Yellow Eye Kole Tang Skin Deterioration.

[Bradley Creek Reefer]

Hey guys,

My yellow eye kole tang has major skin deterioration and I’m thinking it’s hole in head but I don’t know. I’ve had him for about a month now, first week he wouldn’t eat sea weed from the clip so that meant he didn’t eat much. Then I started rubbing the sea weed in my hands so it would break into a lot of small pieces, he started eating that pretty good. About week 2 he started showing small traces of facial skin deterioration. Now he eats great and from the clip but his face has gotten really bad and it looks like it’s starting to progress off his face down his dorsal line. My LFS gave me some frozen food soaked in Sechem Metroxplex & Focus so I started that a couple days ago. Anyone know what he has? Should I be doing anything else? Here are some pictures, I can get better pics tomorrow.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Mine is the same size, maybe larger, and has the exact same problem. He was in therapeutic copper several times (as I had to Nuke a FOWLER more than once), and so I attributed the condition to over-exposure to copper. Others saw the photo I posted and said ‘nutritional deficiency.’

 

[JumboShrimp]

I found some photos— like your fish’s condition, but a bit more severe.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Its HLLE and a product of serious vitamin deficiency. Feed at Minimum:

Nori seaweed basted in garlic extract
Mysis shrimp
LRS herbivore diet
sm Plankton
Formula 2 fozen and flake
Spirulina brine shrimp

Add garlic and liquid vitamins 2-3X weekly to foods also

 

[JumboShrimp]

Thanks @vetteguy53081 , I finally made it my business to capture him a day or so ago, and so now he’s in his own 20 gallon hospital tank. Let’s see if I can pull off a poor nutrition reversal!

 

[Dierks]

Check for stray voltage as well... But I agree this is HLLE

 

[Rijodan]

So I posted recently about my brother's yellow tang with HLLE and got great responses,

To summarize everything I learned, as I'm one to research anything and everything about a topic until I fix it, is it can be caused by a few things:

• Stress, ie too small tank, fighting with tank mates, etc.
• Stray current in particular
• Copper, especially long periods or repeated exposures
• Nutrition

Now while those are causes the fix is usually fairly simple, like those above me listed just using better food, in general, will help. Try and keep a few different ways to feed your fish so a well-rounded diet can fit all their needs. Some frozen foods, pellets, I've seen some arguments about swapping daily from green or red nori. Then with better foods use vitamins and such as well. Garlic can also help but it is short term treatment. There are questioned links that long term garlic use can cause liver issues with fish. True or not I do not believe its worth the risk to fish to use it long term.

In most forum posts I read about HLLE, Selcon was the additive that consistently popped up in most threads. What I ordered for my brother's tang, though I will admit just getting him out of Petco's tank and feeding alternating color nori twice daily he is already looking much much better.

Best of luck in the health of your Kole tang.

 

[Big G]

Boosting a fish's immune system in captivity can be difficult at times. Highly recommend adding Beta Glucan to the fish food mix.
Place 6-8 assorted frozen fish cubes, especially those for tangs, in a bowl in the fridge to allow them to "slump." Mix and then strain off the excess liquid. It will spike your nitrates and phosphates. Mix 1/2 capsule of Beta Glucan + Focus into the mix. The mix will stay good in the fridge for a few days. Alternate weeks on and off of the BG. More info below on BG:

Beta-glucan as an Immune Stimulant in Marine Aquaria

By Christine Williams Inevitably as reefkeepers we do things that stress our fish and invertebrates: bringing new animals in, moving them from tank to tank,

reefs.com

 

[najer]

This little scopas was rescued by my lfs and was in a very poor state and would not eat but over a week of going in every day I got her to eat live macro (red turf algae) and it now eats anything.
I fell in love with her so I bought her but she has to live at the shop until I can set a tank up for her, I already have two in my big tank.
The shop got a baby scopas in two weeks ago so I bought that as well and they get on great.
As above a good mixed diet but my gang have access to macro algae 24 / 7.

 

[garyfri]

any update on the tang

 

[JumboShrimp]

He never has improveD, even with Selcon and garlic in the food; I think the problem just got way too ahead of itself. But he acts like he’s fine, so that’s good I suppose