Need help diagnosing white tail bristletooth

[kalgra]

So I have just recently started a new 200g setup and this time intend on starting some new habbits of quarantining everything that goes into this tank.

I came across a white tail bristle tooth tang at my local LFS which I have long wanted. The LFS stated that they have had him since may and by all appearance and behavior counts he seemed very healthy and active with no visible signs of disease. I visited the store several times over the course of a week checking on it each day all seemed good.

Based on the fact that the store had had him for awhile and I saw no other signs of disease I decided I would just treat for crypto using the TTM. The day I went to pick up the fish I asked the the store employee to feed him, one so I could observe it was eating well and two so that it had a full belly before transferring him into my own QT.

I made sure I matched the salinity 1.020 and temp 77 to exactly what he was in at the LFS and dropped him in with a diy air stone and sponge filter, heater and several nice pieces of PVC for cover. The first 70 hours of qt went very well. The tang was eating well on the second day and very active.

Day three I have the second tank set up and ready for transfer, the transfer goes as smooth as could be. After a few hours I offer a small piece of nori which he never touched. Day four he still has not eaten anything I have offered and was acting strangely, swimming backward and in small circles randomly bumping into the pvc and glass as if he couldnt see and seeming very disoriented.

Day 6 and move number two, he now will not touch any food seems even more disoriented and on very close inspection I see what appears to be two maybe three very small cotton like objects attached to the very tips of a couple fins mostly the tail and main dorsal fins. Looks like some pictures I have seen of lympho but very mild. Here I am at day seven and he dosnt seem well at all only swimming backwards and bumping into things or turning in a circle kind of on his side. I offered some garlic soaked nori in hopes he might eat but has not.

I dont understand why could be happening, if it could be disease related or something else. His coloration still looks very well. Does anyone have any idea or words of wisdom? I really do not want to lose this fish.

Oh I should also mention I have been adding a small 2 ml dose of prime to the 30 gal qt on day 2 of each transfer.

Thanks,

 

[jay13]

First things first. You skipped the most important step to keeping disease out of your display. Quarantine. Having a local fish store watch your fish or "quarantine" for you is just not a good idea. Assuming a fish looks good and is therefore healthy is a game most of us have played and all of us have been burnt. So now this new arrival is in a 200 gallon tank and needs to be removed and set into quarantine regardless of what the parasite/bacteria/fungus is. So set up a qt and snap some pictures of what you are looking at so that everyone can chime in and help with a diagnosis. Stinks, but I've been down this road before.

 

[kalgra]

First things first. You skipped the most important step to keeping disease out of your display. Quarantine. Having a local fish store watch your fish or "quarantine" for you is just not a good idea. Assuming a fish looks good and is therefore healthy is a game most of us have played and all of us have been burnt. So now this new arrival is in a 200 gallon tank and needs to be removed and set into quarantine regardless of what the parasite/bacteria/fungus is. So set up a qt and snap some pictures of what you are looking at so that everyone can chime in and help with a diagnosis. Stinks, but I've been down this road before.

Umm you need to go back and read my post again. The fish has been in qt the whole time.

 

[jay13]

Umm you need to go back and read my post again. The fish has been in qt the whole time.

Not trying to be snotty or anything but tank transfer method is a treatment for Cryptocaryon and the like and is not quarantine. Quarantine specifies no treatment, just careful watching for appearance of disease. Regardless, I believe you have something more in line with a bacterial infection and the transfer method may have added some stress furthering the disease process. Snap some pics and lets see what it is. I did mistake the fact that it is not in the 200 gallon, which is excellent news. When my fish got sick in my 180 it was terrible getting them all out.

 

[kalgra]

There is no picture I will be able to take that will show what I can barely see with my own eyes. Unfortunately the 30g qt tank he is in too poorly lit and what I am seeing is to just too small to get a good shot especially when he dosnt stop moving around. I have already tried many times the pictures come out too blurt

I am mostly concerned with the behavior more than anything. Perhaps I should have stated that.

 

[kalgra]

Also if you read my post again I did specifically state that i was treating for crypto. What are some typical treatments for bacteria infection?

 

[jay13]

Also if you read my post again I did specifically state that i was treating for crypto.

Perhaps i missed it. Did you identify crypto on this fish?

 

[jay13]

Also if you read my post again I did specifically state that i was treating for crypto. What are some typical treatments for bacteria infection?

Mardel made excellent products that were pretty broad spectrum. They had two or three antibiotics that migh work here. Erythromycin isone that comes to mind, although many of the more serious hobbyists habe ventured out to their veterinarians for more potent drugs. See what antibiotics are available near you. Stay away from tetracycline asthe calcium in sea water renders it near useless.

 

[kalgra]

Perhaps i missed it. Did you identify crypto on this fish?

Well I did kinda ramble on so can't blame ya for missing it.

No I did not see any evidence of crypto however I have often seen crypto in the LFS where I acquired this fish so to me it just seemed a good idea to use tank transfer method for the who weeks I was planning on observing this guy in qt anyway.

TTM just seems like a good practice for all new arrivals just to ensure your keeping crypto out of the display.

 

[jay13]

Well I did kinda ramble on so can't blame ya for missing it.

No I did not see any evidence of crypto however I have often seen crypto in the LFS where I acquired this fish so to me it just seemed a good idea to use tank transfer method for the who weeks I was planning on observing this guy in qt anyway.

TTM just seems like a good practice for all new arrivals just to ensure your keeping crypto out of the display.

can't be any more harmful than copper. I don't have the room for ttm so i have no experience with it. I have had excellent results with coppersafe though.

 

[Code4]

I sure hope your fish survived. I am looking for a small one myself. And as of now I am looking up any information on them I can find.

Shelley