Please help my blue tang

bobafet1

bobafet1

Active member
I have this poor tang that is on its last days. I keep thinking that I'm going to find it dead the next morning but it keeps on fighting to stay alive. Here are some details. I've answered the questions that apply to my situation.

1. How old is this aquarium?
9 months

3. What is SG of this aquarium? How measured?
1.026. Hydrometer

4. When was the last fish added to this aquarium?
a couple of weeks ago

5. Was it quarantined? If so, how? And how long? Was it prophylactically treated? How?
Not yet. I'm working on getting a tank setup.



8. Please describe in detail, the appearance of the fish? If there is one or more pimples, are they lumpy? What color?
It has lumps all over its body. It has lost a lot of color and weight. One of its eyes is a bit hazy.

9. Please describe the behavior of the fish as best you can. Is it acting reclusive? Is it always up towards the top of the aquarium? Is it avoiding light? How active is the fish?

It started off scratching on the rocks in the DT until I moved it to the sump. Lately it has been laying on the bottom and staying still. Every so often it will get some energy and swim in circles. Now, it is by the surface and very weak.


10. Is the fish eating? What?
It has been eating brine shrimp and frozen DIY food I've made for it. (nori, shrimp, garlic, ginger, fish)
 
It was hard taking clearer pics but here's are some.
IMG_1151.jpg

IMG_1152.jpg
 
Here is a video.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pZdGfg4YkPU?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
That powder blue is a goner. Best thing to do is to take it out. I know it sucks, but it's the most humane thing to do.

The circulation in the tank looks terrible.

Sorry bro.
 
Poor powder blue. You can try a fresh water dip and possibly get it to munch on garlic soak food. But from the looks, its beyond stressed. Hopefully it can pull thru.
 
So, I tried getting another powder blue because I really dig these fish. I set up a quarantine tank and placed him in their first. I really didn't see any visual signs of illness but figured I'd better be safe then sorry. Then, over the course of a week I noticed the tang starting to scratch its side. Now, it looks like he has a few rashes and his skin is peeling. I can't quite figure out what might be wrong with the poor guy. I'm so bummed out about this since I really want to try and keep a powder blue.

Here is a pic. Anyone have an idea of what the illness might be?
IMG_1368.jpg

IMG_1366.jpg

IMG_1365.jpg
 
Wow, I'd say this PB Tang has multiple problems! Where do you even start? I think I would start with some antibiotics, probably Furan-2. If you can't find Furan, Maracyn 1 & 2 will work too, but IMO the antibiotics found in Furan-2 are a bit more aggressive and I think that's what your Tang needs right now. Even if that skin rash and rotting fin isn't being caused by something bacterial, I feel a secondary infection is likely in this case.

This fish may also have Velvet or Ich (hard to tell from the pics) so I would also treat with copper just in case. Get yourself some Cupramine as it is gentler on the fish. Basically, this fish already looks to be a goner so you need to throw the "kitchen sink" at it if you have any chance of saving it.

This next part is probably going to **** you off but it needs to be said. Based on how your QT looks from the pics and the lack of circulation/cesspool you've got going on in your DT (from the video), you really need to take a long, hard look at your aquarium husbandry. PB Tangs are especially sensitive fish and have a very thin slime coat protecting their skin. They need to be kept in clean conditions to thrive. They cannot tolerate substandard conditions the way some other species of fish do. Again, I'm not trying to slam you... just hoping to make you realize that part of the problem might be with how you're housing these PB Tangs.
 
b0bab0ey said:
Wow, I'd say this PB Tang has multiple problems! Where do you even start? I think I would start with some antibiotics, probably Furan-2. If you can't find Furan, Maracyn 1 & 2 will work too, but IMO the antibiotics found in Furan-2 are a bit more aggressive and I think that's what your Tang needs right now. Even if that skin rash and rotting fin isn't being caused by something bacterial, I feel a secondary infection is likely in this case.

This fish may also have Velvet or Ich (hard to tell from the pics) so I would also treat with copper just in case. Get yourself some Cupramine as it is gentler on the fish. Basically, this fish already looks to be a goner so you need to throw the "kitchen sink" at it if you have any chance of saving it.

This next part is probably going to **** you off but it needs to be said. Based on how your QT looks from the pics and the lack of circulation/cesspool you've got going on in your DT (from the video), you really need to take a long, hard look at your aquarium husbandry. PB Tangs are especially sensitive fish and have a very thin slime coat protecting their skin. They need to be kept in clean conditions to thrive. They cannot tolerate substandard conditions the way some other species of fish do. Again, I'm not trying to slam you... just hoping to make you realize that part of the problem might be with how you're housing these PB Tangs.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. In regards to the fish I think you read the posts too quickly . The first set of pics and video are from a tang that I had pass away already. I picked up another and started it off in quarantine. The last set of pics show the next tang that I'm hoping to keep alive. I've already solved my sump issues. Here is an updated pic of it.
IMG_1382.jpg
 
No, I knew they were two different Tangs.

I would definitely start antibiotics on this Tang ASAP. That should solve a lot of the problems. I've used Maracyn 1 & 2 on my current PBT with great success, but I also recently successfully treated a friend's Achilles with Furan-2 and was equally impressed. It's whichever one you have on hand or can find the soonest. Good luck!
 
b0bab0ey said:
No, I knew they were two different Tangs.

I would definitely start antibiotics on this Tang ASAP. That should solve a lot of the problems. I've used Maracyn 1 & 2 on my current PBT with great success, but I also recently successfully treated a friend's Achilles with Furan-2 and was equally impressed. It's whichever one you have on hand or can find the soonest. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks bro! I will call around to see what I can get my hands on right away.

BTW, did you use Maracyn 1 & 2 together?
 
BPTs are hard fish to keep. Good luck man. I had one drop dead out of nowhere in QT. Made no sense. Was perfectly fine, then perfectly dead. I am done messing with them.
 
BigCountry74 said:
BPTs are hard fish to keep. Good luck man. I had one drop dead out of nowhere in QT. Made no sense. Was perfectly fine, then perfectly dead. I am done messing with them.
Click to expand...

I know, I think if I can't save this one then I'm done messing with them for a while. It's a shame because I really want a PBT and a couple of Hippo Tangs badly.
 
bobafet1 said:
Thanks bro! I will call around to see what I can get my hands on right away.

BTW, did you use Maracyn 1 & 2 together?
Click to expand...

Yes, I always use Maracyn 1 & 2 together as that covers all the bases. Maracyn covers gram-positive bacterial infections, while Maracyn 2 covers gram-negative ones. Furan-2 covers both all-in-one, but uses more aggressive, and slightly harsher, antibiotics IME. I've used both and give the pros & cons of each (based solely on my experience) here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=20132940#post20132940
 
bobafet1 said:
I know, I think if I can't save this one then I'm done messing with them for a while. It's a shame because I really want a PBT and a couple of Hippo Tangs badly.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they've always been delicate fish but like you, I always have to have one. This latest one has been pure hell on me though, but she's the most beautiful PBT I've ever owned. You can see a pic of her here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/album.php?albumid=4514&pictureid=31904

She's had Ich, Flukes, bacterial infection, Lympho. I finally had to resort to some experimental medication and I'm convinced she's "fixed" now. You can read about that here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2136214
 
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