Sailfin Tang "BUG"???

[NetThis]

My sailfin tang at approx 5 PM 1/9 got sick...its colors went really dark and he just sat on the bottom breathing heavily. Those were the only signs. This morning he was still alive but this time with a "bug" on one of his fins. Is this a parasite and how do I treat it. Unfortunatly he has passed away by the time I posted this but I need to know how to fight these things since I am fairly new to this hobby. Thanks in advance!



Bug Pic Link

http://home.rochester.rr.com/netthis/P1110078.JPG

 

[Pandora]

It's kind of hard to tell from the photo, but you have to wonder once the fish in that state. It could just as well be a scavenger that is not a parasite on living, healthy tissue, and is just taking advantage of the fish in its near dead state.

 

[NetThis]

Very interesting. I'll have a closer look at the dead fish to try and get a better understanding of what happened. Thanks for the thought.

 

[Pandora]

No problem... took a look at the pic again (it was being shrunk automatically on my comp at work), and it looks like it *could* just be an amphipod. Not many of those are parasitic sp. (hardly any at all will make it into our trade), most are harmless scavengers, and I kinda suspect what I first said, that it's just being an opportunist. Usually you see parasites sticking on the host when they are living, and then they run for the hills when the host is near dead, in search of greener pastures.

 

[krajacich]

Unfortunately it looks like it might be a cirolanid isopod.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/rs/index.php

 

[NetThis]

It sure does. Well I have only damsels and a star fish in the tank right now and everything seems to be fine. I'll wait a little longer and try again. Thanks for everyones help.

 

[Angela Short]

I have heard they are very hard to get rid of...