Scarring on Achilles tang's mouth?!

[Theclutziestspazzofaninja]

Hello!
I just purchased an Achilles tang four days ago, and for the past three he has been doing exceptionally well. I've only seen ick on the fish twice and it has cleared up quickly both times after feeding the tank a little frozen food soaked in garlic. Yesterday he began eating much better than he had been the other days and was becoming less shy and more active, but today when I went to check on him his mouth was white and swollen. He ate a couple flakes, but otherwise seemed very un-interested and a bit lethargic. All the other fish in the tank look fine, and no one has messed with the new arrival, so I don't think he was being bullied at any point in the night. The Achilles also isn't showing signs of ick at the moment, so could this be something else?
I'm doing a water change ASAP, but is there anything else I can do?
Thanks!

Ps. I attached a couple pictures in hopes they might help identify the problem. They are a little blurry since I took them with my phone, but you can see how white his mouth is. Also, I forgot to mention this before (and I'm not even sure it matters) but he's relatively small...4 inches (about the size of my full grown occellaris female).

 

[Liquid360]

Do you have the ability to QT her?


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[Theclutziestspazzofaninja]

Unfortunately no, and the Achilles didn't end up making it. The situation just got worse and worse over the course of the day. :'(

 

[Liquid360]

Sad!! I'm so sorry to hear that!! I know they're very difficult fish... sorry I couldn't be of more assistance.

Unfortunately no, and the Achilles didn't end up making it. The situation just got worse and worse over the course of the day. :'(

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[Theclutziestspazzofaninja]

Sad!! I'm so sorry to hear that!! I know they're very difficult fish... sorry I couldn't be of more assistance.
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Thanks,
It was horrible to see such a beautiful, and one of my favorite, fish die...

 

[Liquid360]

Yeah it for sure makes you feel helpless! You probably already know this but they do best in a 200+g tank that's very established. My bro and I gave our father one for a birthday and was handled with kid gloves after 30 days in a quarantine tank. I'm not sure if this "normal" but it worked... right up until a few years later he became a meal for a massive carpet anemone.

Thanks,
It was horrible to see such a beautiful, and one of my favorite, fish die...

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[Theclutziestspazzofaninja]

Yeah it for sure makes you feel helpless! You probably already know this but they do best in a 200+g tank that's very established. My bro and I gave our father one for a birthday and was handled with kid gloves after 30 days in a quarantine tank. I'm not sure if this "normal" but it worked... right up until a few years later he became a meal for a massive carpet anemone.




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That's horrible the tang got eaten!!! Yeah, I might try one again a little way down the road... I also would like to set-up a quarantine tank, but I don't buy things often enough for it to really be practical.

 

[Liquid360]

Yeah turns out the carpet had been feeding on many "lost" fish.
Well I've setup a 30g w a single large piece of live rock and a powerhead and use it as a Pod tank/quarantine/hospital tank. I to don't have the desire to maintain a lone hospital tank. Anything going into my tank, fish or coral, stays there for a couple weeks.


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[Theclutziestspazzofaninja]

I might end up setting up something like that. Do you still have the carpet?

 

[Liquid360]

I do! He's doing great and hosting a couple clowns... check them out..
http://youtu.be/V2TV5K8Fzbc

I might end up setting up something like that. Do you still have the carpet?

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[Liquid360]

Oh wait... you meant the tang-eater! Nope my father lost the entire tank in a hurricane. He had redundancy across the board but still lost his entire 30+ year 500g old reef. It destroyed him.


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[Theclutziestspazzofaninja]

Cool nem! That's horrible the tank crashed! That must have been heartbreaking!
Are carpets hard to care for from your experience? I have two RBTAs and have always wanted a carpet, but I'm not sure how the two would do together and carpets seem to have poor survival rates. Do you think so after keeping yours?

 

[Liquid360]

There've been a few stressful moments but seems they were only so for myself and not the carpet. Any problems have been my own paranoia. Honestly I've had no problem at all. When I got him he was near death, shipped in a bag with an inch of the foulest slime I've ever seen. 'twas touch n go for awhile but he's done remarkably well! Took a few more months for my five clowns to warm up but it's all good now. That symbiotic relationship was a big part of what drove me to doing my own tank. I love it!


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[Theclutziestspazzofaninja]

That's great it pulled through! five clowns! That carpet is sure busy! Lol

 

[Liquid360]

The two largest females share it. One acts as backup when the other decides to go for a swim. It's weird they've never displayed any violence towards each other. They just seem to have come to an arrangement... nothing legal I don't believe. Just a fish-fish nonverbal agreement.


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[Theclutziestspazzofaninja]

Haha sounds pretty neat. My clowns are vicious when it comes to fish they don't like, so I know they wouldn't except another clown into their home at this point.