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I was at the LFS monday and they have a tank of baby Y.Tangs that appear to have little black speckles on them.What kind of Parasite is this and how would you treat for it?

I belive it's called black spot, and it's farly common with tangs.



Dan

Ah. Black Spot, wrongly called Black Oodinium, is caused by an infestation of turbellarian parasitic worms. It's a big problem with Hawaiian stock, because the parasites are apparently rampant on Hawaiian reefs. Tangs in particular are susceptible to them, but they will spread to other fish if not dealt with. And sadly, it's a copper medication job. If you have inverts in your aquarium, this means setting up a hospital tank for the Tangs fast.

Species that are particularly affected include the Yellow Tangs you've seen with this already, and other Zebrasoma species. Some Acanthurus tangs are also susceptible, Powder Blues being fatally susceptible to them if cross infection occurs. If you get these things on a Powder Blue Surgeon, get it to a hospital tank FAST and medicate - otherwise you'll lose an expensive and beautiful fish in pretty short order ...



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002