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Innovative Marine Aquariums

Symmetrical Ich? (Sailfin)


Nstocks

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I've just noticed that my Sailfin tang (I've had for 4 months) has a few light coloured spots on his body - identical on both sides. (I'll take more photos tomorrow when all lights are on)

First worry is that it's ich :(.
I did a 15% water change last week and slightly altered the rock placement but there still places for him to hide. Other than that nothing has changed that I'm aware of that could cause stress. Feeding frozen Mysis and pellets specifically for herbivores. He won't touch nori.
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If its the same on both side it could be the start of lateral line disease. Do you feed it enough?

 

 

1 cube mysis, then either one cube of another food later on or pellets, sometimes both.

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So the white markings have disappeared completely and there's just one very small dark spot on the body. It's not ich that's for sure - I was up all night reading about it. Maybe some dirt? ;)

Now is the question; do I quarantine the fish I will be adding next weekend? (mandarin, chromis, bangaii cardinal) or just keep up with water quality etc.? The proposed additions don't seem to be prone to disease like tangs so I'm weight up the pro's and con's of putting them in a small(er) stressful environment. (excluding the Mandarin who will go straight in for food)
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I'd dip and add the mandarin - thick slime coat means healthy specimens are less susceptible to normal disease, and you want it in a pod-filled environment asap.

 

The others, I'd at least quarantine to fatten up and observe for a week or two. Then if they show signs of illness, medicate as needed.

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With quarantining fish: Is it thought that putting them in a smaller tank will somewhat stress the fish and thus the disease will show up?

 

I'm not sure if putting fish into a tank with normal parameters (no medications either) is really going to do much in terms of preventing the disease from let's say 'growing'. On the other hand, putting healthy looking fish into hypo salinity or with medications as a prevention could do more harm than good?

 

I know QT is an ongoing debate!

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The stress of being put into a standard ten gallon for those fish, which don't normally require huge tanks, can easily be matched by any stressor event in the main tank later on. You'd want the illnesses to show up where you can treat them, and the fish is going to be stressed from shipping (if you're shipping) whether it goes into the display or into quarantine.

 

Having the tank ready to go in case the fish arrives with intestinal parasites, ich, a parasitic isopod, deteriorating/torn fins, or something else (even untrained in food habits), seems like a good thing for me. You don't necessarily need to medicate with copper and stuff, especially if you're like me and got uncured rock shipped overnight and didn't leave it fallow - dormant disease can easily be hiding in the tank, and your fish can deal with one or two specks of ich hiding in their gills once in a while. But the quarantine lets you have the confidence that the fish is healthy and active and eating prepared foods before it goes into your display tank.

 

People have been successful either way, so it's up to you :) I've put my new fish in quarantine before adding them, and that ten gallon has had a magical pod explosion even with a possum wrasse, not that I'd put a mandarin in there. I've only treated them with PraziPro so far, which could've been added to the main tank, but this ten gallon doesn't have the bright lights, stinging corals and anemones, potential disease I'm unaware of, etc that the display does.

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1 cube mysis, then either one cube of another food later on or pellets, sometimes both.

 

Not sure what your other cube or pellets are but Sailfins like all tangs are herbivores. Sure they'll gobble up mysis but you really need to make sure it has plant based food to eat.

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Not sure what your other cube or pellets are but Sailfins like all tangs are herbivores. Sure they'll gobble up mysis but you really need to make sure it has plant based food to eat.

 

 

Indeed, but after 3 different types of dried seaweed (Ocean nutrition and Julian Sprung) (with and without garlic) and 4 types of live algae (plants), other than picking at the rocks, he shows little interest in anything but meaty foods :(. I've tried seaweed clips in various places in the tank and rubber band some seaweed to live rock but again, nothing.

 

Ocean Nutrition Formula one go down well but feeding pellets 3 times a day polluted the water very quickly.

 

The other cube contains algae and other foods but it's not really the bulk of what he eats.

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Ocean Nutrition Formula one go down well but feeding pellets 3 times a day polluted the water very quickly.

 

 

I say keep feeding them, and make sure your nutrient export is working accordingly. The fish wants what the fish wants :)

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I say keep feeding them, and make sure your nutrient export is working accordingly. The fish wants what the fish wants :)

 

Yup, I can't starve him because it's not the natural diet.

 

I've just crumbled more seaweed along with Mysis. He spits out the seaweed :mellow:

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Can anyone confirm this isn't lateral line disease? The very faint (again symmetrical) lines on each side of the body have been present since purchasing IIRC.

 

It's very hard to see, about 10mm below the top of the body, running all the way to the tail.

 

29093531065_eeb5b1e9d7_b.jpgIMG_0285 by Nathan Stocks, on Flickr

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If you're seeing the lateral line, the fish might need to gain some weight (some tangs are just built like that, but I'd be super worried if I could see the lateral line on a clown, for example). If you see flesh receding on/near it (usually starts from the front and proceeds towards the back), it is lateral line erosion and you need to pack as much nutrition into the fish's food as possible so that it can recover, then figure out the right balance so that it remains healthy and active.

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It looks like it's part of the makeup of the fish to be honest.

 

Nonetheless, I'll keep trying seaweed etc and continue feeding what he eats.

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Good news!

 

I've bought a difference seaweed, without garlic and clipped it to the aquarium. Within minuted the tang was picking at it :D

 

It breaks away easily which is a problem, so I'll try rubber banding this on to a rock.

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My wifes Yellow Tangs love Dragon's Breath. Works well for me since it grows well in my 29G I give them the clippings as a treat.

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My wifes Yellow Tangs love Dragon's Breath. Works well for me since it grows well in my 29G I give them the clippings as a treat.

 

 

My Sailfin won't touch it!

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This is great! The tang is tearing the algae apart, chasing it around the tank to eat it!

 

I've had it clipped and attached to a rock but it falls off easily.

 

Those innovative marine algae grazers look good, but only in blue, not black. Has anyone found a similar device?

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