Yellow tang breathing rapidly

[tapio]

I have been treating this YT for sometime now. Initially I did not test for Cupramine, so my dosing was below therapeutic levels (my bad). On October 13 it had white spots on the body and after I increased the Cupramine to 0.35 the next day the spots disappeared. During the next 2 weeks I was unable to go any higher than 0.35 and frequently the fish stopped eating completely and was breathing hard and rapid. I discontinued the Cupramine because the fish started to look so bad I was worried about it dying. After being without medication a couple of days and eating fine again I started a Prazipro treatment which is now done. The YT has been eating fine during this time but continues to breathe very rapidly. So now the YT is without any meds, eats fine but continues to breathe very rapidly, about 150-200 gill flaps a minute. Nitrites test at 2.5 mg/l.

It seems something is affecting the gills, perhaps Ich is not gone due to the short treatment I did. I don't see any visible parasites. I am afraid to start a new Cupramine treatment since the fish appered to be quite sensitive to treatment before. Any advice what to do now?

 

[b0bab0ey]

It seems something is affecting the gills, perhaps Ich is not gone due to the short treatment I did. I don't see any visible parasites. I am afraid to start a new Cupramine treatment since the fish appered to be quite sensitive to treatment before. Any advice what to do now?

I would say the YT would need to be in Cupramine for one full month before getting a clean bill of health. So, 0.35 or above for 30 consecutive days.

Since he didn't seem to handle copper well the first time around, why not give this a try:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1996525

 

[MrTuskfish]

I would say the YT would need to be in Cupramine for one full month before getting a clean bill of health. So, 0.35 or above for 30 consecutive days.

Since he didn't seem to handle copper well the first time around, why not give this a try:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1996525

+1 TT is fool-proof, safe & easy. The fish may have his gills full of ich. "Seeing the spots" is not a reliable indicator of ich presence. Also, did you do a 2nd treatment of PP; that's necessary to get any offspring that can come from fluke eggs.

 

[tapio]

+1 TT is fool-proof, safe & easy. The fish may have his gills full of ich. "Seeing the spots" is not a reliable indicator of ich presence. Also, did you do a 2nd treatment of PP; that's necessary to get any offspring that can come from fluke eggs.

Yes I know that the spots are not a necessary indicator. Wouldn't you still expect that if the gills are full of ich that in a small 10 gal tank the fish would eventually show spots on the body when the ich multiplies.

I did a second PP dosing, a total of 12 days.

I have never attempted a TT. I am all for netless transfer of fish, but I know if I try that with tangs they will panic and struggle and it will be difficult to securely transfer the fish. Another question I have with TT is that in the process of capturing the fish, I would expect that the dropped parasites on the tank bottom will be stirred up regardless of how careful I try to be. So my question is, how to do the transfer without moving even a few parasites into the new tank. I don't question TT to be effective if done properly, but since parasites can be transferred in a drop of water, how can TT be so fool-proof when performed by the average hobbyist.

 

[hollister]

Could be low oxygen. Whats used for water flowin there?

 

[tapio]

Could be low oxygen. Whats used for water flowin there?

Aquaclear 20 and a small powerhead. Quite a bit of water movement on the surface. Should be enough.

 

[hollister]

Not sure the tank size but sounds like your low and surface agitation doesnt mean oxygen. The aqua clear works good for breaking the surface tension but without good steady water flow your tank is full of dead and or very low zones. You want water movement everywhere. This is one of the basics.

Im just saying this to help but you need to research more. This can be an easy hobby or a night mare. Research is the key and a good reef startup book is worth its wieght in gold.

 

[tapio]

Not sure the tank size but sounds like your low and surface agitation doesnt mean oxygen. The aqua clear works good for breaking the surface tension but without good steady water flow your tank is full of dead and or very low zones. You want water movement everywhere. This is one of the basics.

Im just saying this to help but you need to research more. This can be an easy hobby or a night mare. Research is the key and a good reef startup book is worth its wieght in gold.

This is a 10 gal HT/QT. The flow without blowing the fish around is enough. I am no spring chicken in the hobby. I had a featured 300 gal reef for 20 years with ETS skimming that I believe took care of most parasite problems. I used to put fish in the reef successfully without QT but can't anymore. Things are different in my now 120 + connected 75 gal reefs with a smaller skimmer (economics). I have not had experience treating fish in small 10-20 gal boxes so looking for advice with this.

 

[snorvich]

I have not had experience treating fish in small 10-20 gal boxes so looking for advice with this.

I suggest rereading MrTuskfish's post.

 

[hollister]

Just trying to help. I find in many cases ,not all , going back to the basics pays off. Also with no tank or bio info then i have no choice but to start there.
With that said still dont know ph size and if you have a lid on the tank and water readings.

 

[tapio]

I suggest rereading MrTuskfish's post.

That did not answer my questions about TT in post #4.

 

[tapio]

Just trying to help. I find in many cases ,not all , going back to the basics pays off. Also with no tank or bio info then i have no choice but to start there.
With that said still dont know ph size and if you have a lid on the tank and water readings.

All help is appreciated. In my public view info I list 20 years reef experience. I have eggcrate on top of standard 10 gal glass tank. Water quality is decent with regular 2-5 gal water changes. Nitrites and nitrates are about 2.5 and 5 respectively. Free ammonia is not detected, temp 79. Trust me the water flow is adequate.

I have now started Cupramine dosing again ramping it up slowly because I don't feel comfortable with TT method.

 

[loup]

I qt an achilles and pbt at the same in a 20gal using the TT method. I have a tubberware I cut slits on the bottom and use that to catch the fish, let the water drain, and scoop the fish with my hand over the next tank.

I have perform TT on 30+ fish using the same transport method. Tubberware and hand scoop.