Kole tang in trouble

Steve1500 · Feb 18, 2019

Had in QT for about one month where I dosed w praz, copper power and metro. Looked good but when I put him in the DT he got beat up by the yellow tang. They both went in the DT the same day. Yellow was transferred from my old DT into this new one. All other fish are doing well. He is lethargic and His fins look tattered but no signs other than that. Should I pull him out? Treatment? Thanks.

He has not moved from this spot in a while and is keeling to his side

If I move him, I only have two options. I have a 30G QT with a fox face and a trigger in it right now. Copper is at 1.79. I am concerned about the stress of the trigger and the copper. Just reached therapeutic yesterday.

The other option is a second 10G QT where I have 3 small banghai cardinals also in copper. These fish have been in the copper bath for about 10 days.

If I have to pull him, Which is the lesser of two evil QTs?

EDIT: Other than fish and two shrimp, there is nothing else in the DT he is "living" in. No corals yet. Can I treat in this DT if I do water changes before I add corals? I did some research and think this may be a bacterial or fluke issue. For bacterial, is the trifecta (metro, furan and kanaplex) going to hurt other fish?

RMS18 · Feb 18, 2019

I would not put him into a tank with copper, that would only add to the stress he is under. I would pull him and place him in a acclimation box. Or put the yellow tang in the acclimation box.

Steve1500 · Feb 18, 2019

Bmwm235i said:
I would not put him into a tank with copper, that would only add to the stress he is under. I would pull him and place him in a acclimation box. Or put the yellow tang in the acclimation box.

Thanks for the quick reply. Do you suspect any diseases like bacteria or flukes? The yellow does not seem to be bothering him anymore and that is what concerns me.

Royal_T · Feb 18, 2019

Use a mirror to keep the Yellow tang busy.

BestMomEver · Feb 18, 2019

See if you can find an acclimation box. A freshwater breeder box will suffice if it’s big enough. I love koles and have lost two recently. I pride myself in being good at keeping tangs, so it was a real blow. I am staying away from koles cause I can’t stand the idea of losing another. If you can get him out and away from the yellow, he’ll probably be ok. Better yet, remove the yellow and give the Kole time to establish himself.

Good luck!

LBReefer · Feb 18, 2019

Steve1500 said:
Had in QT for about one month where I dosed w praz, copper power and metro. Looked good but when I put him in the DT he got beat up by the yellow tang. They both went in the DT the same day. Yellow was transferred from my old DT into this new one. All other fish are doing well. He is lethargic and His fins look tattered but no signs other than that. Should I pull him out? Treatment? Thanks.

He has not moved from this spot in a while and is keeling to his side

If I move him, I only have two options. I have a 30G QT with a fox face and a trigger in it right now. Copper is at 1.79. I am concerned about the stress of the trigger and the copper. Just reached therapeutic yesterday.

The other option is a second 10G QT where I have 3 small banghai cardinals also in copper. These fish have been in the copper bath for about 10 days.

If I have to pull him, Which is the lesser of two evil QTs?

EDIT: Other than fish and two shrimp, there is nothing else in the DT he is "living" in. No corals yet. Can I treat in this DT if I do water changes before I add corals? I did some research and think this may be a bacterial or fluke issue. For bacterial, is the trifecta (metro, furan and kanaplex) going to hurt other fish?

The copper will soak into your rocks and sand, which will in turn leach back out continously over the next couple of years. It will also kill your inverts.

I'd get a cheap 10 gallon setup from one of the big box stores and isolate him for a while. Feed nori cautiously. It can make a mess and quickly overload the ability of your bacteria to process ammonia.

I have a kole eye in with a Blond Naso and my Yellow Tang and they're awful to the Kole Eye. Now I can get thr Kole Eye out to rehome him.

Royal_T · Feb 18, 2019

$10 Faunarium works good for an acclimation box or make something similar out of a tupperware container. Direct the return right into the top of the box.

Steve1500 · Feb 18, 2019

i doubt he is going make it. I found him stuck against the powerhead. Pulled him and put him in an acclimation box. I might try meth blue for injuries, but he looks like a goner.