"Coughing" and Not Eating - Kole Tang

Maritimer · May 2, 2018

I'd missed my kole tang, and when I thought about restocking my tank, well, I can't imagine it without one (or a few others who're sorely missed as well . . . )

Then I read about the state of affairs in Hawai'i, where kole tangs come from.

Saw a couple on Divers' Den, and then they had a sale . . .

Several fish came home to QT, and most are doing well - except the kole tang, who is, while swimming slowly and gracefully, not eating and making, for lack of a better terminology, "coughing" motions with her mouth. I see no signs of spotting, nor is she swimming into flow, but rather lazily weaving through the PVC fittings she fits in. Video below, watch for the coughing toward the end, and I'm grateful for any insight.

I've been in contact with DD, and they asked me to keep them posted before warranty runs out, and to try some garlic extract. I'm feeding the usual mix of eight or so frozen cubes, three varieties of LRS and two of Rod's Food, Ocean Nutrition pellets (mixed; formulae one and two) and flake. The other fish in the tank are aggressive chow hounds.

~Bruce

ihavecrabs · May 2, 2018

Maritimer said:
I'd missed my kole tang, and when I thought about restocking my tank, well, I can't imagine it without one (or a few others who're sorely missed as well . . . )

Then I read about the state of affairs in Hawai'i, where kole tangs come from.

Saw a couple on Divers' Den, and then they had a sale . . .

Several fish came home to QT, and most are doing well - except the kole tang, who is, while swimming slowly and gracefully, not eating and making, for lack of a better terminology, "coughing" motions with her mouth. I see no signs of spotting, nor is she swimming into flow, but rather lazily weaving through the PVC fittings she fits in. Video below, watch for the coughing toward the end, and I'm grateful for any insight.

I've been in contact with DD, and they asked me to keep them posted before warranty runs out, and to try some garlic extract. I'm feeding the usual mix of eight or so frozen cubes, three varieties of LRS and two of Rod's Food, Ocean Nutrition pellets (mixed; formulae one and two) and flake. The other fish in the tank are aggressive chow hounds.

~Bruce

Hmm can you try nori rubberbanded to pvc or a dry rock? They are grazers so it may be that'll help.

As for the mouth motions I am unsure.

melypr1985 · May 2, 2018

That is odd. I'm not sure I've seen that exact thing before. Usually when you think of things to do with the mouth it's fluke related (such as yawning or gasping). There is an odd growth that can happen in these bristletooth tangs. While I've seen several of these, they are few and far between and I can't recall what it is or how to treat it. I would start with the freshwater dip on him and see what comes off - if anything. Go from there.

paphater · May 2, 2018

This probably won't help but my diamond goby made the same mouth movements when he went after a bristle worm. Obviously not likely a bristle worm since he is in your QT.

Big G · May 2, 2018

Here's an interesting post from a couple of years ago. There was some comments about LRS and other foods getting wedged into the fish's mouth.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/anyone-ever-have-a-fish-choke-to-death.253042/

Greenstreet.1 · May 2, 2018

I see some spots on the tail can’t really tell what it is about 26-30 sec into the vid I kind of see something coming from the mouth area also take a closer look at the top lip.

HotRocks · May 3, 2018

Bruce,
I don't have much insight to offer. I have several tangs, Kole included. You might find this interesting, as all of mine eat a mix of prepared frozen like pigs. I have a desjardini who used to eat frozen. Now the fish will not eat anything but nori. He developed HLLE while in QT months ago. I am now beginning to soak nori with zoecon to try and get rid of the HLLE.

Very strange, but it may be worth a shot if you are not already offering. I use ocean nutrition sheets, alternating red/green. Wishing you the best of luck!

Maritimer · May 3, 2018

Thanks, everyone ...

Greenstreet.1 - She does have a few dots of what appear to be Lymphocystis on the edge of her tail, I don't see anything on her upper jaw in person, other than her toothrows ... but will keep an eye on that area. Her toothrows do seem unusually prominent, even for a Ctenochaetus.

Will drop some red nori in this morning - 'cause what's it gonna hurt, right? There's an old frag-plug in the tank, with a growth of GHA on it, which she's shown no interest in.

Can have a go at a freshwater dip this evening - forgot to mention that they got a dose of General Cure on Saturday, with a followup last night. No noticeable effect.

Any possibility this is "suppressed" velvet or ich, the kind that attacks the gills without any real symptoms?

~Bruce

melypr1985 · May 3, 2018

Maritimer said:
Her toothrows do seem unusually prominent, even for a Ctenochaetus.

Possibly just bucktoothed a bit? I had a blonde naso tang at the shop who appeared very buck-toothed. I named him "Buckie" and he now lives in a 300 gallon tank. I don't recall him making that motion with his mouth, but it was well over a year ago that I last saw him in person.

Humblefish · May 3, 2018

Bruce, how well did you dissolve the General Cure before dosing it? Back before I used a fine mesh net to slowly express it into the water, every now & then a fish would eat some of the undissolved powder and have a similar coughing/yawing reaction.

code4 · May 4, 2018

How is she doing today Bruce? Pulling for the little gal.

Shelley

Maritimer · May 4, 2018

Still about the same.

I didn't get to do the FW dip last night, as I also had a water-change to get through - and then "life" intervened, as it has a way of doing. @Humblefish, I dose powdered meds into the side area of my Aqua-Clear, where they generally sit and simmer until dissolved.

I do see some "kiss-marks" on the top of one of the PVC fittings, where diatoms are starting to grow ... but that's not going to be enough.

Red nori with garlic drops, banded to a bit of pukani rubble, went ignored through yesterday.

~Bruce

Humblefish · May 4, 2018

Bruce, do you have any LRS Herbivore Frenzy? My tangs in QT seem to go crazy over that, so it might be worth a shot.

Maritimer · May 4, 2018

I do, and it's among five "premium blends" I've offered in rotation - with the same lackluster results. This morning was Rod's Herbivore, which was received with equal enthusiasm.

Below is a quick video from this evening - not a ton of time, as I'm home just about long enough to turn around and go off to the other job, but she was in the front of the tank, so . . .

Her breathing seems a bit more labored today.

~Bruce

lagatbezan · May 4, 2018

My Kole tang was extremely shy and skiddish the whole time it was in my qt and would go into hiding as soon as I would walk into the room. It never ate any prepared food from the water colum either. Finally 3 weeks into the qt it finally started pecking a little over the tank here and there but still didn't touch prepared or nori. It finally accepted prepared food only after qt was done and it was transferred into my dt.
You can also try feeding after the qt light turn off with only ambient lights on? It might help it feel a little more secure. Hopefully yours will adjust soon.