Thing on my fish killing it.
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Category: Help
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Topic: Thing on my fish killing it.
Posted By: Tanuki
Subject: Thing on my fish killing it.
Date Posted: August 22 2011 at 11:58pm
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I came home to find this (amphipode?) on my tang's tail fin. It was completely latched on and the fish was loosing color (maybe just stressed from it) and barely moving. I was able to reach into the tank and pull the thing off the tang so I know that: A) It was completely latched on hard B) It was hurting the tang and the tang was losing strength. The tang has been in the tank a few days now, he is a new addition, but at the same time, he has been freely swimming and eating. He eats spectrum pellets as well as nori that is added daily. What is it and what should I do about it? Will there be others?   ------------- Defending Reefscape Champion (I Think) |
Replies:
Posted By: Tanuki
Date Posted: August 23 2011 at 12:38am
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My guess is isopode. Should I assume there are more? How do I deplete their population? ------------- Defending Reefscape Champion (I Think) |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: August 23 2011 at 12:52am
It is an isopod, they are a very nasty and hard to get rid of pest (believe me I hate telling you this). You may be fortunate in that sometimes a single one will hitchhike in on something and you'll get lucky. However the odds usually favor otherwise. I have dealt with them before and it's a painful process. I highly recommend purchasing a cleaner shrimp or two asap and placing them in the display. Then watch the tank closely for more. If none appear over the coming weeks then you got lucky. If not and more pop up the only way to ensure they are eradicated is to starve them out by removing all fish from your tank and placing them in a hyposalinity quarantine system for 4-6 weeks. During this time there will be no hosts for the fish in the display tank and they will all die off. In the mean time any attached to the fish will die due to the hyposaline conditions in the quarantine system. ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Tanuki wrote:Posted By: Tanuki
Date Posted: August 23 2011 at 1:02am
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You think the tang will survive? Anything I can do for him in the mean time? I noticed he had some weird string stuff on him, maybe waste, but the one cleaner shrimp I have did get that off. I'll try to pick up a second cleaner tomorrow. Unfortunately my qt is big enough for 2-3 fish max, so let's hope that was the only one. Is there a fish that hunts these?, ------------- Defending Reefscape Champion (I Think) |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: August 23 2011 at 1:13am
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The tang should pull through if you caught it early. Did the fish have it on it when it was purchased? If the fish is releasing white stringy waste that is a sign of internal parasites as well which would dictate de-worming the tang. I would watch it closely. The only fish I have had luck with eating isopods is cleaner wrasses. However as soon as the problem is gone they will starve to death 95% of the time as they will not eat captive foods. The other problem that can crop up is that the cleaner wrasse only managed the problem leaving a stray isopod or two to start the cycle over again. It should also be noted there are two main varieties of isopods, the one that is fish specific and the other that is invert specific. So if you are only seeing them on your fish then your inverts are safe and vice-versa. If your problem does get worse let me know, I may be able to help you out as far as housing the fish in a safe hyposaline system. I didn't used to be a stickler about this stuff but now that I've been doing this awhile any fish I purchase for my tank are quarantined for at least 2 weeks in a hyposaline system and are observed and/or treated for problems before they ever hit the display. I realize it's a bit much for most people, but the results are worth the trouble. ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: Tanuki
Date Posted: August 23 2011 at 1:18am
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Thanks I hope he pulls through. I am wishing I hadn't sold my 75 so it could convert to the qt. I keep going in the other room with a flashlight to see if any more are out scavenging or attaching but everything seems fine. I'm positive the fish didn't has it on purchase and he was from a copper treated tank as well (which I believe kills them).
I will probably take you up on the babysitting offer if needed though. I haven't the slightest idea of how I could quarantine them all. I'll watch ksl for a bigger qt in te mean time. ------------- Defending Reefscape Champion (I Think) |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: August 23 2011 at 1:31am
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I wish you the best of luck and will have my fingers crossed for you. Just in case what is the population of fish in the tank? I'm sure I have more than enough room in my system to hold them all, just wanting to make sure in case things go that way. ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: August 23 2011 at 7:52am
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I had one once on a tang... took me weeks to finally get it off the fish but then I never saw another one and everything was fine after that.
Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Tanuki
Date Posted: August 23 2011 at 8:35am
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Well this morning the Sailfin tang has gone from almost completely white, to now having some faded color, but his stripes and other markings are once again visible. CapnMorgan, Here are the fish in the tank: Sailfin Tang 2 Ocellaris Clowns Very Small Blue hippo tang Yellow Tang Yellow Goby Coral Beauty 2 red fairy anthias niger trigger pajama cardinal None of the fish are very big. The sail fin is definitely the largest and is probably 6 inches? Also I am assuming fish are the only target, and most of the inverts should be fine? I did find a picture of an even rarer isopod that targets shrimp, but as that is another species I should be safe to assume this one or type of isopod will leave the other creatures in the tank alone? ------------- Defending Reefscape Champion (I Think) |
Posted By: ksmart
Date Posted: August 23 2011 at 2:10pm
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That sucks man! fingers crossed for your tang and that you dont have any further issues with this. ------------- |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: August 23 2011 at 6:07pm
That should be no problem if worse comes to worst. You are correct about the isopod species. Like I mentioned above there are two main subgroups that affect our tanks. One infects only fish, while the other targets shrimp and similar inverts. So your inverts should be safe, it's only the fish that have to be worried. Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help. ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: Tanuki
Date Posted: August 24 2011 at 10:29am
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Some updates: The Tang has recovered well and went from completely white, to striped and swimming again. He is eating nori as I type and it looks like I found the bug just in time. I have woken up a few times through the past two nights to look for other Isopods, but have not seen anything. All fish in the system appear to be strong and healthy. Luckily things are looking good! ------------- Defending Reefscape Champion (I Think) |