Nasol Dis Trt F

FAQs about Naso lituratus Disease Treatments

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Surgeonfishes: Tangs for Marine Aquariums
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by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Re: Quarantine question       4/2/16
Hello again,
<Steve>
I am getting very close to finishing the stocking of my tank. I have a medium blonde Naso Tang that has been in quarantine for 8 days. I got it straight from my service's wholesaler, and it looks very healthy with no signs of disease. My problem is I cannot get it to eat.
<May not till it's placed in a more suitable (mostly large/r) setting.... try some fave foods (see WWM re Naso lituratus, the entire genus foods/feeding FAQs)>
I have fed it San Francisco Bay brand multi-pack saltwater frozen food all varieties, Julian Sprung Sea Veggies Green Seaweed,
<Mmm; they're much bigger fans of Phaeophytes>
and New Life Spectrum Marine Formula. I have even tried soaking the food in Garlic Guard. I have not been able to see it eating while I am watching. I guess there's a chance it is eating when I'm not watching but I am
concerned at this point. Do you have any suggestions?
<As stated: The expedited move to the main/display, perhaps w/ a perfunctory dip/bath enroute (gone over and over on WWM as well); the proffering of more suitable edibles....>
As always, thank you in advance.
<And the typical welcome. Bob Fenner>
Ciao,
Re: Quarantine question       4/2/16
Wow you are fast. Thank you very much. I will look at the WWM Naso feeding FAQs and speak with my service about expediting moving the fish into the main tank.
Ciao,
Steve
<Real good. Arivederci bello! Bob Fenner>
Re: Quarantine question        4/4/16
Hello,
<Steve>
Sadly I did not move fast enough and the Naso perished.
<Ahh>
I am three fish away from finishing the stocking of my tank. Here are the fish I have in my tank (it is a 220 gallon glass FOWLR tank):
3 Orange Ocellaris Clownfish
2 Black Ocellaris Clownfish
Royal Gramma
Flame Hawkfish
Coral Beauty
Yellow Tang
Tail-spot Wrasse
Hepatus Tang
The remaining fish I would like to complete the stocking of my tank are:
Blond Naso Tang
Threadfin Butterfly
Yellow Long-nosed Butterfly
<Ok>
Here is the procedure I have been using to acquire, QT and place the fish in the main tank:
I obtain the fish directly from my service's wholesaler. They put them in the QT (a 55 gallon tank). After one day, they come back out and give them a freshwater (ph adjusted, etc.) dip and place them back in the QT (we wait
a day for the dip to give them some time to de-stress from being shipped.)
We leave them in the QT for two weeks. Then the service comes out again and gives them another freshwater dip and puts them in the main tank. This procedure worked for all of the fish that are in the main tank.
Unfortunately, we have gone through three sets of the Naso Tang, Threadfin Butterfly and Yellow Long-nosed Butterfly with only one Yellow Long-nosed Butterfly making it to the main tank where it died after six days. I would really like to complete my tank as specified but am alarmed over our inability to get these last three fish through the process. Do you have any comments, suggestions? Should I just give up and leave it with the fish I have already in the main tank?
<I would expedite the Naso and BFs... just doing the FW bath and placing directly in the main /display... Yes; I'd risk the small bit of extra possibility of introducing a pathogen... in exchange for their better
initial health. You can read re my opinion on this topic for various groups (families) of fishes in books I've penned, articles and FAQs archived on WWM. Bob Fenner>
As always, grazie in advance.
Steve DeFilippis
Re: Quarantine question        4/4/16
I thought I read in your books (I have several of them) that you would forego the QT for the Butterfly fish but everyone
<...>
is always emphasizing QT so I was hesitant to skip the QT.
<Understood... I ask that you consider the underlying logic in both positions. Likely the specimens your service company is procuring for you are relatively healthy, of good quality... it is also likely in their processing from the wild (none of these are captive produced as yet) have undergone preventative measures (e.g. dips, baths).... You state that previous trials w/ isolation, quarantine have met w/ mortalities.... READ my stated rationale for skipping this S.O.P. on WWM. I don't have time, desire to re-key>
Sometimes there is so much conflicting information out there it is confusing.
<Again... the onus is on you to gain an understanding and sort through the bulk of nonsense on the Net. Do you understand (my statements)? You don't have to agree w/ them>
For these last three we will do the freshwater dip and place them in the main tank. Thank you again. I will keep you posted.
Ciao,
Steve
<Do please make it known how they fare. Bob Fenner>

Sick Naso in QT... Rdg. really; re Crypt, med.s that don't work, N. lituratus hlth f's       6/4/14
Hello everyone at wetwebmedia.com!!! I love your site and really appreciate the help you offer!!
<Ahh, greetings Marco>
I bought a Naso tang after I unfortunately lost my blonde Naso a few days after putting him in the Display tank. The new Naso came from the LFS with a mild case of Ich
<Of which they are VERY prone>
and I put him in my quarantine tank and started treating with Ich attack by Kordon.
<Mmm; do see my comments. Though an old time friend owned and ran the company... and a new younger one of forty years acquaintance does now; this product and all "herbals" I'm aware of have efficacy troubles in "real world" settings. What to state: They rarely work>
The fish was doing great, there are no white spots left on it's body
<Umm; they just cycled off... will be back... PLEASE read on WWM re Cryptocaryon; AND FAQs on Cures that work>
but yesterday I noticed it's stomach looked rather small, "pinched" and it's appetite decreased.
<Very common that stressed, and medicated Tangs (Acanthuroids period; and some other fish groups) lose their stomach fauna... and DO have to eat almost continuously... Brown Algae (macro) a giant plus... ALL this is gone over and over; archived on WWM>
Today it wont even come out of it's hiding spot. The tank is a 50 gallon.
<Only for quarantine I take it... See WWM re Naso lituratus... period>
Water parameters are:
Ammonia: zero
Nitrites: zero
Nitrates: zero
Temp: 79.9
Alk: 10
The only thing that I did yesterday was treating the tank with PraziPro and a 20% water change along with the Ich attack recommended dose.
Is there anything I can do to help the fish.
<All sorts... first off; I'd likely make the executive decision to return this fish to the main/display system... as this is already infested... and "fight the Ich" there... Per: http://wetwebmedia.com/parasittkfaq2.htm
and the linked files at top in this series... till you can recite a plan of action>
I feed him Formula 2 pellets, Nori soaked in Selcon, Rod's food (herbivore preparation) and red seaweed soaked in Selcon and Garlic extreme.
<Good>
Thanks in advance and my best wishes to the crew.
<Welcome... do the reading and if anything is unclear or incomplete, please write back. Bob Fenner>
Re: Sick Naso in QT      6/4/14
Thank you very much Bob for the advice. Yes, the 50 gallon tank is a quarantine tank only, my main tank is 180 gallon.
<Ah good>
The fish is in real trouble now. After I finished typing my previous question to you, I went to check on the fish and he was floating around almost dead. I must admit I freaked out and after contemplating the possibility of having accidentally poisoned him by using Ich attack and PraziPro at the same time,
<Mmm; also... Tangs/Acanthurids NEED high dissolved oxygen... not easy to do in a 50>
I got some water from the display tank into a bucket and very gently put the fish in it with an air stone for aeration. The fish is still alive and trying to swim but his body is arched and only moves his lateral fins. Is this it for my fish? Is there anything at all that I can do for him?
<Too much to relate, re-key...>
Thanks again!!!
<The reading... and quick/pronto! BobF>
Re: Naso Tang    6/8/14
Thank you for info
<Welcome. B>

sick Naso tang - 2/9/11
Greetings, I need some help here, please. My 4 yr. old Naso tang had a bacterial infection 2 weeks ago. Cloudy eyes, grey, fuzzy patches on body, rapid gill movement.
She's in a 300 gallon tank, temp, steady 78, ammonia zero, nitrates 10. I accidentally left the aquarium lights on all evening while running errands.
The entire house was pitch black and she was racing around frantically when I got home, she was very stressed out.
<Can happen>
I turned off the tank light, added soft room light, all seemed well an hour later. Two days later, she had black Ich, cloudy eyes, rapid gill movement, not eating. She's had that very same thing 3 years ago due to stress while moving to a new tank. QT'd her in Maracyn 2,
in a 40 gallon Rubbermaid as I learned from your book, with lots of aeration, and she was fine within 5 days. So I did the same for her this time, adding liquid baby vitamins as well. Only now, she's not recovering at all. She hasn't eaten in a week, getting thin around the head and body.
All other symptoms have gone. Eyes are clear, black Ich gone, no grey fuzzy patches on skin, fins and tail are great. The only symptom left is the rapid gill movement, and zero interest in food. A FW dip doesn't seem to be the answer here, and it would stress her out even more....she's huge, no room in a standard 5 gallon bucket for a dip. What else do you suggest?
Back in the main tank?
<Yes; with vitamins/supplements including feeding stimulant added/soaked into foods>
The only other fish in there are a 10" tassel file, and 2 gobies. No stress there, they all get along.
Thank you in advance.
Ape.
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

PraziPro - Naso health/treatment -05/27/09
Mr. Fenner,
I ordered some PraziPro this morning. I thank you for your help and it feels good to finally have the answers after all of my research. However I now have another problem. My newest fish is about a 5" Naso tang. When he arrived he had a white spot on him. I took this spot as a simple shipping stress, and hoped it would go away with proper feeding and water quality, however it has spread. The spots are not Ich, and I do not see any texture to them. They are simply spots of different shapes and sizes. These were the pictures I sent to you earlier for identification. I am sorry for the less than perfect quality. I am a college student, and do not have a camera other than my phone. If you can help me, or point me as to some possibilities of what this is and treatment that would be safe to use with the PraziPro, it would be very helpful. Thank you for your time, and I am sorry for the confusing pictures without words, my previous e-mail somehow disappeared.
<I am sorry, but Bob is out of the country with sporadic poor net access. Your pics did not come through with this or your previous email, if there was an email with pics it did not get matched up. Can you send them along again? Thanks, Scott V.>

Re: I thought fish ate worms not vice-versa! 5/28/2009
Bob,
<Terry>
Thank you for the help. I ordered some PraziPro this morning. It feels good to finally know the correct treatment after so much research. However, lo and behold it seems my newest fish, a Naso tang also has another problem. When I received him be had one of these spots, now several. I am going to send a picture I took with my phone. I hope it is good enough quality. If you can identify it. I would like to know how to treat it along with the PraziPro I will be administering. He is eating very little, but he is eating. These spots don't appear to have any texture, just simply various sizes and shapes that appear to just be bleached out. Any help is greatly appreciated.
<Mmm, can't tell what this is but the exposure to the PraziPro won't hurt this fish... may help cure it. BobF>

Naso Tang Issue, Cu 2/4/09 Hi, <Hello> I have had this blond Naso Tang for about three weeks. He is currently in quarantine getting copper and Prazi pro treatments. <For what?> As you can see from the picture, he is splotchy. At times, when his skin looks dark grey, he looks very splotchy. <Yes> When his skin is light grey, it doesn't look so bad. He is not the most aggressive eater but does eat. He has not changed his behavior and mostly likes to hide but he will swim around every 15 minutes if there is no sudden movement outside the tank. Is there anything else I can do about the spots? Thanks. Mike <Stop the copper exposure... it's killing this fish. Acanthurids don't "like" cupric ions... These markings, behavior are evidence of poisoning. Bob Fenner>

Naso Tang 007, hlth. 10/14/08 Dear Crew, I First off, thank you for a wonderful web-site. I just happen upon it a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoying reading all the vast amount of information. It's very commendable of you to offer such a tremendous service. I do own a copy of CMA. Great book Dr. Fenner! <Mmm, no doctorate, just Bob, please> I'm somewhat of a newbie in that I left the hobby several years ago as time constraints (i.e. 3 children) along with moving to new residence kept me from re-establishing my tank. Anyhow, my reason for writing today is that I am starting up my 300 gal. FOWLR and have made my first fish purchase. One of the fish being a 6" Blonde Naso Tang. This fish was offered at discount through the retailer (F&S) you mention on your web-site frequently. (I wonder if it had been in their tank for long period of time, thus the reason for the discounted price?) <Possibly> I received the fish on Weds. afternoon and by Sat. morning he developed what appears to me to be Lateral Line Disease. I am attaching a picture for your review. <I see> The Naso was placed in quarantine tank 30 gal.(4' x 1' x 1' ) upon receipt on Weds. 10/08. The water in the quarantine tank is being treated each day with Kordon's Prevent Ich per their instructions. <Mmm, won't "treat" HLLE... in fact the ingredients here, the further stress... will drive all the other direction> Water parameters are as follows: spg 1.023, <Mmm, low, but likely better here for gas exchange purposes> ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates <5, temp. 76, ph 8.2. He is currently not accepting food i.e. Mysis shrimp, krill dip in vita-Chem, red algae w/garlic sheets, flakes, etc. <Stop! I would move this fish (back) into the 300 gallon setting... The etiology/causative mechanism of the syndrome shown won't "spread" as a consequence to other livestock... and otherwise the chance of this fish resolving is very small> He is not actively swimming around tank, occasional stroll and then sits on bottom. <More bad behavior> Today, Monday, he has started gilling. I have been using a power head position right at the water-line to agitate the surface so that there's plenty of air mixing with the water. <Mmm, not for this species... Move it> Could you please confirm my diagnoses and provide any other information on treatment as well as suggestions on what else can be done to save him. I read all that I could find own your web-site with respect HIHLL and seems to me that the general consensus for its cause is related to nutrition and water quality. <Yes, this is so> With that being the case, what could have caused this condition in such a short period of time (3 1/2 days) given the water parameters? <Stress period... as you speculate, just how long has this fish been kept, moved about in sub-par conditions?> Your response most appreciated. <Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Re: Emailing: Naso Tag 007... reading... Crypt 10/14/08 Thank you Bob for your response. <Welcome Scott> Sorry about calling you Dr. but, a man of with your wealth of knowledge and experience certainly qualifies you to be one. Just wanted to clarify a few things. First off, the Tang did perish yesterday afternoon ( I wish I had received your reply sooner as I would have acted on your advise to move him). Secondly, I was following the personal recommendation of one Kordon's scientist/marine biologist who said I should quarantine all tangs for about six weeks <Mmm, please see at least WWM re my opinions here and rationale for same... we differ> and treat the quarantine tank initially with Kordon's organic Prevent Ich product <... and my input re this product. NOT reliable> for seven days and stop if no Ich presents. He stated that Tangs were notorious for carrying Ich <This is so> and by using this product it would likely eradicate any internal/external parasites( I assumed he wasn't giving me a sales pitch!). <Mostly> The HIHLL problem did not present until after nearly two days of quarantining. <Likely the Kordon product was more cause here...> I did not realize that the product in question would create additional stress as there is no information to contrary on Kordon's Prevent Ich label/ web-site. Thirdly, I did not do a freshwater dip as your web-site seemed to indicate that this method should not be utilized for Tangs unless parasites were observed on the fish prior to placing it in the quarantine tank. Would this have made a difference for this fish? <Perhaps... but... only can guess> So should I be employing a different strategy for my quarantining fish? <... you should... read> This Kordon product is somewhat new and does not require water changes during treatment (tremendous benefit). <... again, take a look on the BBs... others input... Kordon is a good co., with many fine products... this is not one of them> All other fish, yellow tang, blue hippo, and one spot fox face seem to be doing fine during this treatment. Thank you again for your time. Scott
<BobF>

Naso Tang swimming strange 6/23/08 I have a Naso Tang (6 inches) that has been in the tank about 3 months. In the tank with him are a Regal Blue Tang (5 inches), Yellow Tang (3.5 inches), Yellow tail Coris (4 inches), Coral Beauty (3 inches) 2 3.5 inch Ocellaris clowns and a lawnmower blenny. The Regal did have cloudy eye about 2 weeks ago and I treated it with Focus and Metronidazole in the food. <... what was the cause?> The cloudy eye are gone and he has stopped scratching on the live rock in the last day or two. The tank parameters are: 150 Gallon 200+lbs live rock 1.025 specific gravity 0 NO 2 5 NO 3 11 Alkalinity 8.2-8.4 Ph 0-.02 PO4 77-78.5 temp 400-450 Ca 1250 Magnesium <These all look good> The Naso shows no outward signs of stress yet he will swim normally and then jerk almost in a nervous twitch or as if he had hic ups. <Natural behavior to extents> He does not eat frozen food but eats dried seaweed and pellets with no reservations. <Ah, good. No worries> After reading the FAQs I am going to add a airstone for good O2 in the water. <Can do little possible harm, but much good> I did just add a sulfur denitrator about 4 weeks ago and that has brought the Nitrates down from 25. They have been less than 10 the last 2 weeks and this behavior started about 2 days ago. Water changes are about 30 gallons every 2 weeks. All top off is done with RO water. <Mmm, I would not be overly concerned with the behaviors stated. Perhaps some settling in with the S2 is occurring. Bob Fenner>

Re: Naso Tang swimming strange 6/26/08 The cloudy eye I believe was caused by my food. <?> I was thawing 1 weeks worth of San Francisco Bay brand frozen food (plankton, Emerald Isle, Mysis Shrimp) and mixing it with vitamins and garlic extract and leaving in the refrigerator. I found out you should only do that for up to 48 hours. So, my suspect is that the food had started to go bad and created the cloudy eye. I also think that is why the Naso stopped eating the frozen and went to eating the pellets and seaweed. <Mmmm> The Naso appears to have stopped or reduced the jerky motions. It does have some white discoloration on the edge of the upper part of one of his gills. It does not appear to be getting larger or smaller. He is eating fine so I suspect it is nothing to worry about. Thanks for your reply. <Welcome... you have read the sections on WWM re this genus, species? http://wetwebmedia.com/fishindex3.htm scroll down. Bob Fenner>

Methylene Blue with Erythromycin? Naso lituratus hlth., beh. 6/11/08 Hello Crew! <Charlie> I have a somewhat urgent need for a definitive answer, I have searched somewhat here and have not as of yet found my answer. I do know that it is here, as I believe I have read it months ago. Yet, in my frantic search cannot for the life of me locate it on this vast wealth of information. So I come to you in hopes of finding it sooner. My thanks in advance for the help you offer. Now my question. I have a 6 in or so blond Naso tang. She has been housed in my 135 for approximately 15-16 months. <Will need more room than this> This fish is BTW my favorite and I love Anna very much. This past weekend I relocated the tank to another room. She was temporarily housed with 12 other fish in a 65 filled with water straight from the 135. Anna was in there for about 15 hours with a heater and a Koralia 4 for flow. All fish made it back to the DT and were treated very well during the move. Most including Anna were hand caught <Yikes...> as they feed from my hand daily, and never saw a net. All look and act normally upon intro back to the DT except Anna. She displayed the typical dark shading when stressed and didn't feed the following day Sunday) Nor did she ever really socialize. Last night, I found here laying still, slightly curved and dark grey along the bottom. <Tangs do lay on the bottom at night> She is very listless and just plain weak acting. Any current will pin her in place. I have moved her into the 10 QT with an air stone/heater and dosed erythromycin. <I would move this fish back to the main display.> I cannot see any evidence of anything wrong with this fish. She does have a sore on her side. But that was definitely caused by being stuck against a power head. Which was caused be her ailment. I don't have any idea what it may be. <My best, high-confidence guess is psychological stress... from being moved, kept in such a small volume... Will "get over it" in time... likely under a week. But DO move this fish into the larger quarters, now> However in a last ditch effort to save her, I administered the erythromycin. <These are miscible... no problem> Finally here's my question...LOL I want to know if dosing Methylene blue along side the erythromycin is OK? <Yes> Also would it if it is, be of any possible help/harm to her. Really I don't think she's going to make it, but I will try anything you suggest. Also I feel as though her problem is caused by some kind of trauma she may have suffered while my watchful eyes were not upon her. I thank you and so does Anna Charlie Bunch <Bob Fenner>

What went wrong... Naso mystery death, too small QT 8/26/07 Hey WWM crew I would like to start off by giving all of you there a big thanks for all the help giving to people on this site. <cool :-) > It has been extremely helpful to me, making me a much better aquarist. After reading all the misfortunes of people by not using a quarantine tank and or dips, and learning how easy it is, I've been convinced to change my ways. I set up a 10 gal tank and used the water from my main tank, as well as an established canister filter, and a heater. There is no gravel, or anything else in the tank, temp is the exact same as the main tank and the tank is covered. My first fish was a Naso tang. I drip acclimated him, gave him a Methylene blue dip (using the directions on the bottle) and put him in the tank making sure there was no temp difference. A towel was placed around the outside of the tank to give the fish some since of security. <Hmmm...I'd only suggest the quarantine tank be bigger and have some PVC pipe parts or ceramic pots to provide sleeping and hiding places.> Three days later he was dead. He was found between the heater and the glass halfway down the tank. <Is there any chance he got stuck?> I had not performed any water changes in this three days and the quarantine tank is in the bathroom. The store I bought him at gets his supply directly from the Philippines and has assured me that cyanide is not used in it's captured. Also the store had the fish for two weeks and all livestock looks very healthy and alert to include this tang. The tank looked healthy and alert up until death other than being stressed from being moved. That's all; I don't get it, what went wrong? <God only knows what actually happened. Aquarium fish die "mysteriously" all the time. In the absence of disease or obvious water chemistry problems, it's usually stress. Unfortunately, we aquarists tend to be largely unaware of just how much stress our fish might be under in a certain situation (or of the more subtle signs and causes of such stress). Here's a good article with some good info about fish and stress: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/AqBizSubWebIndex/fishdisho.htm> Any help on this would me greatly appreciated so as I don't continue to kill fish. <The unfortunate truth is that even if you do everything right, you may still lose a fish or two. But if you're as careful as you can be, you'll lose far fewer fish.> Thanks again for any help or advice. Kris <De nada, Sara M.>
Re: What went wrong... Naso mystery death, too small QT 8/26/07 Thanks Sara for the advice and link. I'm glad to here that there was no obvious mistake on my part. If I can ask one last thing though? <Well, of course. :-) > We know protein skimmers are crucial in marine tanks. <Hmmm... that depends on who you talk to, how big the tank is, the number/size of other filtration methods being used, and the experience level of the aquarist. There are some "fringe" reef aquarists who successfully maintain their aquariums without them. But radical reef keeping ideas aside, generally yes, it's largely agreed that skimmers are important to maintaining a healthy marine tank... especially for fish only tanks.> However everything I've read say's there not needed in a quarantine tank. why? Is this because the quarantine tank should have more water changes. <Well, unless there's a dire emergency, a quarantine tank should not have many fish in it at any given time. In other words, the bioload should be very low. The quarantine tank should never be as heavily stocked as the main tank. And yes, regular water changes can make up for the lack of a skimmer. > again thank you for your time and help. Kris <My pleasure, Sara M.>

Quarantine For Naso Tang? 3/28/07 Hi there, hope all is well today. <Not too bad Aaron.> I am going to be ordering from the internet a Blonde Naso Tang, about 3". I had one before and it died from starvation. <Can be problematic to acclimate.> I didn't quarantine (I know) because I thought my 30 gallon QT would be way to small to keep him in for that period. <It's not too bad for a 30 day stay providing it is the only fish in the tank.> Both waters in the tanks are the same. I have live rock in both with plenty of algae growth. <Good> The first died cause my clown would not let him eat. He picked off the rocks and that was it. Anything that I put in the tank the clown got, and the tang was afraid to try. My question is do you think I should QT this guy when I get him in my 30 gallon, or I thought I could make some kind of divider for my 125 (they don't sell them that big) and just get him used to eating. Right now I just have a diamond goby, cleaner shrimp, and tomato clown in there. The clown is an aggressive eater. <Mmm, is a problem acclimating with an aggressive eater. Unless your dealer quarantined, I'd quarantine to be on the safe side, get him acclimated to eating prepared foods with no bullies present. As for the divider, most hardware stores sell acrylic sheets you can cut to fit. Most will even cut it for you. You can then use this for a divider. It then will allow the fish to see each other and allow the tang to eat undisturbed. I'm thinking a couple weeks should suffice, then remove the divider, the tang, by then, shouldn't take any baloney from anyone. Also, read here and related files above for more info. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/naso.htm> Thanks, <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Aaron

Naso tang fin disease First,,,, I wish I had found this site sooner, truly a wonderful source of expert opinion. <Our intention> I have a juvenile Naso tang (lituratus) about 5-6 inches in length who for the past 3 months has had a frayed tail and ventral fins (fins look like they were partially eaten away and have a little bit of a rough white exudate on them). <Mmmm, should have "grown back" over this time... if suitable environment (size, tankmates...), nutrition available> He looks great otherwise and eats like a champ. <Eating what? "Breakfast of Champions?"... hopefully substantial amounts of brown, red, green algae...> My local fish store here in Hawaii recommended Melafix for the fin issue. I had stepped up water changes without any change in the fin prior to trying the Melafix. I currently am on day 5 of the MelaFix treatment and wonder if I should finish out the 7 days or stop. Does this sound like Ich and if so what treatment if any would you recommend? <This homeopathic remedy I am NOT a fan of... has a mild anti-microbial effect... NOT useful on protozoan complaints> I have a 125 gallon SW tank, which has been running for 5 months with great water quality. Fish load is light with only a white spotted puffer, squirrel fish, blue damsel, and flame angel. Everyone else looks great. Thanks, Eric <Try bolstering the Nasos diet with soaking it in a vitamin prep. (e.g. Selcon), offering soaked/dried algae with a clip at the water's surface. Bob Fenner> <<Mmm, should have suggested he go collect his own Limu, living in Hawai'i... RMF>>

Naso Tang ... selection? - 2/11/2006 I bought a Blonde Naso Tang last week. I bought him because the "expert" at the LFS said these were hardy fish and not particularly disease prone. <He's also a comedian too?> He also tested my water and told me it was fine, but I didn't ask the specific parameters. He told me that he had been quarantining using a UV sterilizer for approximately 1 month. The Naso has been in my tank for 4.5 days. I noticed two days ago that he has white spots on his fins. The same "expert" at the LFS advised me to give him a bath in 2.5 gals of fresh water and 11 drops of formalin with an antibiotic in the water. Is this the way to treat that? <I'd like to ask you a question first. Why didn't you quarantine the fish before placing it in your tank? This makes an effective treatment much easier. Freshwater dips are usually the first stage in treatment. Do Google search our Wet Web site, keyword "freshwater dip". You will find your info there. I'm also hoping you have at least a 70 gallon tank for that guy for starters as they can attain a length of up to 8 inches and do require plenty of swimming room. James (Salty Dog)> Donna
Re: Naso Tang 2/13/06 Thank you so much for your help. <You're welcome.> I am fairly new to the saltwater hobby <Naso tangs are not a fish for newbies for sure.> though I've been keeping freshwater fish for a few years. I don't have a quarantine tank set up. How many gallons should a quarantine tank be? And how long should I quarantine fish? <Do read here. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/QuarMarFishes.htm James (Salty Dog)>

Brown/Black spots on tang I have a problem with the tank and am not sure what to do. My LFS recommends using Greenex but I have read of awful "happenings" using this stuff on your website. It doesn't sound like you recommend it. <cure or kill solution... usually the latter> I went home for lunch today and my Naso Tang has very light brown/black spots all over him. It does not resemble black Ich. They are not round spots. It's hard to explain. . . never seen anything like it before. I tested the water and it is perfect. He is acting fine -- eating well and swimming. What should I do? Do you recommend anything to try or just watch it for a day or so? No other fish show these signs. . . I'm at a loss. Please help. . . . <sounds like Turbellid worms. Hard to cure but slow to kill fish. A bare QT tank for 2-4 weeks with formalin and occasional freshwater dips would be best for this before it spreads to other fish (mostly tangs, butterflies and angels)> Thanks! <quite welcome. Anthony>
Naso Relapse... Anthony, I have a feeling I'm going to wear out my welcome, <no worries, my friend> but unfortunately I am in need of some advice yet again. I used the search option on your web page but could find very little info about my new problem. If you remember we have been going back and forth about my blonde Naso, which became ill over the weekend. Well since the transport into a QT, and subsequent treatment with Greenex which started on Monday, his Ich cleared up, his appetite increased and the gilling ceased. In fact he was looking very good, up until last night. The Ich has come back, which isn't a big problem I was expecting that. <indeed> The new problem is that the poor guy now has cloudy eyes. To be exact it looks like there is a kind of film which has coated the eye. Also he refused food, both last night and this morning. <secondary infection or response to the aggressive Greenex treatment> I searched on WetWebMedia.com for any articles relating to this. Really all I found were articles relating to exopthalmia, which he definitely doesn't have. There is zero swelling around the eyes. <agreed> I set up the quarantine tank using water from the main display. So my thinking is that whatever was in the main display, to cause his sickness in the first place, is still there making him sick. <the water was appropriate... the fish is immuno-compromised and brought it in on his, er... person> I was hoping that treatment would help this. Could this be a side infection, initiated by the Ich weakening his immune system? <either or both> Is this yet another type of protozoan infection? Is there anything I can do, outside of a quick water change, to aide him? Should I do anything? <I still rank freshwater dips above all including Greenex> I realize this is a lot of questions. But since I'm not out of the woods yet, I was hoping you could help point the way. <no trouble... a common problem. Naso may still be quite fine in a week. Easy on that Greenex please. It is cure or kill.> Thank you, Michael Mariani <best regards, Anthony>

Re: pls tell me your are online... (Naso demise) So far he is still alive.... 5 and a half hours after the move.... I also moved the cleaner wrasse into the hospital with him. The cleaner has been picking at Naso almost none stop. Naso even has Ich inside his mouth.... He opens his mouth really wide... I guess wanting wrasse to clean inside there. <Hopefully> I am doing the SeaChem Cupramine treatment... I did a test and it is at 0.15 for now.... I will continue to test and adjust as needed (hopefully) <Good> THE PLAN: I will not buy more fish for the rest of the year..... <Let's not go that far> I will however get a Neon Goby and maybe a fourth cleaner shrimp. I am considering dropping the Salinity if another fish shows symptoms. <I would do this pre-emptively. Like starting NOW> If not should I drop it anyway? <Yes> If I can afford it should I get another tank for fish only and move all the fish over there for treatment or just to simply let the tank fallow for a few months? <The former is better> Would a 55 gallon be enough for a purple tang, yellow tang, 6 line wrasse, Percula clown, scooter blenny and a Naso I hope? <Yes> Does a FO tank require more than natural light? <No, not for treatment purposes. No photosynthetic life, no need for extra lighting> Or is that not necessary if no other fish show symptoms? <The system and its occupants do have the disease, whether they are currently showing symptoms or no... your situation is "in-between stages of infestation"... study the life history of Cryptocaryon... as time goes by (just a few days) you will start to evidence "multi-generational stages"...> The Ich would then be considered in check with the current cleaner crew? <Possibly... but if/when "balance" shifts to the worsening of conditions for your fish livestock/hosts... Bob Fenner>
Re: pls tell me your are online... OK.... now to implement the SG drop.... Easy concept but what is the best way? Is there a formula for adding a percentage of change water with NO salt that will drop the SG by .001 a day? <Just an "eye ball" approximation of a proportionality... current water volume to remove, replace with just freshwater...> Should the Hydro meter say 1.017 or do I have to be really precise and look up the temp variations and such to get the exact salinity? <Hmm, not necessary to be that close to real salinity.> Thank you ever so much for your support my friend :) <You are welcome. Anima bona fac (Lingua Latina for "be of good life"). Bob Fenner>

Naso Tang Quick question. Today I noticed that my Naso tang was breathing really heavy and was not eating. The other fish look to be doing fine and so do the xenia, mushrooms, and buttons. Checked the water parameters and everything seems fine. I am running a skimmer in the sump and two power heads in the tank so they should be getting enough oxygen. Don't know what to do? Please give me some suggestions <the fish may be showing the early stages of a serious parasite infection that has started in the gills. Please consult our section on Wet Web Media on quarantine tanks for preparedness. If this fish needs medication it will need to be done in a QT tank to be effective and to spare poisoning your biological filter and calcareous media. Best regards, Anthony>

Naso Tangs have a couple of fish that have white spots on there body. I have a 110 gal reef tank. I set up a 6 gal hospital tank to treat the 2 fish that showed signs of these spots "Ick" 1 Blue Hippo Tang and 1 Naso Tang. The Naso Tang didn't have as many spots as the Blue Hippo but when I put them both in the tank after about 1 hour the Naso started to fling everywhere in the tank and just croaked. This was very upsetting. My Local fish store told me to set up the hospital tank and treat it with copper and place the fish in the hospital tank. They told me to do the follow. 1/Take water out of main tank to fill the hospital tank 2/Add copper to hospital tank and bring to level .20 ppm (after some reading I was a little unsure about the ppm level so I put it at .10-.13 ppm just to be safe) The blue hippo has been in the hospital tank for 24 hours now and doing ok. I also have 3 Percula true clowns now showing the white spots on there body as well as gasping very quickly for air. I am unsure whether I am missing something here as to I am very new to Marine Aquariums and never dealt with any diseases. I am afraid to put these little guys in the hospital tank because I don't want them to die just like the Naso did. I know that Ick is 2-3 week moving parasite on the host so I wanted to wait and get a response from you on how to proceed, or what I need to change. These guys normal diet is frozen-live brine shrimp, romaine lettuce (for tangs) and Marine Flake Food. My system uses a Wet/Dry Trickle filtration system and as a SeaClone Skimmer also. Any help as soon as possible would be appreciated, as to I don't like to see these poor things pass away. Its just really sad. <<Who can say why the Naso reacted so negatively to the procedure... these species do not enjoy small systems... a six gallon is very tiny to them... I would have suggested a higher initial concentration of free copper... more like .35ppm and never letting the residual drop below .20... I would move the damsels, all other fishes and treat them together... Do read over the "Ich" pieces on the site: Home Page regarding what to do with your main system going forward... And do develop and adhere to an acclimation protocol going forward to prevent having these problems. Bob Fenner>>

Surgeonfishes: Tangs for Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
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by Robert (Bob) Fenner

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