Spots on Sailfin Tang

[dkegflorida]

My sailfin tang went through copper treatment for 2 weeks but 5 days after putting in my DT he developed spots. It looks like something attached at each spot. My local store didnt know what it was. He is eating well and acting normal. No flashing.

Its a fish only 550g tank with a clown, cardinal, naso tang, sohal tang and valmaningi tang. The spots started Monday and no other fish have them as of yesterday. The sohal tang picked on the sailfin the first 3 days and hasnt after that.

 

[threebuoys]

Two possibilities,

the copper treatment was not effective because either the concentration used was not high enough ( for Coppersafe and Copper Power the target is 2.50 ppm measured with a reliable test kit) or not long enough (30 days is our protocol)

or,

the blemishes are mucus secretions at the sites where the original parasites were attached.

Solution? Either retreat using the full QT protocol, or take a wait and see posture to see if additional spots appear or if the current spots come and go.

If it is mucus, the spots should remain in place until the sores are healed. If it is ich, the spots will come and go as the parasites progress through their life cycle quickly increasing in number.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

+1 on what @threebuoys said - something got through your quarantine. What you are seeing is a black granulation ring around a center parasite or irritation. The ring is the fish's reaction to the infection/irritation. It is difficult to say what the sports are - could be ich that got through because the copper wasn't run long enough. It could also be a reaction of the skin to the presence of flukes. If the latter, you can treat the fish in place, with Prazipro.

Here is what I would do. You have a good picture of the left side of the fish. Take another picture tomorrow (assuming the fish is still eating, not breathing fast, etc.) Then - compare the two pictures. If the spots are in roughly the same number, and in the same location, you can rule out ich. Then, you can treat the tank 2x with Prazipro, with good aeration, 8 days apart. If the spots are in different locations and in different numbers, then it is ich and you may have an issue with the other fish getting sick (but they've already been exposed by now, so no rush in pulling the tang).

Jay

 

[dkegflorida]

+1 on what @threebuoys said - something got through your quarantine. What you are seeing is a black granulation ring around a center parasite or irritation. The ring is the fish's reaction to the infection/irritation. It is difficult to say what the sports are - could be ich that got through because the copper wasn't run long enough. It could also be a reaction of the skin to the presence of flukes. If the latter, you can treat the fish in place, with Prazipro.

Here is what I would do. You have a good picture of the left side of the fish. Take another picture tomorrow (assuming the fish is still eating, not breathing fast, etc.) Then - compare the two pictures. If the spots are in roughly the same number, and in the same location, you can rule out ich. Then, you can treat the tank 2x with Prazipro, with good aeration, 8 days apart. If the spots are in different locations and in different numbers, then it is ich and you may have an issue with the other fish getting sick (but they've already been exposed by now, so no rush in pulling the tang).

Jay

Here is are pics from 10am Thursday and 10am friday . I am out of town until tomorrow night so I cant check. He is still eating well.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Here is are pics from 10am Thursday and 10am friday . I am out of town until tomorrow night so I cant check. He is still eating well.

IDK - some new spots there, I'd say in this case, you can't rule out marine ich.

Jay

 

[dkegflorida]

IDK - some new spots there, I'd say in this case, you can't rule out marine ich.

Jay

I put him back in copper power friday (measured daily using Hanna) and today the spots are almost all gone. I will continue for a total of 30 days. Thank you!

 

[Tonycass12]

I put him back in copper power friday (measured daily using Hanna) and today the spots are almost all gone. I will continue for a total of 30 days. Thank you!

Did you remove your other fish as well? If your assuming this is ich the fish has already introduced it to your aquarium. You will need to pull and treat all your fish and let the tank go fishless for 60+days to eradicate it. I did 100days on my system while all my fish went through a 30 day copper treatment and another 60 days of observation and ich has never returned.

 

[dkegflorida]

Did you remove your other fish as well? If your assuming this is ich the fish has already introduced it to your aquarium. You will need to pull and treat all your fish and let the tank go fishless for 60+days to eradicate it. I did 100days on my system while all my fish went through a 30 day copper treatment and another 60 days of observation and ich has never returned.

I ended up doing copper in the DT. Its fish only and I dont have the capacity to QT all 6 fish. The fish are large - 6” to 10”.

 

[dkegflorida]

I ended up doing copper in the DT. Its fish only and I dont have the capacity to QT all 6 fish. The fish are large - 6” to 10”.

Here is the sailfin now Looking much better

 

[threebuoys]

I ended up doing copper in the DT. Its fish only and I dont have the capacity to QT all 6 fish. The fish are large - 6” to 10”.

If you have any calcareous rock (calcium based, e.g. dead coral, live rock, aragonite sand), be sure to test your copper concentration daily. These materials will absorb copper quick enough that your concentration may drop below the 2.25 - 2.50 ppm recommended level.

 

[dkegflorida]

If you have any calcareous rock (calcium based, e.g. dead coral, live rock, aragonite sand), be sure to test your copper concentration daily. These materials will absorb copper quick enough that your concentration may drop below the 2.25 - 2.50 ppm recommended level.

Understood. I am testing daily and had to add a little copper yesterday and today so far.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Understood. I am testing daily and had to add a little copper yesterday and today so far.

Also, don’t be too surprised if the spots return and then go away again, that’s how the ich life cycle often plays out.
Jay

 

[dkegflorida]

Also, don’t be too surprised if the spots return and then go away again, that’s how the ich life cycle often plays out.
Jay

Since this is my DT, how long would you recommend I keep the copper levels up? 30 days? 60 days? To make sure the ich is completely gone.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Since this is my DT, how long would you recommend I keep the copper levels up? 30 days? 60 days? To make sure the ich is completely gone.

This has been an on going question and it does not have an answer - if the maximum fallow period is 75 days, and copper does not kill the resting tomont stage, an argument can be made that the tank could still be infective after a 30 day copper treatment. In my experience though, going with copper for 30 days beyond the date that the last spots were seen on the fish will work.
I’ve run coppersafe for as long as 4 months and did not see any issues, but I’d still be cautious .
Jay

 

[dkegflorida]

This has been an on going question and it does not have an answer - if the maximum fallow period is 75 days, and copper does not kill the resting tomont stage, an argument can be made that the tank could still be infective after a 30 day copper treatment. In my experience though, going with copper for 30 days beyond the date that the last spots were seen on the fish will work.
I’ve run coppersafe for as long as 4 months and did not see any issues, but I’d still be cautious .
Jay

Thank you for the info Jay. I will go with 30-45 days after last spot seen. Question - I have new tang that has been in copper in my QT for one week. He looks good and doing fine. Since my DT will be copper for a while, whats your opinion on putting him in the DT?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you for the info Jay. I will go with 30-45 days after last spot seen. Question - I have new tang that has been in copper in my QT for one week. He looks good and doing fine. Since my DT will be copper for a while, whats your opinion on putting him in the DT?

I think moving it would be fine for protozoan issues, but what if it has flukes? Perhaps you could dose it with prazi and then move it?
Jay