What did this to my Tang? -Pic

[tkeracer619]

He was making a great recovery from hlle, then all of a sudden overnight he looks like this...







The scales are gone as if they were scratched off.

[chrisalmand]

Bacteria

[tkeracer619]

Originally posted by chrisalmand
Bacteria

Any recomendations

[jadeguppy]

I wish I had a suggestion. Awesome tang, what type? Good luck!

[tkeracer619]

He's a cole tang. Been with me for a year now. It's a fully stocked 360. So far everyone else looks ok.....

Im going to try and catch him..... i doubt its gonna happen.

[kenwendyb]

Could he have got in an area where he got in fight an got scraped against rocks? He looks banged up in shot. I don't know. Hope it's not bacterial. Looking for another alternative and some hope for you. Good luck!!!!

[tkeracer619]

it's possible but I have never seen fish damage like this. It would have to be some sort of serious attack and the tankmates show little aggression twards each other.

[pdfb55]

looks like he was glancing off rocks to me. Usually a sign of an infection or parasite.

[steve1963]

Originally posted by pdfb55
looks like he was glancing off rocks to me. Usually a sign of an infection or parasite.

I agree,could be scratching off a parasite.

[wrott]

But on both sides, and overnight? A bacterial infection would take 2-3 days to look that bad--and it would have white fluff.
It looks like it was attacked and/or it was stuck to a PH on one side and attacked on the other--all in one night ????
Did it not have any scapes to it's back half of the body the day before?
If its eating, it looks like it will be OK.
I see places where my Cherub angel looks a bit mangled from time to time--i believe the tomato clown or foxface is the culprit for mine.

[tkeracer619]

Yeah, 2 days ago I said to myself that the fish looked great. Yesterday I didn't feed much and wasn't around the tank during the day. I did stare at the tank for an hour last night but didn't notice it.

I hope this doesn't turn into the plague....

It's eating like a horse, and I'm feeding a lot of food.

[icepick96]

What other fish do you have in the tank? I'm looking at the missing finnage. Both the tail and dorsal fin have pieces missing.

[Racing1]

Looks like someone got in a fight... Missing fins on tail and back.... I have a yellow eye kole too and he is very peaceful... sounds like a tankmate does not like him...

Good Luck and Hope he pulls through...

If possible get him in a quarantine tank and you may want to treat for infection as those scrapes look pretty deep...

[rededteck]

Do you have another tang in the tank with him?

[thor32766]

yes thats my question do you have another tang in the tank? See tangs mostly fight with their tail end because of the their spines. Hence surgeonfish. Thats why I think a lot of his wounds are in that area.

[scarter]

looks like a nighttime scrap to me

[steve1963]

Hows he look today?

[reefkoi]

My tangs get this from time to time, I think they get scratched on coral.
The way tangs are always chasing each other for one reason or the other it makes sense to me.
If it was bacterial I'd think the fish would die or the sore would get much worse.
In my experence the wound heals very fast and there is no scarring.
C

[tkeracer619]

6 other tangs, Sailfin, Blonde Naso, Yellow, Powder Blue, Vlamingi, and Hippo. They sometimes tail slap but mostly they are friends. The Kole is one of the least picked on fish in the tank. If anything its the Powder Blue and Blonde Naso going after the Vlamingi.

TBH he looks about the same today. I have a qt tank running incase I need to pull him.

I am thinking that he found a sharp edge of some egg crate used in the reef racks and scratched himself on it...... Maybe maybe not.

I figure if it was bacteria, he wouldnt be alive right now seeing the progression it had in the first 24 hours.

[steve1963]

Just like us,a healthy fish will fight off some infections.