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I just started working at a LFS, and they have a sailfin Tang, that the manager told me started out looking like ich, so she treated it appropriately.. Now what wont go away, are bumps on the poor fish! They look to big to be ich.. but I don't know for sure, as I dont 100% know how diseases affect saltwater fish like freshwater....Im not smart with marine fish. But I will try to get a picture tomorrow when I work. Its puzzling, because also hosued with the tang are 2 spotted groupers, which haven't been affected at all. Some one who may know, please help so we can get this cleared up and sell this pretty fish! Thank you!!!

72 gallon bowfront:Tanganyikan Lake set up
75 gallon: A. Baenschi trio,Cyanotilapia Afra Cobwe(4), copadichromis trewavase, protomelas sp. tangerine tiger(breeding pair)

I'm not good at disease identification and treatment, especially with marine fish. But if we can identify some of the symptoms, a person with more knowledge will hopefully come along to help out. How is the fish acting? Does it eat and seem relatively stress-free, even though it's ill? Did your fish just recently get shipped in, or have you had it for a while? Newly-caught tangs are very susceptible to disease, and even otherwise healthy tangs often show signs of severe stress for a few days after arrival in-store. Also, have you tested the water, and how large is the tang? Smaller ones are not as tough as bigger specimens.

If the spotted groupers you have are panther groupers (Cromileptes altivelis), it isn't surprising that they haven't shown signs of illness. Groupers are very hardy fish, and can shrug off pathogens that would kill lesser fish. On the other hand, tangs are known for being quite delicate, especially when they are in a transfer period between tanks. I would have been more surprised if the groupers had gotten sick instead of the tang!

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Well, to start, the groupers are what are called spotted groupers, they aren't panther groupers, they are black with spots, and a blue mark on their dorsal fin. The tang has been in the store at least a month, if not longer. It is about the size of a small dinner plate. The fish does eat, and swims about as normal. very healthy appetite. as far as testing the water, I havent done that yet, but I can also kind of see if anything was wrong there, we probably wouldnt have the groupers still alive in there...

72 gallon bowfront:Tanganyikan Lake set up
75 gallon: A. Baenschi trio,Cyanotilapia Afra Cobwe(4), copadichromis trewavase, protomelas sp. tangerine tiger(breeding pair)

Maybe so, but all of the grouper species we've offered for sale have been very tough fish. I'm sure that yours would be the same way.

Sounds like the tang is doing pretty well other than the bumps. Have you tried water changes yet? The fish probably would appreciate it, especially considering that groupers weigh heavily on the bioload.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

The water changes are done once a week, plus the groupers are itty bitty, prolly not more than 2 inches, so they dont make a huge bio load.....

72 gallon bowfront:Tanganyikan Lake set up
75 gallon: A. Baenschi trio,Cyanotilapia Afra Cobwe(4), copadichromis trewavase, protomelas sp. tangerine tiger(breeding pair)

any other ideas?/ it is still having the same problem... pima fixing like crazy to see if it is fungus or not

72 gallon bowfront:Tanganyikan Lake set up
75 gallon: A. Baenschi trio,Cyanotilapia Afra Cobwe(4), copadichromis trewavase, protomelas sp. tangerine tiger(breeding pair)

Hmm. Interesting.

First of all, saltwater Ich differs from freshwater Ich. the appearance of the two diseases is very similar, but the causative organisms are considerably different - freshwater Ich is caused by Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (hence the term 'Ich' - a truncation of the generic name) while saltwater Ich is caused by Cryptocaryon irritans. Both diseases do respond well to medication, though, if the medication is delivered in such a manner as to maintain a lethal concentration (to the pathogens) of medication throughout the life cycle. The trick is to catch the invisible, microscopic free-swimming stages that appear up to 5 days or so after the fish starts shedding the white cysts (these are adult reproductive stages that fall off, multiply like mad in the substrate, then release swarms of free swimming larvae). The medication kills the free swimming (and most vulnerable) stage of the parasite.

Now, assuming this has been done (which you say it has) and your Sailfin Tang no longer has an Ich infestation, it's time to start looking at it more closely. Tangs can turn up with various problems, Velvet disease (Oodinium and other related pestilences) being a big worry with some Tang spceies, and this is one reason (apart from size) that Tangs tend not to be recommended for beginners except those with large aquaria and a thorough grounding in the fish's requirements. However, when you say the Sailfin Tang has 'bumps', a more accurate description is needed. Are these 'bumps' simply raised protruberances on the surface without change in body colouration, or do they exhibit some colour change compared to the rest of the fish? What size are they? How densely is the fish covered with these 'bumps'? Are the 'bumps' spread evenly over the whole surface of the fish, or are they concentrated in certain areas?

The reason I ask this is that Sailfin Tangs in particular are e to suffering from HLLE - Head and Lateral Line Erosion. You'll find this article at Reefkeeping.com very useful in aiding your determination in this manner, along with special notes such as the fact that Yellow Tangs manifest the disease differently from Sailfin and other Tangs.

I've seen specimens of both Zebrasoma veliferum (the fish usually imported as a 'Sailfin Tang') and Zebrasoma desjardinii exhibiting HLLE. It's nasty, looks hideous, and though the article at Reefkeeping.com says it isn't in itself fatal, the lesions could in principle at least become infected by secondary opportunistic infections that WILL kill the fish. So, dealing with it is a matter of some importance.

Pointers from that article that might help are:

[1] Feed your Sailfin Tang a diet rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin A, with as much live algae as possible;

[2] Keep nitrates as low as possible - anything over 40 ppm should be a cause for alarm in a Tang aquarium, while the Groupers are tough enough to take 200 ppm before they start showing discomfort;

[3]Bear in mind that there are over a dozen theoretical speculations as to the exact cause of HLLE in marine fishes, and that talk of a guaranteed 'cure' at this stage is very much premature.

Check the illustrations (almost all of them unpleasant) in that article and see if your fish is exhibiting lesions of the same kind. If HLLE *IS* the problem, you are going to have your work seriously cut out dealing with it.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002