I feed him plenty of seaweed and soak his food in Zoe, so I don't think its a vitamin deficiency. Water parameters are pH 8.3, Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrate - 0. Any ideas?
As always, thanks for any and all advice.
Dan
Sick Tang
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Sick Tang
Okay... is it just me or have I been posting way too much in this section? My yellow tang has developed a big red patch on his body. He's become very skitish and won't let me even get a good look at him. Below is the best picture I could get...
I feed him plenty of seaweed and soak his food in Zoe, so I don't think its a vitamin deficiency. Water parameters are pH 8.3, Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrate - 0. Any ideas?
As always, thanks for any and all advice.
Dan
I feed him plenty of seaweed and soak his food in Zoe, so I don't think its a vitamin deficiency. Water parameters are pH 8.3, Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrate - 0. Any ideas?
As always, thanks for any and all advice.
Dan
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Thanks PP. I pulled him out last night and put him in the quarantine tank. I will swing by my LFS at lunch and pick up Mela/Pimafix & Maracyn. The poor tang is definitely not feeling well... I was able to net him in under a minute last night and he didn't even put up a fight (last time I had to catch him it took me over 20 minutes). Poor guy!
BTW, I haven't updated in a while, but my porc has fully recovered from the velvet and is swimming around happily with his GSP buddy back in his home!
Hopefully, I'll be able to stop posting in the hospital section soon. I seem to be having a bad run lately...
Thanks again for your help!
Dan
BTW, I haven't updated in a while, but my porc has fully recovered from the velvet and is swimming around happily with his GSP buddy back in his home!
Hopefully, I'll be able to stop posting in the hospital section soon. I seem to be having a bad run lately...
Thanks again for your help!
Dan
-
Puffer Queen
- Mentor
- Posts: 386
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:35 am
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Contact:
Melafix and pimafix and maracyn are all poor choices.
You need something that is going to cover the gram negative bacteria - probably vibrio or pseudomonas. The above mentioned will not eradicate these pathogens.
Maracyn 2, kanamycin or a nitrofuran is what is needed for bacterial pathogens in saltwater.
The problem here are these bacteria can multiply fast and cure can often be difficult.
Drop the temperature on your treatment tank to low 70's this will slow the growth of the bacteria.
Drop the salinity in the treatment tank to 1.018, many antibiotics work better in lower salinities. Lower salinities also help with oxygenation and stressed fish have higher metabolism rates and oxygen demand.
Best of luck.
You need something that is going to cover the gram negative bacteria - probably vibrio or pseudomonas. The above mentioned will not eradicate these pathogens.
Maracyn 2, kanamycin or a nitrofuran is what is needed for bacterial pathogens in saltwater.
The problem here are these bacteria can multiply fast and cure can often be difficult.
Drop the temperature on your treatment tank to low 70's this will slow the growth of the bacteria.
Drop the salinity in the treatment tank to 1.018, many antibiotics work better in lower salinities. Lower salinities also help with oxygenation and stressed fish have higher metabolism rates and oxygen demand.
Best of luck.
Kelly
-
puffergeek
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 179
- Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2005 11:41 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 7 Carinotetraodon travancoricus
1 Carinotetraodon irrubesco
1 Dichotomyctere nigroviridis - Location (country): US
- Location: Greater Seattle Area
I second the kanamycin (although anything that kills the gram negative bacteria should work)... it seems to work very well and saved my christmas wrasse a few years ago. Now I always keep some in the house just in case.
I thought I'd mention that an air pump and cheap airstone can help with the oxygenation problems using antibiotics and will help keep the water moving as well.
I thought I'd mention that an air pump and cheap airstone can help with the oxygenation problems using antibiotics and will help keep the water moving as well.
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
I went up to one of the local fish stores and talked with the owner. He recommended I use Cephalexin (as far as I can tell, it's a broad spectrum antibiotic). I administered it into my quarantine tank last night, and 24 hours later, all the red has disappeared from my tang. He seems active and less skitish, although I think he's still mad at me for netting him and moving him to a 10 gallon quarantine tank (can you blame him?). I will keep administering the antibiotic for the 10 days required, but I'm happy to report that it seems to be working.
I am having trouble keeping my quarantine tank temperature stable. My apartment building has shut off the air conditioner and the temperature outside has been pretty warm. Last night, my quarantine tank went up to 84 degrees and I had to float ice in the tank to bring the temperature down. This morning it was at 80 degrees. I have now aimed several fans at the tank and have left them running to keep the temperature down. I have also added several additional airstones to the tank. Any advice on how I can keep the temperature stable?
As always, thanks for all the help! I really appreciate it!
Dan
I am having trouble keeping my quarantine tank temperature stable. My apartment building has shut off the air conditioner and the temperature outside has been pretty warm. Last night, my quarantine tank went up to 84 degrees and I had to float ice in the tank to bring the temperature down. This morning it was at 80 degrees. I have now aimed several fans at the tank and have left them running to keep the temperature down. I have also added several additional airstones to the tank. Any advice on how I can keep the temperature stable?
As always, thanks for all the help! I really appreciate it!
Dan
-
puffergeek
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 179
- Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2005 11:41 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 7 Carinotetraodon travancoricus
1 Carinotetraodon irrubesco
1 Dichotomyctere nigroviridis - Location (country): US
- Location: Greater Seattle Area
Temperature stability can be a pain if your home temperature is not stable... you've done all the things I can think of.
Floating ice in ziplocks and turning off lights are the first things that come to mind when trying to keep the temperature down. Fans can work too but you have to make sure you top off evaporation. 80 degree apartment = not fun for fish or us.
Floating ice in ziplocks and turning off lights are the first things that come to mind when trying to keep the temperature down. Fans can work too but you have to make sure you top off evaporation. 80 degree apartment = not fun for fish or us.
The temperature has dropped outside and I've finally gotten the tank temperatures stable. The antibiotic seems to be working too... my tang looks like his old self. Unfotunately, he's absolutely terrified of me now (I am the guy that netted him afterall), but at least I think he's going to pull through. He's a tough fish.
Thanks again for everyone's advice. I think you all saved yet another one of my fish!
Dan
Thanks again for everyone's advice. I think you all saved yet another one of my fish!
Dan