Large 10 yearold Valamingi Tang Skin Sloughing

[hnnhflns]

Our 9+ inch vlamingi tang attempted to jump out of the 300 gallon tank the other night. Thankfully we saw it quickly and got he back in the tank within a few seconds.

She has been doing fine since, been her normal self, although she has been a little more timid than usual. She is eating like she has been for the last 3 years that we have had her.

Today we noticed that her skin on one side looks like it is sloughing off. Kind of like what would happen if you got a really bad burn. It isn't ich, and we run UV/Ozone. She bounced between the top of the tank and the light (which was off at the time), when she was out of water, but she wasn't out for more than a few seconds.

Any ideas on what it is?

Sorry for blurry pictures, it was hard to get one with her holding still.

 

[Sk8r]

I'd take a look at the UV, and maybe consider a bigger tank---she's not comfortable where she is and may have taken to hanging out too close to the uv. Fish that are finding tanks too small can start developing some different behaviors. Just guesswork, but that sure looks like a burn.

 

[hnnhflns]

The UV is in a closed tube system (Aqua UV) that the fish can't get anywhere near, as is the Ozone. The bulb was replaced ~3-4 months ago. And the Ozone only runs a few hours a day. The UV runs constantly, but as I said, there is no chance that she could have gotten burned by the UV bulb.

I am not worried about her behavior, I am worried about what is happening to her skin.

 

[ali1]

Just keep an eye on it. Maybe bruised on its way to recovery. If you look at many fish in the wild, including tangs, they dont look perfect. Theres always a blemish, scar, or significant mark., however they prove to be super fat and healthy.

 

[hnnhflns]

Just keep an eye on it. Maybe bruised on its way to recovery. If you look at many fish in the wild, including tangs, they dont look perfect. Theres always a blemish, scar, or significant mark., however they prove to be super fat and healthy.

I don't care if she is perfect or not, I just have not seen anything quite like this yet. I just want to make sure I treat her properly for whatever this is, because I would be devastated if she died.

And she is SUPER fat and has been in captivity 10 years now, like she has legitimate fat rolls that you can see when she swims.