Yellow Tang with ich, maybe?? Help please!??

DisneyMatt10 · Mar 7, 2017

Hey all,

So recently I got a Yellow Tang for my tank. All was great until I put her in the Display tank. The next day she was COVERED in what looked like ich. So me being me, pulled her out. But her in the QT. Started treating her for ich. Did everything right. Monitored her, checked her, and here we are weeks after the treatment, and a week after her staying ich free. So time comes to put her back in the Display tank. So I fished her out, and into after separate transport container. Right before putting her in the DT I had her up near the super bright DT lights, and noticed nothing resembling ich. Not white bumps. No nothing. Just a perfectly healthy looking Tang.

So into the DT tank she went. . . Not even 20 minutes later I started noticing what looked like ich... yet again. Now from what I've read, ich wouldn't just show up and start to complete cover her in minutes. Mind you, no other fish in the tank has ever had ich.

Any ideas what could be happening??? All water test have come back perfect. Tempature is great, water changes are being done, ect. I just don't understand what's going on, and why it's just this one fish that's having issues. Do I take her back out and QT her again, and do ich treatments again?? Also, attached are some current photos of what's starting to pop up on her:

(Sorry the photos are not that great. Im not the best at trying to photograph fish.)

Anyway, It's not a lot of spots now. But give it an hour and she'll probably be covered. I'm really at a loss, and any help would be great.

Thank you,
~Matt

prsnlty · Mar 7, 2017

Did you slowly acclimate her to the dt or just put her in?

@melypr1985

domination2580 · Mar 7, 2017

I could be wrong but looks like velvet

prsnlty · Mar 7, 2017

domination2580 said:
I could be wrong but looks like velvet

My thoughts too, why I tagged melypr1985 @Lionfish Lair @Humblefish

prsnlty · Mar 7, 2017

Check the symptoms with this thread https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-disease-index-pictorial-guide.285708/ It does look like velvet to me. I would put all of your fish in the qt if they can handle the copper. There is another sticky at the top of this forum https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-and-diagnosis.771/ that will tell you if the others can while you wait for someone to reply. @Brew12 @4FordFamily

DLHDesign · Mar 7, 2017

What other fish are in your DT? Some fish (clowns, for example) can be more tolerant of disease than others. It's a pretty good bet that your DT has whatever issue your tang is suffering from, sadly. But that's for later; anyone in there is less likely to have any issues soon if they've been in there a while already.

For the yellow; if you can capture it out of the DT, try putting it into a freshwater dip for no more than 5min (temp match the water to the DT tank first; you can add a bit of tank water to help lessen the shock). If you can, use a black (or other dark color - or clear) bowl for this; not a white one. Keep an eye on the fish, obviously; it will be scared, of course, but should not have an overly negative reaction (rapid breathing is good; tangs may "play dead" and not swim). If breathing slows; remove it. After the dip, move the fish back into a temp/salinity matched QT for observation and further treatment.
The freshwater dip should have two effects; the first is that it may give the tang some relief from what ails it. It will do this by "shocking" the parasites off of the tang's skin and (hopefully) gills, if they are there. Second; the parasites that do (hopefully) fall off will be easier to identify than they would be on a fish swimming about.
Note that if it is, indeed, ich, the freshwater dip may not help. Won't likely hurt, so if you go through the dip and nothing is left behind, it may help to actually identify the problem as ich.

4FordFamily · Mar 7, 2017

That's definitely velvet. Get all of your fish out of the DT and treat them in a qt with coppersafe asap time is not your friend. That fish will be gone in as little as 24 hours with no action.

Do a freshwater dip for immediate partial relief. Ensure you match the temp as best you can and I would do it for no longer than 5 minutes. It's normal to look stressed during this process.

Once complete, make sure you toss in qt matched to temp again and also salinity. New water only. But the ammonia badge by seachem and do water changes if it's anything other than yellow.

Good luck!

melypr1985 · Mar 7, 2017

Agreed. That's velvet. The problem is that this fish had already been in your display, which means the parasite is in the display. You can treat her for it, but if you put her back in the display without letting it go fallow for 6 weeks and without treating any other fish you have, she will just keep getting it. The six weeks fallow time will allow the parasite to starve out and give you a safe place to put your fish so they won't be reinfected once they go in.

Brew12 · Mar 7, 2017

My guess is that you have Velvet in your DT and the fish currently in it have developed an immunity.
You will have a real challenge adding new fish without treating all of your fish and taking your DT fallow

Txdragonslayer · Mar 7, 2017

melypr1985 said:
Agreed. That's velvet. The problem is that this fish had already been in your display, which means the parasite is in the display. You can treat her for it, but if you put her back in the display without letting it go fallow for 6 weeks and without treating any other fish you have, she will just keep getting it. The six weeks fallow time will allow the parasite to starve out and give you a safe place to put your fish so they won't be reinfected once they go in.

So you wouldn't have to restart the tank, just take the fish out and it will starve it's self out after 6 weeks? That's good to know I thought u had to restart the tank.

Brew12 · Mar 7, 2017

Sheldon Jessup said:
So you wouldn't have to restart the tank, just take the fish out and it will starve it's self out after 6 weeks? That's good to know I thought u had to restart the tank.

No need to restart and all your coral and inverts can stay in. Just no fish.

Reefahholic · Mar 7, 2017

Looks like Velvet to me. She's covered. Better treat quick.

Humblefish · Mar 7, 2017

Agree with velvet diagnosis: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/

All fish need to be removed from the DT and treated this way: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/#post-2499437

Go fallow (fishless) in the DT for 6 weeks in order to starve velvet out of there. Corals/inverts can remain in the DT during the fallow period.

DisneyMatt10 · Mar 7, 2017

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

I removed the tang from the tank, and treated her with medicine late last night, and was going to more of an in depth treatment today. (It was way to late last night to be able to do anything.)

Well, sadly I got home today, and the Tang had died.

Ugh, sometimes I hate this hobby.

Anyway, thank you all for the feedback!! I'll still continue to remove and treat the rest of the fish, and try to starve out the display tank.