Got my last few fish in yesterday, largest ones going in last. Picked up a longfin banner fish and a pacific blue tang from an online store - was expecting them to be around 4-6cms, so was pleasantly surprised to find a 4.5" banner fish and a 5" Tang in the box. Both fish look really healthy, and the banner fish is settling in fine, eating well too. The tang, on the other hand, is a bit of an oddball - its body condition looks great, barely any scars or damage to its scales and fins, and no obvious skin issues. However, it's behaving like it's got an ich infection or something - constantly rubbing itself on the rocks and sand, and spending most of its time hiding behind a rock where my cleaner shrimp lives. It's obsessed with getting cleaned by the shrimp, I mean, every inch of its body and mouth is getting the treatment - poor shrimp must be wondering what's going on with this 5" blue monster in its space.
I'm just wondering if this is the start of ich or if the tang's just settling in - never had one before, so not sure what to expect. I've got a 3ft quarantine tank all set up and ready to go, and meds on standby just in case. But I'm a bit concerned - was expecting to be treating a small fish, not a 5" monster that's not going to be happy in a 3ft 25g tank. Any advice would be appreciated.
A pacific blue tang discussion
-
coltin - Posts: 1035
- Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2022 6:07 pm
Re: A pacific blue tang discussion
Tangs are infamous for breaking out in whitespot, so I'm not entirely surprised by your Tang's behavior. Moving it to the 3ft quarantine tank as soon as possible sounds like the best course of action to me, just to keep a close eye on it for any spots. Alternatively, you could leave it in the display tank and hope it settles down, but personally, I'd rather be safe than sorry.
-
BoldVoy - Posts: 45
- Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2022 3:41 pm
Re: A pacific blue tang discussion
Cheers coltin, appreciate the advice.
I'm gonna leave the tang in the display tank for now and keep a close eye on it, I'll be checking the tank every few hours anyway so I can catch any issues early.
I've been reading up on velvet and it seems it can cause similar symptoms in tangs, but instead of white spots, they get brown or grey patches on the skin.
Do you know if velvet's as contagious as white spot, or is it more of a tang-specific issue?
Luckily the treatment I've got covers both, so I'm prepared either way.
Fingers crossed it's just a nervous fish, but I'm bracing myself for the worst.
I'm gonna leave the tang in the display tank for now and keep a close eye on it, I'll be checking the tank every few hours anyway so I can catch any issues early.
I've been reading up on velvet and it seems it can cause similar symptoms in tangs, but instead of white spots, they get brown or grey patches on the skin.
Do you know if velvet's as contagious as white spot, or is it more of a tang-specific issue?
Luckily the treatment I've got covers both, so I'm prepared either way.
Fingers crossed it's just a nervous fish, but I'm bracing myself for the worst.
-
coltin - Posts: 1035
- Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2022 6:07 pm
Re: A pacific blue tang discussion
Velvet in a marine tank is Oodinium and it's actually more of a concern than whitespot. The symptoms can be a bit tricky to spot, but it shows up as tiny white dots, much smaller than whitespot, sometimes so close together they almost look like a white film or patch. The color can vary depending on the fish's body color, but if you take a close look, you can make out the individual dots.
It's worth noting that whitespot is more common, especially in tangs like yours. But velvet's a possibility too, so it's good you've got meds that can treat both.
Another thing that might be causing your tang to scratch is the stress of being in the bag for a long time with poor water quality. Ammonia can irritate the skin and cause some problems, but if that's the case, it should settle down within a day or so.
Keep a close eye on the tank for the next week or two, just to be safe. If it is whitespot, there might only be a few parasites on the fish at first. These will eventually drop off, sit in the gravel for a bit, and then multiply before hatching out and releasing more parasites. It might take a few weeks for the problem to become noticeable on other fish, so stay vigilant.
It's worth noting that whitespot is more common, especially in tangs like yours. But velvet's a possibility too, so it's good you've got meds that can treat both.
Another thing that might be causing your tang to scratch is the stress of being in the bag for a long time with poor water quality. Ammonia can irritate the skin and cause some problems, but if that's the case, it should settle down within a day or so.
Keep a close eye on the tank for the next week or two, just to be safe. If it is whitespot, there might only be a few parasites on the fish at first. These will eventually drop off, sit in the gravel for a bit, and then multiply before hatching out and releasing more parasites. It might take a few weeks for the problem to become noticeable on other fish, so stay vigilant.
-
BoldVoy - Posts: 45
- Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2022 3:41 pm
Re: A pacific blue tang discussion
Thanks for that. Yeah, I figured the bag size was a bit of an issue for a fish that size. And to be honest, the behaviour seems more like a general skin irritation rather than isolated areas. I'll keep a close eye on him for the next few weeks and just hope it settles down. He does seem lively and healthy in himself, even though I've yet to see him eat, but I guess every fish is different when it comes to settling in. Appreciate the info, thanks.
-
BoldVoy - Posts: 45
- Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2022 3:41 pm
Re: A pacific blue tang discussion
Update
Fingers crossed, it seems like everything's okay now. He's swimming around normally, just a bit shy of people, which I suppose is to be expected. His body's looking a lot healthier, the blue's really come out now and he's stopped rubbing on everything. He's also started eating, munching on Nori off the clip and picking at food on the rocks. Everyone else in the tank seems fine too, no signs of white spot so far. I'll still be keeping a close eye on them for the next few weeks, just to make sure. Looks like Colin was right, it was probably just skin irritation from the bag.
Fingers crossed, it seems like everything's okay now. He's swimming around normally, just a bit shy of people, which I suppose is to be expected. His body's looking a lot healthier, the blue's really come out now and he's stopped rubbing on everything. He's also started eating, munching on Nori off the clip and picking at food on the rocks. Everyone else in the tank seems fine too, no signs of white spot so far. I'll still be keeping a close eye on them for the next few weeks, just to make sure. Looks like Colin was right, it was probably just skin irritation from the bag.