Need Achilles HELP ASAP

[kylev]

I have an achilles tang in a 55g QT right now. I got him about 2 weeks ago and he has been eating great and very active. About 4 days ago he showed some signs of ich so I started hypo and just now got the salinity down to 1.09. I came home today and he is laying inside a pvc fitting and get up to move around a little occasionally. He is showing white fuzzy spots faintly on him that look like ich. The water test at temp 79 ph 8.4 nitrates 5 nitrites 0 am 0. Is there anything I can do to help him out??????

 

[kylev]

Other than the white spots and faint colors under his gills he has great coloration still

 

[kylev]

 

[kylev]

 

[deejeff442]

the pics dont help.achilles will turn white all over especially under the gills when stressed.are you sure he has ich?
for one turn the lights out.i only use light in a qt when i look at them for disease.
achilles is a tough fish to keep .if he was collected in a bad way(cyanide) it will show weeks after you get him.
imo every fish labeled expert needs to be checked out how it is collected.meaning bought at a reputable store/supplier

 

[kylev]

The fish was bought from here SWF, Im not possitive its ich its just showing signs of it. In the last pic posted you can see the spots on his tail. Those are the best pics I can get right now cause I dont want to force him to move around. But I will turn the lights off now

 

[acrylic51]

They are very touchy and delicate......they are probably 1 of the worst to acclimate and get going.....I've kept them in the past and always do.....He doesn't look good laying on his side.....I'd opt for water changes......How fast did you drop the salinity......How is his breathing? I'd try super saturating the water with oxygen....
It's no way of knowing how the fish was collected period....Regardless!!!!! I bought 1 from a very reputable dealer/show quality.......was fine for the first 3 weeks in quarantine, and came out to the fishroom and it was like someone peppered him......Needless to say he didn't make it, and I all but babysat the guy since I was on disability then......I called my supplier not to bitch, but to let him know that if he happens to get lucky again keep me in mind.....Needless to say, I got a phone call shortly thereafter, and he told me to be waiting in the AM for the new addition......This guy was perfect from day 1.....A real bully, and pig.....They should go in an established tank honestly......I wish I could get him back from my buddy, but it'll give me a chance to break a new guy in again.....

 

[2quills]

When I enlarge the last pic it does indeed look like Ich on the fins to me. Like Acrylic51 said, I would try to super saturate the water with o2. Tangs thrive better in a high oxygenated environments. But the laying on the side thing is not a good sign. Good luck with him. Those are awesome fish.

 

[acrylic51]

The last guy I bought was suppose to be a medium/show.....When he arrived he was 8" and fat!!!!!!

The only guy he didn't mess with was my Purple.....

 

[acrylic51]

I do agree to keep the lights to a minimum when in quarantine, but I'm sure you had them up for inspection purposes......

 

[kylev]

The lights were on a timer but only for a couple hours a day. I have both powerheads in the tank aimed at the top in order to oxygenate the water. The QT has been set up for about 6 months now and the DT he'd be going into is over a year old at this point. I dropped the salinity over 4-5 days so it wasn't quick at all and last night when I went to bed he didn't have a spot on him and was very active. While bringing the salinity down I was doing 5g + of w/c per day. Thanks for all the input everyone. I'm really dissapointed that I might be losing this fish because it was looking awesome since the day he arrived.

 

[kylev]

there is also an air pump with an air stone in the tank now, fingers are crossed. This fish would look amazing in my DT. If he doesn't make it through I think im gonna tear the QT down and call the DT fully stocked.

 

[tangs rule]

Having run about 4 achilles tangs thru qtine/treatment now (1 personal, 3 for friends) - I can add the following:
the water MUST be kept highly oxygenated at all times
large PH swings must NOT be allowed - as during SG lowering, Ph needs to be stable
The Achilles is more difficult a tang to put through qtine/treatment than most other tangs. That's why most places don't warranty them
If you can, add an airstone/pump to ensure high levels of dissolved oxygen.
NEVER place an achilles in a small bucket/container - they are about the most active swimmers of all the Tangs, even swimming at full speed during lights out (in the dark) and they CANNOT get enough O2 to breath sitting in a bucket for very long. Only in an absolute emergency would I "dip" a tang.
I like how slow you came down with SG. Is the PH above 8.0? if not - please only adjust slowly upward - nothing too rapid comming up.
If he's still lying on his side - please describe the qtine tank in more detail......I read that lights are off alot - and that may be something or not....Hippos are VERY notorius for "sleeping/hiding/feeling safe" on their side - tucked under (or trying to) something. Achilles are not known for this but- it's not impossible.. What are the contents of the tank? What's he doing right now? how many times does he breath per minute?

 

[tangs rule]

To add:
Marine Velvet (amyloodinum) is sadly common with tangs too - almost as much as Ich is. But velvet is 10x more deadly, and 10x harder to identiy.... Ich typically resembles "salt" type "zits" on a fishes skin/surface. Velvet is much smaller - like flour sized pustules - but covering more of the body...looking like a fish with "bleached" spots on it...Many fishes (tangs too) always drop color/have bleached areas when sleeping/stressed and this is normal - making a positive ID harder... but with velvet - the fish will act just like it has ich...scraching, fast respiration, flashing, and bleached spots - but sadly, usually once it's verified to be present - it's already too late, as not only the one affected fish will die - likely any others sharing same waters will die too - and die within 24-36 hours. . . Ich usually takes a week to 2 to become mortal, but velvet can become fatal to all fish exposed within a day or two.
Worse - Hypo does NOTHING for velvet - as it can reproduce at SG as low as 1.003 nd as high as 1.036.. So anymore when receiving new fishes I automatically hypo them, then if ANY odd signs (scratching/fast breathing) occur during hypo (1.008 max) I don;t hesitate to treat the qtine tank with either copper meds or formalin. (which are the only 2 known treatments for velvet)

 

[kylev]

Thanks for the help guys, Tangs rule I appreaciate the input, but the achilles is no longer with us. He was dead this morning when I checked on him

It was by far the most attractive fish I've owned. I doubt I'll try another one for quite some time. At this point I'm going to call the DT stocked.

 

[deejeff442]

the mighty achilles is a tough fish to keep.i had a sweet 8 incher for 18 months. untill i added a couple corals and got ich in the tank.he fought for 6 months but this ich was like a super ich and it finally got him.
i will try another one some day but.i think if you want one to get a bigger qt 45+ gallon and make sure it is cycled and perfect.then make sure you have alot of lr and a mature dt.
sorry bout your loss.achilles imo is and will always be my favorite fish in the hobby.

 

[kylev]

The achilles is an awesome fish. My QT is a 55g and my DT is a 280g with a 100g sump and about 350+ lbs of lr. The QT had been cycled for months and the DT is a year plus in age

 

[deejeff442]

about the same set up as me .i would let the qt go for a while to make sure there is no disease in it and try again(that is if you have the cash for another one)maybe just got an unhealthy fish

 

[tangs rule]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kylev http:///t/387892/need-achilles-help-asap#post_3416897
Thanks for the help guys, Tangs rule I appreaciate the input, but the achilles is no longer with us. He was dead this morning when I checked on him

It was by far the most attractive fish I've owned. I doubt I'll try another one for quite some time. At this point I'm going to call the DT stocked.
I am sorry to hear this, but I was afraid of it - as anytime a tang goes sideways [other than hippo] it's usually a very bad sign. Jeff is correct - they can be a tough little guy to keep. I;ve had mine for almost 5 years now, but I MUST (and do) qtine everything prior to adding it to the big DT. Even my new corals spend 4 weeks minimum in an established 90g coral qtine tank, as I know if I introduce ich or velvet into the 475, I can kiss a few species goodbye - and the achillies is one of them.
Sorry again for the loss - if I may ask, where did you get him?

 

[tangs rule]

O - and I;ve had excellent luck combining copper with hypo when treating all tangs, and my navarchus angle. . Hypo alone did not do it, as I had a comeback 3 weeks into the treatment, but the addition of coppersafe for only a couple weeks was needed to zap&prevent anymore ich., Tangs have a very good tolerance for copper meds, and since they are SOO susceptable to ich - I'd rather risk the fish loss to copper, versus ich (which I KNOW can kill a tang quick)
You and deejeff both need an achilies - maybe I can qtine a pair for yall? I know where jeff lives, where are you Kylev? I've 2 empty 75's and one could easily be setup to treat a couple tangs..