What disease is this?

[hmfaysal]

Just found out my tang like this. It’s a very active fish. Was very healthy till this morning. I heard it splashing water at night, saw it like this after lights came on. Can someone help me identify the disease? Thanks

 

[Ben.QLD2]

Parameters please. Any new additions to the tank? Respiration rate? Other fish symptomatic? At first glance, it looks a bit like velvet or brooklynella, but could be environmental also. More info may help.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Just found out my tang like this. It’s a very active fish. Was very healthy till this morning. I heard it splashing water at night, saw it like this after lights came on. Can someone help me identify the disease? Thanks

From your description it could have jumped and gotten hung up in some rocks, damaging its skin. However, more information and a short video would be helpful. That all is discussed here:

Some Helpful Hints When Posting or Responding to Threads in the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Section

Aquarium Fish Disease Problem Solving Determining the best course of action for a problem with your aquarium can be a difficult task. Even advanced aquarists will often need to seek the help of others for complicated or unique issues. Our intent here on Reef 2 Reef is to offer expert advice...

www.reef2reef.com

Jay

 

[hmfaysal]

Parameters please. Any new additions to the tank? Respiration rate? Other fish symptomatic? At first glance, it looks a bit like velvet or brooklynella, but could be environmental also. More info may help.

Salinity: 1.023 sg
PH: 8.3
Nitrate: 52.5
Phosphate: 0.34
Alkalinity: 7.7 dkh
Did not measure Calcium and Magnesium. My blue throat trigger passed away last night. Addition wise, added 6 hermit crabs, and one powder blue, which contracted ich after being bullied by the yellow-purple tang duo, and passed away. Powder blue was QTed. While I was changing water and cleaning out the tank, I found 5 of the hermit crabs dead in the same cave, also one fish half rotten. Can't id the dead fish. The cave belongs to either the damsels or the six line wrasse.

As you can see, yeah, the fishes were in quite a bit of stress.

 

[hmfaysal]

From your description it could have jumped and gotten hung up in some rocks, damaging its skin. However, more information and a short video would be helpful. That all is discussed here:

Some Helpful Hints When Posting or Responding to Threads in the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Section

Aquarium Fish Disease Problem Solving Determining the best course of action for a problem with your aquarium can be a difficult task. Even advanced aquarists will often need to seek the help of others for complicated or unique issues. Our intent here on Reef 2 Reef is to offer expert advice...

www.reef2reef.com

Jay

I really hope its just some minor damage as you mentioned. I am treating it in a QT tank with a mild dosage of Melafix and Cupramine. Hope it survives. One of my favorite fishes. It used to eat like a pig, this fish single handedly saved many of my fishes. Most of the finicky eaters learn to eat from it. Its quite large, almost touching 8 inches at barely 6 months of age. Although I am not quite sure what kind of tang it is, very nice temperament for a tang, chill with other tangs and fishes. Breaks out fights in the tank.

I know fishes die. But I cannot think about this one dying.

Also, no ammonia in tank, I have an extensive filtration system. Just for the last couple of weeks, the nitrate and phosphate levels were out of whack. I found out the cause today, at least one fish and 5 hermit crabs were rotting in a cave, looks like the cave belong to somebody and cuc were not allowed in it.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I really hope its just some minor damage as you mentioned. I am treating it in a QT tank with a mild dosage of Melafix and Cupramine. Hope it survives. One of my favorite fishes. It used to eat like a pig, this fish single handedly saved many of my fishes. Most of the finicky eaters learn to eat from it. Its quite large, almost touching 8 inches at barely 6 months of age. Although I am not quite sure what kind of tang it is, very nice temperament for a tang, chill with other tangs and fishes. Breaks out fights in the tank.

I know fishes die. But I cannot think about this one dying.

Also, no ammonia in tank, I have an extensive filtration system. Just for the last couple of weeks, the nitrate and phosphate levels were out of whack. I found out the cause today, at least one fish and 5 hermit crabs were rotting in a cave, looks like the cave belong to somebody and cuc were not allowed in it.

The trigger dying rules out an injury in my opinion - there is more likely a disease going on here, don’t dose a minor dose of Cupramine, you need to be at a full dose. Partial doses have no benefit.
What was the other fish that died?
Can you please post a video of the tang?
Jay

 

[hmfaysal]

The trigger dying rules out an injury in my opinion - there is more likely a disease going on here, don’t dose a minor dose of Cupramine, you need to be at a full dose. Partial doses have no benefit.
What was the other fish that died?
Can you please post a video of the tang?
Jay

Hi Jay, thanks for all the advices. I haven't taken a video of the tang before moving it to QT, the lights are out now. I will try to get a video tomorrow, although the walls of the QT container is opaque. Can I go full dose of Cupramine straight away? I am following the label on the bottle, which says to go half dose first, then put the remaining half after 2 days.

Many thanks, looks like most of the fishes in the QT are acting normal. I currently have this tang, one juvenile emperor, foxface, cleaner wrasse, hippo tang in the qt together. There are a lot of other fishes in the DT, couldn't catch all of them in one go. DT is a mess now.

I have no idea which fish the carcass belonged to. My clown tang went missing, but that happened 2 months ago give or take. Also it did not look anything like the clown tang, the body was quite small. IDK, genuinely confused.