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FAQs about Tangs of the Genus Naso Disease/Health 2

FAQs on Genus Naso Tang Disease: Naso Disease 1,
FAQs on Genus Naso Tang Disease by Category:
Diagnosis, Environmental, Nutritional, Social, Trauma, Pathogenic (plus see Tangs/Rabbitfishes & Crypt), Genetic, Treatments

Related Articles: Naso Tangs,

Related FAQs: Naso Health 1, Tangs/Rabbitfishes & Crypt, Naso Tangs 1, Naso Tangs 2, Naso Tangs 3, Naso ID, Naso Behavior, Naso Compatibility, Naso Systems, Naso Feeding, Naso Reproduction, Surgeons In General, Tang ID, Selection, Tang Behavior, Compatibility, Systems, Feeding, Disease,

Surgeonfishes: Tangs for  Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
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by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Naso tang floating at surface after transport and freshwater dip    6/22/17
Hi Bob, I hope you are doing well.
<Ah, thank you Jake>
I am very sorry to bother you with a question but am a bit desperate to save a fish I received today. I picked up a very large male blonde Naso tang (about 11" not including streamers) from a wholesaler today and all seemed well got it back and did a freshwater dip before placing in a customers quarantine system. Normal procedure for freshwater dip that I always do (added airstone, adjusted ph and temp) but as soon as I put him in he started floating upside down at the surface.
<A "usual" behavior for large, moved Tangs... likely just anoxic; low oxygen at work here>
Added him to the tank and is upright but still floating. He has gotten a bit better but is still rising. The reason I'm asking is because this is the second large Naso tang that this has happened to me before and the first one died. Is this osmotic shock and if so what is your suggestive solution?
<These Acanthurids need to be packed in double, tripled bags of good make, in enough water to move about, and in the dark (in a box); and to be processed expediently. A job as a youngster was in the P.I., pushing newly arrived fishes about w/ a wooden dowel. Naso spp. especially were easily lost on receiving>
Again I apologize for messaging, I know you are a busy person and I personally don't prefer random messages on Facebook either but am a bit desperate. I tried W.W.M. As well as Google of course But I did not see anything pertaining to this situation.
Thank you for your time.
<This fish will resolve in time if it began righting itself. Going forward, LARGE acclimation container, LOTS of aeration applied. Bob Fenner>
Re: Naso tang floating at surface after transport and freshwater dip    6/22/17

Excellent, thank you very much for the very quick response and information!
<Glad to share... wishing we were out diving, even spearfishing for large Nasos. Cheers, BobF>
-Jake
Re: Naso tang floating at surface after transport and freshwater dip    6/22/17

This guy seems just about worthy of that status, thanks again
- Jake
<Welcome>

Sick Unicorn tang - wont eat; Emo; no data      12/25/14
Please help. I have a sick unicorn tang. He is about 7 years old. WE have had a stable salt water tank for 5 years. "Doc" has not eaten in 5-6 days.
Is very lethargic and has rapid breathing.
<... what has changed?>
We have done water changes and added MelaFix
<Worse than worthless. Let me ask you: If you were sick or a loved one; would you treat them with a leaf extract?>

to whole tank. He has some spotting (I could send pics).
<Please do>
I am SOOOO confused in reading about possible diagnosis........I do not know whether it is a parasite, bacterial, ???
<Can't tell w/o sampling>
Old age?? All other fish (who are all much smaller) seem fine.
I don't want to stress him - but he's going to die of starvation. Should we do a fresh water dip (never done this)?
<? Need data>
Should we try to set up a quarantine tank? If so - what are we treating? and with what medication??
<Ditto>
Please help - he is a strong fish - but we are watching hi slowly die because we don't know what to do..
<Please see WWM re Melafix, Naso genus tangs, and send along information per what others have supplied.
Bob Fenner>
Re: Sick Unicorn tang - wont eat
     12/25/14
<You've sent... more than half the capacity of our email program in file sizes>
What changed: Have probably been slacking on water changes (water quality)
- no new fish added - nothing new - skimmer working fine - all pumps working same as always.
Ok - understand on the MelaFix
I have read as much as possible - most say to at least start with a fresh
water dip - I can watch YOUTUBE to see how exactly to do it. Should I start there?
<....>

Don't understand - sampling?
<Keep reading>
Photos attached:
180 gallon tank
reef octopus skimmer up to 400gal
coralea pump
vortec
25% water change 3 days ago
BELOW IS WHAT I THINK: (symptoms highlighted)
Hole-in-the-head disease is commonly associated with tangs (and
angelfishes), but relatively little is known about what it is, what causes it and how to effectively treat it. The information presented here is mostly anecdotal, but here it is.
Hole-in-the-head disease is believed to be caused by a flagellated parasite
that occurs commonly in the gastrointestinal tracts of health marine fishes. When populations of this parasite grow too large, infested fishes will lose their coloration and their appetite. They will act abnormal (e.g., a tang sulking in a dark corner of the tank) and their fecal matter may become white and slimy in appearance. Pitting of the flesh on the fish’s head is also sometimes observed (hence the name), but the overgrowth of these parasites usually occurs in the intestinal tract.
If you suspect hole-in-the-head disease, it is recommended to remove the
fish to a quarantine tank where it can be nursed back to health. In the quarantine tank, Metronidazole can be added to the water at a concentration recommended by the drug manufacturer. Seachem makes a widely available product containing Metronidazole called AquaZole. There are other options including the human drug Flagyl.
My son believes it is fish TB -
*Mycobacterium marinum* causes a chronic progressive fish disease found in
freshwater, saltwater, and brackish environments. Weight loss, non-healing open ulcers, a distended abdomen, loss of appetite, fin erosion, unusual
coloration, pop-eye, spinal deformities, and listless behavior are all
possible signs of infection.
Re: Sick Unicorn tang - wont eat
     12/25/14
This is a picture of "Healthy DOC"
<Don't need>

sudden loss of Naso; Siganid comp.?      3/6/14
I have a 90 gallon tank FOWLER, tank running for 2 1/2 years. I am in the process of restocking tank after an entire Ich loss 10 months ago.
Current fish: small snowflake eel (I have had for 3 years), marbled wrasse 2 inches in tank x 5 weeks, Naso tang (2 1/2 inches in tank x 4 weeks, Orange spot Rabbitfish 2 1/2 inches in tank x 4 weeks, Parameters: SG - 1.025 (matches my other reef tank), pH 8.2, Nitrates - 15-20, Phos - 0.0, 3 inch sand bed, live rock
Fish have been all healthy, eating and pigs. I went to feed one night and the Naso was down - no obvious disease - ate well the day before. And was out swimming just an hour before. He was breathing slow. I put him in front of the powerhead with a little improvement but I think just stressed from me handling him, then placed him in a container in front of a pump for aeration and protection during the night. He was dead the next day. He did hang out always with the Rabbit. I am quite suspicious the Rabbit incidentally Envenomized him.
<Me too>

Any other causes of sudden death even within an hour to consider?
<Mmm, "something" (what?) internal... damage from collection perhaps>

 This occurred a week ago. Rest of fish still healthy, happy and eating.
Only other inhabitant is a small hermit crab.
Next question is do I keep the Rabbit?
<Up to you. See WWM re Naso (lituratus); need more than a 4 foot run, length system... six plus>
 I have 3 fish to add in to this tank. Maroon and 2 angles from my other tank. I have been waiting for the new fish above to acclimate and prove health before I adding my existing fish. I have had these fish for a long time so know they are healthy. I am concerned the Rabbit could do the same to the others.
<Not if they're aware... do place them during light hours (or leave the lights on overnight)>
Thanks for any help insight you can provide.
<Cheers, Bob Fenner>

White spots   6/12/12
Hello crew!
<Jim>
I have a Unicorn Tang  that has these white spots on and around it head.
They all most like boney or calcium like protrusions.
I'll included two pictures of it. I've had this fish for about 4-5  years now.
<I see the one pic attached to your next email... these whitish blobs are almost certainly "neuromast destruction"... the mucus filled pit organs of the principal lateralis line of the head... note how they're bilaterally symmetrical... the cause? Appears to be a good bit of blue green algae present (the red and likely the brown clumpy stuff about)
Could you try and give me opinion?  Thanks Jim
<... Search WWM w/ the string "Blue Green Algae Toxicity". You need to improve your overall system and water quality...  Bob Fenner> 

Re: White spots; Naso, HLLE likely     6/12/12
Thanks Bob, I should have mentioned that the tank you see the unicorn in is just one of my quarantine tanks.
<I see... well "something" is irritating the neuromasts of this animal...
The possible list is quite long>
The fish lives in a 150 gallon tank with no algae growing in it.
The tank received a 30 gallon water change every two weeks.
It lives on Ocean Nutrition  mixes flakes along with Nori pieces that I've cut up and mixed in with the flake food.
<I encourage you to change to Spectrum pelleted food... much more nutritious and discrete (easier to get the food into your fishes and not have it spread, dissolve in the water)>
Ocean Nutrition mixed frozen cubes and a piece of broccoli once every two weeks when I service which has been soaked rinsed and kept frozen until installed in the tank when I service that tank.
<I'd skip the broccoli... make a visit to the oriental food store (or eq. part of your food market shelves) and shop for marine algae>
I've thought of what pesticides could be on the broccoli but the fish just love it and that's all we hear is the vitamins that is in broccoli.
Do you think there is any possible cure for the protrusions or will this just stay with him into old age.
<Do read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/HLLESWCauseF.htm
and the linked files above... again, this "condition/syndrome" is known to be caused by a handful of influences... and cured similarly by fixing them>
I track all my livestock in that tanks I service but of course for this fish I missed putting down the date I installed him into this customers tank.
My guess is somewhere between Jan 2008  and March 2010..So it could be in the tank for about four years. Any idea of the life span of a Unicorn Tang.
<At least ten years>
As always thanks for writing and thanks for running such a great site!
Jim Jesko
<Ah welcome. Bob Fenner>

Vlamingi Tang trouble.....HELP 4/3/11
Ok here goes crew (and thanks before hand).....And it happened as soon as I leave the state for three weeks also
I have the beautiful Unicorn tang (Vlamingi) that was in BAP
<This acronym stands for? Breeder Award Program...?>
reef tank. She has done great in our 165bf up until about two days ago. We always test water (probably too much) and after our very first cycle at set up our water has been great. Sorry I don't have the log book of parameters with me in Arkansas, but Brandon and Steve can verify our water cause I pester the crap out of them and have them always back up my results with their test So, she developed some raised nodule looking spots around her head, mostly between eyes and head. All marks are symmetrical and I have no clue what it is????? We have done a CRAP LOAD of research and can't find an answer so I am turning to you all and hoping for the best pics..........
[image: Name: DSCN1006.jpeg Views: 59 Size: 239.7 KB]
[image: Name: DSCN1012.jpeg Views: 61 Size: 301.2 KB]
<Mmm, where are these images?>
Everything I have been reading seeing points LLE or hole in head?? yet no pictures resemble it AT ALL. I am leaning towards diet and starting vit.sup tonight. She has been a great eater (mostly shark like and eats anything we give her) She gets seaweed, emerald entree, Spirulina, brine, Mysis, carnivore feast, prawn roe, and list goes on and on and on......Steve at BAP says nutrition also. I had my fiancé© test for voltage tonight and I walked her through the whole thing and she found 46.7v in the tank, so I had her go plug by plug until the meter hit 0.0v and there is a little stray voltage from just about everything, but the bad one was one of my Maxi-jet 1200's that run my skimmer. She installed the ground probe and now the tank shows 0.0v but the sump shows 1.3v .
<Mmm, I do hope all electrical devices are wired through a GFCI:
http://wetwebmedia.com/gfcimarines.htm>
I can live with that until I get home and replace my skimmer. The day before the bumps showed up, my fiancé© told me she was going nuts and changing color a lot like she was getting spooked, my best guess is the powerhead pooped out
<?>
that day and then her sensory organs in her head are freaked out.
<May be>
Her favorite cave in the tank is rather large and she fits with no issues, yet after the voltage and bumps she keeps hitting the side of her cave on the way out and she has never done that before?
Anyway, was that enough voltage to cause this issue? Combination of voltage and vitamins? Disease? Any help would be REALLY GREAT
<Systematically unplug all electrical devices, testing for stray voltage... use GFI/s>
on a happy note..mamas Picasso clowns are doing great and are very happy, although the really love daphnia and the prawn roe but show no interest in other foods. Is that enough nutrition for those two love birds (they will be getting the vit.sup too)
pic... [image: Name: Picasso clowns.jpg Views: 60 Size: 75.6 KB]
<... these images did not "come through"... need to be sent as attachments of suitable size or linked to somewhere else on the Net. Bob Fenner>

Re: Vlamingi Tang trouble.....HELP 4/3/11
Thanks again Bob, we have added Spectrum Life pellets to her diet and I will be adding the GFI to all my tank outlets as soon as I get back home. So far after adding the ground probe, she has started eating a little more, but only blood worms (three cubes worth). I know she will start back to her ridiculous eating habits it will just take a few days I guess? I am adding the Brightwell sup. right in my sump so at least I know she is getting what she needs until she pigs out again ;)
<Real good. B>

Naso death 10/14/10
Hi crew,
<Karina>
Unfortunately, I am writing under tragic circumstances. I'm hoping you'll be able to enlighten me. I recently lost my blonde Naso tang under rather mysterious circumstances.
<Does happen>
I have a 180 gallon reef with a 55 gallon sump/refugium. My tank has been up for 2 years, spg 1.026,
ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 15. The contents are from a previous 55 gallon that was set up for 6 years before being transferred. I haven't tested any other parameters for a while. I do weekly 30 gallon water changes. I had the Naso for about a year. I got it because I had a dreadful Dictyota problem, and nothing would eat it but this little guy.
What an amazing job it did, and it quickly became my favorite fish. A few days ago, I noticed that it had a small brown spot on the base of it's tail. I didn't think much of it. I attributed it to a mechanical injury of some kind. The next day, the spot had spread to half of the fish's body. It was just brown, no peeling or loss of scales. Blondie was still eating prepared foods and picking off the rocks though, and I had no prepared sea water to set up a hospital tank. The third day, I found it wedged between two rocks, dead as a doornail. The brown completely covered one side of it's body. Very sad day. Now I'm trying to find the culprit. I've only recently discovered that sea urchins are poisonous. I found a small one when I first set up the 55 all those years ago. It was about the size of a dime. Now it's about the size of a golf ball, and has pink pointy tips. It's always on the glass though, I rarely see it among the rocks. Could the Naso have accidentally swam into the urchin and been poisoned?
<Mmm, not likely>
I'm asking so I know whether it would be smart to remove it. Other inhabitants are a pair of black Ocellaris clowns, a canary wrasse, melanurus wrasse, Tailspot blenny, sunburst Anthias, and a blotched Hawkfish. I really don't know, aside from the urchin, what could've caused this rapid demise. All my other
fish are perfectly fine. Please share your thoughts and ideas.
Thanks,
Karina
<Nothing "jumps out" as a probable cause here Karina... to use your adverb, unfortunately this genus at times appears to die mysteriously... From? Stress? I would state that "on average", specimens/species of Naso kept in larger systems "die less often mysteriously", have greater survival, longer life times in captivity. Bob Fenner>

Vlamingi Tang: HLLE\Lateral Line Disease. 10/6/2009
Hello crew,
<Hi Michele.>
I have a question regarding the Vlamingi Tang.
<Sure.>
We have a beautiful one about 8 inches long. He has been eating very well but all of the sudden he has developed these huge nasty looking bumps on his head and around his eyes. The bumps look like pus pockets. I can't tell if he was stung by something or if it is an infection by getting scratched by a rock. He is in a 300 gal reef tank. We only have about 5 corals in the tank right now and none of them sting, along with a Yellow Tang, blue hippo tang, a Sailfin tang and a purple tang.
<That is a lot of tangs.>
One of the areas where these bumps popped up at is not blackish brown. It doesn't look good.
<Hmm...>
Do you have any ideas to what these bumps might be? I can try to send a picture if you would like, but I'm not so sure that it will turn out.
<Pictures are always welcomed and do help with identification. That said, what you are describing sounds like the beginnings of Head and Lateral Line Erosion or HLLE. Take a look here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hllefaqs.htm >
Please let me know what you think.
<have a read on the linked page and see if that matches what you have.>
Thank you.
<My pleasure.>
Michele
<MikeV>

Plump, puking Naso 03/11/09
Hello Again!
<Pavlo>
Once again I turn to you for your awesome advice and help. This time though, it's not for me. An acquaintance of mine bought a house two months ago that came with a 150gal reef tank. I got a call last night saying that one of their fish wasn't doing well & that they wanted me to come and take a look so I did.
The tank is stocked with a number of fish, but the one in question is a Naso tang (I think). It shows no outward signs of disease (as far as I can tell) other than what I presume is lethargy - it wasn't really swimming much.
<Unusual for the genus>
They said that it was regurgitating food, and listing to one side
<Bad signs>

- I witnessed neither, but I will say it wasn't the most active fish in the tank. In my opinion, it looked rather plump.
<Also unusual for Nasos>
My question is - do fish puke?
<Mmm, yes... some can. For others this is more difficult...>
If so, is it a sign of disease - overfeeding (which I suspect)?
<Perhaps>
I know your next comment will be - what are the parameters? I don't know. The previous owner had a service come in to clean & maintain the tank & he left no care instructions for the current owners other than "Call this number for service". Well, $150 a visit in these times is not a luxury these people can afford, so NOTHING has been touched in this tank for 2 months, other than feeding. There are no test kits, no salt, nothing, other than a large canister of Phosban, and a phosphate test kit.
<This product is rarely advisable>

The set up looks good though - RO/DI, Skimmer, calc reactor, UV filtration, refugium. Considering that nothing has been touched in the tank for 2 months it holding up rather well, only a tiny bit of hair algae. I will be there tomorrow to test water, show them how to mix salt, do water changes, regular maintenance, etc., & will write again if things are amiss.
<Good>
If you could just let me know about the regurgitating I would greatly appreciate it. They were rather concerned & I would like to put them at ease, or if it is a sign of something wrong, be able to get prepared. As usual, thanks for this invaluable service that you provide.
Pavlo
<Can't tell you anything more or different than above, given what you have stated... Maybe this animal is "just stressed" by the prevailing conditions here. Am hopeful that with your care, instructions to the new owners that this system, water quality will be restored... I would give up on the HPO4 chemical filtrant, execute a couple (serially over a few days) of good-sized water changes. And soon. Bob Fenner>

Sick Tang 7/4/08 Hi Bob. I have emailed you guys before with no response so hopefully my luck will be better this time. I have a Vlamingi tang in my 150g and she has developed some sort of parasite or is getting HLLE. Honestly it's hard for me to tell. My tank parameters are in the ok range ammonia-0 nitrite-0 nitrate- about 10ppm PH- a little low at 8.1 salinity- a little high at 1.027. <This is fine> Here is when it started. You can see she has some ich and also the two small bumps under her eye. Here you can see that the ich has cleared up, but the bumps are spreading and becoming worse. About one to two weeks later is has progressed into this. All the way around her eye and in the pic you can even see something small and pink coming out of one of the bumps. She has a good all around diet which consists of algae sheets, frozen Mysis, frozen brine w/Spirulina, all soaked in garlic. She is still eating frequently. The only thing I can think of is to try a freshwater dip, but I wanted an experts opinion. Thank you for your time. -Chad <Likely this Acanthurus had/has some protozoan parasite fauna from the wild... I'd try bolstering its immune system via the foods. See WWM re. Bob Fenner>

Unknown disease on Naso and Unicorn Tangs 10/25/07 Hello, <Hi there> I have had multiple Unicorn and Naso tangs, both Hawaiian and Blonde, in my 500 gallon aquarium which are dying of an unknown disease. No one in my area can identify the problem. Water quality is excellent. First, they get a white cotton-like grain around the face area. After about a week, the grain opens and flesh is seen. The open wound can grow to be 3" on a 10" Tang. More cotton-like material develops in the open flesh area and the fish stops eating and dies. I know it is not a parasite because copper (Cupramine) is not effective. <Mmm... not really> Is it a fungus? If so, what medication should I use? Please help...I would like to have more of these tangs in the future. Thanks, Jeff <I would take a scraping, look w/o staining under a low-power microscope. I suspect this/these are flukes (monogenetic Trematodes), but could possibly be copepods... treatment is either with a vermifuge (e.g. Praziquantel) or an organophosphate... in the meanwhile, in addition, I would bolster their immune systems with HUFA and vitamin soaking on their algal diets. Bob Fenner>

Re: Unknown disease on Naso and Unicorn Tangs 10/25/07 Hello Bob, <Jeff> Thanks for your quick reply. <Welcome> Which of the 2 remedies are more effective and where can I get either Praziquantel or Organophosphate? <Posted on WWM. BobF> Jeff

Re: Unknown disease on Naso and Unicorn Tangs - 10/30/2007 Hello Mr. Bob Fenner, <Jeff> I have been using PraziPro for 3 days and it seems to be not working. Attached is a picture of the fish and disease. Let me know if I am using the right medication. If I'm not, please guide me in the right direction. Again, thanks for all of your help. Jeff <Mmm, this eruptive condition looks like HLLE... Neuromast destruction. Do you have these fishes under constant copper exposure? Is it possible that there is a vitamin deficiency syndrome here? Please read: http://wetwebmedia.com/hllefaqs3.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner, who would still like to see a micrograph... to exclude Hexamita here...>

Re: Unknown disease on Naso and Unicorn Tangs 10/30/07 Hello Rob, <Jeff> thanks for your reply. I know for sure it is not HLLE. I have had the fish for about 2 months and eats a lot of Spirulina. Water quality is good. <Mmm... well, the pattern of involvement closely matches the arrangement of the lateralis system. Again, have these Acanthurids been exposed to copper?> I will treat for Hexamita and hope this is the problem. Thanks, Jeff <Okay. BobF>

Re Unknown disease on Naso and Unicorn Tangs... still not reading, Cu poisoning 10/31/07 Yes, I had Cupramine in the water at .05 ppm. <... Please see WWM re Acanthuroids and copper exposure... This is very likely the root cause of the Neuromast destruction here> Possibly a fungus or Bacterial infection? Furan 2 or Fungus Cure as a medication? <... no, no, and no> Thanks,
Jeff
<Please... read. Bob Fenner>

Marine Question, Naso death... 7/22/07 Further to this, I wanted to add the Naso turned totally black and hid before he died, very strange looking! <Mmm, just looking at the info. below... a seventy gallon is too small for a Tang of this genus (as posted on WWM), and the Boxfish (as you seem to state) is mis-placed here...> And I plan to setup a QT this weekend. I have a 10 gallon that till be perfect. I did not know about this till I read your site. Great idea! <Mmm... I do wish we had more input to help you before this incident. Bob Fenner>

Naso needs HELP!!! 7/11/07 Good evening guys! I have a Naso Tang with a problem. About a week ago my husband and I noticed a bump on the Tangs' head. At the time we thought it may be some sort of injury, but now we can tell it is spreading. There are now several bumps which sort of look like cauliflower. I've attached a picture. Sorry it's not a very good one, but it's the best I could manage. Since we thought it might be an injury we've been treating the tank with Mela Fix. <Worse than worthless... deleterious to your overall system> Other than the bumps the fish seems fine. He's eating and is active, no cloudy eyes, etc. This is a 150 gal. fish only tank, no live rock. Along with the Tang we have a Passer Angel, Dog Face Puffer, Fox Face and a few small Damsels. Water parameters are: Ammonia = 0 Nitrite = 0 Nitrate = 20 ppm <Borderline high... I'd be addressing...> 20% water changes weekly to bi-weekly. Any advice you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Kathy <Mmm, appears (and this is only a guess of course) to be some sort of injury-induced growth... I would do nothing other than improve water quality, bolster the fish's immune system with supplemented (vitamin, HUFA...) foods... Bob Fenner>

Naso Tang - all but gone 6/5/07 I tried to register on your website, but there seems to be a problem with the site. Hopefully you can give me some much needed advice to save my tang! <The Forum, WetWebFotos is controlled by Zo... who is obviously elsewhere> State of the tank: 150gl tank, all levels are spot on and the tank is lightly loaded as we're growing it slowly. Currently we only have the 1 Naso (4"- that's in big trouble), 1 Hippo (4"), 1 banana wrasse & 1 Christmas wrasse (both about 4"), 2- 3striped, 2 - yellow tail, 1 - solid blue all between 1 - 2" (these are what's left of the 9 starter fish from a little of a year ago). All of these fish have been cohabitating nicely for over a year, with the exception of the Hippo which we just added within the last month. I noticed approximate 1 week ago that the yellow portion on the back of the Naso's tail fin was starting to have some discoloration (brown areas). Yesterday, I notice that the yellow portion of the forehead was also getting some very small brown dots (not bumps - just color change). This morning I found him all but dead on the bottom of the tank (already in the "C" form, nose & tail touching bottom with body arched). <Very bad...> I instantly moved him into QT, added stress coat and Maracyn Plus Anti bacteria. The QT was only set up this morning and I used the water from the main tank so the water temp, salinity, etc. was the same. The only change (since adding the Hippo), is that we have increased the frequency of feeding seaweed clips. I ran out of the green so he's been taking in more purple this past week. He was eating well up until 2 days ago when I noticed he wasn't eating up the Mysis as he typically does. He's barely hanging on, and I appreciate any assistance you can offer. Warm aloha and Mahalo nui loa, (thank you very much) Sandy Tichy <How long have you had this Naso lituratus? It may be that it "came with" an internal complaint... Otherwise, there may be a nutritional (deficiency) issue here... there are some other much more minor possibilities... You have read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/naso_lituratus.htm and the linked files above? Bob Fenner>

Ich help...maybe... Naso... hlth... 2/28/07 Hello All, <Kesha> I just wanted to let you know that your site is the most informative site that I have ever come across and I've been in the hobby since 2001. <Ahh!> I just have a few questions that I cannot get answered anywhere else. I have been running this tank since August 2005. It is a 75g all glass aquarium with 260w pc lighting and a moonlight 120lbs of LR, 60lbs of LS. ProClear wet/dry filter system with 3 add'l power heads for water movement. 4 domino damsels <Yikes! Biters!> 3 striped damsels 3 clownfish (2 false & 1 pink skunk) 1 tang 2 Hawaiian feather dusters 4 huge turbo snails & quite a few hermit crabs Water Parameters before putting Tang & feather duster in tank Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0 Ph 8.2 Done a 30% water change on Monday with distilled water and used 6 gallons of premixed seawater from LFS. I recently bought a Naso Tang <Mmm... needs more room than this> & feather duster about 4 days ago and since then the ammonia is at 0.25ppm & nitrate is at 20ppm. Ph is still the same as well as nitrite. 2 days after getting it, a white spot appeared on the fin near the end of it, has not been rubbing up against any of the rocks and no other spots has appeared. Was a bit worried about his color because it looks as if you can see through his body. Went to LFS and they said its probably cauliflower and antibiotics will help it! (WHAT???) <... I don't know what they're referring to either here... A viral issue like Lymphocystis... as "Cauliflower?"... Antibiotics won't cure this... and I do NOT encourage you to put them in your main display at any length> I researched it and cannot find anything on it. <Mmm... well... might be "just a dot"... from stress, getting whacked by a net... If only one, discrete... no other indications... I would not panic> As for the color I was told to get a ground probe, because the electrical currents running through the tank was causing this to happen. <... no... dismal> None of the other fish in the aquarium seem to have anything wrong with them and just wondered if this is the start of a disease problem? <Not likely... however... You are playing a sort of Russian Roulette by not adhering to some sort of quarantine... at least dip/bath procedure...> Please HELP. Also, do tangs normally try to eat the feather dusters? <Some can, do, yes> My tang is going to town on the ends of the dusters. Thanks so much, Kesha <... Quarantine... Observation for now... a much larger... at least six foot long systems... for the genus Naso... Bob Fenner>

Naso Tang.. Acclimation.. Environment 2/27/07 Hope you can provide some direction. <Should be no problem.> This is my second attempt at acclimating a Naso. First Naso lasted 5 days (ate Mysis shrimp for 1st 3 days then ate nothing). I prepared to try again. I am waiting to see if the Naso at my LFS will take flake food (something I did not do the first time around). <Flake food alone is not going to do it.> Do you know of any "must-do's" that I should be concerned with to make sure the acclimation process goes smoothly. Specifically around best types of "veggie" foods to start the new Naso off with. I have a 55 gal tank with good water quality with one exception. <Off to a bad start with a 55. Tangs are grazers and constantly swim in search of food. Your tank is much too small for keeping such in a healthy state.> I recently had a nitrate spike (up to 20 PPM) potentially due to over use of phytoplankton. I perform regular (weekly) water changes and have been doing 2 water changes (5 gal each) twice a week since discovering the elevated nitrates. At what level of nitrates should I be concerned with when acclimated a new fish like a Naso Tang. In other words is 20 PPM too much for acclimation? <Tangs enjoy pristine water quality, so, the lower the nitrate level, the better. Do read here and related links for the info you seek. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/naso.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/acclimat.htm> Thanks for the advice. <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog) GJB

Anemone sting on Blonde Naso? Velvet? Fungus? - Urgent 12/5/06 Dear Bob and Friends, <Oh, yes> I have a question about my 7" Blonde Naso Tang. I noticed a patch of white/grey discoloration and fuzziness with at least one tiny "fuzz ball" attached, right next to the spines on his right side. The patch is about a square inch in size. I would've sent a picture but he moves to quickly to get a good shot. He's had a very slight cloudiness on his right eye for several weeks. He had a rough time getting from the ocean to my tank, <Common with this genus of fast-moving, some almost-pelagic fishes> a case of ich accompanied by a hunger strike that lasted almost 3 weeks (the ich lasted only one week). He's been eating ferociously ever since he got healthy (about 3 weeks ago) but was left with what I'd describe as scars or small (about an 1/8th of an inch) lighter patches on his skin. Like I said he's eating like crazy, has regained all the wait he lost, seems "happy" regardless of the new patch. No scratching, no heavy breathing, pretty much the king of the tank. <A good position> I also noticed my small (about 2 inches) Bubble Tip Anemone sitting about a foot and a half from where he's been happily living for 2 months. He was deflated and did not look good. Through research on your sight I've come to the hopeful conclusion that my Naso may have accidentally whipped the Anemone with his tale <tail> , causing the Anemone to become dislodged and leaving a fuzzy patch on his skin. Can an Anemone do this? <Mmm, yes> I hope this is what happened because I had a case of Velvet wipe out my entire tank 6 months ago resulting in a total overhaul and rebuild (added a refugium with green Caulerpa, increased flow 3 fold, added a chiller and UV sterilizer). This doesn't look like Velvet but I could easily be wrong, we'll see if it's grown in size tomorrow. Other possibilities are bacterial or fungal infection. <I do doubt that this is Velvet/Amyloodinium... if so, most likely all your fishes would be languishing or dead at this point> Regardless, I'm not sure what to do. Medicating him would mean medicating the entire tank, live rock, live sand, cleaner shrimp, hermit crabs, snails, and 8 other fishes. There's no way I'm getting him out without pulling out 200 pounds of rock (that took me 8 hours to set up..). <Mmm... not necessarily... the type/kind of "medicating" I would do is through this and the other fish's foods... soaking and/or coating them in mainly a vitamin supplement product at this point... Very likely (along with good husbandry period) this will "do it"... the observed markings could in all likelihood be resultant from stress, troubles from three weeks plus back...> I did add a large Maroon Clown 4 days ago with no quarantine (my bad). I know I shouldn't assume any fish is healthy but he's been in my LFS's Coral system for at least 3 months. I'd been trying to get them to catch him for a month and a half and they finally succeeded (don't ever let a fish store tell you a fish isn't for sale! hehe). Well he looked healthy then, and looks healthy now, He's the only addition I've had for the last few weeks. I think my water quality is good. I've been doing 10% weekly water changes with R/O water, specific gravity is 1.019, <This needs to be higher... esp. for the anemone's sake... 1.025... Raise the Spg slowly> ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, nitrate 5-10 ppm, PH 8.3, temperature never goes beyond 77-79 degrees. Tons of purple coralline algae growing. I feed a combo of Angel formula, Mysis shrimp, Brine shrimp, squid, chopped krill, Spirulina flakes, brown and green seaweed on clips. Tank is six feet long, <A good absolute minimum for a Naso sp.> 135 gallons (I know its a bit small for this fish but I aquascaped the rock to create a lot of open space and plan on upgrading to a 300 gallon tank in a year or two), sump and refugium are each 30 gallons. All other fish look and are acting healthy and normal. So what should I do? 20% Water change and wait it out? Anything I can do? I'll try to take a picture if it will help, although I'm not sure how it'll come out. <The supplementation of foods mentioned is what/all I would do> On a side note, I can't seem to control the brown algae growing on the fine grain 4" deep sand bed. I stir it up and it grows back within 2 hours. I have about 450 watts of daylight and actinic light bulbs on for 6 hours a day. Any suggestions? <Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brownalgcontfaqs.htm and the linked files above...> I want to thank you so much for your help. I read through your web site constantly and have found it to be EXTREMELY helpful. I must spend an hour a day on your site. I am very grateful for the wealth of information you provide. I'd love to meet you guys out in Hawaii one of these days. Thanks again for your help! Chad D. <Am out on the Big Island esp. ever few to handful of months... w/ some of the WWM Crew generally. BobF>

Problems with Naso tang 10/26/06 Hi, Good afternoon everyone! In my tank with a flame Angel, a Yellow Tang, a Naso tang, two domino damsels, <Can be quite territorial to downright mean> two Bubbletip anemones, <Not usually compatible unless clones or in very large systems> a finger leather coral...up to yesterday night I had a clarkii clown in it but took it out because he was chasing the flame angel and I didn't want to lose my flame angel (clarkii clown is in another tank). This process of taking him out was very difficult (he was very fast swimming and hiding in all the rocks) therefore it took us 30 minutes to get him out... we also rearranged the rocks after that. We have a protein skimmer and a UV sterilizer and a power filter and we constantly check the water and its always perfect. We ended up going to bed at about 4:30 am and it was perfect all the fishes were doing fine, even the clarkii in the other tank. When I woke up this morning everyone was fine but I couldn't seem to find my Naso tang... when I finally did he was in a corner in a posing position hardly moving its fins, he is usually a light gray but today he was very dark gray almost black.. he had white spots all over his body (he have had this before usually when he gets scared) <Yes... is likely still upset re the commotion yesterday, early morning> but the neon blue in his eyelids, top of his top fin and bottom one disappeared like faded into white and almost all the other color faded... the only remaining color is the dark gray of his body and the yellow that on top of his eyes... Could all this be stress or he might have gotten some kind of parasite? <Just the former> All the other fishes are doing fine if not better than yesterday but he is not doing well... he is my favorite fish and I am very worried... please help me! I really don't know what to do.. I also have had him for like two months and has always done great.. he was very healthy , ate everything, very playful and peaceful... thanks you! Christina Ruales <Mmm, Naso species need systems of at least six feet in length... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/nasosysfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

A Tale of Two Dead Naso Tangs - 09/17/06 Hello, <<Good Morning>> I am writing you and talking to anyone else I could think off. <<Wise not to limit yourself to a single source of information/advice/opinion>> This past week I lost a pair of Naso tangs. <<Sorry to hear...>> I am devastated over this for a number of reasons, but mostly because I can't find an answer to why they died. Before I ask you to give some thoughts on what you think might of happened let me give you as many details and variables I can. <<Thank you…always helpful>> The tank is a 350 gallon fish/reef tank. I keep a variety of angels and tangs, clowns and damsels. There are also inverts like shrimp, snails and crabs. There are not a lot of corals at this time but the idea for the tank is to keep a number of corals with larger variety of fish not usually kept in a reef. <<I see...and researching re to assure/maintain compatibility I'll assume...>> There are a few LPS and SPS corals along with a few soft leathers. <<Mmm...with "variety of angels"?>> I do have to be very careful in what corals I choose because of the types of fish. <<Ah yes!>> The larger of the tangs was a Hawaiian Naso the other was a smaller Red Sea blonde. <<Hmm...ever considered a "biotope" display?>> I know typically these species are not kept together but they have done very well often swimming side by side and staying together at night. The tank has ample swimming room and the aquascaping is such it gives the fish room to swim in a big circle. <<Excellent>> The tank has been established for 4 years. Only up until last year I started to get into corals having spent the money to have a dedicated electrical circuit for the lights and pumps. <<Reef setups are indeed "power hungry">> Prior, the power options didn't allow me to have the right lighting. I now run 3 10K 250watt HQI de's with PC actinics. The tank gets a weekly water change from RO/DI water and top-off is from the same unit. I dose manually calcium and dKH supplement as needed, parameters are checked weekly. <<Very good>> The only issue I have which is not serious is slightly elevated nitrates. <<...! I don't know your definition of "slightly", but even so, chronically elevated nitrate can/will have effect on your livestock (and what about ammonia/nitrite?...these were/are checked as well?). This may be a clue to the two Naso tang's demise>> I use a refugium with grape <Caulerpa> and Chaetomorpha macro algae. <<Mmm, another issue (clue?) here in my opinion. Grape Caulerpa is very noxious, even toxic to fish (many herbivorous fishes won't eat it for this reason). Combining it with Chaetomorpha in a refugium means the alga are constantly waging war (alga compete just as corals do for space on the reef), releasing chemicals/toxins to inhibit and/or kill each other. Such constant and powerful chemical warfare (Alga rates at the top of the list with some of the nastiest corals for aggression/noxiousness) can't be "good" for a system. Not to mention the loss of usefulness/processes for having the algae in the refugium in the first place due to the "energy" expended on warfare>> The Chaeto is fed to the tank where the angels and tangs feast. <<Hmm...wonder the possibility of the Chaetomorpha being "tainted" from close exposure/battle with the grape Caulerpa...>> The nitrate levels are elevated, but don't cause any issues with nuisance algae, the Acropora and Montipora orange cup coral are growing and doing well so I use that as a measure since the nitrates don't seem to cause any other problem. <<I agree it would seem the corals you mention would show deleterious affects from elevated nitrate before the fish would...but I'm still very curious as to your actual nitrate reading(s)>> I do understand the bio load may be a little high causing the elevated nitrates, however I go to great lengths to make sure the water quality and environment stay optimal. Of course the tank has a large skimmer on it which is cleaned 1-2 times per week. Ok, with that overview here is what happened over the last few weeks. About three weeks ago I noticed the RO unit was not producing any RO for the top-off. <<Raw RO water for top-off? Not recommended...>> The unit being in place a little over 6 months I thought it might just need to be cleaned and didn't need new filters or membrane replacement. <<Not likely, no..."should" get a couple to several years out of the membrane, even with this size tank...life of the filter cartridges will depend mainly on your source water/how often they are rinsed clean>> The water source is well water. After rinsing the filters in tap water and putting the unit back together it did start to produce some RO however the TDS was > then 0 and could not produce enough for a water change. <<Again... I need specific measurements to really be of much help>> At this point I called the company to discuss my options. <<A good move>> They agreed that the membrane should not have to be replaced but agreed to send me a filter kit and new membrane anyway. The unit is a 100gpd. <<As is mine...>> I skipped my weekly water change that week waiting for the filters. <<Um...not seasoning/maturing/buffering your water before "and" after mixing the salt?>> I received the filters and they forgot to ship the membrane. <<Mmm...>> I waited until that weekend to install the filters. After the filters were installed, the unit still didn't make RO for my water change. <<Strange...perhaps you should remove/gently rinse the membrane...install a "flush" kit>> Bottom line, by the time I got RO back online it was almost 3 weeks without a water change. <<Shouldn't have been a problem>> I didn't think this was that critical as I checked param.s and everything seemed to be ok. <<Would agree>> I started to cut back on feeding slightly which is usually done twice a day, every other day. <<I don't agree with this, fish should be fed daily...preferably multiple small feedings. If feeding daily causes secondary issues with your tank then reevaluate your maintenance/husbandry practices/stocking levels...but don't jeopardize the fishes long-term health by "cutting back" on proper and adequate nutrition>> I target feed the fish to make sure everybody gets enough without over feeding the tank. They get mostly pellets soaked with Vita-Chem. <<A good product...and New Life Spectrum pellets I hope!>> That is supplemented with frozen Mysis and the macro algae. <<Ah good, variety is key...and the more the better>> During this 3 week period, I added 2 fish to the tank one of the fish was a replacement for a small saddle back puffer that jumped out the tank some time ago, <<Jumped!...? Was this fish stressed/harassed by other fish? Perhaps another clue here as well. Could be the puffer was stressed to the point of releasing toxins (jumped to escape its own poison?) and the tangs are merely victims of the long-term affect...and hopefully the "only" victims>> and the other was a mandarin dragonet. This is my first time keeping a mandarin but given the size of the tank and amount of pods I see I thought I would try to keep one. <<Sounds reasonable to me as well considering the "mature" nature of this tank>> During this time I also took a handful of the spaghetti algae about baseball size and tossed it in the main tank during the lower feeding period. Also something I have done many times before. Now the blur of events I have been going over and over in my mind trying to figure out what happened. I can't say exactly when during this period but, I did notice the larger Naso hiding a little bit. He was still feeding and there were no other signs of problems. I kept an eye on him and noticed during the last week that he had seemed to have a sunken stomach, stopped feeding and was staying at the top of the tank in a vertical position. Shortly after the larger Naso started to exhibit this behavior I noticed the smaller Naso also with a sunken stomach. <<Were these fish treated with a copper-based medication at any point prior to this? Tangs treated in this manner will sometimes suffer from loss of digestive microbes in their gut, preventing them from digesting food/assimilating nutrients. Another thought is the behavior of these two fish is similar to those afflicted with internal parasites, though many times such afflicted fish show absolutely "no interest" in food>> I began to feed the tank everyday in the morning and later in the day, both tangs showed interest and slightly picked but were not near their normally aggressive feeding behavior. Their breathing also seemed slightly labored. The large Naso was the first to die, the smaller died yesterday. Neither fish showed any signs of marks, spots, no physical changes outside of the sunken stomachs. Before disposing of the smaller tang I lifted the gill flap and used a bright light to examine the gill. The gill was bright red and showed nothing abnormal. Both fish had labored breathing towards the end but again didn't have any other visual indications. <<May have been secondary to the stress of/weakening by malnutrition>> No other fish in the tank currently show any signs of abnormal behavior and continue to feed normally. I have done 2 water changes last week once the RO produced enough water hoping to save a least one of the tangs. <<Not likely the issue...and possibly an additional stressor (bouncing water parameters), especially if the new salt mix is not allowed to mature/complete its chemical processes before adding to the tank>> The smaller did appear to be swimming around better the day before but refused to eat. <<Never good>> As of now I am suspecting the following; The RO unit; is it possible the filters contaminated the water some how, either the exhausted filters or the new filters? <<I'm doubtful of this>> Did adding the puffer or mandarin bring something in the tank? <<More of a possibility, yes>> BTW all my fish come from 2 places that I trust and know. I never have any problems with their fish or corals. <<Fortunate>> Did the puffer release toxins in the water? <<Possibly>> The previous saddle back was there for a year and never had any issues. Is it possible that something was in the macro algae the tangs ate? <<Another possibility I think, yes>> Again, the Nasos eat this algae all the time and can eat a baseball size amount in a day. <<Possibly a matter of toxic accumulation>> Lastly, I dose the tank weekly with only Kent dKH supplement. The product is added to my sump which is connected to the refugium. <<If tested/added as needed this should not be a problem>> I was thinking maybe the macro algae could have contained concentrated levels of this? <<I don't think so>> Other fish ate the algae, but mostly the Nasos. <<Could be telling>> Lastly, the tank has Euro-bracing and is open. The stand is over 4 feet high, the tank total height is around 7-8 feet. <<Cool>> This was done because of the kids and placement of the tank. It is of perfect viewing in a standing position. <<Indeed>> I thought I'd mention this in the event something got into the tank that's unknown? <<Anyone been "cleaning" around the tank?>> I do find bugs every now and again in the sump that must be attracted to the lights. <<Yes>> The only other thing that I thought of was this past weekend my wife had some people over to clean the house. I was not around but always give my wife strict instructions that the cleaners stay away from the tank. They were new people, so I don't know if something was introduce through their cleaning? <<Weren't the tangs displaying symptoms before this?>> Sorry for the long email, <<No worries my friend, I appreciate the detailed explanation (hmm...wonder if I can make an article out of this some how?)>> <Likely so. RMF> but I am at my wits end on this and can't begin to explain how I feel. I have been in the hobby a very long time and have never seen anything like this before. Please help... <<Well Patrick, I have been in the hobby more than 30 years myself, and "have" seen this before. Unfortunately, knowing the exact cause is usually very difficult without a necropsy of the fish. I do have some thoughts/theories as I've stated>> Thanks and regards, Patrick Mundt <<My pleasure to assist. Do give thought to separating/choosing a single macro-algae (my vote goes to the Chaetomorpha) for the refugium...and do take a look on our site re using RO water for top-off as well as making/mixing with salt for water changes. Cheers, Eric Russell>>
Re: A Tale of Two Dead Naso Tangs - 09/18/06
Eric, <<Patrick>> Thanks for the response. <<Quite welcome>> You do however raise more questions, and also cause me to ask you to further explain some of your answers : ) <<Certainly>> To address some of your concerns, the RO water is made with salt a day before the water change. Nothing is added to the water outside of Tropic Marin Salt. <<An excellent salt (would use it myself were it not so expensive), but, raw/newly mixed saltwater is very irritating to your livestock...I recommend you make it up far enough in advance to give it a few days to a week to "mature">> The nitrate levels are not 0 but range between 10 - 30 ppm. <<Too high for the fishes (should be less than 20), and WAY too high for the corals (should be less than 5)>> This is tested using only Salifert test kits. <<A good line of test kits>> I put the grape Caulerpa in the fuge about 2-3 months ago. Both types of macro algae have grown much better since adding the grape? Don't know why. <<Hmm...likely coincidence...feeding off the source of your high nitrates>> I only feed the fish the Chaeto. I do remember having to remove to grape that was tangled with the Chaeto before feeding that day. The first puffer I had was a great tank mate, very interesting and didn't bother anything. Other fish left him alone he never appeared stressed never saw anyone bothering him. In regards to his jumping out of the tank, I have moon lights on the tank as well, and it did appear odd to me to wake up for work and find him on the floor. <<Indeed...not a fish that comes to mind when you think "jumper">> I thought the combination of lights and perhaps him going after something to eat caused his death. <<Don't know...but seems unlikely to me>> Usually the puffer finds a perch and sets up for the night. To the medicating the tank; Last year after being begged by a fellow aquarist I agreed to take a powder blue tang from him that was harassing his fish. Big mistake! <<Indeed...a difficult/problematic species...probably best left in the ocean>> The fish came with a gift and before it was over wiped out half my tank. <<No quarantine mate?>> As I mentioned before I have 2 very reliable LFS, I have not used a second tank in years. <<A ticking time bomb...>> Anyway, the Odin. or other parasite moved very fast and as a desperate act I medicated the tank with Malachite Green (I'm sure this is not spelled right <<corrected>>). <<Yeeikes! Dangerous stuff...very toxic (must be measured very carefully)...tends to kill the "good guys">> Anyway, one of my LFS sources assured me they have medicated their show reef tank with this stuff with great success. <<(sigh)>> So to answer your question, yes the tank was medicated but this was a long time ago and the tangs in the tank died from the parasite, the medication did get rid of the parasite and didn't kill any of the corals. The feeding of every other day was suggested to me, all the fish in the tank seem a litter over weight, (I think), even the 2 Nasos were very thick and clean. I do think they should eat every day, but I think they have gotten used to this. << <grin> Would "you" get used to eating every other day?>> I have had a small passer that has grown into an adult with great adult colors and has been with me since I started this tank. So what do you think the downside of this may be? <<Can only wonder how much "better" the fishes would be with daily nutrition...>> Next, having read through your site, I must have missed the RO part, why not use RO for top off? <<Raw RO water lacks any buffers/earth elements...these are pulled/drawn from the tank water to reach equilibrium each time raw RO is added, creating instability/ a seesaw effect on your water chemistry>> I figured the weekly water changes would replace anything the RO is missing for top off no? <<Likely it does...but buffering the top-off water to reduce fluctuations in water chemistry is a better solution and will reduce the associated stress on your livestock>> TDS of the RO was approx > then 150. <<A properly functioning RO membrane should give you a reduction by a factor of 10 over the reading from your tap>> Based on what you have said, I think I will remove the grape macro algae. <<Super!>> After this email, I think I am leaning more towards the algae causing the problems as I know tangs more then other fish have to be handled with care in regard to diet. <<Important to al fishes...the more varied the better>> Please let me know what you suggest for the water change water. <<I think I have...but if not clear, just give a holler...>> I am always looking to hear other experienced advice... <<As am I my friend>> Thanks, Patrick... <<Be chatting my friend, Eric Russell>> Re-2: A Tale of Two Dead Naso Tangs 9/19/06 Hello Eric, <<Hi Patrick>> I searched your site and was unable to find articles on RO top off pro/cons but going through some other users' questions have a basic understanding of the concern of not using raw RO. <<Ah good...and maybe time for me to stop procrastinating and "put pen to paper" re. And here are some articles worthy of your perusal: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/water.htm ... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/water4maruse.htm ... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_2/cav2i4/RO_systems/reverse_osmosis.htm ... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/watchgantart.htm ... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/marineMaint.htm>> I am without question going to change my procedures on the water change water, actually I understand now why I have to keep adding Alk buffer as much as I do. <<Indeed! Considering the volume of the tank, your water change routine, and the fact you have but a few corals at present, regular supplementation of earth elements should not be required>> Some new challenges are with the top-off water. <<...?>> I have serious space issues and need to find more information on what other people are doing to pre-treat their RO top-off water. <<Should be mentioned in one or two of the articles I've provided. But is a simple matter of utilizing a suitable storage container (plastic trash cans are common) to hold the RO water, adding aeration/water movement for 24 hrs to blow-off CO2, then adding buffer to raise pH and alkalinity. I like to use a 2 to 1 mixture of baking soda and Seachem's Reef Buffer...you can use baking soda alone but you won't get much of a pH rise without "baking it" first (spread on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour) to drive out the CO2 used in its manufacture>> <Interesting. Making some of this sodium carbonate... RMF> The RO unit has an ASOV (a fast flush as well, forgot to mention previously) so putting a float switch in the sump was not a problem. <<Understood...and not an uncommon though ill-advised practice>> What are some standard solutions, mechanisms used? <<Whatever your imagination/budget allows. My configuration consists of a 55g polyethylene barrel sited in my garage which is fed automatically by my 5-stage 100gpd RO unit. I control water flow to the RO unit through use of an "air-pressure" water-level switch that turns power on-off to a solenoid valve I installed between the water line and the filter unit. The 55g drum is plumbed through the attic to a 20g reservoir positioned above my display tank. A push-button "momentary" switch allows me to easily and conveniently fill the reservoir from the drum in the garage. Top-off to the sump is controlled by a Tunze Osmolator which feeds water from the reservoir to the sump through a DIY Nilsen reactor (use of the reactor precludes the need to buffer the water beforehand). This was "my" solution to the "top-off" issue...think about your needs/what you want to do and come up with an idea/a plan and I'll be happy to discuss it with you>> Seems to me I would need a container of some sort with a pump and float switch and a level controller in the sump? <<See...you're half way there <grin> >> Any help in the area would be appreciated. Just an FYI Big Al's sells Tropic Marin fairly cheap. A 200gal mix shipped is around 60 bucks. <<Not bad...but still decidedly more than Instant Ocean...which I also consider to be an excellent and consistent salt mix...and probably the best value for the dollar re>> I don't know if I feel any better having a better understanding on how the tangs died, but I walk away knowing more about a number of things and plan to make a number of changes based on your advice. Thanks <<Is all we can do my friend. And the more we learn...the better we come to understand...the greater the benefit to the hobby will be. Regards, EricR>>

Blonde Naso Tang problem 9/2/06 Hello, I hope you can give me some advice. I have a blonde Naso tang that I've cared for since April 2000. He is about 25 cm long, full-bodied, and up until this morning, healthy. "Blondie" usually eats from my hand, however today will not eat anything. He has a bulge about half way down his right side. <One sided I'll take it> There is no outward ulceration, however he does have several little nips on his underbelly, I presume from the engineer gobies at feeding time. These little markings have been around for quite some time. He has no outward signs of disease (no redness on gills, no torn fins, his eyes seem clear, etc.), except he's acting different. Instead of eating, he swims up to the glass with his bulge towards me and works his mouth, almost as if he is gasping. Blondie shares a 75 gal. <Too small> tank with a brown Sailfin tang, 2 engineer gobies (about 20cm each), 2 clown fish, 2 cleaner shrimp and a brittle star fish. Everyone else seems fine. Thank you for your time; I really hope you can help me. Best regards, Sue Kavelman <Mmm... it may be that this Naso has "just" swallowed too much gravel (they do this, analogous to the "crop" of chickens) and is suffering some sort of gut blockage... Perhaps addition of Epsom Salt (see WWM re) will help move this. Otherwise, offering of algae (on a feeding clip is best, so you can monitor, keep it from the Pholodichthys...). In the longer term (if there is one), this fish needs much larger quarters... at least a six foot length run/world. Bob Fenner>
Re: Blonde Naso Tang problem - 09/02/06
Thanks for the quick reply. My responses are below. > Hello, I hope you can give me some advice. I have a blonde Naso tang that I've cared for since April 2000. He is about 25 cm long, full-bodied, and up until this morning, healthy. > "Blondie" usually eats from my hand, however today will not eat anything. > He has a bulge about half way down his right side. > <One sided I'll take it> [Yes, just the right side, and I don't think it's getting any larger.] > There is no outward ulceration, however he does have several little nips on his underbelly, I presume from the engineer gobies at feeding time. > These little markings have been around for quite some time. He has no outward signs of disease (no redness on gills, no torn fins, his eyes seem clear, etc.), except he's acting different. Instead of eating, he swims up to the glass with his bulge towards me and works his mouth, almost as if he is gasping. > Blondie shares a 75 gal. > <Too small> [You're right, we have quite a bit of live rock in the tank - do you think I should remove several pieces to allow more swim room? It will be hard to part with him, but if he recovers from this illness, I will find him a new home.] <Needs at least a six foot long system...> > tank with a brown Sailfin tang, 2 engineer gobies (about 20cm each), 2 clown fish, 2 cleaner shrimp and a brittle star fish. Everyone else seems fine. > Thank you for your time; I really hope you can help me. > Best regards, > Sue Kavelman > <Mmm... it may be that this Naso has "just" swallowed too much gravel (they do this, analogous to the "crop" of chickens) and is suffering some sort of gut blockage... Perhaps addition of Epsom Salt (see WWM re) will help move this. [I read the FAQ on Epsom Salts and have a couple of questions. In reply to an enquiry from 3/1/2006 regarding the safety of Epsom salts in the main display, it was recommended to reduce the usual dose by half. The advice reads that instead of 1 tablespoon/5 gal to reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon/10 gal, which is actually quite a bit less than half. My tank is rated at 75 gal and there is quite a bit of live rock, so I've estimated there is only about 40 gallons of actual water in the tank. <Likely a good guess> I dosed the tank with 4 teaspoons of Epsom salts this morning and aside from annoying all the fish in the tank, nothing has happened to lessen the swelling on Blondie's side. (I think your diagnosis of a blockage could be correct as I don't recall seeing any defecation in the last few days.) How long should I wait before expecting some results? Should I dose again with the same amount of salts or change the dosage?] <Takes a few days to a couple of weeks... I would replace/replenish the Epsom with the commensurate amount of seawater removed/replaced> Otherwise, offering of algae (on a feeding clip is best, so you can monitor, keep it from the Pholodichthys...). [I've tried offering fresh Caulerpa (?) from my daughter's tank, however no one in the tank seems interested in it. <Mmm, Nasos don't generally find Caulerpaceans palatable... eat more Brown and Red Divisions...> I usually feed dried Spirulina algae flakes and offer dried seaweed in the veggie clip - are you recommending a specific kind of algae?] <At the Division level, yes> In the longer term (if there is one), this fish needs much larger quarters... at least a six foot length run/world. Bob Fenner> <Bob Fenner>
Re: Attn: Bob Fenner- Naso Tang problem - 09/02/06
Sorry, I don't understand what you mean. I dosed the tank with 4 tsps of Epsom salts dissolved in the top up water I was adding this morning. <Good> Should I just leave things as they are or add more Epsom? <Only replace the part/percentage of Epsom removed if/when you change out water...> We were going to do a water change this weekend (usually about 20 gal.) - is this okay, and if so, how much Epsom salts should I add after the change? <Two teaspoons> When you refer to algae Divisions, is that a brand name? <Mmm, nope... is the botanical taxonomic equivalent to zoological phylum, plural, phyla... The Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta in this case> I know of no source for live algae, however red and brown dried in sheets is available - will that suffice? <Ah, yes. This is it. Sorry for the lack of clarity. Bob Fenner> Thanks, Sue
Re: Attn: Bob Fenner- Naso Tang problem 9/4/06
Hi Bob, <Sue> I'm very sad to say it looks like Blondie's not going to survive this ordeal. He still hasn't eaten since Thursday night and this morning is pointing nose down in the tank. <Mmm, I would not give up hope...> I've tried reading the FAQ's for euthanasia, but it seems like a lot of conflicting opinions - clove oil, Alka seltzer, freezing... What is your suggestion for a fish of this size? And if that's freezing - can you tell me just how to go about it. Thanks, Sue <A "plastic fish bag", no water... Bob Fenner>
Re: Attn: Bob Fenner- Naso Tang problem, euthanasia 9/4/06
> Hi Bob, > <Sue> > I'm very sad to say it looks like Blondie's not going to survive this ordeal. He still hasn't eaten since Thursday night and this morning is pointing nose down in the tank. > <Mmm, I would not give up hope...> [The swelling seems to have spread about half way up his side; he's nose-down in the sand and he's motionless except for his labored breathing. How long should I keep hoping? I care for him too much to see him suffer needlessly.] <<... not too much likelihood of remission, but...>> > I've tried reading the FAQ's for euthanasia, but it seems like a lot of conflicting opinions - clove oil, Alka seltzer, freezing... What is your suggestion for a fish of this size? And if that's freezing - can you tell me just how to go about it. > Thanks, > Sue > <A "plastic fish bag", no water... Bob Fenner> [Then into the freezer, or am I just suffocating him?] Thanks. <The cold will quickly deaden nerves (as with humans...). Bob Fenner>

Not quite psychic yet...more info please! (Naso Tang) 7/2/06 Good morning Bob I have a few question. <Actually this is Adam J with you today...hello.> I have a Naso Tang and in the last couple of days have noticed her acting funny. <Not "Ha-Ha" funny I presume.> It's eye's has a cloud coating. <An indication of declining water quality or something environmental here.> It has also started to turn really dark and not moving as much as it did at one time. <Hmm, see above...to help further I need to know more about the system the animal is in, water quality? Tankmates? Diet?> It also developed a purple color and started to bump into things like it can't see. It has stop eating and this morning she had a whole lot of little white spots all over it. <See my above comment/questions and start with some water changes.> what could be going on with it and how can I treat the problem. <See above...Adam J.>

Naso tang with fin prob. 6/10/06 Dear guys, <... and ladies> I recently bought a juvenile Naso tang 2.5" <Quite small for a Naso lituratus... many die from poor adjustment, shipping damage when procured at small size> that is still in quarantine with a percula clown n algae goby. Everything was fine and he started eating after 2 days from my hand but will only take Nori which I soak with vitamins each time before feeding him. An then 2 weeks later, I saw that the end of its dorsal fin was a bit torn. He was always competing with the algae goby (which of cos he won most of the time) for the Nori n I thought that the goby may have bitten him. Then a black line appear along the dorsal fine and there were more torn places. And now the anal fins are also torn towards the end and also has a black line. And I think today I saw that the tail also starts to have these line. All the lines are at the outer perimeter of the fins n tail. Does he have some kind of disease or was it cause by the goby and the lines are just normal coloration as he grows. The Naso is fine so far eating Nori like a pig. Am trying to coax him into eating some flake food. <Very likely just cumulative stress... from collection, holding, shipping...> The current quarantine tank is 25G, amm n nitrite is 0 and nitrate about 10. I didn't notice any patches on its body though its body is quite transparent under lighting n u can see his ribs sometimes. I am not moving him to the main tank yet until I am sure. Oh n the clown n goby are fine. There are no symptoms of any kind from them. Thank you. <Spell-check and no net-speak next time, please. And read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/naso.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Re: Naso Tang ... dis. 3/16/06 I just have a question about the Quick Cure product I'm using. You stated I needed to treat the tank for 20 more days to ensure that all the cysts have hatched and are killed. Do I treat for 20 consecutive days or should I alternate days? How long can I treat with this product without harming my fish? <Donna, first off, 20 days would be the minimum duration of treatment. To be effective, a copper test kit should be used to ensure a copper level of 0.20 is maintained on a daily basis for the duration of the treatment. Do read here. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichartmar.htm James (Salty Dog)> <<James... QuickCure has no copper in it... RMF>>

Lipstick tang health, sel. 3/15/06 Hi I would like to know if you have any ideas on why our lipstick tang died. We've had the tank 5ft- 380litres) for 3 months. We have a blue damsel, 2 coral banded shrimp, Fijian damsel, 2 clownfish and a coral beauty (all small specimens). We test regularly, everything stays relatively the same, and I tested again after the tang died. Ph-8.4, ammonia 0.1, <Should be zip> nitrate 20ppm. <Borderline high> We had the tang 9 days, when we first got it there was a small amount of tail fighting with the coral beauty, but after this all seemed harmonious. The tang ate well each feed either brine shrimp or vege cubes and we also added seaweed which it grazed on. The night before it fed well and seemed happy. Dead as a door nail the next morning! Shop said maybe stress but that it would have white spots if this was the case. I examines the tang, there were no marks at all, it looked perfectly healthy, other than being dead obviously. Any ideas would be appreciated Cheers Megan <Naso species do often "just die" shortly after arrival/collection from the wild. Likely "cumulative stress" could sum up the "cause" here. Buying a specimen that has been "on hand" for a few weeks will likely assure its survival in your setting. Bob Fenner>

Naso Tang ... selection? - 2/11/2006 I bought a Blonde Naso Tang last week. I bought him because the "expert" at the LFS said these were hardy fish and not particularly disease prone. <He's also a comedian too?> He also tested my water and told me it was fine, but I didn't ask the specific parameters. He told me that he had been quarantining using a UV sterilizer for approximately 1 month. The Naso has been in my tank for 4.5 days. I noticed two days ago that he has white spots on his fins. The same "expert" at the LFS advised me to give him a bath in 2.5 gals of fresh water and 11 drops of formalin with an antibiotic in the water. Is this the way to treat that? <I'd like to ask you a question first. Why didn't you quarantine the fish before placing it in your tank? This makes an effective treatment much easier. Freshwater dips are usually the first stage in treatment. Do Google search our Wet Web site, keyword "freshwater dip". You will find your info there. I'm also hoping you have at least a 70 gallon tank for that guy for starters as they can attain a length of up to 8 inches and do require plenty of swimming room. James (Salty Dog)> Donna

Naso tang, dieting issues 2/6/06 Hello crew, First I would like to thank all of you for the invaluable service you provide to everyone in the hobby. I have a 4" Naso tang in a 110 tall FOWLR. The tank is 1 yr old with appx 60 lbs of live rock on a 30 gal wet dry setup skimmed and UV sterilized. his tank mated are a (and I know your going to hate me for this, but I was an ignorant consumer at the time) Moorish idol, and a regal angelfish (red sea). everyone has been doing very well and is fat and happy. Appx. one week ago the Naso tang developed a small pinch but with no change in eating habits. The pinch became progressively worse up until yesterday still no change in eating habits. today he is literally a skeleton and is lethargic and it appears he hasn't eaten for months. the attitude has changed overnight. His diet has consisted of brown and green macro, Kent marine flakes, ghost shrimp, brine shrimp, frozen zoo, Mysis shrimp, formula 2, and shrimp pellets, all alternating and all enriched with Zo? Zoecon, omega lipids, garlic, and vitamin c, (also alternating). They obviously all eat better then I do, good water parameters, and is feces is of normal coloration. The tank is cycled appx 16x per hour and I do religious water changes. I am completely stumped. Any help would be a blessing . thank you, Ed <Likely a persistent internal fauna issue. Please read here: Google: Naso, skinny, disease: http://www.google.com/custom?q=Naso%2C+skinny%2C+disease&sitesearch=wetwebmedia.com If the animal is still eating, a treatment with Flagyl/Metronidazole may save it. Bob Fenner>

Naso Tang Trouble - 02/03/2006 Hello WWM: <Hi John.> I appreciate your assistance in helping me diagnose a problem with a Naso Tang. <I'll try.> I have asked purported experts at 2 reputable fish stores to provide some guidance and each provided little or no assistance. <OK...No pressure.> THE ENVIRONMENT *100 Gallon Tank *100 Pounds of Tonga Rock *Established 1 Year *Temperature 84 Degrees <I'd lower this to about 78-80 if possible.> *Salinity - 1.023 *Ph - 7.9 <Try to get this up to about 8.3.> *P04 - 0 *N03 - 30 <Ouch. 10 or less would be much better.> *4 Clownfish *1 Sailfin Tang *1 Hippo Tang *1 Flame Angel *1 Royal Gramma *1 Goby THE PROBLEM I purchased the Naso approximately 2 weeks ago. He appeared healthy and reasonably active in a relatively small store tank. <Hmm...Reasonably?> After we purchased the fish we acclimated him to the water temperature and did a fresh water dip prior to releasing him into the display tank. <No QT I see. Only acclimated to temp.?> We noticed with 1-2 days that one of his eyes appeared to be injured and we were told it was most likely an injury and not eye cloud or Popeye. The water quality is perfect and I just recently had the tank serviced. <I wouldn't quite say perfect, but is mostly acceptable.> That problem seems to be improving. <Good.> The second problem is that the tang also eats very little. <Uh-Oh...> Flake and pellet food are not of particular interest though he did at times eat the seaweed. <Not good. Have you tried soaking these in a vitamin prep. or appetite stimulant?> The real problem now is that for the past 2-3 days he has been moving erratically. He generally is inactive is often seen at the bottom of the tank or on an angle against the rock or, at times, flat on the crushed coral. <Sounds like stress. The filtration seems inadequate with the nitrate levels, and Tangs need an environment with low metabolic wastes and high dissolved oxygen. It sounds like these are the problems as well as a lack of personal space for this fish.> The gills are moving rapidly and the fish appears to be in severe stress. The service person said that everything is fine and further that Naso Tangs in particular tend to behave that way and will rest on the bottom of the tank and against rock and I should not be concerned. <What!? This is definitely something to be concerned with.> The fish will sporadically swim for short periods then will again rest at the bottom of the tank. When sporadically bothered by the other tangs the fish will tail whack and defend itself. The situation looks grim. Any suggestions? <I don't think this tank is big enough for all these fish. This is probably a combination of environmental and psychological stress. I'd start with a good 25-30% water change to lower those nitrates. Given the mix of fish, I'd say you dissolved oxygen is low also, so I'd add an airstone or other means of aeration. How's the flow in your tank? Vigorous circulation is also necessary. Skimmer? Don't see one listed. As far as the mix you've got, review on WWM re, and consider reducing this load.> Thank you. John <You're welcome. - Josh>

Naso tang sudden death 1/7/06 Aloha WWM Crew,<And a lei for you> I will get straight to the point. I have had a Naso Tang in a 75G FOWLR for about 10 months. The Tang has been healthy up until yesterday when I noticed it would not eat. It actually went over to it's feeding rock where I put the Nori, but would not eat any. The following hours he got progressively worse and died the next day. My water parameters are these: Nitrite-0, PH- 8.6, Nitrate- 40 ppm, Ammonia-0, water temp-81, SG 1.020. Tankmates are 2 yellow tangs and 1 small clown. <SG is a little low John.> Equipment is an Eheim 2213 canister filter, an Aqua Clear 300 power filter, 2 Rio 600 power heads, and an Aquarium Systems skimmer. These water parameters have been stable since I started the tank about 1 year ago (except the nitrates). I noticed two things I think may have contributed to his demise but am puzzled as to why he went so quickly. First: his back fin looked like it had been bitten a few times by a tankmate. Can an aggressive tankmate cause a healthy fish to die that quick? (He hadn't shown any signs of tension before) Second: just before the holidays, I lost my air pump. In the confusion that is Christmas and New Years, I completely forgot to replace the pump. As I was thinking about what to do to remedy my sick Tang, I remembered reading how these fish need a lot of dissolved oxygen. After kicking myself I tried feverishly to fix the torn bellows in my pump but was unsuccessful. So, my question is, wouldn't lack of dissolved oxygen make the fish a little lethargic weeks before he passed? <<James... this is a question... respond. The answer is yes. RMF>> I really appreciate your insight as I am truly puzzled by this "sudden death". <John, first off, your tank isn't large enough for these fish. I suggest at least a 5 to 6 foot long tank. Your present filtering devices are not going to give you the pristine water quality that these fish require (by pristine I don't mean parameters). A sump/wet dry which will provide near saturation levels of O2 is one requirement. A good protein skimmer is a must. The skimmer you are using <my opinion> is really not efficient enough in removing dissolved protein to help in lowering your nitrate level. A vitamin enriched algae diet is another requirement. Please do read articles here. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tangs,.htm> Mahalo,<And to you. James (Salty Dog)> John

Torn Between two tangs 10-12-05 Dear Crew, <<Hello>> I have a 180 g FOWLR that had been a closed system for quite some time until this summer when after a 4 wk quarantine I added an adult emperor angel. <<QT should always be a minimum of 4 weeks and I personally suggest a minimum of 6 weeks on tangs and angels as they like to harbor "nasties".>> The 180 had a powder blue and a Naso tang, both beautiful fish. A purple tang and Foxface that I have had for 8-9 years were looking like they were on their last leg ( probably old age , I guess ) and I decided to open the system to new inhabitants. Unfortunately, despite using a QT the tangs look like they came down with crypt. I pulled all fish from the system, treated then in QT's with copper for 3 weeks and let the display lie fallow for 5 weeks. <<Again as a general rule, a tank should be left fallow for 6-8 weeks and temp. should be raised as high as tolerable for current inhabitants to increase the rate of the parasite life cycle.>> I have since re-introduced all of the fish except for the tangs. For 4 weeks since the 180 has been with fish the system looks great. My tangs are also doing well while still in the QT except for some HLLE that they acquired while copper treated. The Naso has a few scattered papules on the face and head and body that copper had no effect on ( ? HLLE ) but is otherwise doing great. The Naso and powder blue are in a 55 g tank together. The papules on the Naso are whitish and much 4-5 times larger than what is seen with crypt, this has been a chronic condition for this fish but it has not been that noticeable nor has it affected the fish's activity eating etc. Now I am faced with a dilemma : Should I dare re-introduce the tangs into the display. I fear that tangs are very "parasite prone" Currently the 180 has an adult emperor 6". a majestic 4-5" Foxface 5" Heniochus 4" a couple of clowns and one damsel, 250lbs of LR with plenty of hiding places. Probably no good answer to this question, but I thought I would try asking. <<The best answer I can give is; if you don't feel comfortable doing it, then don't do it. You are correct in your thinking that tangs are prone to infection. My advice would be to pick one and give the other to a friend or set up the 55 for the outsider.>> Jimmy <<TravisM>><<<I actually am going to make a comment... both species listed here are unsuitable for a four foot long system (should be in six foot minimum)... the mucus marks on the Naso are likely "just" resultant from stress... RMF>>>

Sick fish floating - emergency 8/8/05 Please Help! I tried and looked for an answer on your site but I am a little flustered at the moment. I just came home to my healthy Naso Tang floating on the top of the aquarium on his side gasping. The water quality is fine, all the other fish are fine. I did a complete tank change from a 75 to a 150 last Sunday, and everyone was fine. Do you think this could be stress? <Not likely> If so is it possible for the stress to hit him a week later? What should I do? I put stress coat in the tank the day of the change, and just now again. The tank has plenty of o2 as I have a sump in my basement the water crashes into. Please advise! I am freaking out and do not know what to do!!! Thank you Jack B. Schimpf <We need more info on symptoms than simply floating. Is it closing or favoring one gill over another, and color changes, what is the diet, how old is the fish, etc. In the meantime, I'd suggest you get the fish into a QT tank with some aged aquarium water and some aged/mature filter media or live rock from the tank. Add 1 TBN of Epsom salt per 5 gallons and then repeat the dose after a water change 3 days later. You might add B12 and/or Beta Glucan to the water or feed for appetite/immunity boosting. And please do read through our archives at wetwebmedia.com to see if any other symptoms look familiar and treatments if necessary. Best of luck, Anthony>
Emergency sick fish floating II 8/8/05
Thanks Anthony, Not sure how old he is. bought him already as an adult, he already has the "streamers " on his tailfin if that tells u anything. He was floating on his side, now he is down below in a rock crevice and very difficult to see if he is favoring 1 gill over the other. Diet consists of flake in the AM and frozen brine occasionally in evening, along with seaweed. He was healthy as a horse and actually wouldn't leave me alone if I had to put my hand in the tank for any reason, so he isn't shy. Color is fine and as I said everyone else is fine, even my Dragonet <This indeed sounds a bit better for the fish... being well-established and with a history of hearty eating. The symptom, again, is so general as to be any of a number of things... but do still consider my recommendation. The use of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) is mildly therapeutic and rather harmless if not helpful (its already in sea salt and fish food). The purpose here is to assist osmotic balance. You might lower the salinity and temperature in the tank just slightly for increased oxygen and slower bacterial proliferation. Nominal, but leaning in the right direction here. Best of luck/life. Anthony>
Emergency help: floating fish III 8.9.05
Thank you for your help Anthony, but he didn't make it between the 2 emails unfortunately. <I'm very sorry to hear it, bro> I am just worried that the same thing will happen to the rest of the group, although they all seem fine. Is there something out of the ordinary I should test for? <With a general symptom like "floating" it could be so many things from duress/stress to worms perforating inner tissues (unlikely) to bacterial infection (more likely). Start with a thorough test of water quality, then follow with a large water change and feed your fishes well while watching closely for the next days/weeks. But don't medicate without a clear symptom to respond to> Also when I removed the Tang from the tank, he had some brown coloration lines on his sides that weren't ever there before. Any ideas? <Death. seriously... no idea guessing sight unseen from here. Sorry, my friend... but it would not be fair to speculate on a general text description. Do insure water quality and proceed from there. kindly, Anthony>

The death of my Naso My silver Naso was so happy and I cut his romaine back to once a week because he was neglecting the algae that was his normal dinner. I came home one night to find my wife in tears and my little boy dead in a bowl dead. He gave me no signs that he was sick and it was 4 days prior that I went into my 85 gallon reef tank <Too small> and cleaned all of the glass with a blade and I even cleaned my rocks and my wet dry pumps. The tang had small white worm like parasites coming from his gills I saw 2 when he was in the bowl. I was too upset to cut him up to see the extent of the parasites. Have you seen this before? <Mmm, yes, but rarely...> My coral are healthy and happy and my mean black damsel is fine. Please advise me so I can know what to do when I get another. I never knew I could become so attached to a fish. Thank you for your time Jerry Fogle <... There are a few worm phyla parasitic groups that this could be... and generally they present no problems as you experienced... they can be virtually eliminated in going through your quarantine procedure with new fishes with the use of Praziquantel or similar... (PraziPro...). The fishes of this genus need at least a six foot long tank to adjust well, live generally in captivity. Bob Fenner>

Needing help about lipstick tang, illiteracy Hi just wondering we had a lipstick tang and it was fine and then a couple of weeks down the track we brought a blue tang and put it in the tank and then the lipstick tang started acting funny our blue tang died and then a couple of days later our lipstick tang turned a really dark grey colour and stopped eating. I just wanted to know what does it mean when the lipstick tang turns a really dark grey colour is it because it has a disease. thanks Semiany please reply I would really like to know. <The darkening is a sign of psychological and/or physiological stress... Something/s frightening and/or challenging to the specimen. Bob Fenner>
Re: needing help about lipstick tang and English
I got ur email after that our blue tang died our lipstick tang died a couple of days after that and then a week later our clownfish died as well I just wanted to know what could be the problem they all died like that like a couple of days between them. thanks please give me a answer back please. <Please help yourself... tens of thousands do everyday... and read what is posted re marine set-up and maintenance, these species on WWM. Bob Fenner>

Constipated Naso Tang? Hello.... I have an 85 gallon "fish only" tank including 1 Naso tang, 4 green Chromis, 1 maroon clown, and a Pseudochromis (sp?). Tank has been established for about 5 months and all fish are healthy and water quality is good (1.022 sp grav., 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 8.2 ph, and 20-40 nitrate). <I'd work to keep this below 20 ppm maximum.> My Naso tang (nicknamed "Hoover" because he normally is like a vacuum in that he eats everything) seems to have a problem. We noticed yesterday, when he didn't seem at all interested in eating that his "pooper" seemed to be plugged up. You can notice when he swims by that there is some stuff up there that seems to want to come out but isn't doing so. Normally, his poops are record breaking so the fact I haven't seen him go is a bit odd. He has lost some of his energy (he has always been very active) and he hasn't eaten in 2 days now. (My fish are normally fed 2 times a day and eat a variety of brine shrimp, Formula 1 or 2 and seaweed.) Also, I have a small fake plant in the corner of the tank that is bright pink and in the past, Hoover has nipped at the plant and taken little bits of the pink material off the plant. He then eats those bits of material and will even poop them out and eat them again. This has been going on for a month or so. Now, in the blockage seen in his "pooper," I've noticed a small strand of the pink material. Not sure if that's dangerous or not. <Good observation, description> Anyways, I'm a little worried about him and the fact that he is not eating tells me there is obviously something wrong. Is there anything I can for him or do I just need to ride this thing out? <If it were me, mine, I'd help out a bit by adding some Epsom Salt to the system... at a rate of one level teaspoon per ten gallons of actual system water> Because I can see the blockage I'm tempted to grab him and just pull it out but I really don't want to take that step. Just looking for some answers. I searched the whole site and couldn't find anything related to this exact problem. Your time and feedback is much appreciated! Thanks, Chris. <Do a search using the term Epsom... magnesium sulfate, on WWM. Bob Fenner>

Sick Naso Tang Yes, I have a Naso tang. I have had it for a week. It was doing great this afternoon when I came home around midnight and it was laying on the ground in the back of my tank. My husband was able to move it and we looked to see if it had any signs of diseases, none. When it tried to swim it would do somersault so to speak, till it fell to the bottom. We checked the water quality and did the weekly test and everything was perfect. Can you help me figure what went wrong and do I have to worry about my other fish and coral? Thank you for your time. <The Naso Tang is not an easy fish to keep alive for any length of time. By your description of the Naso, I'm thinking it is no longer with us, but if he is, there is a link below on controlling this disease. All fish in the tang family are very prone to ich. If you are new at this, they are not a good choice. As far as the other fish getting the disease, you will just have to monitor them. Since you have corals, you wouldn't be able to treat the display tank unless all inverts are moved. Here is a link on controlling parasitic diseases. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/parasiti.htm. Good luck. James (Salty Dog)>

Naso Tang Death Hello, <Hello Michael> This may be too vague and too many causes to answer but I'll give it a shot anyway. I came home tonight to find my Naso Tang wedged behind some rocks and barely alive. I immediately removed him from the main tank and put him in my sump so that I can keep an eye on him and gather him up if he dies. I then tested my water for anything that seemed out of whack. I can find nothing that appears to be wrong. My Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia are all zero. My buffer capacity was above (as far as I can determine from the color) 300ppm. My Specific Gravity is 1.021 and my pH reads 8.29. I have a RO/DI unit topping off the tank, so I don't *think* I am getting something bad from the water supply. The tang shows no signs of Ick and his eyes are clear. He does appear to be "gasping" through his mouth and his equilibrium seems to be off (i.e. he was swimming upside down a few times). I have done a couple of things over the past few weeks that I question whether or not it might have an affect. First, because of a micro bubble problem and at the LFS suggestion, I added a filter bag to the end of my overflow. This eliminated the bubbles but I question whether or not I could be suffocating the tank? Is that possible? <I don't think so> I also added a "cleaning" crew of snails, hermit crabs, peppermint shrimp, etc to the tank. They have destroyed about every bit of algae in the tank. Could I be starving the Tang? <Possibly, they do like algae in their diet.> I feed Mysis about every 5 days. The tang and 2 damsels are the only fish in the tank. I did accidentally leave the Mysis out all night and then refroze it. Could I have contaminated the food source doing this? <It's possible> I did add a pH buffer 2 days ago to raise my pH from 7.8 and it indicated that ammonia in the water could be lethal but again my ammonia level was zero. Is there something else I should look for? <Michael, the Naso, Powder Blue/Brown are all difficult tangs to keep. They do require at least 100 gallon systems as they are constantly swimming. Water quality is of the utmost importance. Normal test readings are really not an indicator of water quality. Ten percent water changes per week need to be done to maintain the quality and trace element supply. The use of a good protein skimmer adds to the quality of the water. Diet also plays an important role. Here is a link on the Naso Tang if you haven't read it already. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/naso.htm. James (Salty Dog)> Thanks so much, Michael <You're welcome>

Vlamingi--Brown spots with white center that looks like air bubble Dear WWM Crew, <Joey> Thank you for the great work! I couldn't find anything references to my problem in your existing documents (which never happened before!!) so here I am writing for the first time :-) Thank you for your time. <Welcome> My young Vlamingi tang (2.5-3")... <Wow, this is small> ... has been in my system for 7-10 days. Last night I realized there are some random brown/tan/rusty color dots (1mm across) on the ventral sides of his body (belly, mostly towards the back). The strange thing about the brown/rusty dots is that they are flat against his body, but have a white center (pin-head size) that stick out from the body like bull's-eye, which reflects light like an air bubble. <Yes... these are likely "just normal coloration".... I see this on ones in the wild at times... when I can get close, the lighting's good> Moreover, the same white dots on his side fins and the dorsal side of his body (all along his back), I would have thought they are Ick, but I am not so sure after seeing the rusty outer rims. They also reflect light like air bubbles. <Yes> What should I do? Should I separate Mr. Vlamingi form the rest of his tank mates? I cannot get a picture of him, I waited for 20 minutes and the camera only stresses him out! <I would "do nothing"... very unlikely not a problem with your Naso here> Thank you so much for your time. Sincerely, Joey System set up: Main tank: 55 gal, 50lbs LS, 60lbs LR, 220 power compact, 1 rotating power head, CPR BakPak protein skimmer. Sump: 20gal, almost full, regular household fluorescent light on 24 hours) with little macroalgae. Livestock: Fishes: 1 silver hybrid tang (4.5") <Really? I wonder, what sort of cross?> 1 Vlamingi tang (2.5") 1 homeless male false percula (1.5") 1 mandarin dragonet (3.5") Inverts: 1 cleaner shrimp (2") Clean up crew 1 bubble coral (2.5") 1 pulsing xenia (2.5") 1 long tentacle coral (5") <Mmm, do realize you're going to need a larger tank with the Vlamingi... at least six feet long in time. Bob Fenner>

Naso Tang Hi there <Hello Jaime> Thank you so much for your website, it has been great help to us, you guys and gals are great! However I have looked over forums and articles and have had no luck with my problem. We have lost our first fish today and I have no clue why. I would be forever in your debt if someone could help me! So here we go..... We set up our first marine tank 4 months ago and all has been going swimmingly until today. All tests are normal and our water quality is high and our other fish are doing great so far (knock on wood). So here is our problem. We bought a lipstick/Naso tang about a month ago from our trusted fish store. He acclimatized well in the tank and was doing great. Then we had an unfortunate incident where he dive bombed himself into a live rock formation for no apparent reason and got himself stuck. I noticed him stuck so I freed him by moving the rocks. After that he seemed a bit freaked out, acting a little funny, his right eye looked like it had been scratched so it was a little cloudy and his left fin seemed to be bothering him, but a few hours later he seemed much better so we didn't want to stress him anymore by moving him to the quarantine tank. Over the next day he appeared to be healing fast, he was still acting a little bit weird, but he seemed ok because he was still swimming around and he was still eating. Then we came home from work today to find him lying almost dead on the bottom of the tank. His breathing was very slow, and he had turned the most horrible dark colour. So through teary eyes we moved him into the quarantine tank so that he wouldn't die in the big tank. He doesn't appear to have any strange markings or any of the symptoms of any disease I could find on the website. I am still worried that he might have something that has infected the tank, please could you help me with any clues on this strange behaviour? We loved that little guy. <Jaime, sorry to hear about your loss. The tang you selected is one of the most difficult tangs to keep in captivity. They are from the same family as the Powder Blue Tang, another almost impossible tang to keep for any length of time. I am gathering from what I read here that little or no research was done on this fish before you purchased it. I don't know what size tank you have, but they require a minimum tank size of 70 gallons. These fish can grown 20-24" in the wild. I would like you to read info on a link I'll include here. This certainly will help in any future tang purchases as there is not much we can do with the one you had. If your a newcomer to this hobby you definitely want to stay away from tangs in the Acanthuridae family which yours was a member of as they require an extreme amount of care to survive in captivity. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/naso.htm James (Salty Dog)>

Naso Tang and moving tank Why does my Naso tang keep going a darker colour? I thought it may have been when he is scared but I have noticed that it does it when he's not scared. <Here is a link to a ton of FAQ's you should read about the Naso. http://www.google.com/custom?q=Naso+Tang&sitesearch=wetwebmedia.com It should provide you whatever you need to know.> I have a 50 gallon setup and a 10 gallon quarantine tank can you give me some useful information and tips on how I would go about moving the tanks to another house a street away. <And yet another link on moving. http://www.google.com/custom?q=Tank+moving&sitesearch=wetwebmedia.com Good luck in the move. James (Salty Dog)>

Blonde Naso Tang Didn't Make It - Not in Vain Last night I noticed a white mucus discharge from the Tangs anus. I moved him to QT and this morning he passed on. Although I am sad to see him go and feel responsible for his passing some good will come of his death. I went up to the LFS where I purchased the fish. After a long talk they came to the conclusion that they too were responsible for the fishes stress and death as they left the fish in the bag 7 hours after they got it from their dealer. We talked about QT their fish and possibly holding their fish one week before they are offered for sale to avoid this in the future (some background I consult with the LFS on water quality issues). Their water system is being changed so every tank is on a separate system and not one large system. So if one fish gets sick, all stock does not suffer. They admit their losses are high mainly due to the customers knowing when new fish arrive and trying to buy them the same day they get to the store and have been acclimated to the store tank. I and they feel that considering the way they get their fish (from a store 80miles north by truck. Time from packing to delivery I was told is 20 hours in bag. Bag is left on dock in a packing box until truck picks them up), the stress they are under when they arrive to the LFS and the added stress of moving to the LFS tank then the customers tank seems to be just too much for some fish. So maybe some good will come of this. I have also learned for your website, that I just do not have a large enough tank for a tang, so I will wait until such time as I do before I consider purchasing another one. <Good idea. Also go to the WWM for information on selecting tangs before your next purchase. Better yet, I'll post the link here. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tangselfaqs.htm> Thanks for your help, and the education you have provided. <Thanks for sharing. James (Salty Dog)>

- Naso Tang Stress - Good evening, <Good morning.> I have read through your site and must say it has helped me very much. I have a question I tried to get an answer to on your site but could not find a specific answer to (if I missed something I am sorry). In my 55 gal reef tank I purchased a Blonde Naso Tang (I plan to move him to a 135 in the next 8 months). When I got him and put him in QT he laid on his side and looked like he was going to die. After a long night with him he seemed to do better, but still looked stressed, also he would not eat and I do not have any brown or red algae in the QT. So I moved him to the ref tank where there is food for him to eat. Before I go any farther my water is all in spec. I am a water microbiologist and take sample to the lab to check everything using UV/ mass spec, HACH tests and AA. <What a luxury!> Ammonia is <0.1ppm, Nitrite 0.02ppm, Nitrate 0.12ppm, SP1.024, Ca 435pm, pH 8.45, Temp 78'F. I can give you ORP, TDS , M Alk and P Alk, MO, and all other trace minerals, metals etc. if you need it or think it will help. <Nah... sounds good so far, certainly have no reason to doubt your measurements.> Water changes are weekly at 10% made with Laboratory grade RO water that has been run through a mixed bed DI unit. I also do a lime water drip I make up in the lab with lab grade (Fisher Scientific) Calcium Hydroxide (1.8gm / gal.). For the first week the Naso hid and only came out when the room was empty, if I peeked in the room I could see him pick at the red algae and brown algae, but if I came in the room he hid. I can see where he picked at the algae in the tank so I am sure he was eating. Now a week later he sits in one part of the tank and just looks at one piece of live rock for hours at a time and won't move or eat. He hovers at a head down position (45' angle) just looking at this one piece of rock. I have tried to feed him algae on a clip, marine flakes, krill, brine shrimp. He won't eat. I am afraid he will starve. <He well may.> His color is light gray with white blotches that come and go or get lighter and darker, but never go away. I check the water for Ick and him, no Ick. The 2 damsels and one coral beauty and one clown are all fine. I don't want the Naso to suffer and want to help him, but I do not know what to do, or if there is something I can do. <Well... it sounds to me like this fish is in extreme stress... and may have been this way before you picked it up. Best I can recommend is to leave the lighting out for a while, make sure it has a place to hide, make certain there isn't stimuli in the tank room that would keep this fish on edge, and let time takes its course. Unfortunately, some fish don't come back from this... but some do... need time to adjust to capture, transport, new water chemistry... is a lot to handle for a simple fish. I wish I could offer you more but really the best you can do is leave the algae on a clip in the tank and leave the fish alone.> Please help I am at a loss. Jim R., M.S. <Good luck. Cheers, J -- >
- Naso Tang Stress, Follow-up -
Thank you for your response, <My pleasure.> This morning I checked on the tang and he or she is found a place deep in the live rock to hide. I can still see it hovering and breathing slowly but it won't come out. I think you are right about the stress. I asked my LFS to order this fish, when it came in they kept it in a bag until I picked it up. I got off work at 5:00pm so I know the fish was in the bag all day. <In the future... let the store un-bag it at let it stay at the store for a while... this transfers the risk onto them, where it should be. They have better means for dealing with their shippers on compromised fish.> I rushed it home and tried to acclimate it to the QT but the poor guy looked like it was going to die. I pumped air in the QT tank all night at a very high level and checked on it every hour. I was surprised to see it alive in the morning, but as I said before it was on it's side and looked hungry. That is why I moved it to the reef tank. The move and my foolish move to the main display may have caused it. I am very sad to think I ordered a perfectly healthy fish only to have it suffer for no reason. <Don't beat yourself up too much... these things happen.> Thank you for all your help, and I hope all goes well with the poor guy. <I hope so too.> P.S. I will take your advice on lighting and lower it for a while. Will this harm my SPS and soft coral it goes on for a week or so? <Yeah... you don't want to go too long... but for at least a couple [2-3] of days.> Also the algae is a green / red algae mix I got at PetSmart, is it OK to feed to him? <Sure. Cheers, J -- >

Sourcing a blonde Naso Do you know where a good place to purchase a healthy blonde Naso tang? <Likely the big etailers of marine livestock... Drs. Foster & Smith, Marine Center...> I thought Hawaii would be the best place if I could order direct. <Can't as far as I know... and I am there very often> To spare the fish from being transported to more than one place. <Good thought> We also have a 10 gal QT tank and wanted to place him in it. We would cover the side of the tank to reduce stress. Is this a big enough tank? and how long should he be in it? Thank you for any help. <Only if this is a very small specimen... Naso species should be quarantined in no smaller than a two foot by one foot long/wide tank... and kept in no smaller than twice this. Bob Fenner>

Lopez tang with Popeye Hi, <Hi Cindy, MacL here with you tonight. Sorry about the delay I just got this.> We have a Lopez Tang that has what seems to be Popeye in one eye for 3 weeks now. <Poor guy> It is very large and full of bubbles. We have treated him with Epsom salts one time. <Epsom salts work great on Popeye when its from an injury and sometimes will sooth the eye when its a parasite or infection but generally its not going to cure it. After a week of treatment with no response its time to try other things.> He is currently in a 10 gallon quarantine tank. He is getting Maracyn and copper. <You might consider Maracyn two. Of course, ideally if you could get medicated flakes and he would eat them that would be the best.> He is on his fourth day and the eye doesn't seem to be looking any better. Since in the quarantine tank he won't eat which he was acting fine before moving him into the QT tank. <Understood, he's probably not happy about the move!> What else can we do to try and help his eye. The other fish in the home tank are all fine and aren't showing any signs of Popeye. <So many things that could have caused it, but right now the best thing is to get him healthy and try to get him back into his groove. I know people who have had great success with Maracyn two in these situations. Also, Cindy, is he showing signs of parasites? Because if not you really want to dilute that copper as much as you can. It can really effect the internal systems of tangs. Copper can be harsh stuff! How's he doing at this point? Are you seeing anything on him? MacL> Thanks, Cindy
Tang With Popeye
Thanks for replying back to me. <Scott F. following up> I had to remove the Lopez Tang from the QT tank because he wouldn't eat and he seemed to be dying. He started to lie on his side and the whole time he was in QT he was a black color from stress. <Not an uncommon response for a tang in distress> Once I put him back into the main tank, he started to eat and his color came back to normal. But his eye is still very large with bubbles. Is there anything else we could do? Thanks, Cindy <Unfortunately, I don't believe that I saw your initial email. However, if this Popeye is in just one of his eyes, use of Epsom salt, good water quality, and the passage of time will generally do the trick. Keep a very close eye on this fish to make sure that there is no secondary infection. If this event was caused by a trauma to the eye, chances are that he'll recover with the Epsom salt, high water quality, and a little time, as mentioned above. Additional medicating may not be necessary, and could in fact be harmful if not needed. Observe carefully, and take further action if necessary. Help this is of some assistance... Good luck! Regards, Scott F>

Naso With Balance Problems >Dear Crew, >>Hello Allyson. You have Marina today, with my greatest apologies, I've just received your message in my inbox today and I sincerely hope it's not too late. >I love my Naso like a child. We've had him a few years and we bought him when he was approximately 6 inches long. We were stupid. It's too big a fish even for our 125 gallon tank. He belongs in the reef. Our water parameters have been stable for several years but tonight I'll check them again. He's just looking out of sorts. He frequently has a little Ick in the mornings and the cleaner shrimps jump on him and it falls off by the end of the day. He's a fussy eater and will only eat Tetra marine flakes and Caulerpa. He eats these like a pig and the little guy is fat as a house. He still eats OK. There was a period a week ago when we skipped a meal for him (were away for 1 meal-we feed him a lot twice each day by hand). The temperature dropped 3 degrees. Our refugium where we raise Caulerpa and other macroalgae smelled bad and we changed most of the water. It smells fine now. I think the Caulerpa looked a bit unstable at the time but it's not sexual. >>If in doubt, prune it back heavily, being CERTAIN to remove by the full holdfasts, not just breaking off 'leaves'. >During that time, for several days, the fish's yellow face turned dark and he did not swim as actively. He barely ate. We raised the temp to 80 and his face got yellower and he swims and eats more. What is most disturbing is that since that time I see that he has trouble keeping himself upright slightly. It's very slight but he'll swim sideways at times and I see he has his alerting colors on (he gets blotches when he's frightened). >>It seems you're taking the best care of him you can, but I believe he's simply outgrown the system and is displaying the stress (you've made no mention of his current dimensions). This could explain the little bit of ich, the stress coloration, and possibly the 'balance' issues (swim bladder, possibly? Fish have no inner ear). He's definitely not growing old, these animals can live 20 years easily. >He just seems a little clumsier. He doesn't swim as fast or as agilely lately. I'm trying to see if it's worsening but it's inconsistent. He doesn't have any skin lesions and the Ick is very slight and barely and occasionally visible. I've tried hospital tanks with him but the conditions are so unstable in such a small tank, he does worse so I've given up trying to treat the Ick. >>Yes, also, treating him a hospital tank will do no good whatsoever if there are still other vertebrates in the system upon which the parasite can find a host. The only way for hospitalization to be effective is for the main display to go fallow for a minimum of 6 weeks, though this often proves not to be long enough. >I've done searches here and on reef central and I have not seen balance problems listed much. The few times it was with new fish and they died soon after developing it. I'm hoping he gets better and it was just a minor trauma/infection. >>You've listed no water parameters other than the temperature drop (amount), so I can't really offer much other than a guess and a mantra - when in doubt, do a water change. This won't help him at all if the problem is simply that he's outgrown this system, but it will if, in spite of the presence of the 'fuge, there is a buildup of nitrate or other chemicals we cannot measure without a full laboratory at our disposal. Even then, you might want to have an idea of what you're testing for. You haven't mentioned how big the fish is now, but Nasos grow rather large. Water changes on a large scale will not hurt, and can both replenish lost compounds as well as remove buildups of others. >We've also been administering Joes Juice to kill Majano so I wonder if that has something neurotoxic. >>Be VERY careful with that stuff! From what I understand they do not list any ingredients (proprietary?), and I've read many posts on reefs.org of folks losing their shrimps after using Joe's Juice. I have no idea of it has any neurological effect, this is such a new product and few are regulated in any manner. If you were my customer I wouldn't have sold you this product, and I would now suggest you stop using it altogether. >Bottom line, what could cause this? A vitamin deficiency (he won't eat garlic, Selcon, or any other flake or food than that Tetra marine stuff)? >>Garlic won't provide vitamins or nutrition to fish (think about it, how often do fish get their nutrition from garlic in the wild?), but it has been proven to have a slight to moderate antibiotic effect. The food he will accept can be soaked in Selcon prior to feeding, but you MUST be persistent. Also, Nasos do like some meaty foods, have you offered him the irresistible krill? Variety, especially with such a fish, is KEY. He is behaving like a pet poodle, and you'll have to stand your ground when it comes to sampling different foodstuffs. These fish can easily go several days without feeding - if he gets hungry enough, he WILL try it (assuming he's not actually ill, which I don't believe is the case at this point). >A transient parasitic infection (maybe the Ick got in his balance system)? >>Doubtful, I've not read of such mild infestations affecting an animal's balance. If this were a problem you'd see flashing and rapid gilling, not just balance problems. >What scares me is that this might be a buildup in the Caulerpa toxins. >>Possibly, but again, I do doubt this. I didn't have a problem feeding C. taxifolia to my Z. flavescens, Z. scopas, or other tangs for several years. >I give him a little bit each day as a treat. He loves it. (Won't eat any kind of Nori, broccoli, spinach, Sprung's sea veggies, lettuce, spinach, bok choy etc. for greens). >>Again, he will if he's hungry enough, and again, offer him some meaty foods. >I decided to do this because this little guy has so few pleasures in our small tank, at least he should have that. What was the toxin in Caulerpa so I can read about it? >>This I cannot answer, try searching Anthony Calfo's writings (this is off the top of my head), assuming a general Google turns up nothing. >Thanks, Allyson >>You're welcome, Allyson. At this point, my honest assessment is that the fish is demonstrating end result of too small a system. I'm curious as to whether or not this animal has grown the tail 'streamers' for which they're noted, if not, this, along with the other symptoms you mention lead me to this initial conclusion. Marina
Naso With Balance Problems - Happy Happy Joy Joy!
>Dear Crew, >>Hello Allyson. >Oh happy day! My fish is slowly recovering with just good conditions!!! >>As nature intended. >We raised the temp 3 degrees because we saw that was the major change associated with his poor health. Immediately he looked happier (I think I mentioned this before). >>Yes, you did. >Last night he greeted me at the door like he used to. His swimming is slowly more agile. He continues to eat like a pig and is as fat as a house. >>This is very good news, and remember my mantra! When in Doubt, Do a Water Change! >Untergasser's chart (a book on fish disease) on swim bladder has in his chart on swim bladder a few differentials. At first all I saw was autopsy and I freaked. >>Yeah, well, there's only one way to get a postmortem. >Now that I look at it more closely, the most likely diagnosis, given the outcome, is that wall of the air bladder was hardened and inflamed (treated by raising the water temp by 3 to 5 degrees for 5 days). Alternative diagnoses are pretty grim. >>For a fish who's been in captivity for several years, yes, this is true. >At this point, there are several references to autopsies. The air bladder filled with purulent, bacteria-filled fluid-there are a few other presentations related to bacteria (refers to bacteria treatment chart). >>And treatment would absolutely require use of a hospital system. This *can* be done, but with a large fish it is not an inexpensive proposition. >Cysts are in the wall of the air bladder. Inclusions in the wall of the air bladder (no treatment possible). Protozoans are in the kidney and bloodstream. I discussed more details on Reefcentral, including a summary of Untergasser's bacterial treatment mash. >>Yes, I've just read it. Know this, you can go ahead and hypo the animal for ich, but as I said before, if you don't remove ALL vertebrate life, the ich will not be gone from that system. It's far better at this point to provide best conditions and nutrition. Know also that garlic is only proved effective as a mild antibiotic, empirical evidence claims appetite stimulation. My assertion is that if a fish is given proper quarters, best water quality and nutrition, nature shall do what she does best and the animal(s) will thrive. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=3795821#post3795821 <please hyperlink!> Thanks for your thoughtful response. Please spread the word about this rare phenomenon. Allyson >>Through you, we shall! Thanks for the follow-up, too, Allyson. I felt terrible thinking that your message had been sitting and it might have been too late. I am VERY pleased that your pet is back on the road to recovery and a long life. Marina

Freshwater Dips: Blackspot disease II 12/29/04 I actually had my security settings too high and it wasn't allowing me to search the site effectively. Not only did I find the information I was looking for but resources that I will return to for years! Thanks so much for compiling and offering all of this insight. <excellent to hear! You are quite welcome> I did a freshwater dip on my Naso tang and am following up with quarantine and malachite green treatment and it already looks much better and is feeding well in the qt tank. I will continue for three weeks in the qt and will then do another dip before returning it to my display tank. Thanks Again! Elizabeth Turner <A good rule of thumb is to release the specimen from QT only after 4 weeks of disease-free symptoms. kindly, Anthony>

Naso tang fin disease First,,,, I wish I had found this site sooner, truly a wonderful source of expert opinion. <Our intention> I have a juvenile Naso tang (lituratus) about 5-6 inches in length who for the past 3 months has had a frayed tail and ventral fins (fins look like they were partially eaten away and have a little bit of a rough white exudate on them). <Mmmm, should have "grown back" over this time... if suitable environment (size, tankmates...), nutrition available> He looks great otherwise and eats like a champ. <Eating what? "Breakfast of Champions?"... hopefully substantial amounts of brown, red, green algae...> My local fish store here in Hawaii recommended Melafix for the fin issue. I had stepped up water changes without any change in the fin prior to trying the Melafix. I currently am on day 5 of the MelaFix treatment and wonder if I should finish out the 7 days or stop. Does this sound like Ich and if so what treatment if any would you recommend? <This homeopathic remedy I am NOT a fan of... has a mild anti-microbial effect... NOT useful on protozoan complaints> I have a 125 gallon SW tank, which has been running for 5 months with great water quality. Fish load is light with only a white spotted puffer, squirrel fish, blue damsel, and flame angel. Everyone else looks great. Thanks, Eric <Try bolstering the Nasos diet with soaking it in a vitamin prep. (e.g. Selcon), offering soaked/dried algae with a clip at the water's surface. Bob Fenner> <<Mmm, should have suggested he go collect his own Limu, living in Hawai'i... RMF>>

Hole in the head ??????????????? Hello how are you ? <Fine, yourself?> I am having trouble with one my fish a Naso Vlamingi I thing it is hole in the head but there is also some white stuff were the hole is and also starting around the lateral line and around the eye I really do not know what to do seems to get worst and worst water quality is good all other fish have no problem and I had this fish for around 2-3 years (picture attach to this e-mail) what do you think ? <Is HLLE and some sort of other involvement... likely all nutritional and environmental in origin... Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hllefaqs.htm and the materials archived on marine environmental disease... check, improve water quality, bolster nutrition... Bob Fenner>

Surgeonfishes: Tangs for  Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
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