Yellow Tang - Black Ich?

[djkms]

I assume this is black ich? This is a Biota Yellow tang. However I want to stress that it did not come from Biota this way. I purchased 3 yellow's and the system they came from was plumbed with multiple other tanks with numerous fish

I assume a Prazi treatment is in order? Its in a 40 gallon breeder so 10ml of Prazi, correct? Then treat again 7 days later with a water change inbetween? How do I know when it will be safe to introduce to my main system?

Thanks

 

[fishguy242]

#fishmedic

 

[vetteguy53081]

Confirming Black ich. While referred to as ich is technically not the Ich parasite. Its a parasitic turbellarian flatworm infestation mainly affecting tangs . The main symptom are small black dots on the fish - Not hyper melanization. Freshwater dips can be effective on these worms but best treatment is Praziquantel (Prazi Pro) for 8 days or Formalin based medication such as Quick cure or Ruby rally Pro
If using Prazi - Increase aeration as it will lower oxygen and appetite.

Once treated address what I see to be Lateral line erosion. Good water quality and diet will alleviate the HLLE. Some good foods are :
-Spirulina brine shrimp
- LRS Herbivore diet
- mysis shrimp
- small plankton
- Nori seaweed basted with garlic extract
- Hikari Marine cuisine
- Formula 2 flake and frozen
- Hikari veggie marine

Add selcon vitamins to the foods 2-3X per week and on alternating days, garlic extract for stamina and immunity health

 

[nereefpat]

Agree with black ich. It really shows up well in yellow tangs, because of the coloring contrast.

I would think Prazi and I've recommended that, but I'm thinking Jay has said that doesn't work well. Maybe I'm wrong there?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I assume this is black ich? This is a Biota Yellow tang. However I want to stress that it did not come from Biota this way. I purchased 3 yellow's and the system they came from was plumbed with multiple other tanks with numerous fish

I assume a Prazi treatment is in order? Its in a 40 gallon breeder so 10ml of Prazi, correct? Then treat again 7 days later with a water change inbetween? How do I know when it will be safe to introduce to my main system?

Thanks

That does look like "black ich" the tang turbellarian. There are at least two species that can cause this, plus digenean trematodes. Here is the funny thing; praziquantel doesn't kill turbellarians, it is only effective against cestodes and flukes. People use prazi and the black spots go away, but actually, in many cases, this is a self-limiting disease and will go away on its own!

This is the first Biota tang I can recall getting this. That means that it must have caught this from other fish in the system, as you thought. That in turns makes it less likely that this is one of the self-limiting black ich infections.

Here are some treatment options that I had written up:
Treatment options
Because turbellarians cause a fairly deep-seated infection, they are difficult to remove using freshwater dips or other topical treatments. Other treatment options that have been utilized with varying degrees of effectiveness include:
● Praziquantel at 2 mg/l is a safe, commonly used treatment for this malady, but for some reason, it is not always effective.
● A 45-minute formalin dip at 166 ppm can be effective, but then the fish must be moved to a non-infected aquarium.
● Chloroquine at 15 ppm has been shown to be an effective treatment, but some fish may experience toxic reactions at this dose.
● Organophosphate pesticides, such as Trichlorfon (Dylox), have been the treatment of choice for many years but cannot be recommended due to their potential toxicity to humans.
● Copper treatments are ineffective, at least at the concentrations well tolerated by fish.


Jay

 

[djkms]

That does look like "black ich" the tang turbellarian. There are at least two species that can cause this, plus digenean trematodes. Here is the funny thing; praziquantel doesn't kill turbellarians, it is only effective against cestodes and flukes. People use prazi and the black spots go away, but actually, in many cases, this is a self-limiting disease and will go away on its own!

This is the first Biota tang I can recall getting this. That means that it must have caught this from other fish in the system, as you thought. That in turns makes it less likely that this is one of the self-limiting black ich infections.

Here are some treatment options that I had written up:
Treatment options
Because turbellarians cause a fairly deep-seated infection, they are difficult to remove using freshwater dips or other topical treatments. Other treatment options that have been utilized with varying degrees of effectiveness include:
● Praziquantel at 2 mg/l is a safe, commonly used treatment for this malady, but for some reason, it is not always effective.
● A 45-minute formalin dip at 166 ppm can be effective, but then the fish must be moved to a non-infected aquarium.
● Chloroquine at 15 ppm has been shown to be an effective treatment, but some fish may experience toxic reactions at this dose.
● Organophosphate pesticides, such as Trichlorfon (Dylox), have been the treatment of choice for many years but cannot be recommended due to their potential toxicity to humans.
● Copper treatments are ineffective, at least at the concentrations well tolerated by fish.


Jay

Thanks for the reply all.

Jay - Based on your response the only real option is a 45-min Formalin Dip? Sounds like I have to get a second QT system setup to properly do this. I do plan on running a Prazi treatment as a preventative measure regardless but it sounds like this does nothing for this disease.

Anyone have success treating this with Ruby Reef Rally Pro?

Question - Can this go away on its own with proper nutrition and time? If so, how long before no more visible black spots would I be OK to add these tangs to my display? I have taken great care not to introduce sick fish into my main system and based on what seems to be spotty treatment I am real reluctant to introduce these fish without proper treatment.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for the reply all.

Jay - Based on your response the only real option is a 45-min Formalin Dip? Sounds like I have to get a second QT system setup to properly do this. I do plan on running a Prazi treatment as a preventative measure regardless but it sounds like this does nothing for this disease.

Anyone have success treating this with Ruby Reef Rally Pro?

Question - Can this go away on its own with proper nutrition and time? If so, how long before no more visible black spots would I be OK to add these tangs to my display? I have taken great care not to introduce sick fish into my main system and based on what seems to be spotty treatment I am real reluctant to introduce these fish without proper treatment.

Yes, the absolute best treatment is "dip and move". I don't see Ruby Reef working for multi-celled organisms, deeply encysted like this, it is just way too mild (in order for it to be "reef safe").

As I mentioned, this issue does go away in some instances, but not always. Siphoning the bottom of the tank each evening may help reduce any reproduction (not proven though).

My general thought is to always wait at least 30 days after the last symptom has gone away before moving a fish into a display tank.

Jay