last week are the symptoms getting better or worse?
4. Do you happen to have (if necessary) - a hospital tank? Do you have access to fish antibiotics in your area?

Will tag @Jay Hemdal and see what he and others have to say. To me it looks like the start of an infection.

 

[Tturner]

First off thank you for replying!
1. All the other fish are normal and seem happy. Everyone is swimming and eating well.
2. I have had the tang for 6-7 months
3. He looked like he was getting better than stared to look slightly worst over the last 2 days but holding the same as of yesterday.
4. I have a small 30 gallon tank I could use a hospital tank and I live in edmonton so access shouldn't be too hard to find medication.
Once again thank you for the help!

 

[MnFish1]

First off thank you for replying!
1. All the other fish are normal and seem happy. Everyone is swimming and eating well.
2. I have had the tang for 6-7 months
3. He looked like he was getting better than stared to look slightly worst over the last 2 days but holding the same as of yesterday.
4. I have a small 30 gallon tank I could use a hospital tank and I live in edmonton so access shouldn't be too hard to find medication.
Once again thank you for the help!

The reason I asked is that the rumor is that its difficult to get antibiotics without a veterinary prescription. Lets see what others say - as long as its not getting worse. How big is it 'size-wise'

 

[Tturner]

Oh okay thank you! He is about 2-2.5 inches long from nose to end of dorsal fin.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Oh okay thank you! He is about 2-2.5 inches long from nose to end of dorsal fin.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Chemiclean ingredients are pretty well obscured by the manufacturer. The label says it does not contain erythromycin succinate, but it may well contain another erythromycin derivative. This is just an antibiotic that is used to kill blue green slime algae / cyanobacteria.

I think it may have irritated the YT's skin, they often develop red patches in response to issues in the water. You should check for residual ammonia though, as erythromycin sometimes causes that.

Jay

 

[Tturner]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Chemiclean ingredients are pretty well obscured by the manufacturer. The label says it does not contain erythromycin succinate, but it may well contain another erythromycin derivative. This is just an antibiotic that is used to kill blue green slime algae / cyanobacteria.

I think it may have irritated the YT's skin, they often develop red patches in response to issues in the water. You should check for residual ammonia though, as erythromycin sometimes causes that.

Jay

Thank you Jay! I'll check ammonia level right now! I really appreciate your knowledge!
Edit: ammonia levels are reading 0. Is it something that should go away in time. I moniter him consistently so to easy my mind is there any sort of normal time frame before I should start to worry about taking more drastic measures?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thank you Jay! I'll check ammonia level right now! I really appreciate your knowledge!
Edit: ammonia levels are reading 0. Is it something that should go away in time. I moniter him consistently so to easy my mind is there any sort of normal time frame before I should start to worry about taking more drastic measures?

With no other symptoms, I’d be inclined to just watch it, but a partial water can’t hurt.
Jay

 

[Brian_68]

With Chemiclean you need to supplement aeration with an airstone or similar as the O2 levels are known to drop during treatment and a detriment to fish and coral. Perhaps if you did not that may be related.

 

[Tturner]

With Chemiclean you need to supplement aeration with an airstone or similar as the O2 levels are known to drop during treatment and a detriment to fish and coral. Perhaps if you did not that may be related.

I did another another wavemaker pointed towards the surface to add extra waves but didn't add any bubblers. I left the protein skimmer in my sump running without the top for aeration as well. He doesn't show any improvement if not looks worst then two days ago. Did another 25% water change on Sunday as well. My significant other is very worried about him and I don't know what to say. Should we consider any treatment or continue to wait it out. The fish still seems to be energetic and eating well. It looks like he is losing more fin though.

 

[threebuoys]

I have used chemiclean several times with no noticeable side effects. I don't have a yellow tang, but I do have a sailfin and a convict. Neither seemed to have any reaction to chemiclean.

Your water changes should have diluted the chemiclean substantially. You could add GAC to your filtration if you don't have it in already and the chemiclean should be further reduced.

How long have you had the yellow tang? I assume the redness you noticed was before the chemiclean was added and that the problem you're seeing since is fin damage. If the tang is relatively new perhaps the damage is from other fish in the tank and the aggression is continuing?

 

[Tturner]

I have used chemiclean several times with no noticeable side effects. I don't have a yellow tang, but I do have a sailfin and a convict. Neither seemed to have any reaction to chemiclean.

Your water changes should have diluted the chemiclean substantially. You could add GAC to your filtration if you don't have it in already and the chemiclean should be further reduced.

How long have you had the yellow tang? I assume the redness you noticed was before the chemiclean was added and that the problem you're seeing since is fin damage. If the tang is relatively new perhaps the damage is from other fish in the tank and the aggression is continuing?

Hello thank you for responding, I have had the yellow tang for 5 months. The redness was only noticed at the end of the chemiclean process. That was done about a week and a half ago now. There is aggression between other fish but the yellow tang seems to be everyone's buddy. The aggression has gone down substantially in the last month though. Everyone seems to be friends but who knows when I am not watching.

 

[davidcalgary29]

I'd check your nitrates, just to be safe. Mine developed some signs of sepsis or general bacterial infection -- which presented as minor red streaks -- over a few weeks. I finally checked my nitrates when I noticed that my stylocoeniella and fire urchin were bleaching out, and was shocked when my nitrates registered as "too high to read" on my HR nitrate checker. The symptoms disappeared over a few weeks of water changes.

Chemiclean certainly works, but I've noticed that it can kill off sensitive organisms (or organisms sensitive to it). I lost an urchin after I dosed an Evo two weeks ago -- the chemiclean got rid of the cyano...and also got rid of the urchin.

 

[vetteguy53081]

May not be the chemi clean but rather the water after chemiclean was added
Check your ammonia, nitrate, ph and phosphate
Also what test kits are you using?
Assuming this fish has been eating, what have you been feeding it.
Lastly, what is the the gush’s’ breathing rate?