What does my yellow mimic tang have?

[MLaura]

Hi my yellow mimic tang is looking like this for a week or so, it doesn't have any other symptoms for ich (like scratch or head tilt) but I think one or two of my other fish have ick, I'm trying to managing it with a UV lamp and vitamins and garlic... But is this ich on my tang? He is eating like a pig and happy as normal. I have him for 5 or 6 years now and I love him so much :,(

 

[MnFish1]

Do you know the parameters in your tank. It almost looks like stings from a coral or something - but odd to see so many. Sometimes Ich can cause local bacterial issues - or some fish react differently to Ich. Since other fish in the tank have it, it's tempting to figure out 1 cause for both. Any more information you can give? @vetteguy53081 has 10,000 tangs - lets ask him. @Jay Hemdal as well

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi my yellow mimic tang is looking like this for a week or so, it doesn't have any other symptoms for ich (like scratch or head tilt) but I think one or two of my other fish have ick, I'm trying to managing it with a UV lamp and vitamins and garlic... But is this ich on my tang? He is eating like a pig and happy as normal. I have him for 5 or 6 years now and I love him so much :,(

Chocolate tangs are susceptible to flukes and even brooklynella. This patchiness looks like Brrok on a tang and is best treatable with Ruby Rally pro starting with a 60-90 minute bath then 30 day treatment in the acriflavine. The Ruby treatment will take a couple of days to show results but should clear this fish up
Add aeration during treatment

 

[MnFish1]

Chocolate tangs are susceptible to flukes and even brooklynella. This patchiness looks like Brrok on a tang and is best treatable with Ruby Rally pro starting with a 60-90 minute bath then 30 day treatment in the acriflavine. The Ruby treatment will take a couple of days to show results but should clear this fish up
Add aeration during treatment

I think this was a mimic tang

 

[vetteguy53081]

I think this was a mimic tang

Mimic tang is a chocolate tang - I have one. They are known by 3 names: Mimic Lemon Peel - Mimic surgeon and chocolate
Here is mine (same markings):

 

[MLaura]

Chocolate tangs are susceptible to flukes and even brooklynella. This patchiness looks like Brrok on a tang and is best treatable with Ruby Rally pro starting with a 60-90 minute bath then 30 day treatment in the acriflavine. The Ruby treatment will take a couple of days to show results but should clear this fish up
Add aeration during treatment

Thank you very much for your quick response, would Brook kill like very quickly or give other symptoms? He has those patchs for a week or so and no other symptoms…
I have a pair of clowns in that tank and they have nothing…
Do the acriflavine treatment needs to be given in QT?
I’m not sure if I can grab them easily.
He has flukes before and my cleaner wrasse took care of it… and he still around so not likely to be flukes…

 

[MLaura]

Thank you very much for your quick response, would Brook kill like very quickly or give other symptoms? He has those patchs for a week or so and no other symptoms…
I have a pair of clowns in that tank and they have nothing…
Do the acriflavine treatment needs to be given in QT?
I’m not sure if I can grab them easily.
He has flukes before and my cleaner wrasse took care of it… and he still around so not likely to be flukes…

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you very much for your quick response, would Brook kill like very quickly or give other symptoms? He has those patchs for a week or so and no other symptoms…
I have a pair of clowns in that tank and they have nothing…
Do the acriflavine treatment needs to be given in QT?
I’m not sure if I can grab them easily.
He has flukes before and my cleaner wrasse took care of it… and he still around so not likely to be flukes…

Acriflavine can be used safely in display tank and the brook on a tang is not like on a clown which displays heavy mucus. I had a powder brown with the same look a while back and Ruby Rally took care of it. Cleaner wrasse will pick at fluke worms but not erradicate the issue.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

That isn't Booklynella. Those discolored "halos" are caused by single parasites - either ich or flukes.

Ich does not look the same on every fish. If you have seen ich spots on other fish, I would bet that this tang has it also. Sounds like "ich management" isn't keeping up with the reproduction of the parasites. You could try siphoning the tank sand every night to remove more of the reproductive tomonts.

Jay

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Mimic tang is a chocolate tang - I have one. They are known by 3 names: Mimic Lemon Peel - Mimic surgeon and chocolate
Here is mine (same markings):

R u sure? Lol

 

[MLaura]

That isn't Booklynella. Those discolored "halos" are caused by single parasites - either ich or flukes.

Ich does not look the same on every fish. If you have seen ich spots on other fish, I would bet that this tang has it also. Sounds like "ich management" isn't keeping up with the reproduction of the parasites. You could try siphoning the tank sand every night to remove more of the reproductive tomonts.

Jay

Thank you so much, I do suspect of ich, the guy now (is night now and lights are off) he is absolutely clean I'm assuming night bed mucus... But I do have a young emperor scratching a bit his head and a Blenny that sometimes show spots on fins... dang it!

I have a 138 uk gallons (620l) tank and I'm using a Vectron 600 UV lamp 230V and 36-38w, would that be enough?
Should I go hiposalinity too?

 

[MnFish1]

R u sure? Lol

Suggest you follow @Jay Hemdal 's advice. To me this is not brooklynella.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you so much, I do suspect of ich, the guy now (is night now and lights are off) he is absolutely clean I'm assuming night bed mucus... But I do have a young emperor scratching a bit his head and a Blenny that sometimes show spots on fins... dang it!

I have a 138 uk gallons (620l) tank and I'm using a Vectron 600 UV lamp 230V and 36-38w, would that be enough?
Should I go hiposalinity too?

UV often won’t control ich, not all theronts are killed, and the disease can often continue.
You might have a mixed infection of ich and flukes. Hyposalinity will control both at once, so as long as there are no invertebrates in the tank, that could be a good option. Here is a post I made about that:

Hyposalinity

Hyposalinity Jay Hemdal 2024 This term refers to a long-term bath treatment for marine fishes in which the salt content of the water is lowered and held below the point that certain parasites can survive. The salt level reached, and the time of the treatment are the two variables...

www.reef2reef.com

Jay

 

[Rmckoy]

I think this was a mimic tang

I thought Chocolate and mimic were the same fish sharing the same names

 

[MnFish1]

I thought Chocolate and mimic were the same fish sharing the same names

You're correct - the OP said a 'yellow mimic tang' I misread it as something else

 

[JGT]

I thought Chocolate and mimic were the same fish sharing the same names

My understanding is that a mimic yellow is a juvenile and as it matures, it’s colors change and is then called a chocolate tang.

 

[Rmckoy]

My understanding is that a mimic yellow is a juvenile and as it matures, it’s colors change and is then called a chocolate tang.

The yellow mimic I believe mimics the yellow angelfish ?
I can’t remember exactly

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

The yellow mimic I believe mimics the yellow angelfish ?
I can’t remember exactly

There are a number of tangs where the juveniles are yellow - including the Atlantic blue tang. I'm not sure of the biological adaptation for that in all of them, but for Acanthurus pyroferus, the fish here, as a juvenile, it mimics three different pygmy angels, depending on here it was found: half-black, yellow angel and the lemon peel angel. There is another species of tang, Acanthurus tristis that mimics the Eibli angelfish. The mimicry is based on the fact that predators have a difficult time catching and eating pygmy angels, so looking like one allows the tangs some safety.

Jay