Emergency: Naso Tang seems very ill!

[Turtletots]

Hi all,

I've had a blonde naso tang for about six weeks now. He is the pride of my 90G reef and has until about half an hour ago been very outgoing and active.

However, yesterday he didn't seem very partial to eating his veggies and was quick to go to bed when I turned out the lights... today he seemed fine, however I came to get my tank ready for lights out and he had rested himself in some rock, and was not moving. Concerned, I went to nudge him, and he was fairly unresponsive for a couple of seconds. He finally got up and moved, but seemed to have some difficulties swimming... immediately I prepared a quarantine bucket (just 5G) and went to get him out, I did it by hand to try and be as gentle and fast as I could. When I did, I also noted his slime coat was almost completely missing. He's currently in a bucket of tank water with a 2x dose of Prime to help revitalize his slime coat, a double dose of Stress Guard, and some Melafix to help his (hopeful) recovery.
edit: I don't have any broad spectrum antibiotics on hand unfortunately, friend who stopped to pick up the clove oil asked the pharmacist and anything recommended online is Rx only.

I also have a friend en route with fresh distilled water and some clove oil to do a freshwater dip for him with after the distilled water has been adjusted to be as close to tank parameters as possible.

Tank parameters show on test to be fine, reads:

~3ppm on nitrate
~0ppm on nitrite and ammonia
pH is 8.1
Salinity is 1.023 specific gravity on refractometer

All other fish and coral in the tank appear to be in fine order and have been behaving as normal. He also doesn't show any signs of crypto, hole-in-head, lateral line, black ich, etc. Whatever it is, I guess to be internal. If anybody has any input, I would very much appreciate it!

[Turtletots]

UPDATE:

I just checked on him in his Q bucket. He is up and swimming some but still seems to be having some trouble. I will probably dose him with a small amount of clove oil to calm him down and then return him to the main tank. I put a small amount of sea veggies in the bucket with him, there is a small piece missing but it may have just come off from him moving about.

[Rea17]

How big is he? Do you have any pictures? When you say his slime coat is "gone," what does that mean? Did you quarantine him prior to placing him in the display tank?

I wouldn't put any clove oil in the bucket unless your intention is to euthanize.

This fish was probably very stressed in the 90, which is way too small for a Naso. Stress could have opened the gate for a parasite to enter his system, or he had something when he came in due to lack of quarantine. Sometimes fish show delayed symptoms of improper collection and handling (cyanide) weeks or months after the fact, that could be what you are experiencing now. I would also be careful with that medley in the bucket... Mixing medications can be hazardous to the fish. If you are able to take pictures of his condition that would be helpful for a diagnosis (if there is one to be made).

[Turtletots]

How big is he? Do you have any pictures? When you say his slime coat is "gone," what does that mean? Did you quarantine him prior to placing him in the display tank?

I wouldn't put any clove oil in the bucket unless your intention is to euthanize.

This fish was probably very stressed in the 90, which is way too small for a Naso. Stress could have opened the gate for a parasite to enter his system, or he had something when he came in due to lack of quarantine. Sometimes fish show delayed symptoms of improper collection and handling (cyanide) weeks or months after the fact, that could be what you are experiencing now. I would also be careful with that medley in the bucket... Mixing medications can be hazardous to the fish. If you are able to take pictures of his condition that would be helpful for a diagnosis (if there is one to be made).

It's a medicinal mix I've used before at work to treat diseased tangs for black ich, although I also add nitrofurazone, of which none I have on hand. He's about 4 inches long right now, I have no pictures on hand. He is my excuse for getting a bigger tank as he grows, but to my knowledge he was sold by A&M aquatics which has a good track record. He has no external signs of anything except he has his night time colors (deeper grey, a couple of splotches of light grey). When I say he's lacking slime coat, I mean he doesn't have the mucous-y feel to him that I would normally expect, but rather I can feel directly to his skin. I used a quarter dose of what is typical of clove oil to help anesthetize him using dosage instructions from an ECOMAR paper. He was quarantined in-store prior to my picking him up and until now, as I said, has shown no outward stress signs, has always eaten very well, etc. The only concern that comes to mind is that he was stung by my double barred rabbitfish, who he often pals around with, and is experiencing the effects of the sting, in which case I fear for the worst.

[Turtletots]

As far as taking a picture goes, the only reason I'm anxious about taking one is because all the lights are already off and I'm keeping everything dark to help keep everything calm, and I don't want the camera flash to disturb him, if that's understandable.

[Rea17]

Of course. Well I suppose it depends on what happens then...

I had a scribbled rabbit sting a coral beauty once and it killed her. She was behaving similarly to how you describe your Naso, FWIW.