Kole Tang turning red in QT

[azbigjohn]

I have 5 Bartlett Anthias and a Kole Tang in QT. All have been eating well. Began ramping coppersafe up to 2.0 7 days ago, hit 2.0 on Wednesday. All Fish are still eating well, but the Kole Tang has begun turning from dark gray to a reddish color. Still eating, appears to be breathing fine, if anything is much more active, swimming back and forth all day
Tank is a 45 gallon tall.

I am fairly certain no ammonia. Did 10 gallon water change Thursday maintining copper levels. Ammonia badge unchanged, and Salifert ammonia test negative (but I know copper can mess with the tests)

Only other change is I'm topping off with salt water, since they arrived at 1.020. In two weeks I'm only up to 1.024, so I can't imagine that's it.

Any thoughts?

 

[Humblefish]

From the pics, it looks like the center of him is turning a reddish-pink color. And there is also a light colored splotch near his gills. Are these accurate observations?

 

[azbigjohn]

From the pics, it looks like the center of him is turning a reddish-pink color. And there is also a light colored splotch near his gills. Are these accurate observations?

I hadn't noticed the light area until you mentioned it, but I just looked, and one side does have a lighter area.

My wife swears he had a red belly when we got him, but I saw him pale out when he first got in the tank, and thought he was dark grey otherwise. I should mention I do not have a light on the tank, and only use ambient room light when observing the tank.

 

[clownsrcool]

My yellow tang would look completely different in the mornings in ambient light than he would when the ATIs turned on. I would say that's most of the difference you are noticing probably.

 

[Brew12]

I have a Kole Tang in copper right now myself. He has gotten a little less gray and more red the longer he has been in my QT. I think this is due to stress reduction and could be a good sign. Mine doesn't seem to be quite as red as yours but I see nothing about my Kole that has me worried.

 

[azbigjohn]

He (she?) Seems good this morning, but still that color. I have found several photos online of red -containing Koles but this just seemed to come out of the blue.

Hopefully it's me just freaking out. This is the very first "buying online fish and QTing correctly" experience, and I want it to go well.

 

[4FordFamily]

They can and do change colors depending on stress and the environment -- do you have an ammonia badge by seachem to test ammonia during copper treatment?

 

[azbigjohn]

I do. I also tested with the Saifert test, although I know coppersafe can mess with some of the test kits.

 

[Brew12]

I do. I also tested with the Saifert test, although I know coppersafe can mess with some of the test kits.

I have Dispar Anthias in my QT right now. It looks like only 3 of the 4 are eating the frozen mysis well. Can I ask what you are feeding yours?

 

[azbigjohn]

San Francisco Bay reef plankton is what they go crazy for now. I started with a live plankton food locally produced, and tried to transition to Cyclops, which didn't excite them much. I was looking for Nutramar Ova locally, or the LRS roe product, and grabbed the plankton mainly because it was in the freezer with a picture of an Anthias on it. Seems like it was a lucky pick. They don't seem interested in mysis at all.

 

[Humblefish]

I think the best thing you can do for right now is chalk up the discoloration to copper stress. But just in case this turns out to be an infection, I would keep at least one antibiotic handy: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/antibiotics.283711/

 

[azbigjohn]

I think the best thing you can do for right now is chalk up the discoloration to copper stress. But just in case this turns out to be an infection, I would keep at least one antibiotic handy: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/antibiotics.283711/

Thanks, @Humblefish ! I will get an antibiotic today and watch closely. I have worked so hard to follow your (and @melypr1985's) advice to do this right this time around, I was worried something big was going wrong.

 

[40B Knasty]

I am by no means a tang expert or even a beginner. Just a thought because I see this with my spotted mandarin. They shed a slime coat over night while snoozing and look really pale in the morning every once and awhile. I don't know if all fish shed there slime coat here and there, but after the reduced stressed level or high stress level of copper. Could that maybe be a reason for color change? I only say this because you mentioned "in the morning."