Purple Tang with discoloration

[gonzo256]

I have had this Purple Tang in main display tank for about 10 months now. He developed HLLE while in quarantine due to an ick outbreak in QT. He was QT for about 8 weeks. I have been adding selcon to the food ever since, his HLLE hasn't gotten any worse, but hasn't really been any better. Today, I noticed these discoloration spots. He hasn't been flashing, and he's active and eating and he hasn't been hanging out in the flow generators.

I have other tangs in the tank including a Powder blue and a couple of Regal Tangs. They all look healthy.

Tank Parameters
Salt: 1.026
Ammonia: 0.0
Nitrite: 0.0
Nitrate: <5.0
pH: 8.1-8.22
dKh: 8.9

The only real change in the aquarium is that I moved to Trition Core7 dosing about 2 weeks ago after a 12 week conversion. Should i be concerned?

 

[Crabs McJones]

I have had this Purple Tang in main display tank for about 10 months now. He developed HLLE while in quarantine due to an ick outbreak in QT. He was QT for about 8 weeks. I have been adding selcon to the food ever since, his HLLE hasn't gotten any worse, but hasn't really been any better. Today, I noticed these discoloration spots. He hasn't been flashing, and he's active and eating and he hasn't been hanging out in the flow generators.

I have other tangs in the tank including a Powder blue and a couple of Regal Tangs. They all look healthy.

Tank Parameters
Salt: 1.026
Ammonia: 0.0
Nitrite: 0.0
Nitrate: <5.0
pH: 8.1-8.22
dKh: 8.9

The only real change in the aquarium is that I moved to Trition Core7 dosing about 2 weeks ago after a 12 week conversion. Should i be concerned?

Have you introduced any new corals into the tank that she may have brushed up against? Is this on both sides of the body or only one side? And are you sure she isn't getting bullied?

 

[gonzo256]

No new corals. I purposefully stopped adding corals in July in preparation for the Triton migration. There are some aggressive species or corals like Galaxia, Hammers, Torch, and while I have tried to kill all aiptasia on sight there may be some out of sight (there's about 200 lbs of rock in this tank). The discoloration is on both sides, the left is worse than the right. It's the largest in fish in the tank, and definitely the largest tang. The purple tang some times goes to nip at the powder blue (which is about 1/3 the size), but other than that nothing really bullies it, more the other way around.

Have you introduced any new corals into the tank that she may have brushed up against? Is this on both sides of the body or only one side? And are you sure she isn't getting bullied?

 

[Crabs McJones]

No new corals. I purposefully stopped adding corals in July in preparation for the Triton migration. There are some aggressive species or corals like Galaxia, Hammers, Torch, and while I have tried to kill all aiptasia on sight there may be some out of sight (there's about 200 lbs of rock in this tank). The discoloration is on both sides, the left is worse than the right. It's the largest in fish in the tank, and definitely the largest tang. The purple tang some times goes to nip at the powder blue (which is about 1/3 the size), but other than that nothing really bullies it, more the other way around.

Well, lets see if someone from #reefsquad or if @4FordFamily might know

 

[gonzo256]

Funny how things change in short period of time. Most of the discoloration has diminished, there are few faint spots, but all in all it's looking fine. I'll update tomorrow.

 

[justinm]

Does it look like the flesh is peeling away or just a blotch? Hyper-Melanization would more than likely be a dark color and not a white blotch.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Funny how things change in short period of time. Most of the discoloration has diminished, there are few faint spots, but all in all it's looking fine. I'll update tomorrow.

Possibly just stress

 

[gonzo256]

Nope, no flesh peeling. I have noticed though since moving to Triton, there’s not as much algae build up on the rocks, so I’m thinking I need to add more seaweed and more varieties to their diet.

Does it look like the flesh is peeling away or just a blotch? Hyper-Melanization would more than likely be a dark color and not a white blotch.

 

[justinm]

You can definitely see his lateral line so more algae will definitely help. It almost looks as if it was a bacterial infection. If it’s improving, I would just keep an eye on it.

You did mention he had ich so it’s possible a small infection was caused by the trophonts.

 

[gonzo256]

I went back and checked my quarantine notes. Ich started 5 days after adding to quarantine (probably from the naso tang that developed it first at day 2), ran copper for 25 days, with numerous water changes during that time period checking copper levels daily. All visible signs of Ich were gone on QT day 11. HLLE started at QT day 17. Stopped copper on day 26, added fresh carbon and a 70% water change. Day 33, replaced carbon, 25% water change copper readings were zero. It remained in QT for 90 days total with no signs of Ich after Day 11. It has been in the main display tank for 9 months and 22 days.

Starting today I've increased the seaweed by 25% and will probably start giving it daily rather than 3 times/week. It's probably about time for me to replace the carbon in the reactor as well.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

You can definitely see his lateral line so more algae will definitely help. It almost looks as if it was a bacterial infection. If it’s improving, I would just keep an eye on it.

You did mention he had ich so it’s possible a small infection was caused by the trophonts.

 

[4FordFamily]

First I’ll affress HLLE. HLLE “recovery” is aided greatly in tangs with nutrition. The most important staple of their diet is greens and the most important green is algae. Nori should be offered daily and I would offer both green and red.

Regarding the discoloration, that really looks like damage from a tassel with a fish. As aggressive as purple tangs can be, a powder blue is an entirely new league of nasty. They can and will slash anything that poses a threat, and many aren’t intimidating by much larger tangs. I’m fairly certain that those marks are from a disagreement with a PBT. Purple are known for starting fights, but a powder blue will not hesiatate to finish it. They’re trigger happy and very aggressive. I’ve seen a 3.5” PBT bully a 7” sailfin and 8” naso in my own tank years ago.

Guessing everyone will heal up well. Watch the behavior of the PBT, that pecking order may have just changed..

 

[gonzo256]

I can't help but get a little bit of a chuckle out of the pecking order; it makes me think of my dogs for some reason. The PT is a good size maybe 7 inch or so and the PBT is maybe 2.5. I have a yellow chromis that's bigger than the PBT. I haven't noticed the PBT finishing anything, it normally bolts off into the rock work, the PT in pursuit. What happens after that ????, only the underpants gnomes know.

I'm going to start stacking purple, red, and green nori into the seaweed grazers and watch them be fatties.

First I’ll affress HLLE. HLLE “recovery” is aided greatly in tangs with nutrition. The most important staple of their diet is greens and the most important green is algae. Nori should be offered daily and I would offer both green and red.

Regarding the discoloration, that really looks like damage from a tassel with a fish. As aggressive as purple tangs can be, a powder blue is an entirely new league of nasty. They can and will slash anything that poses a threat, and many aren’t intimidating by much larger tangs. I’m fairly certain that those marks are from a disagreement with a PBT. Purple are known for starting fights, but a powder blue will not hesiatate to finish it. They’re trigger happy and very aggressive. I’ve seen a 3.5” PBT bully a 7” sailfin and 8” naso in my own tank years ago.

Guessing everyone will heal up well. Watch the behavior of the PBT, that pecking order may have just changed..

 

[4FordFamily]

I can't help but get a little bit of a chuckle out of the pecking order; it makes me think of my dogs for some reason. The PT is a good size maybe 7 inch or so and the PBT is maybe 2.5. I have a yellow chromis that's bigger than the PBT. I haven't noticed the PBT finishing anything, it normally bolts off into the rock work, the PT in pursuit. What happens after that ????, only the underpants gnomes know.

I'm going to start stacking purple, red, and green nori into the seaweed grazers and watch them be fatties.

I mean typically a PBT wouldn’t challenge a fish that size but if a scuffle started and an easy getaway wasn’t accessible — it’d be slash time!