Yellow tang no fins

[KM Wrasse]

I have a 93 gallon mixed reef that’s been set up for about 2 years. Everything is doing great except for my yellow tang. I bought him about 1 1/2 years ago when he was about the size of a half dollar. Soon after I purchased him his dorsal and anal fin began to recede evenly.. and now it has been reduced to a nub. His tail has been eaten away too.
Other than this condition he is very healthy.. eats everything and has always been provided a lot of veggies.
Can anyone diagnose the problem or had a similar issue with only one fish in the tank. All other fish show no signs of this and I know for sure he is not being picked on. Thanks for your help

 

[ndrwater]

We need more eyes on this.. #reefsquad

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ive seen this more than once and believe it’s genetic

 

[redfishbluefish]

What other fish are in the tank....could some other fish be "eating" them. I had a rescue yellow that another yellow was attacking and eating his fins. They eventually grew back.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Here are pictures of my yellow right after I got him...starving and missing the dorsal fin.

And about 10 months later....the upper yellow.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

I have a 93 gallon mixed reef that’s been set up for about 2 years. Everything is doing great except for my yellow tang. I bought him about 1 1/2 years ago when he was about the size of a half dollar. Soon after I purchased him his dorsal and anal fin began to recede evenly.. and now it has been reduced to a nub. His tail has been eaten away too.
Other than this condition he is very healthy.. eats everything and has always been provided a lot of veggies.
Can anyone diagnose the problem or had a similar issue with only one fish in the tank. All other fish show no signs of this and I know for sure he is not being picked on. Thanks for your help

I have seen this in a LFS and their tanks are very poorly kept. From speaking to the employee I was under the impressions it was a combination of a few things. There were a few fish in there and aggression ran high, they had a few ammonia spikes which affected the development, and the tank had bouts of different parasites. Their fish was permanently disfigured, so were a couple of other species in the tanks. This might be completely unrelated to why yours is suffering from this, and am not trying to allude to any lack of care.

 

[drawman]

I would be highly suspicious of aggression as well.

 

[KM Wrasse]

What other fish are in the tank....could some other fish be "eating" them. I had a rescue yellow that another yellow was attacking and eating his fins. They eventually grew back.

Hi...the only other tang in the tank is a Tomini tang. They ignore each other. Also the fins receded evenly. I think if he was getting picked on they would be uneven and ripped. The Tomini has perfect fins no sign of any deterioration. I’ve had a saltwater/reef tank sine the under gravel filter was the new hot technology... lol .. and have never seen anything like this. Thanks for your help!

 

[Miller535]

I would think HLLE

 

[KM Wrasse]

I have seen this in a LFS and their tanks are very poorly kept. From speaking to the employee I was under the impressions it was a combination of a few things. There were a few fish in there and aggression ran high, they had a few ammonia spikes which affected the development, and the tank had bouts of different parasites. Their fish was permanently disfigured, so were a couple of other species in the tanks. This might be completely unrelated to why yours is suffering from this, and am not trying to allude to any lack of care.

No offense taken... I have seen some poor conditions in tanks as well. But my tank has no aggression to speak of and Everything is thriving except for the yellow tangs fins. He is extremely healthy otherwise. That’s why it’s so strange. Also it has slowly happened over a year. Thanks for your help!

 

[Miller535]

No offense taken... I have seen some poor conditions in tanks as well. But my tank has no aggression to speak of and Everything is thriving except for the yellow tangs fins. He is extremely healthy otherwise. That’s why it’s so strange. Also it has slowly happened over a year. Thanks for your help!

Which is why I think HLLE. That's pretty much something just associated with tangs, although I have heard some claims of some angels. And some kinds of tangs seem more likely to get it then others.

 

[Bryknicks]

I'm surprised it's still alive and swimming looking like that. Hope for the best and you are able to figure this out.

 

[KM Wrasse]

Which is why I think HLLE. That's pretty much something just associated with tangs, although I have heard some claims of some angels. And some kinds of tangs seem more likely to get it then others.

HLLE thought of that too...he does have some white around the eyes...which is a sign of HLLE, but I didnt think that would affect the fins as well. I even installed a grounding probe in case there was any stray voltage which I have read may be one factor in HLLE.... Thanks for your help

 

[KM Wrasse]

I'm surprised it's still alive and swimming looking like that. Hope for the best and you are able to figure this out.

He has adapted and actually swims well...even though he is shaped like a kite!..lol He is very active and eats anything I put in there....although in strong current it takes a little more effort Thanks

 

[Sailfin11]

I'm not sure what causes it, but I've seen it before in both well and poorly maintained tanks. I guess you have yourself a big, yellow filefish though!

 

[Halal Hotdog]

If there are no other signs that may cause this then bacterial infection can cause fin rot as well.

 

[KM Wrasse]

Here are pictures of my yellow right after I got him...starving and missing the dorsal fin.

And about 10 months later....the upper yellow.

Wow...nice come back on this guy...u did a great job!

 

[hllb]

If it is a version of HLLE, are you running carbon? That can contribute to it.

 

[DeniseAndy]

That is the craziest file fish I have seen yet.
So it has been this way for 1.5yrs? How long did it take for the fins to disappear? A 93g is a bit small for a yellow tang, so maybe it has not had a chance to recover and recoup the hlle without the extra bit of room (stress). In all that time, has it ever had any growth back to the fins only to fade away again?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Let's have some of the disease folks take a look.... @Big G , @4FordFamily , @HotRocks ....have you guys seen this before?