Help! Blue hippo tang dying
- Thread starter All Seas
- Start date
Newsmyrna80
Active member
In reference to the Nori have you tried soaking it in garlic? I couldn't get any of my fish to eat it until I put garlic on it and they loved it. Tangs need algae. Do you have a lot of algae in your tank?
Also mentioned was flukes or some other parasite. This is a distinct possibility given you introduced an unquarantined fish to the main. Do you have any Prazi on hand?
Also mentioned was flukes or some other parasite. This is a distinct possibility given you introduced an unquarantined fish to the main. Do you have any Prazi on hand?
+1 Looking over the original thread, and reading the OP's observations of "hiding a lot more than usual", "hovering in one spot staring at a rock" and "breathing heavier" makes me think disease as well. Hopefully it's just flukes or ich, and not something as devastating as velvet.
The fish needs to be pulled & QT'd ASAP. My first move would be to perform a FW dip, to see if the fish has flukes.
"Prazipro" Look here: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12098
It is a reef safe med (except for possibly tube worms/feather dusters/bristleworms). However, it will only help your fish if they are infested with flukes.
As for QT size, anything from 10-30 gals seems to work for most people.
It is a reef safe med (except for possibly tube worms/feather dusters/bristleworms). However, it will only help your fish if they are infested with flukes.
As for QT size, anything from 10-30 gals seems to work for most people.
Ok guys,
So she is still alive but barely moving. I have been doing my research and setup a 10g quarantine tank. Bought a new heater, 150gph filter with a foam block, new bio balls and a cup of sand on the bio balls. Used 10 gallons from my established tank and will do a 1 gallon water change per day. I even threw 2 pieces of new PVC for hiding.
So I tried to net her and she would not even hide/run from the net. Due to the angle, I could not scoop her safely so I put my hand in to life her back and she let me bare hand her into the collection cup.
I placed her in 1/2 gallon of fresh rodi water for a quick dip and she immediately lost a ton of color and was starting to lay on her side. After 45 seconds in the fresh water, I got nervous and placed her directly into the quarantine tank. She immediately went to the bottom by the pvc and has been there for the past hour.
After she was transferred, I added 3/4 tsp of prazi pro and let it mix by the filter outlet.
Any comments?
So she is still alive but barely moving. I have been doing my research and setup a 10g quarantine tank. Bought a new heater, 150gph filter with a foam block, new bio balls and a cup of sand on the bio balls. Used 10 gallons from my established tank and will do a 1 gallon water change per day. I even threw 2 pieces of new PVC for hiding.
So I tried to net her and she would not even hide/run from the net. Due to the angle, I could not scoop her safely so I put my hand in to life her back and she let me bare hand her into the collection cup.
I placed her in 1/2 gallon of fresh rodi water for a quick dip and she immediately lost a ton of color and was starting to lay on her side. After 45 seconds in the fresh water, I got nervous and placed her directly into the quarantine tank. She immediately went to the bottom by the pvc and has been there for the past hour.
After she was transferred, I added 3/4 tsp of prazi pro and let it mix by the filter outlet.
Any comments?
GroktheCube
New member
You don't have any carbon in the filter, right?
It's very normal for fish to play dead during an FWD. Ideally you want to do it for a little bit longer than 45s.
Did you spot any flukes in the bottom of the container? If you have a strong magnifier or microscope, it might be worth checking out some of the water under that.
Most of the "common" gill flukes are just over 1mm in total length, but others can be in the 500um range.
This is an FW gill fluke, but SW flukes can be similarly sized at times. This guy is just about 600 microns in length. That's .6 mm, or just about one fourtysecond (1/42) of an inch. Small enough that it would only border on visible to the naked eye as a speck of dust.
It's very normal for fish to play dead during an FWD. Ideally you want to do it for a little bit longer than 45s.
Did you spot any flukes in the bottom of the container? If you have a strong magnifier or microscope, it might be worth checking out some of the water under that.
Most of the "common" gill flukes are just over 1mm in total length, but others can be in the 500um range.
This is an FW gill fluke, but SW flukes can be similarly sized at times. This guy is just about 600 microns in length. That's .6 mm, or just about one fourtysecond (1/42) of an inch. Small enough that it would only border on visible to the naked eye as a speck of dust.
Well this afternoon I went to check on her and she was lying on her side on the bottom of the tank not breathing or moving. Not sure if the swap to the quarantine tank was the icing on the cake or it was a coincidence.
Guess I'll keep an eye in the other tank mates before adding anymore livestock. At least I have a quarantine setup now.
Guess I'll keep an eye in the other tank mates before adding anymore livestock. At least I have a quarantine setup now.
GroktheCube
New member
Sorry to hear it :-/
If you still have the fish's remains, it might be worth either cutting out a little gill tissue and throwing it in fresh water, or removing the gill plates and tossing the fish in fresh water for an extended period of time (15 mins). After that, check the bottom of the container with a magnifying glass. You'd be able to rule out flukes that way. Though if it's been several hours, the flukes may very well all be dead already.
If you still have the fish's remains, it might be worth either cutting out a little gill tissue and throwing it in fresh water, or removing the gill plates and tossing the fish in fresh water for an extended period of time (15 mins). After that, check the bottom of the container with a magnifying glass. You'd be able to rule out flukes that way. Though if it's been several hours, the flukes may very well all be dead already.
