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FAQs about the Striped Sailfin Tangs, Zebrasoma desjardinii, Z.
veliferum: Disease Related
Articles: Striped Zebrasoma Tangs,
the Genus Zebrasoma, Related FAQs:
Striped Sailfin Tangs 1, Striped
Sailfin Tangs 2, & FAQs on: Striped
Sailfin Tangs Identification, Striped
Sailfin Tangs Behavior, Striped
Sailfin Tangs Compatibility, Striped
Sailfin Tangs Selection, Striped
Sailfin Tangs Systems, Striped
Sailfin Tangs Feeding, Striped
Sailfin Tangs Reproduction, & Zebrasomas
I, Yellow Tangs,
Purple Tangs, Surgeons
In General, Selection,
Tang Behavior,
Compatibility, Systems,
Feeding, Disease, |
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Sick fish can't identify... "sent by phone!"
2/16/08 |
 |
Another picture this is my only means. Please understand.
<Say what? A Zebrasoma... with a "bad" mouth, some sort of protozoan
complaint...> |
A third picture. Symptoms are clumps, whit spots, and dark
lines? Please help. I have been treating with an
formalin/malachite green product. Please help! ...
no reading, no data... <You're joking? In order to
help folks we need data... the system, history, water quality
tests... You're wasting y/our time here, and your livestock's
health. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/sailfindisfaqs.htm and the linked
files above. Bob Fenner> | |
Re: A third picture. Symptoms are clumps, whit spots, and dark
lines? Please help. I have been treating with an formalin/malachite
green product. Please help! 2/16/08 Bob, the readings
are all within normal parameters, <...> or I would have
specified earlier, the other fish are all doing good as well. This
is an established tank of more than a year. Temp. Is 74, salinity @
2.0. <... what? No.> Nitrates undetectable. Can you identify
it from the pictures? <... Please read where you were referred
to. B> |
Sailfin "Black Spot" only
behind eyes? 12/22/08 Greetings crew, thank you in
advance for your time and wise, patient advice. <Welcome April> I
have thought for the past several weeks now that my Sailfin has Black
Spot disease. He only has those Black Spot looking pepper dots just
behind his eyes, a small cluster of them, about 7-10, all together,
patterned like a half moon. None anywhere else. <Mmm, something
else> The rest of his body is clear of any black dots. I have
included a photo here of what my guys' looks like. <No photo
attached> (This is not my fish, I've searched the web for an image to
show you. I do not have permission to use this photo publicly.) So, does
this fish have Black Spot? <Not if only behind the eyes, no> I
see a little pitting on this fish, like some sort of erosion, mine just
has the few black dots also seen here. So much research I have done on
what this disease looks like, and every source I have read discusses the
dots over the entire body, not just in one area as shown here. Are these
handful of dots cause for concern? Happy holidays! April. <The
markings may be symptomatic of HLLE... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/HLLESWCauseF.htm and the linked files above,
and try to send along a well-resolved pic if you can. Cheers, Bob
Fenner>
Question about a Desjardini tang sickness -09/03/08
Hello. Hopefully the pictures come through fine. <Yes> My
question is in regards to my Desjardini tang. I hope the pictures
show the small brown spots he is developing. <I see these>
Two days ago I snapped some shots and looked at them and his skin is
perfectly clear. Tonight I looked and noticed he has these light
brown spots all over his body. Any idea what this is? <Yes...
"stress" markings...> Everyone else in the tank seems fine.
Grant <Mmm, something amiss... psycho- or physiologically... See
WWM re all Zebrasoma entries. Bob Fenner> |
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Re: Question about a Desjardini tang sickness 09/04/2008
I'm actually glad to hear it is "just stress" because I was wracking
my brain trying to figure out how a disease could have been
introduced. I've been very careful
about quarantining my fish for 4 weeks before introduction to the
main display tank, thankfully none of my fish have ever shown any
indication of illness so I actually haven't had to treat anything.
<Good> After I fired off my email
last night, I did my basic water checks and sure enough, one of my
parameters was way out of whack. I had a little problem this weekend
that caused there to be no water flow in the main tank and barely
any through the sump for probably 4 or 5 hours. A 210 gallon tank
doesn't cool much in 5 hours, but I'm sure it dropped a degree or
two and there was no flow, so low oxygen levels.
<This would do it> Also, I had a very
important meeting to go to Sunday morning (this all happened
Saturday night/Sunday morning) so I just really quickly bandaided
the problem so my system was up and working again and then went to
my meeting. Long story short, I had lost about 10 gallons of water
that Sunday morning and when I replaced it, I did it with 1.025
salinity saltwater. In my haste I didn't use my regular freshwater
for top off, I don't know what I was thinking, I guess I just
wasn't. Anyway, I checked my salinity last night and it was 1.0275.
I have since lowered it to 1.026 and tonight I'll finish lowering it
back to 1.025. Can salinity alone cause these stress markings on a
Zebrasoma? <Yes>
I think I've read every single Zebrasoma FAQ multiple times now. I
looked some more last night and didn't see anything about this
either, I even used the search function for "Zebrasoma brown" just
to see, there are a couple references to turbellid worms or else
velvet (which I was really hoping this wasn't) but nothing else. I
guess here in a couple days though there will be an entry in there
for exactly what I'm dealing with :)
<I believe you're right...> The other
annoying thing is this... I have a small Purple tang, about 2.5".
The Desjardini is about 4.5", they don't fight at all that I've ever
seen and I spend a great deal of time watching my tank. After the
Desjardini had the brown spots last night, I looked closely at the
Purple tang and I'm almost sure he has ich. There aren't any spots
on his fins yet, but the fins are so yellow it would be really hard
to see unless the spots got big. He just has probably 10-15 small
white bumps on each side of his body.
<This could be something else... even "nothing">
I didn't see him scratching and I didn't put
him into QT because if he does have ich,
<I would not> then so does the whole
tank and I don't have the means/time
to move all fish into QT for 6-8 weeks while the main tank fallows.
What really irritates me is not only that I have a fish with small
amounts of ich, but also that I even have ich in the first place.
I've been religious about FW dip /formalin
for 5 minutes and then into QT for at least a month for all fish.
None of them have shown signs of ich in the QT and I really examined
them closely. I didn't treat proactively for ich, I figured if after
a month they didn't show the tiniest dot, then they didn't have it.
And yet here we are, about 2 months after my last fish went into the
tank and yep, I've got ich. I've probably had it all along and just
the stress of the weekend brought it out.
<Patience here> Anyway, just irritating. I cant think of a
time when I swapped equipment between tanks (I have a dedicated QT
tank set and a display tank set) and I even FW dipped between going
from QT to display. All that trouble, literally months of
quarantine, mixing lots of salt water to do 20% water changes daily
on the QT tanks, special feeding and babying of the new fish and
I've still got ich. I wonder at what point I messed up and
introduced ich into the tank, although I've been wracking my brain
and I cant think of when I did it. One fish must have just had a
little ich on him in an unseeable spot, probably the gills and just
didn't show it, so I ended up
passing it into the display tank eventually.
Thanks for reading my rant and for all the good work you guys do!
Grant <Welcome. BobF>Re: Question about a
Desjardini tang sickness 9/6/08 9/8/08 Thought I might
comment on this, too. Bob, since you're probably painfully familiar
with me, you may recall I have this same situation in my tank. We
have a 'subclinical' presence of Ick in my tank still, and your
recommendations for such a situation have worked well. Once every
few weeks I will see a few cysts on my fish, particularly the
Atlantic Blue Tang. A day later, they will be gone with no
reoccurrence for weeks. Our regimen is garlic supplemented with a
variety of foods and 'Vitality' by Seachem. If we add a fish, we QT
it for a few weeks, but mainly to build up it's resistances and
to make sure it is in full health before adding. I wanted to comment
because I know how frustrating it can be for this guy, but there is
hope. Thanks again, Thomas <Thank you Tom. BobF> |
Swimming Erratically First time writer to your column, been
reading it for a while. I have a 60 gallon tank with a number of corals
(elegance, bubble, colt, shrooms, frogspawn, brains, leathers) with four
types of tangs (Naso, Yellow, Regal Blue, and Desjardini), a Coral
Beauty angel, and two black clownfish. Well, everyone is doing great
with the exception of the Desjardini tang. Lately, he has been swimming
erratically like his swim bladder is not functioning. He flaps his fins
like crazy to keep his body from floating sideways to the top. Or, he
swims at a straight down angle or in a looping fashion. His appearance
and appetite are normal. Is this a documented condition and is there any
thing that can be done to lessen the stress?? <<How long you
had that Zebrasoma? Ever been treated by/with copper? Sometimes Sailfins
just go this route... and no, not much/anything you can do (that I'm
aware of). Bob Fenner>> Holes in Dorsal Fin I've got a
6" Sailfin tang in my display tank (125gal.) and he's been doing fine
for the past 1 1/2 yrs. But recently (2-3 months) I've noticed that his
large dorsal fin has holes in it. From the looks of it, it seems to be
thinning. Any explanation or prevention of this? Also, I've got a 3"
Kole tang in the hospital tank. The tank has about 2 ppm Cu2+ to control
the nasties. The tang has been in the tank for almost two weeks and last
week I noticed what appears to be a blister or abscess under his left
pectoral fin. And in the last two days, it looks as if a second is
forming on his right side near the base of the dorsal fin. Both have a
somewhat circular shape so I don't think its lateral line erosion. I'm
not sure if he's just scratched himself against a rock and the copper is
affecting it or whether it's something else. Any ideas or suggestions? I
was planning on introducing him into the display tank this weekend but
now I might hold off. <<Hey Bri. Re: the first surgeon... very
likely the "holiness" of the dorsal is a combination of mere growth/age
and a less than satisfactory diet. Do you offer 'human-food' algae like
Nori occasionally? Do so and dip it first in a vitamin and iodine
solution. The Ctenochaetus tang (Kole) is definitely in trouble from
the copper. Do remove the Cu++ or better still, move the fish. I'd take
the big risk and plunk it into my best reef tank. I've stated such
before, but this family and their close relatives (e.g. the
Rabbitfishes, Siganidae, scats: Scatophagidae, Idols: Zanclidae) can't
take much in the way of sustained, let's make that chronic (more than a
few days) copper treatments... kills off needed alimentary microbes. Bob
Fenner>> Sick RedSea Sailfin Quit Eating Hello again Mr.
Fenner, I wrote you recently about copepods & 2-fish in my quarantine
tank- (flame angel & red sea Sailfin tang). My red sea tang has suddenly
taken a turn for the worse & has quit eating, breathing rapidly &
"hovering" in the same lower left corner of the tank all of the time. My
nitrates were at 20 & ammonia was very low but my ph lowered to 7.9,
from 8.3. So I added a small amount of Kent 8.3 to the tank. <Over
what period of time? A change of no more than 0.1 of a pH point in
twenty four hours is about maximum> This behavior started later that
evening (Sunday). Yesterday I did a 3 gal water change and nothing has
changed. Any suggestions??? <Hope... increase aeration... I would
likely take the chance and move this specimen to your main tank>
Today is the 29th day in quarantine. <This is too long... in almost
all cases two weeks will get you about all you can hope to get... unless
the specimens that are being quarantined show definite "catching"
characteristics I would limit this protocol to fourteen days> I would
also like your advice in another one of your favorite arenas. We are
trying to plan a vacation to a spot where we can observe salt fish
collection, diving (snorkeling) and seeing tropical fish and reefs first
hand. Wives would be along also, so a nice hotel is a must. I live in
Las Vegas, NV & my brother lives in Newport beach, ca. Naturally, the
closer, the better. We will be traveling in late Sept. or Oct.. Mexico,
Belize, Florida ??? <All good choices... and would toss in
Hawai'i... generally there are calm-enough places, warm-enough water
that time of year for HI... Take a long look on the Net at all
possibilities, and chat these up with all parties... When you narrow the
locale down we'll chat. Bob Fenner> Thanx for your advice in advance.
Craig Re: Sick RedSea Sailfin Mr. Fenner, Thanx again
for you light speed response! The reason the 2 fish are in the 10
quarantine tank is I've let the main tank go 30 days without occupants
to hopefully get rid of the crypto eggs. <Ah, now that makes
sense...> I hope I was doing the right thing. My LFS suggested to go
the full 30 days. I do put your expertise above theirs, although the
girl has 15yrs. experience. <Best to consider alls opinions to make
up your own mind, course of action> Do you think I should wait the
one more day, or get both of the fish back in the 50 gal. <If the one
fish looks as bad as you describe, I would move it. It may perish
otherwise. Bob Fenner> Thanx so much. Craig Re: Sick RedSea
Sailfin Mr. Fenner, It looks like I owe you a Sushi dinner
when you visit Las Vegas. I did find a great "all you can eat in an
hour" spot nearby. <I'm on my way!> I added a Rio powered to my
10g to aerate the qt tank & within an hour or two, the RedSea Sailfin
was moving about the tank. Although he still looks to be breathing
rapidly, I think I will wait the extra day & introduce him into my main
tank tomorrow. He still is not eating (I put Nori in the tank) but he
does look a little better. <The added aeration likely did the
trick... the Surgeonfishes need high, consistent dissolved oxygen>
Since I'm not a gambling' man, you can't if you live in this town, I
will wait till the morning. I would hate to go thru the crypto nightmare
again. I'll keep you informed. <Ah, good> Thanx so much for your
help. Craig p.s. I checked out a couple of spots in Belize & will
search more when I have more time. We'll chat when I narrow it down.
Thanx <Real good... if it's your first time, maybe just Ambergris,
San Pedro, about the Hol Chan... if you and wives are more adventurous,
Caye/Key Caulker, Tenerife, many other off shore island possibilities...
Lots of time, wanderlust? Drive the length down to Placentia, out to
Laughing Bird.... We'll be chatting. Bob Fenner> Sailfin Tang,
Help A.S.A.P **911** Hi Bob, Love your Website! <Thank
you... what would you do different, add to the WWM site?> I need your
expert advice in order to prevent my Sailfin Tang from perishing. This
is the second time that I am asking for your help with this same fish.
The first time you were great and right on the money with your advice
and I hope you can do the same this time around. I have been watching
him very carefully each day, and he still exhibits signs of parasitic
infestation. His appetite is still very good and he has a slight case of
HLLE, but the main concern is that he is still breathing very rapidly,
which makes me believe that he has gill parasites. With the mis-fortune
of not having my hospital tank up and running I have come the conclusion
that I have only two options. The first option now is treat my main tank
with CopperSafe and pray that it will take control of this parasite, or
my second option is to take this Sailfin Tang out of the main tank and
try a" freshwater dip". <The latter would be/is my choice for now...
with a dilute formalin/malachite dip solution... look for the Kordon
Corp. product here. And also Zoecon to add to the tank, food to help you
with the HLLE... and live macro-algae as detailed on the WWM site> My
only concern is the procedure in which this method is done. Please Bob,
give me some advice. I would greatly appreciate it if you could give
me the correct step by step instructions on this process. For instance:
correct water conditions such as temp, ph, length of time the fish
should be dipped, and also what to do after the fish is dipped. Please
reply A.S.A.P if you would be so kind!!!!! <These are spelled out
well enough on the dip/bath section in the marine index. Please read
them, download there. Bob Fenner> Saltwater (Sailfin Tang)
Disease Hi, Mr. Fenner I just had a few questions about why
the tangs are so hard to keep healthy looking. My Sailfin Tang always
seems to be breathing heavy and his lateral line also seems to be a
little faded. What is the cause of all this? I give my fish a variety
of foods like: brine shrimp, algae cubes, bloodworms, clam cubes, flake
food, algae strips from seaweed select and I also add Vita-chem to their
food daily. I tested all the levels in the fish only aquarium and they
all fall within the parameters. My tank size is 42gal.Hex. and I also
have a Niger Trigger and a Snowflake EEL. If you will please E-mail me
back ASAP with some advice. Thanks, Tom <Thank you for caring enough
to investigate... These are not good signs as you know, but you may well
have provided all the information here that is necessary to solve your
systems problem. Yes, this is likely what can be termed an
"environmental disease". That is the cause of the poor health
manifestations listed (heavy breathing, HLLE) are due directly to
unsatisfactory conditions in the living quarters. Please do read over
the FAQ section associated with the term "environmental disease" posted
on the site: www.wetwebmedia.com and consider the following: Increasing
aeration/circulation (airstones, powerheads...) as of the fishes you
list, the Tang is the one with the highest dissolved oxygen need. And to
discount the likelihood that this may as well be a nutritional
deficiency syndrome, do add liquid vitamins, and iodide (often called
iodine in the trade) supplement to the fish's favored foods ahead of
placing them in this system... Additionally, I would add some live rock
to this system, some macro-algae to improve water quality and offer as
food on a constant basis... and start saving for a larger system, as
these fishes will need such within a year. Bob Fenner>
Sailfin Tang I have a 55 gallon tank with a Sailfin Tang, Naso,
Yellow Tang, Foxface, and a Percula Clown. I keep my SG around 1.022. My
PH runs around 8.2, Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates around 5ppm,temp at
77, and calcium at 400. I add Lugol's iodine once a week, Strontium 2x
week, There is about 35 pounds of live rock with various mushrooms
growing, and a couple of feather dusters that have came out over the
last few days. I vary there diet with frozen brine shrimp plus,
flake foods, organic grown romaine lettuce, and SERA Tablets ( the stick
on the glass ones.) Now that's the specifics on the tank and its
inhabitants now on to the questions. My Sailfin has appeared to
change colors. From black and yellowish stripes to an almost beige or
tan color where they used to be black. Is this normal? Also this morning
I saw him rubbing his head on the substrate (which by the way is
aragonite) and I am wondering the best course of action. i.e. fresh
water dip, medicated flakes etc. I know you gonna ream me out for this,
but I don't have a quarantine tank setup to isolate the Sailfin. But all
be it I'll have one soon...Also any other suggestions would be
appreciated. Thanks, Brian... <<Hmmm, not so fast... the color
changes you mention and the "scratching" behavior may well not be
indicative of a parasitic or other diseased condition... They may be
"natural"... I'd hold off on dipping, any other chemical manipulation
till you actually see some physical manifestation on the fish itself.
One thing I would do that will help, and has little potential downside
is add a cleaner shrimp... one of the species of the genus Lysmata. Bob
Fenner>>
Desjardinii Sailfin Tang Question, no useful data 8/20/07
Hi, I have a Desjardinii Sailfin Tang which seems to be losing it
color. It is happening in the same place on both sides. See attached
photo with arrow. Do you have any idea what this is? The water
chemistry, diet, lighting has not changed. The fish is eating well.
Thank you for your help! Laura Lee <... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fishindex3.htm the second tray down...
BobF> Re:
Desjardinii Sailfin Tang Question 8/26/07 Hi Bob,
I am sorry... I have gone to the link and the "second tray down",
but I can not for the life of me find what it is my tang has. I have
gone through the links for the past two hours. Do you think you
could be a little bit more specific? I must be missing something.
Thank you so much for your time. Laura Lee <Could be a few
possible "things"... a simple mechanical injury, some sort of result
from treatment... Stress marking... Am/was hoping that by reading,
perusing you would be able to provide more/better input, realize
yourself... BobF> | 
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Sailfin specks 6/13/07 Dear Crew Members, <Fred> The
accompanying photos show a Sailfin tang on whom dark marks suddenly
appeared three days ago. The tiny splotches were accompanied by a very
light ("faded") color instead of the usual, high-contrast Sailfin
markings, and occasional, though not persistent, scratching. Appetite
and general behavior did not seem very affected. Three slightly smaller
yellow tangs in the same 220 gallon tank have not shown any similar
symptoms. <These would very strikingly show such if this flatworm
were present> Naturally, I consulted your excellent site, and
although the symptoms did not seem a perfect match to Paravortex, that
seemed the most likely diagnosis. I caught the fish (we frequently feed
from a net, to enable fast fish removal), <Thank goodness!> did a
9-minute fresh water dip, and put the fish into quarantine. Over a day
later, his overall coloration has returned to normal, but the specks are
still present (though possibly less contrasting). <I see these>
Now I am wondering whether I may have misdiagnosed his condition. The
Sailfin is just over 3 years old, and had always lived by himself until
about 9 days ago when we consolidated fish from our smaller tanks into
the larger tank mentioned above. The sailfin was the first fish in,
joined after a few days by three Yellow Tangs who have lived together
for a few years, a Clarki Clown, a recently acquired Kole Tang just out
of quarantine, and a school of 8 small Chromis cyanea. We have been very
pleased with the lack of aggression, especially among the Zebrasomas.
To your experienced eyes, do the specks on the Sailfin appear to be
Paravortex? <No> If so, should I perform another dip or two at
3-day intervals? If not, what would be your alternative diagnosis, and
should I keep the fish in quarantine? <I do think these are "just
markings"... There is some evidence of pitting... perhaps linked to
neuromast destruction (HLLE) over time... but not likely a problem,
issue.> Thanks for your long-term dedication to our hobby, and of
course for your help, Fred <I would likely do what is easiest here
to improve water quality (add activities, gear, clean up... to increase
ReDox...) and augment diets... with addition, soaking of foods with a
vitamin, Iodide/ate, and HUFA prep.. Bob Fenner> | 
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Sailfin Tang - dying? 5/30/07 Hello – Appreciate your
informative site!! We have a 125 gallon reef tank, 1 Red Sea Sailfin
Tang about a year old, 1 Red Flame Hawkfish, 1 Coral Banded Shrimp, 1
long tentacle anemone (New) and some various polyps and mushrooms.
Params are as follows: PH 8.3 Amm = 0 Nitrites = 0 Nitrates
= 0 Temp = 83 (bit high I think, but just put new MH Lights in) In
the last couple days my Tang has been acting a little strange, hanging
out in one of the corners and not really swimming around like normal. We
moved the powerheads around a bit but that didn’t help. <May be just
simple low dissolved oxygen, elevated temperature at play here...>
When I woke up this morning, I thought he was dead. He was hanging’
upside behind one of the rocks. I went to net him out and he swam, head
down and upside down back over to the anemone. I left him alone and
came back to check on him and he was resting on the anemone. I nudged
him to see if he was alive and he got caught up in the current’ - trying
to right himself as he was upside down and/or sideways. Also, one of
his eyes are cloudy. He is typically a very social fish! We did a
water change last week and rearranged some of the rocks, added the
anemone. <This may be a source of morbidity, mortality as well> We
had our old VHO ballast blow last weekend, so there was a day and half
with out lights and then we moved to a MH light system. This is a
well established tank and everything else seems to be doing just fine!
Any ideas, suggestions!? Thanks in advance!!! Jessica <Please
read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fishindex3.htm Scroll down to
the tray on Tangs, particularly the articles, FAQs files on the genus
Zebrasoma. Bob Fenner>
Re: Sailfin Tang - dying? 5/31/07
Well he has now died. Now, I am very curious about what could of
killed him! Is it possible he could of been stung bad enough by the
anemone? <Yes> As he was dying, his skin was turning white – is
that a sign of something or just the dying process? <Could be either,
both> At any rate – any insight would be very much appreciated!
BTW – the registration for the forums is not working. <Have sent this
over and over to the administrator... Lorenzo Gonzalez... Don't know
what the issue is, nor can I/we fix it for him. Thank you> Thank
you- Jessica
Desjardini Tang with pockmarks
5/23/07 Dear Sir: <John> I reviewed your FAQs but my
situation seems to be different than HLLE, etc. My 3 year old Desjardini
Tang has these white "divots" confined to the area around its eyes above
and below. The eyes are clear and the fish is active, colors otherwise
vibrant, is an eager eater and appears healthy. These divots have
existed for approximately 1.5 years and may be getting slightly worse.
<Mmm, this is almost certainly a form of "Neuromast destruction"... IS
HLLE...> The diet is primarily Formula 2 and Nori and whatever meat
it can steal (and it doesn't get much) from the trigger, lionfish, 2
wrasses and a moray eel that live with it in a 125 gallon tank (FOWLR).
<This is way too much fish life for such a volume> I have about 40
ppm nitrates <And twice as much nitrate as they should be exposed
to> with 0 nitrites and ammonia. I buffer pH to a constant 8.3.
<Good> In case you think it related to my problem, because of all of
the messy eaters I have in the tank, I religiously change approx. 20 -
30 % of water per week. <You need more space period, and likely
more/better filtration> Do you have a theory as to what may be
causing this problem with my tang and what do you recommend I do about
it ? <Poor environment and nutrition... Improving
them/these...> Thanks for your help. John <Posted... over
and over... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hllefaqs.htm and the linked FAQs
files above... Bob Fenner>
Sailfin Tang markings 4/6/07 Hello gang, I've been
visiting the site for a while now, but this if the first time I've
written in. Let me jump right to it. I've had my sailfin tang for
about a year now. He is approximately 4". He eats anything and is
very active, but over the last few weeks he has started to get some
unusual spots on him, and I can't€™t figure out exactly what it is.
I'm hoping that one of you will be able to identify the problem for
me. I've asked him nicely to stay still for a picture, but to he
just doesn't seem to want to cooperate. I was able to get one decent
shot, I circled the new marks, as you can see, there are quite a
few. I feed him a variety of frozen foods, Nori, flakes, Spirulina,
and once a week or so, I soak the Nori or frozen food with Selcon.
<Good> His current home is a 125G tank with about 150lbs of live
rock. I'm running two Aquaclear 500 filters, an Odyssea CFS4
canister filter, an AquaC Remora pro skimmer, a Seio 1500 powerhead,
and another smaller powerhead (don't know what it is). Water
parameters are: Ammonia - 0; Nitrite - 0; Nitrate - 10; PH “ 8.4;
Alk 4.0 mEq/L (200ppm); SG 1.022; Temp at 78 degrees. The other tank
mates are: 3" regal tang, a tomato clown, a fire fish, and some
assorted hermit crabs and snails. Everyone else seems normal. Any
help or suggestions you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
- Khris <... these are very likely "just" stress markings...
Likely the Tomato Clown and Regal tang are taking turns challenging
this specimen... How deleterious is their territoriality? This
Sailfin might be moved to another setting... does eventually get
much larger... And I'd like to mention the benefits of using
Spectrum pelleted foods with these fishes... good nutritionally, and
seems to reduce inter-species competition. Bob Fenner> | 
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Sail Fin Tang... HLLE and trematodes... -11/27/2007 I have a Sail
fin tang. He has small holes all over his body and fins. <I see these
in your photo> I thought it was Ick but have not had any luck
treating for Ick. <Are likely flukes... and neuromast
destruction...> The best way to describe is the holes with something
white in the middle of them. Something seems to be eating away at the
skin. I have attached a very large photo so you can zoom in. Any help
would be appreciated! Thanks, Brian Safian <... I would
treat... successively... with Metronidazole... then Praziquantel... see
WWM re the use of these compounds... AND you need to address your water
quality and nutrition... Something is amiss here that has allowed the
HLLE to advance... see WWM re HLLE causes/cures... Write back with
specific issues... Bob Fenner>
Re: Sail Fin Tang... hlth. f' 11/27/2007 Bob,
<Brian> I have been putting Metronidazole in food regularly for about
a month <This is MUCH too long for exposure to this material> and
I treated the tank with PraziPro. <This... should have "done it">
Some folks have suggested I do the formalin dip as that is also
effective against Flukes and Ich and maybe feed Metronidazole while the
fish are in QT after formalin dip. Basically, setup QT tank, do Formalin
dips and then put fish into QT tank for a while. My next question is,
"Does the eel need treatment." <...? What eel?> I know most flukes
and worms can be fairly species specific and this one might only go
after tangs. <Likely so> I just do not know what the resistance
to flukes is by different fish or eels. <Many species are almost
commensals...> I know that in tank treatment is not recommended by
most, but having a fish only tank might be able to get away with dosing
Praziquantel in the tank? <Is done... frequently. Often times with
success... though the issue of co-interactions is pertinent... may
absorb the medicant/s> If it is not recommended, what the life cycle
of the fluke is and that way you know how long your QT has to be for.
<What?> Thanks, Brian Safian <See WWM, the Net re Trematode
diseases of fishes... BobF>
Re: Sail Fin Tang... hlth. 11/29/07 OK....Let me clarify. The
Sail Fin Tang is in a FO tank with a Naso tang and a Snowflake Eel. The
Naso and Eel have no signs parasites what so ever. Last night I gave
the Sail Fin a 45 Minute Formalin bath. <... depending on
strength/concentration, this is too long for formalin exposure> It
seems today that several, but not all the holes are empty so it may have
gotten some of the flukes off. Everyone seems to think I should bring
the tank into Hypo, which I may begin stepping down today. Sorry for
the confusion Brian <... please, don't write; read instead... on
WWM re hyposalinity... RMF> | 
Re: Sail Fin Tang... hlth., blitzkrieg not working, need ID 12/20/07
Bob, <Brian> I wanted to get your opinion on a Fish Illness I
had discussed with you a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to give you
update and new photos to rack your brain a little if you don't mind.
The Sail Fin Tang is in a tank with a Naso Tang, Snowflake Eel.
Neither of them have any signs of parasites. I have included the
latest photos to compare with previous photos. Below is the plan of
action I currently have taken. 1.Treated with Prazipro (<5%
Praziquantel) treated once (No effect) 2. Treaded with ParaGuard
3. Tried a Formalin Dip of 200 ppm for 45 min (no long term effect)
4. Feeding with Metronidazole every other day (No long term effects
slight decrease in red color in wounds) 5. At Hypo (SG 1.010) for
past 5 day Slowly dropped hypo for 10 days (Worms might be
dislodging from wounds to surface but hard to tell) 6. NO3 is a
bit high at 25-50ppm but fish only tank (Treatment might be
effecting the bacteria cycle a bit) 7. Ammonia is 0 8. NO2 is
clear 9. Temp is at 77 10 The HLLE seems to be cleared up for
the most part. <I see> Fish is still eating but not swimming
too active. Only treatment left to try is maybe try Heart guard
but unsure about the effects. Your expertise would be
appreciated. Thanks, Brian Safian <On the basis of your
lack of results, am given to consider that the "dots" may be
something else... Perhaps a micro/sporidean, other subcutaneous
protozoan. Again, is there someway you can get/use a microscope with
computer adaptability or take this fish, skin/sample to a lab that
can take a look/see? BobF> | .JPG)
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Re: Tank temp spikes and affect on Sailfin Tang 6/1/08
Thanks for your help. Unfortunately, he didn't make it. I fear that he
had some sort of tissue necrosis, as large chunks of tissue were just
falling off on the head as well in the body, just beyond the skull.
<Bizarre... more than one thing going on here> It got so bad that it
seemed like I could see a portion of his skull. I will send some photos
of the condition. All other fish are doing great. Out of curiosity,
what size tank would you recommend for a fish like my tang? <A
Zebrasoma desjardinii needs at least a couple of hundred gallons to "do
well"... this species (distinct from Z. veliferum further in the west
Indo-Pacific out to Hawaii) gets very large. Both to about a "standard
length" (a fisheries measure... sans basically the tail/caudal fin... of
40 cm... Yes, 16 inches... small individuals can "live" for a few years
in smaller volumes... but... not well in a longer term sense> I may
or may not seek a replacement (of any kind) if it will get too crowded
with my current livestock. <Do see fishbase.org re as well:
http://fishbase.org/NomenClature/ScientificNameSearchList.php?crit1_fieldname=SYNONYMS.
SynGenus&crit1_fieldtype=CHAR&crit1_operator=EQUAL&crit1_
value=zebrasoma&crit2_fieldname=SYNONYMS.SynSpecies&crit2_fieldtype=CHAR&crit2_
operator=contains&crit2_value=&group=summary&backstep=-2 Bob Fenner>
Re: Tank temp spikes and affect on Sailfin Tang – 06/02/08
Thanks, Doc. I appreciate it and will likely go without a replacement to
give the other guys room in my tank. <Real good. BobF>
Mystery Spot On Sailfin Tang 3/24/08 Dear Crew, <Andy>
This morning I noticed a very strange, perfectly round spot on my
Sailfin Tang. See attached. This spot is something very recent.
Because of its symmetry, I don't think it's an injury. Because it
wasn't there yesterday, I don't think it's some natural color morph.
It almost looks like a mole. I searched for about an hour on the net
looking for a picture of something similar, but found no needle in
the haystack. Any thoughts on what it might be? <Mmm, never saw
anything quite like that before. Your tang appears to be a very
healthy specimen and I'd just keep a close eye on that spot, see if
it develops into anything, or go away as quick as it came.>
Thanks! <You're welcome and keep us posted. James (Salty Dog)>
AndyRe: Mystery Spot On
Sailfin Tang 3/25/08 Thanks James! <You're welcome.> I
will keep an eye on it. It is a very strange mark. I noticed that it
seems to change in brightness along with the changes that naturally
occur in the scales of the fish periodically (you know how the
coloration of tangs can fade and brighten in an instant and at
night). <Oh yes.> The tang is very active and seems very
bright and healthy--great eater, nice full body, happy and peaceful.
He has only 4 other fish mates--all smaller fish (Royal Gramma,
Copper Band Butterfly, Gold Stripe Maroon Clown and Brown Sailfin
Blenny). I feed him New Life Spectrum pellets, <An excellent
choice here. I use exclusively, rarely feed other foods. Have you
been to their website? Very informative. www.nlpublish.com>
live black worms soaked in Selcon, OSI Spirulina flake, sheets of
Nori, and Piscine Energetics frozen Mysis soaked in Selcon, so I'm
pretty sure he is getting a healthy, varied diet. I do have some
tree corals, a few LPS corals and some Corallimorphs, but I don't
see those as posing a stinging or other hazard to this fish that
would have caused this spot. Thanks again for your time.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Andy | 
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Re: Corals, Stocking, Bought the Tang - 6/11/08
Hi again! <Hello Allison> I bought a desjardinii tang today and
thought it looked decent to me. <mm.. fish needs a bigger tank.>
However, I posted a few pictures up at
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=323673 and a few
users disagree with me. Apparently, my tang has HLLE!...Do you agree?
<The beginning. This is an emaciated fish.> What should I do to help
him recover? <Return him to the store, and research before making
your next purchase. I don't intend to be a damper on your excitement for
the hobby, but your fish will be healthier and enjoy greater longevity-
and you will enjoy the hobby more- if you read up on disease, stocking,
etc and choose fish that are of an appropriate size for your tank and
which you know how to take care of.> Thanks! <Welcome. Best of
luck.> Allison <Benjamin>
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