What to do now?

[AcanthurusRex]

I have a small yellow tang in QT.
I have used CP prophylactically with all new fish. I also do a couple rounds of General Cure. I did GC treatment at the beginning of the CP treatment. I follow the treatment prescribed by Humblefish fairly closely. In this instance, I also did a 3rd round just before I pulled the tang from CP.
Everything looked normal for the first 2 weeks. During the 3rd week, the tangs appetite went down. During the 4th week, the tang quit eating altogether. Heavy respiration.
I pulled the tang a few days early and moved it to a clean QT tank. The tang immediately started eating again, only algae. After 6 days I thought I saw him flash, the next day he was obviously flashing and quit eating again. I did a round of Prazi and a FW dip with no results and no detectable flukes. Changed water after Prazi, tang not eating.
Start copper and ramped up the concentration over a 5 day period; CopperPower and a Hanna checker.
The tang has been at therapeutic level for a week. The tang is still occasionally flashing and will not eat. No external sign of parasites. Dreadfully thin.
I moved the tang to a fresh tank yesterday, match Cu levels using the Hanna. This isolates the tang from the other fish in QT which never had any issues and allows the other fish to finish up their QT.
I'd like to pull the copper except for the flashing. Maybe treat for resistant fluke, lower SG for instance.
It's ironic that I read posts of relatively healthy looking fish dying in a day and this emaciated tang hanging on day after day.

 

[HotRocks]

What product are you using and what is your Cu level?

 

[AcanthurusRex]

1.74 using Hanna.
The tang was not eating in unmedicated water.

 

[HotRocks]

1.74 using Hanna.
The tang was not eating in unmedicated water.

Hmmmm...
Have you done a FW dip? I'm wondering if you have something additional going on.

 

[AcanthurusRex]

Yes, in my original post.
Three rounds of GC during the CP. one round of Prazi between the CP and copper.

 

[Humblefish]

@AcanthurusRex You said the tang looks emaciated. Seen any white stringy poop??

 

[AcanthurusRex]

Not the last time I saw it. Just quit eating starting at the third week of CP. It ate algae a few day after I moved it to a clean QT then quit eating again after a few days. I suspected fluke possibly but did not find any improvement after treating with Prazi.

 

[Humblefish]

Not the last time I saw it. Just quit eating starting at the third week of CP. It ate algae a few day after I moved it to a clean QT then quit eating again after a few days. I suspected fluke possibly but did not find any improvement after treating with Prazi.

I’ve had a few fish get weird on me after 3+ weeks in CP. Swimming funny, reduced appetite, lethargy, etc. So what I’ve started doing is only treating with CP for two weeks and then transferring the fish to another QT at least 10 feet away. In QT#2 is where I deworm with Prazipro and whatever else is needed. This strategy seems to be working out much better than 30 days in CP.

 

[AcanthurusRex]

Prior to this, the only anomaly I had using CP was my bellus developing lympho during the last week.
I moved them to a new clean setup on day 25. That was a Friday. The tang started flashing the next Thursday. This is the only reason I have to doubt the CP treatment. Do anthias carry Cryptocaryon or Amyloodinium asymptomatically?
I am treating all the fish like they have parasites. I do feel that the copper is not helping the only fish that has shown any symptoms especially since the tang was still flashing after a week of copper at therapeutic levels.
I'm thinking of pulling the copper on the tang. Maybe lowering the SG down to 15 ppt for flukes. I'll probably give him a Ruby Reef Rally treatment to see if that helps. I have Metro, Kanaplex, and Furan on hand.
The tang has developed a spot that I thought might be the beginning of a bacterial infection but so far has not gotten worse and seems to disappear. Fins remain clear. Respiration is moderate which isn't good. Not eating.

 

[Humblefish]

Do anthias carry Cryptocaryon or Amyloodinium asymptomatically?

Yes; IME they are good candidates for an “ich management” system because their mucous coat seems to be parasite resistant (like wrasses). However, velvet will still take them down fairly quickly as dinospores invade and overload the gills.

 

[AcanthurusRex]

The tang finally gave up. I really had little hope. Did a post-mortem FW dip and did not find anything.
The 6 remaining anthias are still in copper. They spent 25 days in CP and this weekend it will be 16/17 days in copper at therapeutic levels.
Thinking of moving the anthias to a clean observation tank this weekend. They have been in QT since the April 6th.

 

[AcanthurusRex]

I removed the anthias after 18 days in copper, this was a Sunday. They looked excellent. On Wednesday 5 of the 6 died. I did not notice anything Tuesday night but only really checked that they were eating normally. I assumed that this must be velvet and did a FW dip followed by Ruby Reef Ralley.
Only 2 survived the FW dip. I feel that if I would have done a transfer and quick copper ramp-up that more would have lived. The looked perfect aside from being dead. No flukes detected after the FW dip.
The vector I missed was the clamp for the light. It is touching the water and I moved it to the new setup when I did the transfer. I did the same thing when I did the transfer from CP the first time.
To recap:
25 days in CP
18 days in Cu
The remaining anthias is in permanent QT at 2.1 ppm copper power. Looks perfect but I can't see ever adding it to the DT. Still, don't have the heart to kill it.
I've QT'd 6-7 rounds of fish over the last year and this is my first loss. It is also the first time I bought a fish locally.

 

[Humblefish]

@AcanthurusRex Sorry to hear this