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- Yellow Eyed Tang with Tail Rot 6/16/06 - Hi I recently bought a yellow eyed tang and it looked healthy when I bought it. They said it was eating properly (they all say that) and has been doing great. I got him home and noticed his tail is beginning to "rot away" its not that bad but it is noticeable. He swims around fine and is constantly grazing....he has tried the green algae but doesn't seem to like it. I have noticed he likes certain things in the formula one. I did readings and ammonia is 0, alk is 0, ph 8.2, nitrate is 5.0 and nitrite .05 (0ppm) I was think maybe a parasite since he seemed to want my hermit to clean him....so i bought a cleaner shrimp. What are your thoughts.... Thanks mIke <I think that all things being equal, that the tangs tail will heal. You could add some quality fish vitamins like VitaChem to encourage the process, but there's not really much you can do but be patient. Cheers, J -- > Opaque White Spots on Tomini Tang Pectoral Fins 11/10/08 Hello, <<Howdy>> Long time reader - first time writer. <<Cool!>> Thanks for all the great info. <<Welcome>> My wife and I have a 70 gallon FOWLR tank. The parameters are as follows: Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, Specific Gravity 1.025, pH 8.2-8.3 Ecosystem 3012 with skimmer and Chaetomorpha Approx 40 lbs of live rock (we have been slowly increasing with time) The occupants of the tank are: Tomini tang <<Not easily kept>> Pearlscale butterfly, Dwarf flame angel, Yellow clown goby, Bullet goby, 2 Ocellaris Clowns, 2 Skunk shrimp, 2 Fire shrimp, Various cleanup crew (snails and hermit crabs) There does not appear to be any problems with occupants getting along together. <<Looks like a fine mix>> My question is in regards to the Tomini tang. We have had him for several months with no problems until this morning when I noticed several opaque white spots on his front pectoral fins. The spots are not as pronounced as Ich. (We have tried to take some pictures of the fins and the Tomini is not a willing subject. The spots are rather subtle.) <<And perhaps nothing to be concerned with>> The Tomini is acting normally, feeding, grazing and zooming around the tank. I'm not sure how concerned I should be about this? <<Me neither but likely not too much. The spots may simply be a "mood" indicator>> We have not noticed any spots on the other fish. I can put him in a QT (of course not without tearing apart the tank), but I don't want to put undue stress on the fish (and myself) if it is not warranted. <<I am in agreement here. I would simply keep an eye on the fish for now>>>> We quarantined him when we got him. The Tomini did not do well, he did not want to eat and started to decline so I popped him into the main tank after approximately 10 days and he perked right up. <<This was wise of you'¦ As intimated earlier this species can be difficult to acclimate to aquarium life, but is fairly hardy (in my experience) once done so>> With regards to UV sterilizers, I have read on your site that you feel that water quality and a healthy diet are the key to a healthy system. <<Indeed>> Our trusted LFS has been suggesting a UV sterilizer as the best way to prevent problems over the long haul with disease and parasites. Your thoughts? <<UV sterilizers are by no means a panacea, and certainly no replacement for good maintenance and sensible stocking, but they can serve as a useful adjunct to systems such as yours>> Thanks in advance for your input. Jim <<Happy to share. EricR>> Kole Tang Question, Ctenochaetus acclimation, lack of quarantine 5/28/2008 Dear Crew, <Andy> I was reading up on Kole Tangs because I'm thinking of purchasing one for my 110g display and I noticed in the article written by Bob (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/koletang.htm) that he generally advises against quarantining this species and instead using an extended pH adjusted freshwater dip (how long is "extended"?). <Five or so minutes... w/ constant observation, "swirling" of water or the use of mechanical aeration (a "bubbler")> Has anything changed/is this still good advice? As always, thank you! Andy <Is still my opinion. This pc. was penned w/in this last year... maybe should have incept. dates... Cheers, Bob Fenner> Sick Kole Tang 1/30/06 Hello! About two months ago my husband and I purchased a Kole Tang. Our quarantine tank was set up by placing water from the main display tank into a 20 L. We placed "used" filter media into the filtration unit and left the bottom bare. A large PVC elbow was also placed in the tank for cover. A few days after introducing the Kole to this system the nitrite levels were becoming toxic and obviously stressing our fish. We did a 60-70% water change and kept monitoring the water quality. Again the nitrite levels rose and stressed the fish (very rapid breathing, dark color change). I had observed this fish at the LFS for a week before purchase and he did not exhibit any outward signs of illness/disease. Even though I knew the stress he was suffering could cause a previous latent disease to manifest itself <Well-stated> I still felt that the best option at this point was to place him in the main display. Six weeks go by in the main tank and by all outward appearances the Kole seemed to be doing well. Although finicky, he would eat Sea Veggies and Spirulina flakes with a gusto that matched that of our Oscars. Formula Two frozen was offered repeatedly but he didn't seem too enthused with it. In the meantime I tried to find a source of Formula Two flakes. I typically give everyone (12 tanks) a thorough visual check up at least once a day, often times more. <Good practice> Unfortunately two days went by where I was unable to do this and, being held firmly in the grip of Murphy's Law, this is when disaster struck. When I saw the Kole he looked like he had been dropped in a pile of dust bunnies. <Yikes> After checking the water parameters in the previously mentioned quarantine tank I moved him (to quarantine). Upon very close inspection he had clear, round, raised bumps all over his body in addition to the "cotton like" patches. After investigating the archives of WWM media I concluded that I should treat him for parasites and fungal infection. I added Fungus Clear and Parasite Clear (Jungle Products) to the water. <These are not efficacious here> Over the next few days he started to look better. By the end of the treatment period indicated on the package, our Kole looked pale but only had a few minute areas of fungus left. We performed the recommended water change and treated again for fungus. The package directions indicated that this would be OK. After the second treatment he looked pale and had less of an appetite but looked free from disease. Great, I thought, I'll perform a water change and leave him there for a little while. During these treatments we were testing the water quality with a reagent kit. PH =8.2, Ammonia=0, Nitrites=0, Nitrates=30 were the regular readings. I thought all was going relatively well until he started to look worse. The fungus and clear bumps returned with a vengeance. His skin also started to get dark, sub dermal patches. Then the ammonia and nitrite levels started to rise. I had placed a different thermometer in the tank after the last water change and consequently noticed that there were wide variances in water temperature too. It seemed as though the main display was the only place where I could keep the tank parameters stable enough to effect a cure. So out goes the live rock, in goes the Kole. I have read the WWM archives for hours trying to find out what exactly is wrong with our Kole <Mmm, w/o a microscopic exam. it is not worth definitive speculation... but could be a number of external parasites here... a prophylactic dip/bath enroute to either quarantine and/or your main tank would have been useful here> and what the best method for treatment is. I'm confused, frustrated and mostly heartbroken because it seems that my best intentions only lead to the further demise of our Kole. There are a wide variety of answers by many different people in the WWM archives. It is a great resource however a novice or amateur aquarist such as myself can find it difficult to know which course of action is the most appropriate. I'm hoping you can suggest a solution that will help us, it would be much appreciated. Thank you. Sincerely, Christina <Thank you for writing so well... clear and thoroughly. At this point, if you have "other water" from a non-contaminated "clean" system, I would move the Kole out of the present treatment system, lightly bleach/wash, sterilize it, add the "used water", prepare a slightly dilute (1.022 spg) bath with ten drops of 37% formalin/formaldehyde (37% solution) per gallon, add aeration and leave the Kole in this for five minutes, moving it to its re-made quarters... Wait three days and begin a copper treatment... chelated will be better than free cupric ion... with testing... for three weeks. Bob Fenner> Disease ID on Kole Tang <Cheers, Richard> Hello Bob, I have been having some type of disease problem with every Kole tang that I have brought into my store. I have attached some pics of an affected fish in hopes that you can help me identify the disease. It usually starts as a brownish or pale colored patch on their side and eventually spreads around the head area. So far the disease has never spread to any other fish in the tanks. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Richard <the species specific nature of the pathogen is not a surprise... we have seen this with butterflies and dwarf angels just the same. It is not exactly clear from the images what the primary cause is, but I see a hint and suspect the fishes die with full blown hemorrhagic septicemia (you see bloody ruptures under the skin or even open lesions?). If not, then we make look towards complications from Brooklynella which is all to common in Hawaiian imports. I assume that this is a central system. My advice would be to stop putting tanks in this system for 2-4 weeks minimum and ozonate it (or ozonate it better). At the same time, import just a few more to place into an off-system QT tank to see if the problem is the shipper or a bug in your tank/system. Treat the new import in QT with daily formalin (use Aquarium Products Formalin or "Quick Cure [malachite with formalin]) daily for 5 to 7 days consecutively. A small daily water change for that first week from the bottom would be nice too. Stable temp in qt (2 heaters, 78-80F... no higher). And observation for a total of 2-4 weeks. This will indicate to us where it is coming from and how we can treat it. I strongly recommend properly dosed ozone in commercial systems... there are so many benefits beyond disease control. And UV is almost useless on central systems (too high flow, too high organics and particulates, etc... just useless for most). Ozone with effluent passed over carbon is fool proof. A RedOx controller running it will be a tremendous investment in the quality and health of your fishes. Best regards, Anthony> Kole Tang I recently purchased a Kole Tang (1 week ago), and it's swimming up and down repeatedly in the same area. It appears to be "afraid" to eat, and will come out rarely with the exception of the above described swimming pattern. <<I get the sense that you did not quarantine this fish. One of the best reasons to do this is to help the fish get used to the idea of captive living and your feeding schedule, away from other fish.>> Is there anything that I can do for the fish? What is causing this behavior? <<Stress, most likely although most tangs are constant swimmers... they really like to cover a lot of ground. If it appears that the fish is doing this in response to its reflection in the glass [which isn't uncommon] then you might try leaving the tank lights off for a couple of days to help the tang get used to that other tang that keeps swimming back and forth with it.>> Will it die? <<Uhh... that is kind of open-ended... if it doesn't eat, yes.>> Please Help!! <<Be patient, consider a quarantine tank for this fish to have some quiet time to itself.>> Sonya <<Cheers, J -- >> Kole Tang Recovery (3/6/04) Hi Everyone, <Steve Allen tonight.> I have written you in the past regarding my Kole Tang and his battle with ich. I treated him with Cupramine for the last fourteen days in a QT. His problem now is that he looks terrible. His skin is blotchy and he is really pale. The good news is that he has ended his hunger strike. <Always encouraging.> I am feeding him foods soaked in Selcon. <Good.> Will this help him look normal again or can I treat him with anything (antibiotic)? Thanks. <Sorry for the delay. One of the crew is out and I'm helping clear his inbox. I suspect your Tang is suffering from the rigors and stress of his illness and treatment rather than a bacterial infection. It is wise to enrich his diet. I'd add a quality vitamin too. Also make sure he gets a lot of vegetable matter. Sea Veggies on a clip would be great and can even be obtained at Petco these days. Even better would be fresh Gracilaria if you can get it somewhere. It might even be worth ordering some of this "Tang Heaven" at www.ipsf.com As for antibiotics, I would defer unless he appears to have a bacterial infection. Pristine water conditions will help immensely.>
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