New Problem for Yellow Tang

[kimmeewoo]

I've been treating my yellow tang with hyposalinity (1.009) for 3 weeks and 2 days. The last couple of days, his skin is starting to prune up, much like ours do after being in water too long. The "prune lines" run vertically, and look just like they are where his bones are. I feel like I can see his skeleton, but instead of looking sunken, he looks swollen. Does this make sense? Is is because of the hypo?

[Rick]

Hi Kim ,
what are you treating the fish for ?
If he were mine I think I would try to get the water parms back to normal and give him much of his favorite food . and a hiding place .
whats the tank set up that its in.
Is it eating good ,
what are you feeding,
Rick

[kimmeewoo]

Sorry, I should have provided more information. I'm treating the fish for ich. He's in a hospital tank. I recently added a large coral skeleton to give him a hiding place. Come to think of it, that might coincide with the onset of this new problem.

He seems to eat well. I'm giving him a combination of Brine Shrimp Plus (flake), Formula One, and nori. But only one type on a given day. I'm afraid to overfeed, since the only biological filtration is a biowheel that's been in use only for these past 3 weeks.

Do you think it's been long enough to raise the salinity back up? How long should I take to raise it back to normal? Do I just add concentrated salt water, a little at a time?

[Rick]

I would start raising the salinity a little every other day .take 1 gal.of the tanks 1.009 and add a gal.of fresh 1.022 I do think these water changes will also help him do to the uncycled tank .I think when you hit the 1.022 mark you'll be fine.
I would say the coral might be a little rough on the flesh seein that every time he needs to hide he flies into it .I would put something like very clean and rinsed coffee mugs in a pile in the back corner .
If the fish likes the formula one I would stop feeding flake and brine .give it the nori for an every other day treat along with the formula one .
How big is the hospital tank .
how big and what other fish are in the main tank .
is the main tank a reef .
Rick

[kimmeewoo]

The hospital tank is 29 gallons. With no substrate or live rock in it, it has literally 29 gallons of water in it. Changing 1 gallon every other day would take me 2 months to get it up to proper salinity. Is there another way?

My main tank is a 55 gallon reef wannabe. That means it's a FOWLR with inverts and a single large colony of colt coral! There are no other fish in the tank.

A few other significant things I should have mentioned. There is a single black dot, the size of coarse pepper, on the fish's forehead. It appeared within the last few days. Also, there are tiny brown dots, the size of a pinprick, that form a perfect arc around its eyes. I'm sure these are not ich, because the arrangement of them is so perfect. The poor guy just looks sickly and pale!

The hospital tank is in my basement with just a lightbulb for lighting. At night (when it's pitch black in his room), and when I go to check on him and turn on the light, he is downright brown. Is this normal tang sleeping color, or is it also part of the symptoms?

Good suggestion on the coffee cups. I'll follow through as soon as I get home.

[Rick]

I'd put him back in the main tank .
you have email
Rick

[kimmeewoo]

OK, I'll put him back in the main tank. My only concern is that there might still be some ich in the tank after 3 1/2 weeks. I get conflicting advice about how long a tank needs to be fish-free to eliminate the ich. If my tang gets ich again, he'll be a goner. Hopefully, everything will be OK. Thanks for your advice.

[Terry B]

Check your pH and alkalinity, they both tend to drop in hyposaline water.
Terry B