sick tang!

[crossley]

I have a little sailfin tang that hasn't been doing so well. Looks mainly like ich (or so I have been told) but the most prominent and disturbing symptom is disintegration of the fins...

Facts:

In 24 gallon tank for about 6 weeks
2 inches long at the most
ich-like symptoms
dorsal and ventral fin disintegration (this looks like something is tearing or biting them away)
Good appetite and assertive eater

Main diet includes:

Brine shrimp, algae formula, and dried seaweed.

Tank-mates include:

Boxer crab, cleaner shrimp, sexy shrimp, pistol shrimp, yasahachi gobi (pardon the spelling), neon gobi, a huge rose anemone and a little clown, and an assortment of snails and hermit crabs.

Notes:

The neon gobi and the tang get together frequently for a cleaning session.

Any ideas?

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[steve-s]

Re: sick tang!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7820285#post7820285 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crossley
sailfin tang .........24 gallon tank

Those two phrases do not belong in the same sentence unless a temporary QT. Please reconsider keeping this fish at all.

Can you be a littel more decriptive of what you mean by "ich like". Was this or anything else in the system QT'd prior to adding?

Is this just around the fins where they are wearing away or all over the fish?
Is the fish's boby showing signs of dicoloration or patchiness?
Are the eye clear or cloudy?

Please post all of your water parameters/chemistry numbers.

Cheers
Steve

 

[crossley]

The tang is small. Is there any reason not to be rid of it before it grows too large for the 24 gallon?

By "ich-like" I mean loss of color, a little patchiness, and some white-ish spots.

The disintegration appears to be localized to the dorsal and ventral fins.

The eyes seem to be clear... they are a deep black.

My water parameters are as follows:

pH: 7.8

ammonia: 0.25 ppm

nitrate: 80-90 ppm

nitrite: 0 ppm

kH / alk:
KH in dKH = 7.7
alk in meq/L = 2.74

phosphate: 0.25

calcium: 0.01 ml = 495 ppm


Please note that the nitrates are high becuase I have been feeding small amounts many tomes a day... the tang has a great appetite but it seems I can cut back a little. A water change is a moment away.

Thank you for your interest and help!

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[lux_06]

ph is low for one, raise it..

tank is too small even now.... a fully grown sailfin fin the wild could touch his nose on end of that tank and his tail on the other!

nitrates could do with being a little lower.

i have had simular fin issues with a tang that was getting a cleaning from a dragon goby, problem was the gobys mouth was too big and i think it was nipping the fins instead of taking of the parasites.

my advise is that fish should go back to the store right now and swap him for a clown fish... he will continue to be sick untill he dies in a tank that size.

 

[steve-s]

Agreed with most of the above. I would not be surprised if this was simpley a stress/water quality issue. The tang could easily be suffering from a viral/bacterial issue that may be making you think this is parasite related, can't be 100% positive really. You will need to determine that for sure.

I would do a google image search for fish affected by crypt.
http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/marineich.html

Not to be confused with Lymphocystis...
http://wetwebmedia.com/viraldislymph.htm

It is very important you work on that pH and the nitrate ASAP.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Psionicdragon]

Nitrate is too high and I agree with steve on most point. That fish needs a new cleaner bigger home.

 

[BONDQ]

I agree with Steve on this being way too small of tank for this type of fish. If you intend to keep this tang, you need a bigger tank, ideally 100gal plus. Otherwise, you need to trade for a more compatible fish for your existing tank, like a clown, etc.

Tangs, in general, do not like small spaces, it stresses them out immensely. This will bring on sensitivity to ICH and other illnesses.

Your post, makes no mention of Rock or other structures that may be in the tank. The reason I bring it up, is that I have a tang in QT, and it is all alone, and likes to rub (scratch) it's nose on the surrounding rocks. This has caused rubbed white, or balding patches on it's nose.

I think this is a nervous response, due to stress caused from it's small tank. Right now it is in a small 10gal QT tank, and about to go in a large show tank.

For the mean time, I can recommend providing as many hiding spots for the tang, as possible. A friend had recommend plastic electrical boxes from the hardware store, or cut PVC pipe pieces. Both work well and tangs like to hide in them to relax if their tank is too small. Regardless, this is only a temporary fix.

 

[crossley]

Thanks everybody for your insights! I will certainly attend to all you have pointed out.

The tang is so small it isn't obvious to me that the tank is too small... when he grows up a little it will obviously be too small... but now?

Is the idea that even small tangs require lots of swimming room?

The tank he is in has ample live rock and hiding spaces.

Thank you again.

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[BONDQ]

I don't know why, but they feel trapped, I think.

They just don't like it.

 

[Psionicdragon]

don't take this the wrong way as this is not intended for insults, but here is an analogy:

If someone sticks you in the closet for a few months, how would you feel? You can't go out, you can't really move much, and all that poop that you released is stinking up the place.

Thats how a tang would feel. They are swimmers and need room to swim.

 

[crossley]

I think I see the point of your analogy... but I don't see why this should be more true of tangs then any other fish.

Then again, I suppose I know a few people who are content sitting on a couch all day long and a few who need lots of excersise...

Thanks again! I am enjoying the conversations.

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