Mimic Tang Disease or Injury

[Midwestreef69]

My Mimic Tang has been in quarantine with no other fish for 20 days without any treatments. Today my Mimic Tang appears to have an extended mouth or an infection. Still chases after food and remains active. Any thoughts?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

That does look like an injury, but I can't explain how it could have happened - the usual cause is being caught in a net. The tang is also breathing heavily, is the tank aerated well? Is the water testing good? Any other fish in the tank with it?

You might consider a broad spectrum, gram negative antibiotic, but that won't address the rapid breathing.

IMO - "observational quarantine" is risky. If the fish develops a disease, you then have to try and stop it after it gets started, as opposed to a preventative quarantine where you stop the disease issue before it gets started. Also, fish can harbor some diseases with no real symptoms. You then think they are "clean" and add them to your display, and the disease gets carried into it.

Jay

 

[Midwestreef69]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

That does look like an injury, but I can't explain how it could have happened - the usual cause is being caught in a net. The tang is also breathing heavily, is the tank aerated well? Is the water testing good? Any other fish in the tank with it?

You might consider a broad spectrum, gram negative antibiotic, but that won't address the rapid breathing.

IMO - "observational quarantine" is risky. If the fish develops a disease, you then have to try and stop it after it gets started, as opposed to a preventative quarantine where you stop the disease issue before it gets started. Also, fish can harbor some diseases with no real symptoms. You then think they are "clean" and add them to your display, and the disease gets carried into it.

Jay

Thx Jay

This is the only fish in the 15 Gallon tank w/ weekly 10% water changes. Which is due in 2 days. Ammonia 0.2, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5 PPM, 8 pH. I have a foam filter and a seachem power filter. I see the tang picking at grow on the foam filter. So my guess is the tang got stuck on the foam filter.

I agree with the treatments just had not started the courses.

Any other thoughts?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I would start an antibiotic treatment, just to try and stop any issues in that regard. 10% weekly water changes won't really control ammonia issues, so you should keep monitoring that...

Jay