Black splotches on my Orange Shoulder Tang

[Bumgrundle]

In my naiveté, I thought these were part of the color change from sub-adult to adult coloration. But, i'm afraid i'm gonna be way off base here =( Any help would be appreciated. (Sorry for the horrible camera work)

 

[cowboy]

[HASHTAG]#reefsquad[/HASHTAG] these are definitely the people that would be able to help.

 

[Bumgrundle]

Spots and lines are not raised, more a discoloration.

Temp - 81
Sal - 1.026
Amo - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 20
Calc - 510
Alk - 9.24
Mag - 1320
pH - 8.2

Acting just fine, feeding etc.. No side scraping or erratic swimming.

 

[Bumgrundle]

Could those be Stings from the carpet anemone?

 

[Humblefish]

Could those be Stings from the carpet anemone?

I can barely see the dark splotches from your video; however a nem or coral sting is a definite possibility. At one point in the video, he gets very close to the carpet. They can do amazing damage to fish. Many don't survive a brush with one of those.

 

[melypr1985]

I see them and it could be from the nem. Keep an eye on the discoloration and note any changes or worsening.

 

[Bumgrundle]

Thanks y'all. Now i'm not sure what direction I want to go. This is gonna be tough. I love em' all, but don't want to see the Tang suffer. I honestly thought she would learn to stay away if she got stung, but she really seems to have fun trying to bully the Skunk, he gives it right back. Either way, gonna let things go for now, see if they settle down.

 

[Humblefish]

I've tried keeping carpets with fish, and it seems like only a matter of time before you start losing fish to them. Fish are going to brush up against (or dart into) corals, nems, etc. A sting from a BTA is usually minimal, but a carpet can inflict a lot of damage. :mad:

 

[Bumgrundle]

I've tried keeping carpets with fish, and it seems like only a matter of time before you start losing fish to them. Fish are going to brush up against (or dart into) corals, nems, etc. A sting from a BTA is usually minimal, but a carpet can inflict a lot of damage. :mad:

Gahhhh dang it! Yeah man, I kinda knew, in the back of my mind, where my 2 MIA watchman were =(
So yeah, I slept on it, and gonna setup a QT this week and Quad Clone the carpet, heal them up and sell 'em off =(
Amy Schumer (the skunk, is gonna be so lonely) but then that begs a question, The Orange Tang does not like the skunk, tho I have a BTA that i'm hoping it would host in, but keeping a 1/4 of the carpet is really no solution right? (The carpet is just under the size of a basketball)
Thanx so much for your input folks.

 

[Humblefish]

@Bumgrundle A skunk is unlikely to go into a BTA. They prefer Gigs, Mags (another unsafe anemone), and sometimes a Long Tentacle or Sebae (must be Heteractis crispa). Pink Skunks are my all-time fav clowns (I've even bred them), but my wife prefers mean ol' Maroons. :mad:

I would remove the carpet entirely, even a little one will "catch" fish.

 

[Bumgrundle]

If I were not t happily married, i'd turn this tank into a nem/clown DT and start another. That's how much I love that Stoopid duo.
Question, the Acid trip nems I've seen, Just ridiculous colors, are any of those safer, will a Skunk host in those if so? Gonna go read. TBH, after reading a great deal of yours, and others, postings here in R2R, i'd prefer to get your input rather than any other place. Thanks so much for all your help!

Here is an example of the nems I was refering
to.https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct...MjXHX5kk5e4hOTTsouq-Gh2g&ust=1465405990739002

 

[Humblefish]

I've kept some of the cheaper Phymanthus crucifer but for some reason they don't seem to last long in my tank. Other nems do fine.