White patch on purple tang

[Mmsetta]

I have a purple tang that had a small white patch on its side near its fin. Didn't have it when qt'd. She's been in my dt for a week. Couple days in I noticed the small mark- looked like a scrape. Quickly it has become a large white patch about the size of a half dollar. It really grew while I was away and did not feed for two days. Is it stress related? Doesn't look like velvet per this forum or ich. Please help me I'd.

Trying to get a picture.

 

[Mmsetta]

 

[melypr1985]

Can you get him into a QT and maybe a clearer shot (i know its next to impossible lol) My gut says bacterial infection.... but those are usually caused by an underlying parasite issue. Freshwater dip to rule out/in Flukes first, then into the QT for antibiotics. I'll get those for you in the next post.

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

 

[melypr1985]

for the infection i would suggest using the furan-2, kanaplex and metro combo.

Antibiotics: Treats bacterial infections, which are oftentimes “secondary” to preexisting parasitic infestations.

How To Treat - Follow the directions on the label of whatever product you are using. Always use a broad spectrum antibiotic medication i.e. one that treats both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial diseases (very important). Examples of this include Furan-2, Kanamycin akaSeachem Kanaplex, Nitrofuracin Green Powder, Triple Sulfa Powder or a combination of using both Erythromycin & Minocycline. The latter can be accomplished (albeit expensively) by using freshwater Maracyn 1 & 2 and then doubling the dosage for saltwater use. When battling a particularly nasty bacterial infection, combining Furan-2, Kanaplex and metronidazole (ex. Seachem MetroPlex) can be very effective (and safe).Props to “hedgedrew” for enlightening me of this.

Normally you have to do 4 doses to complete a full course of treatment. The instructions may say to dose every 24 hours, and perform water changes at certain intervals. In my experience, you often have to do 2 full courses of treatment (or 8 doses total) before a fish will show signs of improvement (antibiotics are notoriously slow acting with fish). If a fish shows no signs of improvement after the second full course, then it’s time to try a completely different medication. Just like with humans, sometimes a certain fish will respond better to a different antibiotic. You can run activated carbon at any time when you wish to end treatment.

Pros - One of the few medications that can safely be mixed with others. You can use antibiotics in conjunction with just about everything.

Cons/Side Effects - Appetite suppression, depletes the water of oxygen (so provide additional gas exchange).

If the FW dip reveals flukes, this is how to treat that.

Prazipro (praziquantel): Treats flukes, black ich, and some internal parasites (worms).

How To Treat - In either a quarantine or display tank, dose Prazipro at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 20 gallons of water. DO NOT OVERDOSE(especially with wrasses), try not to mix with other medications (for various reasons), and provide additional gas exchange while treating with Prazi. Wait 5-7 days, do a 20-25% water change and then repeat dosage. The reason for the second dose is to eradicate the “next generation” of worms before they can lay eggs of their own. Because while Prazi does kill worms, it doesn’t eliminate any eggs they might leave behind.

Prazipro is generally considered reef safe, although it may kill any tube worms/feathers dusters you have. It may also eradicate bristle worms. If you have mass quantities of these, the resulting die-off can lead to an ammonia spike. After treatment is done, activated carbon may be used to remove any residuals (if you need to use a different medication next). If using a protein skimmer post-treatment, be advised that it will “over skim” for at least a couple of weeks.

Pros - Reef safe, effective dewormer that is relatively gentle on most fish.

Cons/Side Effects - Mild appetite suppression, moderate oxygen depletion, wrasses are sensitive to overdosing.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Knowing the antics of the Purple Tang, he probably got a booboo slamming himself on a rock. I'd just watch him close, it should start healing up in a few days.

 

[4FordFamily]

IMO if he is not showing any other symptoms I would keep him fed and not worry about it. Looks pretty benign and if it isn't getting progressively worse and it acts otherwise fine it might just be some healing tissue. If it's an infection of some sort, a hospital tank would suit it well for treatment but I've seen some ridiculous recoveries from fish.

Purple tangs are hardy as heck. I joke that they would live in urine if some reef salt was added...

 

[melypr1985]

The thing that get's me is that it IS getting worse. Even if it started as a wound from a rock or whatever, he says it's gotten bigger over the last couple days. Maybe my gut is leading me wrong on this one, but the guts says it's infected.

 

[tristanfish]

I had the same thing happened to mine last week. Thought it was odd that it came out of nowhere. Extended to his little beaky mouth. The next day, it dissapeared. I wouldn't rush into any conclusion unless it's growing and he's not eating. Make sure to keep him fed and fat.

They are prone to the wind blowing wrong

 

[4FordFamily]

The thing that get's me is that it IS getting worse. Even if it started as a wound from a rock or whatever, he says it's gotten bigger over the last couple days. Maybe my gut is leading me wrong on this one, but the guts says it's infected.

May just be healing tissue, zebrasoma have color changes for a lot of reasons and discolor easy. I'm not saying it isn't infected but I'm saying that at this stage I probably wouldn't jump to conclusions and remove it for a qt. Just my .02, I have been wrong before!

 

[melypr1985]

May just be healing tissue, zebrasoma have color changes for a lot of reasons and discolor easy. I'm not saying it isn't infected but I'm saying that at this stage I probably wouldn't jump to conclusions and remove it for a qt. Just my .02, I have been wrong before!

Eh. I'm still learning. At least the info is there for him if it comes to that. I'll sit back and watch to see what happens.

 

[Humblefish]

IMO; it is most likely a bacterial infection. Now whether the underlying issue is poor water quality or injury or a preexisting parasitic infestation none of us can say.

If it's a gram positive bacterial infection the fish will most likely recover on it's own. However, if the infection is being caused by a strain of gram negative bacterium, this fish will be dead within days without prompt antibiotic treatment. There is no way to conclusively differentiate between gram positive vs. gram negative without a skin scrape which can then be scope ID. So it's always a roll of the dice.

Personally, I would QT and treat with either Kanaplex or Furan-2. Or if you want to be really safe use the Furan-2, Kanaplex and metro combo as suggested by @melypr1985 above. My reasoning is the OP reports the infection is spreading/growing in size and that's generally a bad sign.

 

[4FordFamily]

IMO; it is most likely a bacterial infection. Now whether the underlying issue is poor water quality or injury or a preexisting parasitic infestation none of us can say.

If it's a gram positive bacterial infection the fish will most likely recover on it's own. However, if the infection is being caused by a strain of gram negative bacterium, this fish will be dead within days without prompt antibiotic treatment. There is no way to conclusively differentiate between gram positive vs. gram negative without a skin scrape which can then be scope ID. So it's always a roll of the dice.

Personally, I would QT and treat with either Kanaplex or Furan-2. Or if you want to be really safe use the Furan-2, Kanaplex and metro combo as suggested by @melypr1985 above. My reasoning is the OP reports the infection is spreading/growing in size and that's generally a bad sign.

I defer to this guy. He is rarely wrong.

 

[ZoaCollector]

If there are red streaks in the wound/fin you need to treat with antibiotics or it will spread to the body and bloodstream.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Even if its Lmphosyts, which I doubt, I'd still leave him alone. If he's eating, theres no reason to freak him out and make matters possibly worse.

 

[Mmsetta]

Thanks for all the feedback. I did leave him alone and it quickly went away. He is eating well. About a week later the same discoloration has shown up on the other side. It quickly goes away once lights are on and he is fed. He is tussling with my fox face rabbit a bit- may be some wounds from the struggle. Hopefully they'll learn to be buddies.