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help my blue tang has hole in the head 10/4/10 I have a regal blue tang in serious need of help! Reading 9/16/08 Hello team, I have a regal blue tang in serious need of help! About three weeks ago I noticed that he was missing scales in a number of areas and did some reading and decided that it looked like lateral line erosion. I took a closer look at my yellow tang and saw some discoloration on his face and lateral line as well, along with some fin erosion. I did some reading and it looks as if there are a lot of mixed opinions as to what causes it. <Mmm, not to/for me> Some of the more popular reasons I've read about were vitamin C deficiency and poor water quality. <This and other avitaminoses, stress> I feed my fish formula 1 and 2 ocean nutrition flakes, frozen cubes of marine cuisine with brine shrimp, and green algae sheets and have witnessed the blue tang eating all of those, although the algae sheets are rare. <I'd be supplementing these foods... with a liquid prep. like Selcon, MicroVit...> I did some asking at my LFS and the lady I spoke with there suggested feeding romaine lettuce for the vitamin c. <... no. See WWM re. A very poor choice period> I put clips in the tank and after a couple of days all of the lettuce disappeared. I haven't witnessed the blue tang nipping off of them but I have seen the yellow tang eating feeding quite a bit and he looks like he may be getting some color back. The blue tang has only been getting worse though, he has almost no blue left on his entire body and looks almost clear, but is still eating other foods. My clownfish, blue damsel, royal gramma, Firefish, and neon goby all appear to be healthy. I tested water quality and specific gravity is 1.023, <A bit low> PH is 8.2, ammonia and nitrites are both zero, but the nitrates had jumped up to 40 ppm. <Way too high...> I did a quick water change and that dropped the nitrates down to less than 20 ppm and I have more water mixing for another change if they get any higher. <You need to discern the cause, deal with this here. Very likely the "lettuce" in part> I think I may have been overfeeding so I've cut down on how much I feed them and the water has cleared up a little as well. I also have been battling black algae. <Can be a factor, toxic> I no longer get the brown algae all over my rocks but have about a square foot patch of substrate that is constantly covered in black. I'll remove all of it, but within a few hours it will be well on it's way to growing back in the same spot but nowhere else in the tank. <See WWM re Cyanobacteria...> My setup is a 75g fish only system. with an emperor 400 filter, powerhead and airstone for circulation, and the temperature set for 78 degrees. It has been set up for about six months now. There have been a number of events recently that may have impacted the regal tangs health. I was having a battle with ich and conducted hyposalinity on my display tank. I had no live rock at the time so I moved my shrimp, crabs, and snails into my 12 g quarantine tank and left only the fish and hermits. The tang went two months with a salinity of 1.009 and it was at the end of that time that I first noticed missing scales. <Another input for sure> At the beginning I also gave him dips in RidIch with formalin <Ditto> but the yellow tang wasn't subjected to that. While the tank was in in hyposalinity I cured about 30 pounds of live rock that is now in my display tank and have another 30 pounds curing to be added as well. Is there any way to encourage him to eat the lettuce? <...> I put clips near his favorite spots in the tank but he has been ignoring them as far as I can tell. Thanks, Jason <Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/mardisindex.htm Bob Fenner> Hippo Tang keeps floating to top 7/4/06 Hello, I have a problem and this seemed like the best place to find a solution... <Okay...> I have an 8-month-old 110-gallon tank. About 2 weeks ago I bought a beautiful Hippo Tang. I am aware of the 'problems' that Hippo Tangs can have such as forming ick from hiding under rocks and rubbing on them and how they have a reputation for being shy... <So you of course quarantined this specimen...?> so I wasn't too surprised when it kept itself hidden behind some rocks after I put him in initially. <Not> I figured I would give him a few days to adjust. However, after 2 weeks it was still not coming out at all even to eat. I decided to take him out today b/c I was worried about whether or not he was sick and I would not want him infecting the rest of the tank. <Would be too late if so...> It was then that I discovered it doesn't have ick. Instead, it looks as if it's stomach is bloated which is causing him to float to the top. This would explain why it was hiding under the rocks to keep from floating to the top. I know that with time, it will eventually die b/c it wont eat due to the stress it's experiencing. <Unusual...> Please give me any advice you can about helping my Hippo Tang get the air out of it's belly. Thanks! Cassie <... Likely Epsom Salt in a treatment tank... Details offered on WWM. See the search tool for WWM or the indices. Bob Fenner> Sick Regal Blue/Hippo Tang...Diet Issue? 5/16/06 Hello Crew! <Hello Ann> My Blue Tang "Dori, of course" seems to be sick. I have read your forums and researched the disease section and it doesn't seem to help me with her symptoms. I have had this tang appx. 2-1/2 months. She was about 3/4" long when I purchased her and now she has grown to about 1-1/2". When I first got her I was well advised of the risk with ick and I dipped her before adding her to my tank in Organicure and water from my tank in a separate container due to my corals. The LFS told me they were running Copper in their tank as a precaution and I felt comfortable being so well-advised. Of course after a week in my tank she got ick and I treated it with Kick-Ick and it worked wonderful. It was a slow treatment and none of my other fish were infected. I was under the impression that once marine fish got ick that they never get it again. Is this true? <No> Anyway, Dori has been doing great! She swims openly out in the tank and tends to be quite curious with my other fish who tolerate her nicely. She eats extremely well. I feed all frozen foods to include Cyclop-Eeze, Brine Shrimp, Mysis, Emerald Entree, sometimes squid and Krill. Recently I have noticed a little clouding of her eyes, some gray patches (2 or 3) along her body, fins seem a little tattered, and a lot of scratching/flashing. She is eating well and no other fish pick on her at all. She sleeps up top in my tank behind the powerhead. These symptoms are in the morning. As the day goes on these symptoms seem to deteriorate except for the flashing and the rough-appearing fins. All the other fish are very healthy-appearing and are not showing any symptoms. I have her in a 55 gal with appx. 30 lbs of live rock and a ship wreck. My other fish are a Dragon Wrasse, Fire fish, bar goby, maroon clown, Banggai Cardinal, Coral Beauty, 2 coral-banded shrimp, 1 fire cleaner shrimp and 4 feather dusters. <Do need more live rock, tangs should naturally hide in the rockwork at night or when danger is sensed. Will feel much more comfortable with natural retreats.> I have a few corals too, bubble coral, branching hammer, colt, cabbage, Xenia, pipe organ, asst mushrooms and asst polyps. My tank is 5 months old with crushed coral and 2 bio-wheel power filters with 2 powerheads. I hope this is enough information for you to help me. My water parameters seem to be perfect except my nitrates are a little high, but the LFS told me not to be concerned when they were that low. I do a 10% water change every week or 20% every other week depending on my schedule. I clean my filters 1 to 2 x week. Please help me and Dori. I am so sorry if I have given you too much information. I thought I was supposed to, as I noticed others on the forum do the same. <FYI, not a good idea to buy tangs this small, most are difficult to acclimate. Sounds to me like Dori may need some vitamins. Try soaking the food with Selcon and it wouldn't hurt to add some Garlic Xtreme to the system to help combat fungal and bacterial infections. Are you feeding any Ocean Nutrition Seaweed Selects? A freeze dried algae product that tangs love and need in their diet. Hope this helps you out. James (Salty Dog)> Thanks, <You're welcome.> Ann Skinny Blue Hippo Tang - 2/4/2006 Good Morning, <Yes> I hope that you can help us save our Hippo Tang. She seems to be eating a varied diet well (Nori soaked in Zoecon, Frozen Emerald Entree, Dainichi reef veggie mix and raw shrimp leftovers from the lobster), but she is getting thinner and thinner. <Not uncommon... will explain below> She has that pinched in look and now I can see ribs. From all the reading I have done on your site, I believe she has HLLE from the water quality problems we had (small dark pits around head area), but water has now been corrected for a month now. This is also when we added the Nori/Zoecon to the diet. <Good> We are now doing 15-20% water changes weekly. The nitrates were off the charts before. The 125gal. tank is now at Nitrate 20, Nitrite 0 Ammonia 0, Ph 8.3, Alkalinity 300 range, Temp 80, Salinity 1.0235. Tank stuff: 125 gal with Fluval 404 activated carbon, Top Fin 60, Deutto100 power filter, a Prizm protein skimmer and an approx. guess for live rock is 50lbs and a 1" sand bed. (Pardon me if I have given any information incorrectly, this is my husbands tank). Her behavior has now changed from swimming curiously around and following the other fish, to hanging out by the power head and resting on some live rock. She still swims around some, and is always present for feedings. I have read about internal parasites but not being sure, <Ah! This I would actually treat for here. If the fish is eating, a simple soaking with Flagyl/Metronidazole> I did not want to medicate. We do have a 10 gal. QT tank but it has only been up for about 1 week. The fish had ich 3-4 months ago and we treated (incorrectly in the main tank) and it went away. We lost our yellow tang over a month ago which got me reading a lot on your website. I just can't find anything with exactly our situation. Tank mates are now (1) Royal Gramma (3) Bannerfish (1) small crab and (1) purple lobster (who all appear to be healthy). I hope it is not too late to help her. <> Thank you. Marci <Could well be this thinness stems from the previous poor water quality you cite... and/or the trials of ich treatment (often kills off beneficial microbes in their food tract)... I would try the one-shot anti-protozoal treatment mentioned, and do pretty much what you are currently. Bob Fenner> 3 months still with HLLE disease on Pac Blue Tang
9/21/05 HI! Thanks so much for your help. We have a 100g
tank with 1 clown, 4 Chromis, 2 cleaner shrimp, 2 large snails. We had
gotten a Pacific Blue tang. He's of small=medium size. He was
lively in the store. We brought him home and he immediately
hid under a rock where he stayed for 2 days, all the way UNDER between
2 rocks, we thought he was dead one morning and had to poke at him
(only to discover he was alive) to get him to move. He
eventually started coming out when people were in the
room. He always ate though. But always swam away
and hid under his favorite rock as you approached the tank. Well then
he started looking funny. The yellow tang we had at the time, got an
infection, septicemia possibly secondary to some protozoan disease. We
tried all kinds of things only to end in disaster each time. We fully
and accurately diagnosed it too late ( all the literature on the net
and in books- we have tons- is difficult to navigate in terms of
disease identification. I've even pored over your site even! No
real good pictures, and when there's something secondary going on
it makes it really hard. Anyway, back to the blue tang, he wasn't
looking so good either- we were now adding erythromycin coated Nori,
Melafix, Stress Zyme, Vitamin C powdered- food grade -buffered
,and good filtration and water changes and we lost our
friendly Yellow Tang, now it was time to move on and try to save our
quirky Blue Tang- we finally learned of HLLE and because he was
"so far gone" so to speak- it was hard to tell. All of the
bright shiny blue on his face is gone, he was major wide streaks of
color gone on his body laterally. His tail was sort of mealy but still
yellow. (I know you must think we suck at this, but honestly we care
and are deeply disturbed by all of this) By now, our electrician came
over with a fancy meter and measured 35 volts zipping along randomly in
the water! wow huh?! So we grounded the tank and bang! zero! and
another bang! the blue tang came out of his rock- all swimming around
like a dolphin! there was 3 of us standing right there next to the
tank. He never would do that before, anyhoo, (I'm getting to my
question- I promise) we've since then added more Nori to diet,
Formula One frozen foods, better water, and more changes. Oh, and added
Ecosystem Aquarium- 'Fish Solution' (minerals, iodine,
strontium, magnesium etc) This was back in early August, he got
livelier, ate more, and the blue he does have definitely got brighter,
good thing is the blue on him is centralized around his major organs,
so I feel he's at least not getting worse and probably
"feeling" ok, but his color every where else- is just not
getting better, - I was trying to convince myself for a few weeks that
he was, but I just couldn't tell because I was obsessed with it.
But my friends who don't see him everyday like I do, have said,
that sorry no, he's not getting much better, except his color he
does have is good, and his tail is better. So (thanks for bearing with
me) how do we get him better? What ELSE can we do? We've considered
getting rid of the tank because we cant stand losing these fish, and
its not fair to them if we can't heal them when sick. So what can
we do? Id really appreciate some advice. So what do you think? Thanks
so much!! Best to you- Kathryn <Kathryn, sorry to hear about your
tang. In my opinion, there is no better filter system for
keeping tangs/angels and preventing HLLE than Ecosystems Miracle Mud
filter. I've posted a link to their
site. There are many testimonials from prominent people in
this hobby that swear by this system. Keep in mind, it's
my opinion and what I would do if I decided to keep tangs and
angels. http://search.hp.netscape.com/hp/boomframe.jsp?query=ecosystem+filter&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3Df65ed7e8fd0cd8f%26clickedItemRank%3D1%26userQuery%3Decosystem%2Bfilter%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ecosystemaquarium.com%252Fhtml%252FComparison.html%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3Dnsispclient%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecosystemaquarium.com%2Fhtml%2FComparison.html
Good luck. James (Salty Dog)> Blue Tang In A Blue Mood? (Possible Illness...Or?) Greetings from the Wine Country, <Hi there! Scott F. with you today!> I've been reading your site for over a year now and am most impressed with the excellent work all of you do. <Thank you for your kind words!> Almost seven years ago I bought my girlfriend a 60 gallon SW aquarium for her birthday. That and a trip to Vegas and Death Valley. She sure is sweet and worth it. <Awesome to hear that!> Our first acquisition was a very small Pacific Blue Tang we named Appolonia. (We name all our fish.) <A very cool name! Don't tell me that it wears a Raspberry Beret or comes from the waters of Lake Minetonka, however!> She is now about six inches long and lives with a Cleaner Shrimp, Scooter Blenny, Clown Percula, Orchid Dottyback and a Yellow Tang. All of them get along fine with Appolonia as the dominant one. <That seems about right for that combination of fish!> We test water every few days and perform weekly water changes of 10-15%. All tests now and in the past month have been fine. Had a little nitrate bump for awhile that was causing algae blooms but looks like we have it stabilized now. <Glad to hear that!> Diet for many years has been Emerald Entree (frozen algae) and frozen brine shrimp with occasional frozen krill. And on holidays we even give them some live brine shrimp. Hey, we all got to have a treat now and then. <Yep!> We've offered them Nori but they pretty much ignore it. Though they are partial to Romaine we do not offer it to them very often. <Good. I'm really not a big fan of using terrestrial greens like Romaine to feed marine fishes. They offer very little in the way of nutritional value for the fish. Better to use algae of marine origin, such as sushi Nori, Kombu, or even fresh macroalgae, such as Gracilaria. Also, Blue Tangs (Paracanthurus hepatus) tend to be more omnivorous, feeding on zooplankton as well as vegetable material. Mysis is a very nutritional alternative to brine shrimp> Yesterday Vicki (G/F) fed them Ocean Star Marine Pellets for the first time. Today Appolonia is just hanging out behind the live rock and is very lethargic. She won't even eat and she is always like the proverbial pig at the trough rushing about to scarf up as much as she can at feeding time. <I think the use of the pellets and the weird behavior are unrelated, but it is cause for concern when the fish goes "off its feed".> I came home tonight to this news after "lights out" so took a flashlight to look at her and from what I can see, she is hidden back there, there are no signs of external parasites, trauma or discoloration. Her breathing looks slow and her pecs are hardly moving. I hope she lasts. I'm not having a good feeling right now. <Not good...> What is the average life span of this species? <Up to 20 years or more in the wild, almost as long in captivity!> I am, as always, open to whatever suggestions you may have. Loren Davis <Well, Loren, the slow breathing and lethargic behavior are not good signs. I would not eliminate the possibility of a parasitic disease (such as Amyloodinium or Cryptocaryon) just yet, even though no external symptoms (the usual spots, mucus, etc.) have not yet manifested themselves. First, do run a complete set of water quality tests to get to the bottom of things to see if any environmental parameters are out of whack. If the environmental parameters are in line, you may very well be dealing with a disease. Before you remove the fish for further observation and treatment in a separate tank (and a separate tank is definitely the way to treat any fish, IMO). If you do see the fish deteriorating further, and displaying more signs of potential parasitic (or other) illness, remove the fish to a separate tank for treatment. If you are hesitant to use medication initially, or are unsure of what you may be looking at, it's never a bad idea to perform a water change or two to see if the fish improves. Keep trying to feed the fish with its favorite foods, and don't be discouraged! Hang in there! Regards, Scott F> HELP - Barking Blue Tang in Distress 2/10/04 Hello all: <howdy> Perhaps this should be addressed to Anthony, as he and my tang have a relationship (remember the football prognosticator?). <I do... I hope he's feeling good about next year> I have a 125G Fowl/oLR that has been up and running for 4 1/2 years. We have had the blue hippo from the get-go. The tang has developed a swollen mouth in that it stays open all the time. It is difficult for him to ingest any food. He will go up to the pieces, but they get lodged between his lips. He seems to rely on the water current to allow food to enter his mouth. <hmmm... any pics possible? I'm wondering if its a swollen thyroid (iodine deficiency or excess nitrates induced)> There are no spots or any external indications of disease. As I said, he shows a desire to eat, but is having difficulty. I also find him swimming somewhat on his side at times. The LFS said that these are not good signs and that age may be a factor. <age?!?!? What are they smoking?! Blue tangs were considered hardy back in the 70's as one of the few fish that could be kept for many years (albeit with regular bouts of ich<G>). They are some of the oldest kept fishes in the marine trade with longevity records over 30 years old. I personally know of a 26 year old specimen kept locally to me (Pittsburgh)> I am reluctant to freshwater dip, as the stress of both catching him and the dip itself may prove too harmful. All water parameters are fine. I would appreciate any advice that you can give in our attempt to save this fish. Thanks, Mitch <if its the throat that looks swollen, it would be consistent with a dietary deficiency for how long you've had the fish (limited diet, lack of iodine dosing in the tank or lack of water changes to maintain bromide levels for the absorption of iodine adequately. If instead though it looks like a swollen lip/jaw... all best are off for my diagnosis. A pic would help here my friend. Else do consult a local vet (some do fishes). Anthony> Pacific Blue Tang Question Hi guys, <Hi! Ryan with you today> I have a question about my recently purchased Pacific Blue Tang. <OK> He seemed healthy in the store. But after I got him home and settled in the tank, I noticed a few marks on his head that look a little like scars.. I have a feeling after reading the FAQ's about these guys that it is HLLE. <I am glad you are familiar> But I've had him for about a week now and he seems perfectly healthy. <to be expected with HLLE> He is eating nicely and making friends with my clownfish (I know what your thinking and no I didn't make a Finding Nemo aquarium, I just happen to enjoy both species). <Sure Buddy! If you're a dentist, this question is over ;) > Anyway, my question is about feeding and healing the possible HLLE. I know that blue tang's are grazers on the algae, but how much of their diet should be algae? My current feeding schedule is to let him graze on the algae (which there is plenty of on the live rock at the moment) for the majority of the day, then in the evening give him some purple seaweed (Porphyra Umbilicalis) and then later in the even let him share the clown's Formula One flakes. Does that sound like a good feeding plan or not? <It sounds good, but I would add a little extra attention. Get some Selcon, it is really helpful when trying to fight HLLE. Also, get some frozen formula 2, and some dried Nori. Feed the formula 2 once a day, the garlic is really good for him. Now, soak the Nori in Selcon for 10 minutes, and clip in for the tang to eat for a few hours each day.> What about the purple seaweed.. is that an acceptable replacement for Nori until I run out of it or not? <Yes, in fact it's great to vary the diet as much as possible...just like you and me.> Also, just out of curiosity.. the tang and the clown fish seem to be inseparable they are ALWAYS right next to each other. This was also the case with my now departed Yellow Tang and the same clown fish. Is my clown fish just "tang friendly" or are these two species normally so friendly with each other? Actually as a little side story, when my yellow tang was in the process of dying the clown fish went up and laid right next to him, it was kinda sad actually. <I'm so sorry for the loss...Clowns exhibit some crazy behavior, I'm not even close to understanding what it means. I wish you the best with your new tang!> Thanks for the info. <You're welcome> Steve Tangling With A Tang! Hello, quick question for you. <Sure! Scott F. here> I have a Pacific Blue Tang who is (thankfully) starting to recover from a semi-severe case of HLLE...He has been scratching A LOT lately and I'm wondering if that is a symptom of recovering from HLLE or if it is more likely that he has a parasite. None of my other fish are scratching at all (that I have seen), which is why I suspect that it is not parasites. What do you think? <Well, it's hard to be sure without a picture. As you may well know, these fishes have a well-earned reputation as "Ich magnets", so they may contract this disease regardless of the condition of the other fishes...If you think that the fish is suffering from ich, it may be time to remove him for observation and/or treatment, if it becomes necessary. read up on parasitic diseases on the WWM site to confirm if this is, indeed, what you are dealing with here.> Also, just for those who may be curious I was able to successfully help him start recovering from HLLE with high quality pellets (actually that is the clown's food, which the tang steals), Nori soaked in Selcon and, dried purple Nori... I alternate the type of Nori I give him so there is some variety. <All good foods. For our other readers, I want to point out that these tangs are largely planktivorous, and vegetable matter, although highly important, may be secondary in importance to good meaty stuff. Try some frozen Mysis, or even some Cyclop-Eeze, which are excellent "planktonic-type" foods. That being said, fresh macroalgae are eagerly accepted, too. Try some fresh Gracilaria, which is my #1 food choice for herbivorous tangs. You can get starter cultures from my favorite e-tailer, Indo-Pacific Sea Farms, or the other wonderful source, Inland Aquatics. This stuff is amazing!> I didn't use the mysterious tank grounding technique or add any iodine or anything. Just good old fashioned nutrition. :) <I agree with you wholeheartedly. You did a great job! Great water quality and excellent food will often do the trick without anything else too exotic!> Thanks! Steve <My pleasure, Steve! Regards, Scott F>
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