Sick Gem Tang. What should I do? (1 Viewer)

[GotFrogs]

I bought a gem tang on sale from live Aquaria about 2 weeks ago. He has been in a 29 gallon quarantine by himself since I got him. Today I noticed that his exterior is cloudy including his eyes and there are some small holes in his top and bottom fin. I would think it was ick if it were not for the holes. Which treatment path should I go down? I have PraziPro for flukes, chloroquine Phosphate for ick and Furan-2 on hand. I don’t want to lose a $650 fish!

What do you recommend? Here is a short video of the fish. Thanks!

 

[GotFrogs]

Here is a photo that shows the fins better.

 

[Tenny]

Is he eating?

I personally would run CP from the start to ensure there's no Velvet (Unlikely) and Ich to begin with. Perhaps a dip (fw or aquaflavine) would be beneficial? Really I think @Reefahholic could give the best advice here.

 

[TriggerFan]

Looks like fin rot. I would do Kanaplex + PraziPro, then CP.

 

[Reefahholic]

No spots Gotfrogs? If you have Furan-2...I would do a 5 min FW dip first and then move him to a sterile tank and start the Furan-2. Just incase it's a parasite and not a bacterial infection. I wouldn't take a chance with this fish. He will be fine in a 5 minute FW dip. Don't let it scare you when he's acting dead. Just make sure you temp match and aerate the water for about 30 minutes first. The FW dip will knock a lot of parasites off if he has any. Just a good practice if you do not know what you're dealing with.

The dose is one pack per 10/G's. Re-dose in 24 hrs. After another 24 hrs do a 25-30% water change and re-dose. Then re-dose again after 24 hrs for a total of 4 doses. After these 4 doses I would transfer to another sterile tank.

FYI...any signs of rapid breathing...TRANSFER FISH or do a FW dip and then transfer. This will reduce parasite numbers if there are any.

You can also try Kanaplex and Metro and food soak all 3 if needed. I wouldn't do it unless it's really necessary. If he's responding to Furan-2....then you're good.

 

[Reefahholic]

Here’s so other helpful information from my notes:

Metronidazole food soaking:

In a shot glass:

1 or 1/2 tbsp of pellets or frozen

Sprinkle the following over it:
1 scoop of General Cure (or medication of choice)
1 scoop of Focus

Add a few drops of saltwater to make a slurry, mix, wait 30 minutes and feed. Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers.

10-14 days for uronema; 2-3 weeks for internal parasites/intestinal worms.

To enhance palatability use with GarlicGuard or Entice.

Seachem Medications for Medicated Food Mixes

MetroPlex: Treats internal and external parasites and bacterial infections
KanaPlex: Treats internal and external bacterial and fungal infections
SulfaPlex: Treats external fungal and bacterial infections
NeoPlex: Treats bacterial infections of the intestines

 

[Tenny]

Great advice in here so far.

I have a fair amount of medicine too if you need some in a pinch. I also have Safety Stop and acriflavine that @Reefahholic gave me earlier this year.

 

[GotFrogs]

Thanks for all of the information. I just completed the 5 minute FW dip. I got a better picture of home while doing it. Would you still recommend the Furan-2 as the primary treatment?

 

[webster1234]

That doesn't look parasitic to me. My money is on fungal or possibly bacterial. Either way, choose a medication that you can treat the water with. If he's eating, you can try medicated food but I've never had one eat it more than once. Then they stop eating, hence the need to treat the water.

I would probably opt for a mix of metro and kanaplex. Both can be used together if I remember correctly. One treats gram positive bacteria and the other treats gram negative bacteria, hence the need for both since you don't know what you're dealing with.

I've got a big bottle of formalin MS if you want to come get it. It is an effective dip for external parasites and fungus. And you don't need to stress the fish with a freshwater dip. Paradise Pets: Formalin-MS by FishVet

If he's eating, you want to keep that going. I have noticed CP sometimes suppress appetite so I'd hold off on that until this is fixed.

 

[GotFrogs]

He has been eating fine

 

[reeftopia]

I noticed a film on mine also when it came in. It seems to have gone away but added new fish and one them has a few ick spots. Fish had been
in someone else tank for years Im guessing move stress and keeping my fingers cross as impossible to catch now. My Gem was eating2hrs after acclimation.

 

[Reefahholic]

His color is making it really difficult for me to see what is going on. If he’s eating, I’d continue with the Furan-2 and keep close eye on him. I’m unsure about Chloroquine with this species, but I know for a fact a few have been treated with Copper Power with no ill affects. I’d locate a bottle and keep it on hand just incase this treatment doesn’t workout. If you can get some Kanaplex, I’d go ahead and run both together.

Keep the CP as emergency last resort.

Here’s a Copper Power dosing guide I made a while back for smaller QT’s. Copper Power is by far the best copper I’ve ever ran. It’s extremely consistent and stable.

Copper Power:

5 gallon tank

5gal x 1.475ml = 7.37ml

2.5ppm / 7.37ml = 0.33ppm

1.75ppm / 0.33ppm = (5.30ml total)



10 gallon tank

10gal x 1.475ml = 14.75ml

2.5ppm / 14.75ml = 0.16ppm

1.75ppm / 0.16ppm = (10.93ml total)



15 gallon tank

15gal x 1.475ml = 22.12ml

2.5ppm / 22.12ml = 0.11ppm

1.75ppm / 0.11ppm = (15.90ml total)



20 gallon tank

20gal x 1.475ml = 29.5ml

2.5ppm / 29.5ml = 0.08ppm

1.75ppm / 0.08ppm = (21.87ml total)

Thanks for all of the information. I just completed the 5 minute FW dip. I got a better picture of home while doing it. Would you still recommend the Furan-2 as the primary treatment?

 

[Reefahholic]

He has been eating fine

Soak his food in Selcon if you have some.

 

[TX_Punisher]

Good luck. Good info and reminder to qt all fish.

 

[GotFrogs]

The fish passed away last night [emoji3525]

 

[webster1234]

Well that's a bummer. Sorry to hear that. :-(

 

[Reefahholic]

The fish passed away last night [emoji3525]

Are you kidding me!! unreal. Well, good thing you bought from Live Aquaria!

 

[steveb]

Sorry to hear. I was hoping for a positive outcome.

 

[Reefahholic]

After zooming in on those pics here at work, it looks like Velvet. If you look close you can see a lot of small discolored little dots which is consistent with rhizoid penetration. This fish has likely been infected and finally died due to prolonged exposure. When we QT, it allows the parasites to explode in numbers due to the small water volume. This is why I do a lot of transfers. Keeps the numbers down.

Either way...you did everything right and it wasn’t your fault. Live Aquaria owes you a fish.

 

[Reefahholic]

Sorry to hear. I was hoping for a positive outcome.

I was too. Sucks to loose fish and especially a high dollar fish like that. It just goes to show that even Live Aquaria isn't perfect.

Sorry for your loss GotFrogs.