PBT Soc Dis F

FAQs about the Yellow-Tail Blue, Palette, Hippo Tang Social Disease

FAQs on Paracanthurus Tang Disease: PYTB Tang Disease 1, Pacific YTB Tang Disease 2, PYTB Tang Disease 3, Pacific YTB Disease 4, YTBT Health 5, YTBT Health 6, YTBT Disease 7, YTBT Disease 8, YTBT Disease 9, YTBT Disease , & Tangs/Rabbitfishes &Crypt,
FAQs on Paracanthurus Tang Disease by Category: Diagnosis, Environmental, Nutritional, Trauma, Pathogenic (plus see Tangs/Rabbitfishes & Crypt), Genetic, Treatments

Related Articles: The Genus Paracanthurus,

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

Blue Hippo Tang - White Covering, Fungus Or Bacteria or Parasite - Bleeding From Gills? 3/12/12
Hello,
<Hi Adrian.>
Fish and tank have been fine for a few years. Out of nowhere the other night I heard a "thumping" sound coming from the tank. Couldn't figure it out. I now assume it was the hippo tang fighting with another tank mate<Likely one of the tangs.> or perhaps moving too fast and rigid-like in the rock work.
The hippo tang now has white marks all over it - like someone rubbed chalk on it... and there is a gash taken out of its tail and near the underside of the gill. It literally looks like someone took the end of a knife and just nipped out a chunk from it.<They are called Surgeonfish for a reason. They will use their spine or "scalpel" at the base of there tails for protection or to establish dominance.>
Anyways, now it is constantly going over to the cleaner shrimp all day long<The shrimp is removing damaged or dead tissue.> and I just saw it trying to scratch the very top of it's dorsal
fin. It aimed itself sideways at a rock and tried to scratch the top of itself. What is going on here??<Scratching for lack of a better term.>
Only new addition is a cleaner shrimp the other day (store water was NOT added to tank) and some new corals that I dipped in Two Little Fishies Coral Revive for 15 minutes.
Inhabitants:
Hippo Tang
Yellow Tang
Six Line Wrasse
False Percula pair
Kole Tang
snails
<How large are the tangs?>
cleaner shrimp
fighting conch
Tank Size:
125 gallon.<Dimensions?>
I also read that fish can turn white and flash themselves due to stress. Is that so with the hippo tang? I don't understand why it changed overnight after a few years.<The fish are much larger now and the tank is the same size.> Could it be stressed and white due to whatever happened a few days ago? I also redid my rock work a few weeks ago but its color has been since. This just happened.
On top of that, I also noticed a dark liquid substance coming out of its gills last night, shortly after a cleaner shrimp was picking away at its gills. Was this blood?<Hard to say without seeing.> The lights were off so I couldn't tell the color but at first I thought it was blood? It looked like that or either dark black oil... but it was flowing from the gills.<If blood is flowing out of the gills I do not think it will survive the injuries.>
Picture attached of tail gouge and here is a video link. In the video you can somewhat see the white covering its body. It hardly shows up in the video but is much more pronounced in person. The patches of HLLE were from a few years ago. I feed new life spectrum and Mysis with vitamins etc... and do regular water changes.<One of the tangs will likely need to be removed to stop the fighting.>
http://s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff141/chatyak/?action=view&current=IMG_0241.mp4
Adrian,
<Jordan>

Blue Hippo Tang flesh being "eaten" away 11/28/11
Hello,
I have a Blue Hippo Tang, purchased as a juvenile about 2 years ago. She has had no history of health or behavior issues.
We feed flakes daily, Mysis shrimp a 2-3 times a week. We have about 9 fish with live rock, urchin, starfish, crabs, no corals. Tank is 90 gallons, recently checked water quality and regular water changes. Tank has been stable and healthy for over 2 years. Last fish added was a Lunar Wrasse about 3 months ago.
<Mmm, well... ninety gallons... nine fish is too much... something/one has damaged this Tang... maybe the Thalassoma that's new, perhaps a run-in w/ a rock or the urchin... now the crowded/polluted conditions are conspiring to aid bacterial decomposition of your Paracanthurus>
About 2 weeks ago, the Blue Tang had a few "scrapes" on it's side, as if she had scraped along the rocks.
<Ah yes>
They were gone in a day or two and no other marks showed up from that. I noticed our female Blue Jaw Trigger had similar feathery like scrapes on her head for a couple of days. Her's have gone away as well and she still seems fine We left town for 2 1/2 days (fish were fed flakes while we were gone.) We came back to find the Blue Tang with a white faded spot on her side, about the size of a quarter. She was breathing hard, swimming erratically and could not stay straight. She would flounder to the side while on the bottom, and would quickly head to a corner at the surface or under a rock where she could straighten herself. Within hours, I noticed pitting in the white area. The next morning, there were red areas where the pitting was. It has since grown at an alarming pace, and it appears she is being eaten by something from the outside in. Her breathing is a little better, she is eating, but not as much as usual. Her other side is fading a little, but not yet resembling the other.
We have treated with StressCoat,
<Of no use here>
feeding Nori seaweed (she hasn't eaten that yet) and putting Focus and Metronidazole in food
<Why? Id est, for what presumed reason?>
(frozen Mysis shrimp.) She is eating a little, eating more of the flake food than the shrimp. We unfortunately do not have a quarantine aquarium set up.
<No need; have to fix the environment/world all are in currently>
If there is any shot at treating this without setting one up, please advise. Picture attached. This photo was about 32 hours after first coming home to a the large white spot on her side.
Thanks!
Christy
<What measure for Nitrate here? Do you have a skimmer? When last cleaned?
Do you use chemical filtrants? Don't know exactly where to refer you to for reading. Let's try here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/infectio.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Re: Blue Hippo Tang flesh being "eaten" away 11/28/11
Hello,
<Christy>
We bought and used the Focus and Metronidazole in the food by suggestion of the tropical fish store owner in our area. He said it would take care of the bacterial infection he diagnosed this as.
<... is bacterial highly likely, but secondary... The med.s have no chance of treating this>
I also read (I've read a kazillion confusing articles) to use the Nori seaweed as a nutritional value, to be sure the Tang was getting the nutrients it needed.
<Actually, such algae have almost no nutritive value>
Her wound has "whited" over today and I am hoping that is a good sign. She is staying hidden behind rocks.
I agree, too many fish, the last added (Wrasse) was too much. He is a large fish and in my opinion, too aggressive in our tank.

We are going to remove him asap and return him to the store. He is difficult to catch, this will not be easy.
<Two nets... maybe four... w/ two people>
He has a good protein skimmer and a water filtration system, no chemicals.
I'm sorry I have no idea what it's called, that's my husband's area and he's at work. He does regular weekly 10 gallon water changes, did one early last week. He checked nitrates and phosphates on Saturday, I recall the phosphate being a 2,
<MUCH too high. Please read on WWM re HPO4>
unsure of nitrate level. He only told me his water quality was okay.
We were also recently told to add Melafix
<Worse than worthless... may interrupt nitrification. PLEASE learn to/use the search tool on WWM ahead of actions and writing us>
and did so earlier today. Do you agree with this?
<NO. Would add a modicum of activated carbon to your filter flow path to remove ASAP>
It has also been suggested that this was caused by aggression. Though my memory goes back to the scrapes on the Tangs sides a few weeks ago. I also remember a day or two before that, our female Blue Jaw Trigger showing a "feathery-like" scrape on her head. It was there for a few days. It did not look like a bit or hit, it looked like a scrape. She seems to be fine, as of now.
Thank you Bob for your help. I have been overwhelmed trying to find the reason for this and the solution online.
<Glad to help you and your livestock. BobF>

Re: Blue Hippo Tang flesh being "eaten" away, Thalassoma incomp. 11/29/11
Hi Bob,
<Christy>
Thank you for taking time to answer my questions and give some guidance!
The Lunar Wrasse is the confirmed culprit.
<Ahh, yes; as I originally suspected>
I witnessed it attacking the Blue Hippo Tang, took many chunks out of her.
The Wrasse was immediately separated from the rest of the fish and has been returned to the store.
<Good>
The Blue Tang has been out since and seemingly peaceful. Now it's time for healing her wounds, (new picture attached) and getting her healthy. We read the articles you mentioned (plus some) and added activated carbon as you advised and going to work on getting things back to where they should be for a healthy environment. No more new fish for our tank, lesson learned (the hard way, as usual.) Thank you again, you are well appreciated.
Sincerely,
Christy Young
<Thank you for this follow-up. Cheers, BobF>

Please help!! What's wrong with my PYTB tang! 12/20/09
Hello everyone,
<Sonya>
First off I must say I love your site, it has been very helpful in most of the questions I have ever had about my tank!
Second, I hope you can help me, there seems to be something wrong with my new PYTB tangs dorsal fin. I did do a search, but other then Lymphocystis I have no idea what it could be.
I have a 75Hex tank
<Mmm... Not ideal shape or volume for Paracanthurus>
that has been set up for a little over a yr. I have a canister filter, skimmer in the sump and power head. About a 2" sand bed and about 100lbs live rock. I do water changes only about 1-2 times a month 20% at a time Last water change was a week ago right before I added the two new fish. Temp 78, Nitrites, nitrates, phos. all 0. I am unsure of the ammonia because I ran out of that test a couple weeks ago. ( I will go get one asap)
Sg 1.024 PH 8.2 Calc 500 it's always a little high I think because of the rocks (about 50lbs is that Texas holey rock which is limestone I think?) I don't supplement it.
Tank inhabitants:
Coral= about 7 groups of various Zoas, a Small group of Palys, a Duncan that has grown from 1 head to 8 in just a few months, a small hammer and a small torch, Favia. and a red/purple gorgonian. All have been doing fine.
Fish= a pair of Perc. clowns, a 6line wrasse, lawnmower blenny and a scooter blenny(I think that's what it is) and a 3 line damsel that I just can't seem to get rid of! I had him in a 10 gal for 3 yrs prior to setting up the 75 and he is quite the meany!
<Ah yes. Dascyllus species...>
He always bites me when I have my hands in the tank, but at least he is well mannered with the other fish.
Then the 2 new additions a Foxface lo and a PYTB tang.
There's about 20 or so blue leg hermits, a 4" cleaner shrimp who has now become lazy and won't clean anyone actually the anemone shrimp cleans better then he does... 5 peppermint shrimp, olive snail, horseshoe crab, 2 emerald crabs, a porcelain crab, and a few other small snails.
I also just added a few 2"cleaner clams to the sump.
There is about 7 mango grove plants in the back of the overflow box since they grow out of the water.
A few months ago I had a huge hair algae breakout, (right after the UV broke..) mostly due to over feeding I think though. Nitrates were around 20+ so I worked on getting them down and had been scrubbing the rocks best I can. Since the Zoas and other coral are attached I can't really pull them out to scrub them. Most of it is gone/dead but some still lingers on.
Because there was/is dead hair algae clumps that have gotten stuck on the sand, red slime started to grow on it. I treated a few times with ChemiClean. It seems to help.
<Dangerous... are the chemical trade offs worth it here? I would look to other remedies>
Ok on to the biggest problem. I got a 5" Foxface lo and a 4" PYTB tang to try and help with the remaining algae. QT for 3wks. The tang and Foxface are buddies and a lot of time the swim together. The tang is very outgoing the Foxface is a big baby and hides if people walk past the tank but he does eat the algae all the time so that's a plus.
When I put them in the main tank (about a week ago) the tang got a few spots that may be ich but they look like it's under the skin so I'm not sure what it is and it they haven't multiplied. She has been swimming to all the shrimp and has rubbed against the rocks a few times, but the only shrimp that even climbs on her is the anemone shrimp. ( I had no idea they are cleaners)
<Indeed these Hippolytids are>
The skunk shrimp was also getting ready to molt again so I suspect that may be why he wasn't so interested in her.
I have had ich in the tank before when I first added the clowns (no QT since the damsel was the only one in the tank at the time) but everyone seem to get over it. Every once and a while I'll see a white spot or two but it never spreads and always goes away. I am aware that it will always be present as long as their are fish in there. For the most part the UV(when it was working) and the skunk shrimp had made sure I don't have an outbreak.
So after going to bed last night everyone was acting fine and this morning when I turn on the lights the tang comes out with this swollen bumpy dorsal
fin. She is not her happy self and is swimming awful slow around the tank.
I feed the fish mostly frozen food. (marine 2 and vitamin encapsulated Mysis) and Nori for the tang but when ever she eats it she spits it out and then eats it again. Sometimes she doesn't actually eat it though... I just now feed them a cube of Mysis to see if she would eat it and she darted for them so she is eating but otherwise she was swimming pretty pokey.
The only thing that had changed from last night to this afternoon was I added a few cleaner clams to the sump(all still alive) and I put in a dose of ChemiClean (last dose was over 2wks ago) because there was some red slime on the sand again.
<Mmm, do read here re: http://wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm
and the linked files above till you sense you have a good grasp of what your options are here>
I turned off the skimmer and I changed the powerhead to add more air in the tank.
There is definitely something wrong with her dorsal fin. It looks like there's a weird growth in it.
<Yes... have seen this before. Often associated with "stings"... Likely this fish has had a brush with your Zoanthids, perhaps a poke from the Siganid. At any length, this is "untreatable", and will improve, resolve itself over time with good care, propitious circumstances>
It's not exactly white though. She did have a little bit of frayed fins when I first added her to the main tank but those are just about healed. Her color seems fine and no spreading of the spots/bumps (look under the skin for the most part)
Everyone else is normal, even the coral is all opened up and seems happy enough.
Is it possible she got hit by the Foxface?
<Yes>
They do sleep in the same area and he does get spooked a lot. When he gets spooked he'll go and hide in their sleeping area and change to spotty black and put his spines up. But he always gets over it pretty quick. It's only been a week so I figured he'll eventually get used to us moving about in the living room.
The only other thing I can think is she has Lymphocystis but it doesn't exactly look like that either. Please help me if you can! I really like her a lot!
Thanks!!
Sonya
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Re: Please help!! What's wrong with my PYTB tang! 12/20/2009
Hello Bob,
Thank you very much for the prompt reply it is greatly appreciated. I hope it's not too much trouble to ask a few more questions.
The stung area on my PYTB tang seems to be swelling up quite a bit over the last few hours to the point where there is no longer any color left on the dorsal fin. Is this still just a case of wait and see, or is there any thing that may help her swelling?
<The former>
Is there anything I should be watching for?
<Not really... the site may "pop"; nothing to do re>
Should I do anything about the Foxface and tang sleeping together?
<Not unless you have another system to separate them>
Every night they have been together under the same overhang in the tank, I wouldn't have a clue on how to keep them apart.
I understand that a tall tank is not ideal for a full grown PYTB tang but will she be ok/happy for about 6 months?
<Appears healthy from your pix>
When I got her I wanted one that was small enough for now but not those tiny little guys they sell that are the size of a quarter. ( I would think the mortality of the tiny ones is pretty high)
I have a 150g that has been in the garage for some time but I wasn't planning on setting it up until we re-did the carpet this summer. (it'll be hard enough moving the 75g) and that will be a fish only system. Am I doing her an injustice by keeping her in the 75hex for now?
<A slight one>
As for the algae, I had an additional powerhead lower to the bottom but it kept washing sand up on the Favia that is on the lowest rocks. Should I put that back perhaps on a lower speed?
<Maybe>
The reason I got the cleaner clams to help lower the DOC's that comes from feeding the coral. I might try to spot feed them to reduce that as well. Maybe invest in a better skimmer?
<Perhaps... or keep this one very clean/ed>
I have an Eshopps PSK-75 it seems decent enough but it does need adjusting weekly.
I think this is because it is winter and the air is dry so I have been topping off the tank every other day.
Once again thank you very much!
Sonya
<Welcome Sonya. BobF>

Re: Please help!! What's wrong with my PYTB tang! 12/21/2009
Hello again,
I do hope I am not a bother. Three emails in a day seems a bit obsessive, but I seem to be overwhelmed with questions all of a sudden.
Just before switching from dusk to moon lights I noticed that my tang was breathing quite rapidly (at least twice as fast as normal) and her dorsal fine looks awful now.

It almost seems that toxin/sting is spreading.
<Actually, the reaction series to it>
The discoloration is also spreading to her body. She is constantly wanting to be cleaned by the anemone shrimp. But he happens to live in the Duncans which are on the same rock piece as a patch of Zoas... The Zoas are closed up at the moment because it is night, but is this causing further irritation to her wound?
<Possibly... I would be moving this fish if you had another largish established system>
Also the shrimp seems to want to pick at the stung area and she darts for a second but always comes right back to him. Is the shrimp going to do further damage?
<Doubtful>
Also if I may, a question about the clowns. They were/are supposed to be Amphiprion percula but they seem to have quite a bit of black on them which happened around the same time as I upgraded the metal halide lamp ( I did so using a screen over time, to acclimate everyone to the more intense lighting) Their entire top half is black slowly fading into orange. When I received them, they were entirely orange with thin black stripes. I assumed if they were Amphiprion ocellaris they would have thicker black stripes.
Is this anything to be concerned about?
<No>
Whoops! After writing that paragraph I decided to do a better search on your site and found that it is possible
for the clowns to change to black and nothing to worry. Scratch that question!
Lastly my shrimp shed a LOT. As it is the large skunk cleaner (about 4") sheds 3-4times a month and there is constantly peppermint shrimp sheddings as well. It usually takes several days for the sheddings to dissolve/get
eaten/disappear from the tank. Is this contributing to water quality?
<Nope>
Other then it looking like dead shrimp all over my tank, should I be removing these?
<Negative>
I do realize that I seem to talk quite a bit! I promise this will be the last email, at least for a while.
As always thank you again for everything! Your answers/advice, as well as your site is greatly appreciated!
Sonya
<Welcome! BobF>

Not looking good for my baby Blue Tang 5/13/09
Blue Tang/Health
Hello,
<Hi Chris.>
I have a 55g saltwater tank. This tank has in it 1 Blue Tang, 1 clown fish, 1 Scooter Blenny, (now) 1 damsel & 6 crabs. I got her on Sunday, 2 days ago, and she did very well at first. Monday, I changed 20% of the water, this was the first water change I had done in the seven weeks since I started putting fish in the tank. (Yes, big mistake I guess.)
<Better late than never.>
I noticed that the blue yellow tail damsel I had in the tank until today, was really aggressive toward my baby tang.
<Can be the nature of this fish.>
Sunday night she came up with one white spot, this morning she had several. So I took her from the tank and put her in a container to go with me to work, to keep and eye on her and go to the pet store for them to see.
<Bad move here.>
After just one hour, she seemed to be much better. The spots went away and she seemed happy. The manager of the pet store advised me to treat her for ich. After much drama to find Ich-Attack, I put a small amount in the container she was in

and had my husband pick her up from my studio. He put her back in the tank for me, as I thought she would be ok. I also raised the temp of the tank to 78/80 and turned off the lights, as I was advised to by the manager of the fish store. Now that I have taken the blue damsel out, the spots seem to be subsiding.
Great, but she is very lethargic and appears to have a hard time coming down from the top. She is breathing and will move if provoked. Any advice on what I can do next? This tank system was a present for my 6 year old son (He wanted a killer whale and we settled on Nemo) and he would be heartbroken if anything happened to her, as would I. (p.s. if I would have known that she was only 2 weeks at best
<If you mean two weeks old, I can guarantee you the fish is much older than that.>
when I saw her, as I found out today, I would NOT have gotten her.
<I'm guessing your Blue Tang is about one inch long, and at that size, are nearly impossible to acclimate to captive systems.
I might add that in my opinion, Ich Attack is worthless for treating ich. Copper is an effective treatment for ich, but a tang at that size and poor health likely would die from any copper exposure. Transporting this fish
to your job in a container didn't help matters, just added more stress to an already stressed out fish. My advice is to research fish before buying, ensure you can provide the environment/care they require, along with compatibility and size issues. James (Salty Dog)>
Chris
Re Not looking good for my baby Blue Tang 5/13/09
Blue Tang/Health
Hello again,
<Hi Chris>
Well, I was up all night checking on my tang. She seems to be doing much better, now that I have removed the blue damsel. She is becoming more active and starting to eat again. Her color is coming back and the white spots are going away. She appears to be much happier now. I am hoping that she is on her way to recovering.
<Keep your fingers crossed.>
Thank you for the advice.
<You're welcome.>
I am pretty confidant in my ability to care for this little fish and feel she is in good hands. I did do a lot of research before starting this tank and have had no other problems.
<Wishing you the best here. James (Salty Dog)>
Chris

Trouble in Paradise, Sick/Dying Tang, Inappropriate Stocking 6/5/08 Thanks in advance for any information you can give me. Your website is wonderful! This is the first time I've posted so bare with me. <Ok> I have a 30g tank, 23 lbs live rock, 30 lbs live sand, 8 snails, 12 crabs, two tank raised Perculas (one obviously bigger than the other but are still duking it out), <This never really stops> 1 Chromis, and 1 Hippo Tang. <This tank is by far too small for a Hippo.> Water conditions are: temp 77, pH 8.2, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate just below 5, Spg 1.021. <Would slowly raise the SPG to a more natural level.> I cycled my tank with live rock for 4 weeks. Added crabs and snails at a little over 2 weeks (sand and rocks were covered in brown algae). I then added 1 Chromis at a little over 4 weeks. Added clowns and hippo tang 5 days after Chromis. <Probably too much too fast.> Everybody was fat, happy and eating Formula 1 flakes (this is what the LFS told me to feed). This continued for about 3.5 weeks. Last Thursday I noticed the tang rub on the rocks and saw what looked like a couple bubbles on "her" but they went away. I didn't see her do it again after that. This past Sunday she wouldn't come out of her cave and wouldn't eat, Monday the same thing. Tuesday she came out but stayed at the surface with her nose almost sticking out of the water and breathing kind of heavy, still wouldn't eat (see attached photo). Last night she would swim a little but for the most part stayed at the surface. This morning at the bottom, belly up with "bugged out" eyes. After reading through your website for many hours I'm thinking it was crypt/ich. <Is common for this species.> My question is: Do I need to do anything to the tank/other fish? <Wait and see how badly they are infected, be prepared to treat for ich in a hospital tank.> I went by my LFS on Wednesday and was told "that's crazy Dory for you. just keep an eye on her." Called them back today and was told she must have been stressed. Asked them what I needed to do at this point because I don't want my other fish to die and was told "I don't know just watch and see." My neighbor also had a tang from the same store displaying the same symptoms died two days ago. I'm new to this and I have a very upset 4 year old wanting to know where Dory is and why are the two Nemo's fighting! (also attached a picture of the clowns) Help! Meghan <Please see here for some ideas on what is going on and where you may be heading. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nemoproart.htm .> <Chris>

Life is not a cartoon show. RMF

Sick Regal Tang 02/08/2008 Hi, <<Hello, Andrew today>> I have a very sick looking Regal Tang who looks like he is about to pass away. Two days ago he stopped eating, and coming out of his hiding place in the live rock. At times he just falls against the glass and stops moving his fins and tail altogether. The tank is two years old and at present houses only the Regal Tang (about 4") a Yellow tang (about 3") and one green Chromis, several corals , snails and hermit crabs. I am trying to restock the tank and 2 weeks ago introduced a group of 7 Green Chromis (quarantined for 2 weeks prior to introduction), however one by one the Chromis have disappeared until only one (the smallest fish, but biggest bully) is left. We managed to remove one of the bodies but the others have not been visible in the tank, or we have seen then being eaten by the crabs. Someone did ask if we have a mantis shrimp in the tank which was eating the Chromis but I am pretty sure it is just down to the bullying nature of that fish that the others have died. <<My initial thoughts did also lean towards a mantis hiding in there. Any clicking emanating from the tank??>> I did a 20% water change last week, because of all the dead bodies, and the protein skimmer is working well. All the water measurements seem OK Nitrite 0.05, Nitrate 10, Ammonia zero and Phosphate zero. The tank is 4 x 2 x 2. I have moved the regal tang into quarantine but don't know how to proceed, he has no obvious signs of any problem except complete lethargy. I have been feeding Mysis shrimp, algae sheets and fresh algae, lobster eggs for the Chromis and a bit of flake but he will no longer eat anything. Is there anything I can do? <<Is the tang slow breathing? This is usually coupled together lethargy. For the most part, not overlit good signs. It could well be that the tang is suffering from a parasitic disease like Amyloodinium or Crypto, but is not yet showing the external signs of suffering. As its now moved to quarantine, I would suggest you keep a very close eye on the fish for any outward showing signs. continue trying to feed its favourite feeds, provide plenty of greens, with a touch of garlic or Selcon. Keep a good water change routine on the qt tank. Don't get dis-heartened about it. Also, what is the SG of the tank out of interest??>> For his sake I would appreciate some help. Caroline Reid <<Thanks for the questions, hope this helps. A Nixon>>

Re: Sick Regal Tang 02/08/2008 Thank you very much for your response Andrew <<Hello again Caroline>> SG is 1.022, and he is breathing very very slowly if hardly at all. Am going to pop out to LFS now for some garlic. Is there anything I can do to control parasites (will check the FAQ's now)? And is the Yellow tang likely to come down with it also - there is a UV steriliser on the main tank. << You could raise your Sg more towards 1.025..The best course is as in previous email. Monitor the fish for any external changes, keep a good feed regime and water changes. And most of all, stay positive>> No there are no clicking sounds from the tank but with all the sounds of the water it is difficult to hear anything else. I am currently preparing water for a 25% water change of Q tank. Caroline <<Good Luck Caroline, hope all turns out well. A Nixon>>

Blue Regal Tang has been beaten up! What can I do? 5/20/07 Hi <Hello, Brenda here> I have a Regal Tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus) (2 in.) it got beaten up today by a 3 stripe damsel. It is pretty bad. It is still alive but is swimming with its nose up most of the time, if not that it is on the bottom of the fish tank. I moved it in to another tank with two clown fishes (2 in.) Is there any thing I can do to help it. I really like this fish. <Pristine water conditions and keeping it away from any aggressive fish, and waiting is all you can do for now.> Thank you <You're welcome! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! Brenda>

Hippo tang - 10/17/06 Hi all, <Hi Dave, MacL here with you today. Not sure what happened to your mail so if this is a second response just ignore it> I have a Blue Hippo Tang in a 110 gallon FOWLR system. His tankmates are a Sailfin Tang, Volitans Lion, Snowflake Eel, and a Lunare Wrasse. pH is at 8.2, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate < 5 usually. Temperature is about 82, give or take a degree. I've had this fish since early June. He is the most recent addition to the system, the Lunare Wrasse is the second to most recent. I've noticed lately that the Lunare Wrasse has been doing a combination of chasing with the Hippo and sort of "mouthing" his side, at which time he jerks forward a bit and they go their separate ways. I've watched it get worse and worse, until finally on Sunday I removed the wrasse from the system and placed him into a holding tank running off the same filtration system as the main tank. I suspect that since the Wrasse was the second to last fish established, he is bullying the Hippo out of territoriality, but since the other fish were there first, he doesn't bother them. I am hoping that by taking the wrasse out for a few days and moving some things around (which I have not done yet) I can break the territoriality and everyone can live peacefully. Or, would you recommend against this Wrasse with these tankmates? <Unfortunately I have personally had some bad experiences with the aggression of Lunare Wrasses and would recommend them going in with some more aggressive fish or in an absolutely huge tank personally.> The Hippo started flashing repeatedly just prior to the Wrasses' removal, several times per minute against rocks, equipment, substrate, whatever he could find. In the past, he's done this but never this bad and it's always eventually stopped after a couple days. Also, he has developed what seem to be scratches, I assume from the flashing (?). <Definitely possible, he could have some parasites bothering him. You don't mention whether he was quarantined or not so if not, there might be some parasites lingering.> Its also possible he might have some marks left from encounters with the lunare.> Now that I've removed the Wrasse, I've found that the Hippo seems to be spending more time laying around, sort of half on his side. True, this is supposedly normal for this species, but I've never observed it in this particular specimen. Could it be that without the Wrasse chasing him he has move time to, for lack of a better term, "relax," and what I'm seeing with the laying and flashing is actually the first time the fish has had a chance to show "normal behavior?" <How long was he in the tank before you added the lunare? Did you have time to determine what would be his normal behavior before you added an additional fish? I always try to recommend months of settling in and leering and getting his position in the tank before I add another fish.> Furthermore, he seems to always be laying around my large (3" or so) strawberry hermit crab. I am wondering if he's thinking he's going to get a cleaning (fish are dumb, after all), and this could be an indication of an as-yet-unseen parasite infection? I don't have any other inverts in the system other than 2 of these hermits and a long spine urchin. I know how nervous this species can get, and I am reluctant to remove him from the system for either quarantine or a dip, as I don't want to stress him further (plus he's fast and I'd tear the system apart catching him) so I'd like to get a clearer idea as to whether or not such action is really necessary at this point. He still eats greedily. <Dave I have had good luck with antiparasitic foods and using garlic in situations such as you are describing. Where you "wonder" whether you have a problem and you just aren't sure. In those cases, if the fish will eat them I have used garlic, etc. to in a way prevent an outburst from happening. But I would let things settle in the tank for several months before I even considered adding another fish. I've been adding fish to my tank on an average of 1 a year. Good luck Dave and let me know how it goes. MacL> Thanks again guys, Dave
Pacific Blue Tang Harassed by Resident Wrasse, News at 11 - 10/10/06 Hi all, <Greetings -- Emerson with you today.> I have a Blue Hippo Tang in a 110 gallon FOWLR system. His tankmates are a Sailfin Tang, Volitans Lion, Snowflake Eel, and a Lunare Wrasse. pH is at 8.2, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate < 5 usually. Temperature is about 82, give or take a degree. <Not enough tank for these fish I'm afraid.> I've had this fish since early June. He is the most recent addition to the system, the Lunare Wrasse is the second to most recent. <All quarantined I hope?> I've noticed lately that the Lunare Wrasse has been doing a combination of chasing with the Hippo and sort of "mouthing" his side, at which time he jerks forward a bit and they go their separate ways. I've watched it get worse and worse, until finally on Sunday I removed the wrasse from the system and placed him into a holding tank running off the same filtration system as the main tank. I suspect that since the Wrasse was the second to last fish established, he is bullying the Hippo out of territoriality, but since the other fish were there first, he doesn't bother them. I am hoping that by taking the wrasse out for a few days and moving some things around (which I have not done yet) I can break the territoriality and everyone can live peacefully. <Not likely. Of the Thalassoma I have kept and seen these guys are somewhat on and off in terms of aggression. Try a separation period of at least a week. If that doesn't work then either the wrasse or its offending fish needs to go.> Or, would you recommend against this Wrasse with these tankmates? <Thalassoma wrasse can exist peacefully with most semi-aggressive+ fish without issue given proper settings and placement order. With your stocking list it should have been the last fish added.> The Hippo started flashing repeatedly just prior to the Wrasses' removal, several times per minute against rocks, equipment, substrate, whatever he could find. In the past, he's done this but never this bad and it's always eventually stopped after a couple days. Also, he has developed what seem to be scratches, I assume from the flashing (?). Now that I've removed the Wrasse, I've found that the Hippo seems to be spending more time laying around, sort of half on his side. True, this is supposedly normal for this species, but I've never observed it in this particular specimen. Could it be that without the Wrasse chasing him he has move time to, for lack of a better term, "relax," and what I'm seeing with the laying and flashing is actually the first time the fish has had a chance to show "normal behavior?" <It is surely enjoying the lack of harassment, but scratching as you describe is not normal behavior. This is a definite sign of stress.> Furthermore, he seems to always be laying around my large (3" or so) strawberry hermit crab. I am wondering if he's thinking he's going to get a cleaning (fish are dumb, after all), and this could be an indication of an as-yet-unseen parasite infection? <Lying and glancing are common behaviors of the Pacific Blue. Due to the stress yours has received you should keep an eye on it for parasites, proper healing of its scratches and general malaise. Don't hesitate to place it in quarantine if you don't notice an improvement in a few days.> I don't have any other inverts in the system other than 2 of these hermits and a longspine urchin. I know how nervous this species can get, and I am reluctant to remove him from the system for either quarantine or a dip, as I don't want to stress him further (plus he's fast and I'd tear the system apart catching him) so I'd like to get a clearer idea as to whether or not such action is really necessary at this point. <Which is worse, tearing down the tank to catch a fish or replacing a tank's worth of fish? If only every fish was as easy to catch as my Lunare was. All it took was a dangling krill in one hand and the fish would swim into my other hand, net, Tupperware etc. It would be in the best interest of your tank to trade in either the wrasse or the tang.> He still eats greedily. <Good to hear! Nori or flake food soaked in Selcon would be a great addition to this fishes diet.> Thanks again guys, <Best of luck Dave!> Dave

Blue tang got a slice out of him right behind the pectoral fin 8/19/05 Bob/Team, <Okay> Here is my tank. <Where? Oh> 135G Long 60G Sump 150lb Live rock Inhabitants 1 Camel Shrimp (sold to me as a peppermint while it was small. man I almost kicked the guys at Jeff's) <Unusual mistake> 1 Cleaner Shrimp 10 Turbo Snails 10 Astrea Snails (In sump and overflows) 10 Bumblebee Snails 5 Scarlet Hermit crabs 10 Blue leg hermit crabs 10 Left handed hermit crabs 1 10 leg sand star 1 Purple Tang 1 Purple Firefish 1 Red Firefish 2 Percula Clowns (True) 3 Pajama Cardinals 1 Unidentified Hermit crab (about the size of a nickel) with white legs and claws 1 Unidentified Almost mantis shrimp looking thing, but it is white/pale grey and only about an inch long. It burrows under the live rock and is very skittish. Anyways. my perfectly healthy 2.5" blue tang (QT'd for almost 4 weeks) has been in my display tank for about 10 days now. Tonight while feeding I noticed what looked like a cut from a scalpel about 2mm behind his right pectoral fin. The cut is about 6mm long. The inside of the wound is black, and the skin lip (around the cut) is white. Doesn't look infected. So far I have started feeding garlic (freshly minced). He seems to eat very well still, and swims about normally. Questions: 1. Is there anything else I should do, or just leave him there and hope the wound heals? <The latter> 2. Any idea what in the tank might have caused such a wound? <Likely the tang itself... zooming about... hung on a rock or such> 3. How can I get that camel shrimp out? I have tried spear fishing with stainless steel barbeque skewers, but no luck yet. <Perhaps a baited trap> Something else, I recently found my solar wrasse.. Well at least his bones. behind some live rock. I thought I had a jumped, but he just disappeared one day after being in the tank for almost a month without issue. So. if you have any ideas/advice for me to save my little blue friend, let me know. <Happens> Thanks again. Shane Thoney <Bob Fenner>
Re: Blue tang got a slice out of him right behind the pectoral fin. 8/19/05 My Blue Tangs' wounds are healing very well. It is about half the size it was yesterday, and he isn't bleeding anymore. <Ah, good> Thanks Bob. See you on Saturday. <Oh, yes... at MarcT's OCMAS do. BobF>

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

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