The Puffer Forum

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

Definately looks bacteria. Can you QT? I'd treat w/Mela/Pimafix & Maracyn.

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

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.

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.

Thanks Kelly, I really don't know a whole lot about meds--especially for SW fish.

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

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.

This summer during the heat wave my apartment was 95 degrees every day, the landlord still hasn't replaced the airconditioner.

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