Hippo Tang problem

[scottio]

I just bought a Hippo Tang two days ago. It is flying around the tank and eating like a pig.
But, I just noticed that there is a "bubble" on the lower tail fins.
Does anyone know what this might be and how to treat it?
It does not seem to be affecting the fish, right now.
Thank you.

 

[PghFishNerd]

Gas Bubble Disease?

Gas Bubble Disease?

Does it look like this? (Obviously on the fin, not the eye, but this is the only pic I could find)

If so, it's gas bubble disease. You can either let it go away by itself or capture the fish and drain the air using a syringe (which can be really stressful for the fish)
The best thing to do though, is figure out the root of the problem. Are you waiting at least a day after you mix your salt to put it in? This problem is caused by gas exchange happening in the tank. I'm not going to ramble about it if my guess is totally off, but let me know if this is what you think it is because I've dealt with it in Seahorses before, and I think they get it more often than any other type of fish.
Good Luck!

 

[scottio]

Similar to that, but on its bottom rear fin. I'll keep you posted on what happens over the next couple of days.

 

[PghFishNerd]

Okay... If it were on the eye like that or something else that really endangers the animal, I do have the prescription med called Acetazolamide that I could try and get a refill of for you. I had to go to some exotics vet to get it so if you need it, I'll try and spare you the pain.

 

[scottio]

Picture of Tang

Picture of Tang

Here is a picture. It does not seem to be getting any better. It looks like gas bubbles on the bottom fin.
If anyone has seen this or knows what it is, can you please let me know.
Thank you.

 

[PghFishNerd]

Is it just me, or is there like, three bubbles on the bottom fin? There seems to be some discoloration there too. His tail fin looks kinda tatterred as well. Was he like that when you got him? Which store did you get him from?
Here's some info I found online:

Gas Bubble Disease

Gas bubble disease is not caused merely by air bubbles in the water, as the name might lead you to believe. It is caused by oversaturation of dissolved nitrogen gas in the water. Standard airstones and water changes don't harm fish by putting bubbles in the water. Pump, fountain or filter failure, increased temperature or excessive aeration, however, could result in this sometimes fatal occurance.

It is similar to when a scuba diver rises up from deep water too fast, and the change in pressure causes the "bends." The water (in this example, that which is within the bloodstream) is forced to contain more gas than it can normally hold, which causes supersaturation. When this difference between gas pressures occurs, the gas seperates too quickly out of the bloodstream, leaving gas bubbles behind.

Symptoms:
Fish affected by gas bubble disease may have visible bubbles under their skin/scales, or in their eyes. Or they may simply act sick if the problem is internal where you can't see it.

Solutions:
Stirring up the water may help hasten the degassing of the water a bit, but it doesn't do much for your fish at all. Examine equipment: if you have a submersible pump, be sure it's not sucking in air: be sure it's covered sufficiently with water. Equipment that is pulling air in with the water will cause problems.

 

[scottio]

Thanks for the response. I'll have to check all the pumps.

The tail if fine. It was how the picture come out. He was fine when I bought him and I acclimated him over a three hour period before putting him into my tank.

I'll guess I'll have to wait and see??????

 

[PghFishNerd]

No problem scottio.
Yeah, must've been the picture. If it's what I think it is (Gas Bubble Disease), then it's not life threatening unless it's internal as well or it's on the mouth or eyes. If his body looks bloated, that's when you should be worried. Otherwise, I would just wait it out.