Calling Tang Police: Naso Tang needs your help

[NC2WA]

I have had this Naso Tang for 2wks and notice these splotches on his side.

My two main questions are:

1. What is it??
2. Is this something to be concerned with?

I have blue face angel and a kole eye tang that are doing well (added the same time as the naso tang), only the Naso tang is showing signs on this splotches. The naso tang is picking algae off the rock and sides of the tank. Eyes are clear and seems alert.

I am feeding Arcti-Pods, Rod's Food (herbivore blend) and new life pellets.

It also is eating Red Algae sheets that I put on an algae clip (fwiw, all fish are eating from the algae clip).

I will give you the perfunctory water parameters:

ammonia, nitrites, nitrates all ZERO
Mg is 1200
PO4 is ZERO
Ca 425
pH 8.3
salinity 1.024
temp 77

My main goal is to identify what the splotches are and to determine if ANY action or treatment is needed on my part.

thanks
Kirk

 

[fishoutofwater]

i am not sure what it is exactly but maybe someone else can chim in on this but i have seen this and had this in the past with my naso and the end results were the same ....they died. looks almost like ammonia burn? maybe from shipping since this is such a new fish? but i see thats not registering on your tests. sorry i could not be of any more help.

I have had this Naso Tang for 2wks and notice these splotches on his side.

My two main questions are:

1. What is it??
2. Is this something to be concerned with?

I have blue face angel and a kole eye tang that are doing well (added the same time as the naso tang), only the Naso tang is showing signs on this splotches. The naso tang is picking algae off the rock and sides of the tank. Eyes are clear and seems alert.

I am feeding Arcti-Pods, Rod's Food (herbivore blend) and new life pellets.

It also is eating Red Algae sheets that I put on an algae clip (fwiw, all fish are eating from the algae clip).

I will give you the perfunctory water parameters:

ammonia, nitrites, nitrates all ZERO
Mg is 1200
PO4 is ZERO
Ca 425
pH 8.3
salinity 1.024
temp 77

My main goal is to identify what the splotches are and to determine if ANY action or treatment is needed on my part.

thanks
Kirk

 

[Maxx]

I'm moving this to lee's forum, maybe he can help.

Nick

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I have seen these splotches very often on Naso tangs. Especially when newly introduced into a tank with other big fish or where previously mishandled. Most color up in due time as they mellow out. Good foods, be sure it also gets a lot of green algae. It will soon get used to the angels etc and look good as new.

If it shows any other signs of stress or injuries/disease, then obviously they would need to be dealt with.

 

[chend2]

I have seen it often on Nasos as well, I think it is a mixture of the shipping process as well as rubbing and general acclimation to a new environment. I also have seen several fish that keep this splotchy look for multiple years.

 

[krisfal]

I am with the others in thinking this is likely a result of handling and shipping. Maybe thrashing around in the net. If it were my fish I would look into a product to help the fish recover its mucous coat.

Lee reccomends Pro Tech Coat Marine or StressGuard

Also make sure the Naso gets plenty of algea (multiple colors), vitamins and fats.

I hope all goes well and she/he recovers quickly. Naso's have wonderful personalities.

 

[leebca]

Tangs are notorious for 'splotching' themselves like that on purpose. So you have to separate a discoloration from stress, from a real, non-changing pattern.

If you have determined it is not a stress reaction, then it could be damage to their skin and skin coating.

It could also be the onset of poisoning and the end result could be death.

In short, almost every post previous to mine could be correct.

Your parameters are missing an alkalinity reading. Can't say everything is or is not balanced.

Poisoning include poisoning in the bag/transport; poisoning in their new home. Of the latter, it could be ammonia, nitrite, pH, etc. or some poison introduced into the system these fish can't handle in their current state.

Are you feeding enough algae? See:How to Feed Macro Algae to Marine Fishes.

Review all water quality matters to be conservative and monitor fishes closely. They should improve in a couple of days or get worse. If they get worse, it wasn't caused by bag poisoning nor handling, but the other suggested causes.

What is Water Quality

 

[NC2WA]

the naso tang is eating the bryopsis off the rock..could this be poisoning it??

i do have the green algae sheets as well and need to alternate them in with the red sheets.

Lee, is it safe to administer Pro Tech Coat Marine or StressGuard into my main display tank that is a mixture of fish AND corals?

 

[Maxx]

the naso tang is eating the bryopsis off the rock..could this be poisoning it??

No, they wont eat an algae that is poisonous.

Nick

 

[NC2WA]

No, they wont eat an algae that is poisonous.

well, this is good to know

 

[leebca]

Regarding those products, read the label and instructions closely. Since my experience and knowledge is mostly marine fishes, I don't know what (if any) effect there would be on corals. In general, if there is any doubt, don't use it in the display tank. Personally, I just don't believe "reef safe" statements anymore.

 

[NC2WA]

Lee,

FWIW, my Alk level is low....6.7 dKH (2.4meg/l)..I have dosed accordingly and will re-check the level tomorrow.

 

[windwaterwaves]

My Naso has been through it all.. Many conditions for 5 plus years.. Migrating from fish only to reef etc.. My params have been all over the map.. Two weeks ago I put in a gfci and it dropped the power for 10 hours! No circulation no oxygen and the temp hit 68 he turned almost black and I thought omg he is gonna die but he is happy as usual. I think without a disease they are pretty stable creatures..

 

[NC2WA]

Lee, I spoke to the online vendor where I purchased the Naso Tang. Sent the pic to them, and they immediately said without any hesitation that this was bacterial in nature and needs to be treated with Marcyn II.

Does this seem like a proper diagnosis. Before, I try to fetch the tang out of my 375g tank (which will cause more stress), and into a QT tank for treatment, I want to make sure it is worth the effort.

thoughts, ideas ??
Kirk

 

[leebca]

If you've eliminated the possibility that these are produced by the fish (that is, they come and go and/or may change shape, size or location) AND if you've eliminated the possibility that the fish was injured in the handling, AND you've eliminated the possibility of poisoning/water quality, then the next on the list is a bacterial infection.

I would go ahead and treat the fish if you've eliminated the other possibilities.

 

[NC2WA]

Lee,

If it is determined that the splotches on the Naso tang are indeed bacterial in nature, will this spread to other fish ? I have a Kole eye tang and a blue face angel that seem fine at the moment.

I am going to see if I can catch this guy tonite w/o rearranging my entire tank.

 

[leebca]

A bacterial infection usually doesn't transmit. I have to write, "usually" because there are circumstances where it will. For instance, if the fish in the tank are stressed from a water quality or environmental or nutritional causes (or any combo of these) the fish are at risk of the bacterial attack.

The second reason this 'not transmit' statement might not apply is when the bacteria are of a certain type. But under these circumstances (the one fish exhibits and none others have so far) the infection is not likely from these other types of bacteria. Or to be more technical, this group are the acid fast bacteria and the Vibrio sp. bacteria.

For the most part, topical infections are of the Gram Negative type bacteria and they behave in a more opportunistic way.

 

[NC2WA]

well, I came home for lunch today and surprised to me was the kole tang looking like crap..it had white stuff (like dead skin) peeling off it..im assuming it caught whatever the naso tang had...I was able to catch the kole and place in a tank with marcyn II. however I dont know how much longer the kole tang will live..im thinking it is the bacterial infection is too far along..

funny thing is the naso tang looks fine (at least not any worse)..im scratching my head as the kole eye was swimming around last nite and looked fine..I need to find the blue face just to make sure it is OK.

 

[NC2WA]

check on kole tang and it is dead..

I thought this might be the case...the blue face from what I can tell appears to look OK, although it has been hidden since I came home (noon) and did a water change.

i just dont get this..I have had more fish deaths since I move to WA..I never had this bad luck in NC..

what gives??

so the current fish load in the tank are:

3 carpenter wrasse, diamond goby, blue face angel, naso tang..

i will keep a watch on the blue face and naso..

 

[leebca]

What is your source water?