Colby Johnson

You know it! That being said this is still a catastrophe for our industry. Hawaii has been and continues to be a model fishery for sustainability. All of the data produced by peer review has shown Hawaii to be one of the best fisheries in the world. Closing down collection there is not only not warranted by the data, it is also a HUGE step in the wrong direction for promotion of sustainable net caught fishes. With this fishery gone, other Indo Pacific fisheries now have no financial motivation to clean up their act, as they now will have a monopoly on pacific fishes. Moreover, removing industry staples such as the yellow tang will merely increase pressure on other species that can fill a similar role in aquaria. It was far better to have access to a verified sustainable fishery. While aquaculture of yellow tangs is beginning to take place, it is nowhere near sufficient to compensate. I myself am working with several endemic Hawaiian species, such as Potters Angels and Bandit Angels, however I will never be able to supply the market demand. This was a short sighted decision, based upon a lack of scientific literacy and emotion. Outfits such as Snorkel Bob have done a terrific job of spreading misinformation for years and it looks as if they may have just won. Don't underestimate the negative impact this will have on our hobby.

Those fish did not starve to death. If you look at the recent history of the tank it is very clear that the most likely vector for pathogen introduction is a recent fish addition, likely the flame angel. I'd be very willing to bet that Amyloodiniun ocellatum was the culprit here. Those mortalities happening ten days or so after introduction of a new fish are very much in line with Amyloodinium lifecycle. In all likelihood the thinness of the fish you noticed was due to significant disruption/damage to the gill lamellae from the Amyloodinium, which can lead to rapid dehydration within hours. With this disease you typically do not see a lot of the visual indicators you see in a lot of other common pathogens, no visible spots, no heavy mucous, no lifted scales or defined lesions. Typically eractic/nervous behavior, increased respiration/labored breathing, loss of color and off feed are the best indicators of Anyloodinium. Unfortunately all of those signs are also early indicators of a lot of other pathogens as well. While buying from a reputable dealer will help you hedge bets against an incident like this, it is still very risky not to QT fish. Even a fish from a store that is as careful as possible can still bring something in. I QT all fish at my facility, however I still suggest all my customers QT the fish. QTing is Cheap and easy. At this point your best option is leave the tank fallow for 3 months before reintroducing fish. Very sorry to hear about this. Best of luck. Please QT