How can I bring my fish's color back?

[GigaFish]

I have had a purple tang for about a year and a half now. For that entire time, he has been recovering from the worst case of HLLE I have ever seen in my experience. So for the past year and a half I have been feeding a proper diet of mysis, brine, spirulina, marine cuisine, and nori strips daily all soaked in zoe, zoecon, and vitamin c. The results of this are spectacular. Almost the entire HLLE is gone and the variating pigmentation has come back as well.

My problem is, my purple tang's color is very faded. He is not near as vibrant and bright as all the other purple tangs that I see in the lfs. Is there something I can do to reverse this?

1.5yrs ago (When I first got him - Crappy Camera)

5 months ago

I dont have a recent photo, but the HLLE is gone.

I know in the pics his color doesnt look that bad, but lets just say the picture looks better that what he his. His color is purple and yellow, yet its kind of gray.

 

[seapug]

Probably still recovering or permanently scarred-- keep up with the greens soaked in Selcon or Zoe. Vitamin C in the diet is the key, based on what I've read.

 

[GigaFish]

Can you point me to any good topics or articles that you have read about the vitamin c?

 

[Creetin]

I would try new life spectrum thera a pellets and flakes in the diet.
You could also look into multi vitamin treatments like a one a day pill dessolved and soaked into the food. I have seen people use seachems metro and focus used in the foods. But those treatments are a little less common.
I would just try the flake and pellet food i suggested above first, and if no improvement i would lean to more vitamins.

 

[sunfishh]

I would PM Paul B. He has been using fish oil caplets with good results to maintain fish coloration. I am guessing it would help restore color also.

 

[seapug]

Do a Google search on HLLE.

Every book I have and article I've read usually mentions it being related to a Vitamin C deficiency attributed to improper captive diets. Julian Sprung Sea Veggies is very high in Vitamin C as well as the supplement Selcon I mentioned above. The results you've experienced with the diet changes is another great piece of evidence.