Is my tang turning into a zombie?

[BlueWorldAquatic]

Possible Head and lateral line erosion (HLLE).

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/sp/index.php



HLLE does not usually kill fish and affected individuals have been known to survive for years with only mild progression of clinical signs.

Home Care

To correct this condition, a change in husbandry is nearly always required. Improving nutrition combined with removing external stressors (aggressive tankmates and poor lighting) may arrest or even reverse the syndrome.

Treatment with antibiotics alone is unsuccessful, although, resolution of the lesions may be seen with vitamin C supplementation or elimination of activated charcoal from the filtration systems.

Preventative Care

The best way to prevent this frustrating problem is to avoid keeping species that are susceptible to the syndrome. Your pet store clerk and a variety of text books and magazines can help with species selection.

If you do keep HLLE-vulnerable species, then you will want to provide them with optimal environmental conditions, including: a fresh, balanced diet, artificial sunlight, preferred water temperatures and crystal clean water with frequent water changes.

Just some information I came across.

Ken - BWA

[fishoholic]

Sounds like marine velvet to me, copper in a QT tank was the only way I saved some of my fish when they had it, also my sohal looked like your tang when he was in QT so there's a chance it could be that.

Here's a link about velvet
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-07/sp/feature/

[freddy]

In the past couple of months I bought a kole tang,seemed healthy next day looked terrible,just like that picture you found,started feeding metronidazole and focus in with their food,in about 4 days he looked like a brand new fish,I should have quarantined but didn't,and I forgot to mention my bicolour caught whatever the kole had,both are fine now,meds never affected inverts or corals,I also soak my food in a vitamin supplement and garlic quard,this is just my expierience,thouhgt I would share,does your fish have white stringy poop.

[naesco]

I would treate with Mardel Maroxy for saltwter. It may be a bacterial fungus.
You need to deal with this soon to save the fish,.

[piusma]

The reddish area could possibly be cause by ammonia. How many gallon is your QT setup and have you changed water since it's been in there? You need to stay on top of water change because this tank is most likely not cycled yet. I'd suggest you to do 30% water change for the next 5 days. That should improve on the water quality. And you should start a filter running for the tank. (That probably won't be effective for another 2 weeks or so and during this time you should do approx 20% water change ever couple of days)

Similar situation happened to me when I first started and I had a QT setup to help my fish. I had 3 fish in there and my yellow tang didn't make it because of the poor water quality. Now I run a much better QT / hospital tank setup to deal with things.

Steven

[Joe Reefer]

Your fish has hemorrhagic septicemia or a similar bacterial infection. You need to treat it with a anti-bacterial medication ASAP. Copper will do nothing to treat this.

[Spiny]

destroy the brain or sever the head! It`s the only way