sick Achilles Tang
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Help
Forum Name: EMERGENCY FORUM
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URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=44090
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Topic: sick Achilles Tang
Posted By: jthomas
Subject: sick Achilles Tang
Date Posted: October 18 2010 at 8:11pm
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Tonight I just noticed that my Achilles Tang has what looks like a zit right on his left eye. I am guessing that it is ick, but I am not for sure. He is swiming and eating normal other than his eye he looks just fine. All my other fish are just fine no other syptoms to speak of. Please let me know what to do so all my fish dont die and hopefully help him get better. Thanks JT ------------- 45 reef with t5's 125 reef with 2 400 Watt mh's |
Replies:
Posted By: Shane H
Date Posted: October 18 2010 at 8:49pm
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JT - how long have you had the achilles? They are notoriously one of the most difficult fish to keep! Supply the fish with plenty of food and if it continues to eat, it may fight off any parasites it may have. You may also try lowering the salinity, however in a reef tank you will have to be careful not to cause other problems. Good luck. |
Posted By: jthomas
Date Posted: October 18 2010 at 8:52pm
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I have only had him for two weeks, he eats like a pig so hopefully he will pull out of it. thanks for the help. JT ------------- 45 reef with t5's 125 reef with 2 400 Watt mh's |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: October 18 2010 at 8:53pm
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Achilles tangs are prone to disease in all forms so unfortunately it is one of those fish that has a terrible survival rate in captivity, thus most sites designate it expert only. It sounds like this could be a case of pop-eye. The best (and really only) way to treat this is in a QT tank with hyposalinity (1.011-1.013) and a sulfa based antibiotic such as Maracyn Plus (Sulfadimidine or Sulfamethazine). The dosage should be double what is recommended for FW fish, treat it for at least 7-10 doses. You should see improvement after 3-5 days. ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: October 18 2010 at 8:57pm
| Eating is a good chance of survival, Achille like everyone said is really tough to keep it alive on captivity, i tried with a copperband manage to survive for a month, im terrible keeping this type of fish |
Posted By: mmellor
Date Posted: October 19 2010 at 7:48am
| It's does sound like pop eye and I had a sunburst that got it and it went away with out any extra treatment. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: October 19 2010 at 10:15am
No simple answer here. Is there a Cleaner Shrimp in the tank? ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: jthomas
Date Posted: October 19 2010 at 10:57am
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No I dont think so I only have 3 pepperment shrimp, should I get one if so what kind? Thanks JT ------------- 45 reef with t5's 125 reef with 2 400 Watt mh's |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: October 19 2010 at 5:40pm
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No guarantees, but I have seen Cleaner Shrimp pick at problems/sores/etc. on fish until it was gone. If this is truly Pop-eye, this may not help, but if it is a parasite or other sore, the fish may let the Cleaner do it's job. Skunk Cleaner or Fire Shrimp will do. Try to choose one that actually is cleaning in the LFS tank. Acclimate by exchanging water slowly over 45-60 minutes in a good plastic container. Release it with lights out and watch it move around. They are prone to heart failure within minutes after introduction. Sometimes, it seems there is nothing we can do to stop that, but if you catch the shrimp dieing, soon after introduction, maybe the LFS will give you a replacement. Oh, I assume you were feeding Garlic Oil for the first few days or so. Not a bad idea to do some more. Hope this helps.  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: jthomas
Date Posted: October 20 2010 at 11:28am
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Im on it thanks mark ------------- 45 reef with t5's 125 reef with 2 400 Watt mh's |
Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: October 20 2010 at 11:35am
| Do you have a pic of the Tang? |
Posted By: jthomas
Date Posted: October 20 2010 at 2:54pm
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I will get a pic up when I get home from school, he is still eating, swiming, and breathing good and I dont see any other signs other than his eye. ------------- 45 reef with t5's 125 reef with 2 400 Watt mh's |
Posted By: jthomas
Date Posted: October 20 2010 at 4:50pm
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Fish died, thanks for all your help. ------------- 45 reef with t5's 125 reef with 2 400 Watt mh's |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: October 21 2010 at 4:37pm
bummer 
------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: October 21 2010 at 8:04pm
| Sad to hear. Those are really nice fish. are you planning to substitute your Tang? |
Posted By: cl2ysta1
Date Posted: October 22 2010 at 12:35pm
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these kinds of posts really irritate the hell out of me. Do research.. achilles tangs do NOT belong in a 125... they need 200 plus gallons of water. They dont survive well in captivity anyways and shouldnt be brought in by beginners. I hate to see so many posts with these beautiful fish dying. I hope this is a lesson to you and others. There are certain fish that shouldnt be in our tanks at all... clown tangs, sohal tangs, etc... and there are MANY that have special needs and should not be tried out by beginners and only bought when your tank is very stable and has the right requirements for these fish... what a shame ------------- I <3 Boxers Achilles tang lover |
Posted By: Shane H
Date Posted: October 22 2010 at 2:13pm
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I'm sorry to hear about your fish. We have all bought fish and lost them. Achilles are difficult even for the most seasoned hobbyists and most do not live long.
Crystal has a good point about researching fish (or any specimen) before you buy and bring it home. With information so readily available on the internet, you can likely get a very good idea how certain fish will do in your tank.
I think its hard to say how many gallons of water a fish needs to thrive. Even a large aquariums (like a 210) provide only a small fraction of the area most fish are accustomed to when they're collected. I have seen large fish in small(ish) tanks do extremely well - Dion's blue spot comes immediately to mind. But surgeon fish in particular seem to need more space than most other readily available fish.
Use this as a learning opportunity and the next time you find a beautiful fish, you'll be better prepared for it.
Good luck!
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Posted By: jthomas
Date Posted: October 23 2010 at 12:33am
Thanks for all your help, sorry to upset you crystal I am not a beginner I have had a saltwater fish only tank for the last ten years. One of my good friends has had his achilles in a 110 for the last year with no problems. Most of the web sights I looked at said 100+ not 200+ including foster and smith where I purchased the fish.
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