Bristletooth Tang Diagnosis

[jnels]

Hey guys,
First time with “fish disease” problem. I recently added this tang to the DT (~1week). Never voracious eater. Haven’t seen him eat at all in the display but isn’t looking emaciated by any stretch (living on pure algae?).
Could this be ich, lympho or worse?
75gal mixed reef 6mo old.
Sal: 35ppt
NO3: 5-10
PO4: 0.3 (decreasing with refugium and WC)
Alk: 7 (working to slowly increase.

 

[Sam816]

If its pecking on sand/rock/walls then it is eating but probably not enough. are you feeding any algae sheets/nori?
tangs get diseases more often then other fish but algae/nori/LRS help them keep their immunity up. you can try hikari seaweed extreme too.
for diagnosis of ich/velvet etc you need to post close-up of the fish's side profile under white light.
common signs are fish scratching it self on rockwork, heavy/fast breathing, tiny white spots on body and fins. other disease can cause redness on the body/gills, clamped/torn fins, lethargy etc.

 

[jnels]

If its pecking on sand/rock/walls then it is eating but probably not enough. are you feeding any algae sheets/nori?
tangs get diseases more often then other fish but algae/nori/LRS help them keep their immunity up. you can try hikari seaweed extreme too.
for diagnosis of ich/velvet etc you need to post close-up of the fish's side profile under white light.
common signs are fish scratching it self on rockwork, heavy/fast breathing, tiny white spots on body and fins. other disease can cause redness on the body/gills, clamped/torn fins, lethargy etc.

Thanks for the help. I’ve tried frozen mysis and brine, meaty pellets, and hikari seaweed extreme. I’ve hung nori from a clip and tied it to a rock with a rubber band. I haven’t even seen him go towards any of it. Much less eat it.

i will try to get a pic from the side.

 

[Sam816]

what other fish do you have in the tank?
Use burst mode to take a pic. tangs n angels don't like to stop n pose.

 

[Dark_Knightt]

It is possible there is an internal parasite. Was the fish quarantined before added to the DT? Other, aggressive fish could also pose a problem.

 

[jnels]

what other fish do you have in the tank?
Use burst mode to take a pic. tangs n angels don't like to stop n pose.

And just like that I learned how to use burst mode... We are still playing hide and seek at the moment, but i will try again shortly now with the white lights on a bit brighter.

The other fish are, 2 ocellaris clowns that mind their business at the back of the tank, a very vain quoyi parrot fish, a small shy beta and an acan eating file fish (supposedly aptasia eating...). None of the other fish are showing any problems.

 

[jnels]

It is possible there is an internal parasite. Was the fish quarantined before added to the DT? Other, aggressive fish could also pose a problem.

This guy had a rushed QT because the heater went out. again ~1week of QT.

 

[jnels]

what other fish do you have in the tank?
Use burst mode to take a pic. tangs n angels don't like to stop n pose.

The discoloration that I’m seeing is the white spot on top of his “head”. Nothing on his sides.

 

[jnels]

If its pecking on sand/rock/walls then it is eating but probably not enough. are you feeding any algae sheets/nori?
tangs get diseases more often then other fish but algae/nori/LRS help them keep their immunity up. you can try hikari seaweed extreme too.
for diagnosis of ich/velvet etc you need to post close-up of the fish's side profile under white light.
common signs are fish scratching it self on rockwork, heavy/fast breathing, tiny white spots on body and fins. other disease can cause redness on the body/gills, clamped/torn fins, lethargy etc.

After a few days the spots have moved more to the side of the face and the spot on top of the head has resolved.

 

[Sam816]

could be flukes or some worm if they are moving. do a fresh water dip in a dark color container.
has the fish started eating some thing you put in the tank? seachem 'entice' supposedly makes fish food more appealing. another fish food i have heard about is new life spectrum's thera A. it supposedly helps with immunity of the fish.
but nothing beats live black worms and brine shrimp. they are not very nutritious but will get the fish start eating.

 

[jnels]

could be flukes or some worm if they are moving. do a fresh water dip in a dark color container.
has the fish started eating some thing you put in the tank? seachem 'entice' supposedly makes fish food more appealing. another fish food i have heard about is new life spectrum's thera A. it supposedly helps with immunity of the fish.
but nothing beats live black worms and brine shrimp. they are not very nutritious but will get the fish start eating.

It turned out they were flukes!
as for the eating, he has been visibly eating more over recent days. Hopefully we make a good recovery. And nobody else gets them.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Just be aware that a single FW dip won't cure a fluke infestation, a few flukes always seem to make it through, and then, a few weeks later, the population starts to climb again. In addition, some flukes are egg layers, and when the eggs hatch out, they reinfect the fish.
If you confirmed flukes, you should look into a 3x Prazipro treatment, spaced a week apart each. That usually breaks the life cycle.

Jay

 

[Sablah]

Thanks for the help. I’ve tried frozen mysis and brine, meaty pellets, and hikari seaweed extreme. I’ve hung nori from a clip and tied it to a rock with a rubber band. I haven’t even seen him go towards any of it. Much less eat it.

i will try to get a pic from the side.

I highly recommend getting Innovative Marine Gadget Grazer for putting your nori in, especially for bristletooths. Mine won't eat when attached to a clip, but will eat it all from the grazer. All my fish prefer it in the grazer over being on just the clip, and you don't have to worry about chunks getting ripped off and go uneaten.