White Tail Bristletooth Tang Disease Identification

[bp908]

Please see pictures below. The tang has been in the DT about 2 months and thus far is acting and eating normally. He was quarantined for over 1 month with copper/prazi/metro in a separate QT prior to introduction. I suspect I have ich (likely from not QTing my coral frags) and have been monitoring isolated white spots that have been coming and going on other fish over the past 3 weeks, hoping I can manage with UV and feeding nutritious foods. Is this how ich presents itself on a white tailed tang, or is this something entirely different? From my limited research this is not how regular ich or black ich typically appears.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Please see pictures below. The tang has been in the DT about 2 months and thus far is acting and eating normally. He was quarantined for over 1 month with copper/prazi/metro in a separate QT prior to introduction. I suspect I have ich (likely from not QTing my coral frags) and have been monitoring isolated white spots that have been coming and going on other fish over the past 3 weeks, hoping I can manage with UV and feeding nutritious foods. Is this how ich presents itself on a white tailed tang, or is this something entirely different? From my limited research this is not how regular ich or black ich typically appears.

Yes, ich can cause atypical symptoms due to skin reactions in different fish. One presentation is as diffuse darker areas on the skin. However, the same skin color changes can be caused by flukes or turbellarian worms.

Are you seeing any more classic signs of ich on other fish in the tank?
Does this tang have cloudy eyes? I can’t tell from the photos.

Jay

 

[bp908]

Yes, ich can cause atypical symptoms due to skin reactions in different fish. One presentation is as diffuse darker areas on the skin. However, the same skin color changes can be caused by flukes or turbellarian worms.

Are you seeing any more classic signs of ich on other fish in the tank?
Does this tang have cloudy eyes? I can’t tell from the photos.

Jay

Yes, I am seeing signs of ich on other fish. The most spots any of my other fish have is ~10, however none of my other fish are known to highly susceptible to ich. The tang does not have cloudy eyes, but with this many spots I fear I'm past an "ich management" feasible breakout.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Yes, I am seeing signs of ich on other fish. The most spots any of my other fish have is ~10, however none of my other fish are known to highly susceptible to ich. The tang does not have cloudy eyes, but with this many spots I fear I'm past an "ich management" feasible breakout.

It does look like it is ich then, and the number of spots shows me it is likely past the management stage. That leaves coppersafe or hyposalinity as the two most likely treatments.

Jay

 

[bp908]

Thanks Jay. Now to catching him to get him back to QT....

 

[threebuoys]

Keep in mind, if the tang has ich, your DT is now contaminated. The only way to fully eradicate the parasite is to QT all fish from the DT and to allow the DT to remain fallow for 6 - 8 weeks. Otherwise, you will be at risk of the tang being reinfected after its return to the DT following the copper treatment in QT.