Is my Chrysurus Angel changing?

[JSeymour]

So to make a long story short, due to a bad quarantine of a cucumber,:headwally:, I introduced ich into my fowlr. The tank has been in hypo for 5 weeks now and everyone left is doing great, I think. Water parameters are all in par, 0 ammonia and nitrite, <5ppm nitrate, stable 7.9 pH, and salinity of 11ppm(slightly low due to skimmer and ato).

So finally what I've notice the last week. In the last week my chrysurus has started to develop two light spots on it's forehead, only on one side. They are pigment changes, not thickened slime coat or infection. Problem is, I can't find a pic of a chrysurus changing like this. It looks like normally they start to fade from the top of the head, not as sparatic spots. What do you guys think?

This is the clean side.

Note the two light spots on her forehead.

The trimaculatus is her best friend, they are always together.

Anything to worry about? It just seems weird and I don't want anything to happen to her.

 

[mattsilvester]

As evident by the yellowing tail, she has started changing. Anecdotely, when my emporer changed there some of this blotching. I don't recall if I did anything to adress it specifically, but I always kept on top of water quality and diet, and she made a full and sucessful transformation.

From your pictures, your fish looks full bodied, well coloured, and healthy. Unless something else gives rise for further concern, I don't think you have naything to worry about.

 

[jjk_reef00]

+1 on the tail.
It is hard to tell if it is HLLE, keep an eye on it and make sure you feed a wide variety of foods. Are other fish aggressive or harassing the Chrysurus?

 

[JSeymour]

As evident by the yellowing tail, she has started changing. Anecdotely, when my emporer changed there some of this blotching. I don't recall if I did anything to adress it specifically, but I always kept on top of water quality and diet, and she made a full and sucessful transformation.

From your pictures, your fish looks full bodied, well coloured, and healthy. Unless something else gives rise for further concern, I don't think you have naything to worry about.

I knew she had begun changing, evident by the yellow tail. She's had the yellow tail since about 2.5". She's just over 3.5" now. She seems very healthy. I was hoping to hear someone say their angel got some splotches during transformation, makes me feel a little better. I was worried it was a sign she wasn't reacting well to the hypo treatment.

+1 on the tail.
It is hard to tell if it is HLLE, keep an eye on it and make sure you feed a wide variety of foods. Are other fish aggressive or harassing the Chrysurus?

It's definitely not HLLE. Not really a wound or infection, more a pigment thing. No one harasses her. The only fish she gets out of the way for is the giant yellowfin tang during feeding.

Since both of you brought up food, she eats daily; Seaweed Selects Algae sheets(all varieties), ON flakes and pellets(Veggie, Omni, Reef), freeze-dried plankton, frozen mysis, squid, mussels, and oysters, and Formula I and II cubes. Not diet related. Since water quality goes along with that, the tank gets 30% water changes weekly and the skimmer pulls out just over a gallon a week of what looks like concentrated brownish-green phytoplankton. Since putting the tank on hypo, I've also greatly increased carbon dosing to counter act the live rock dying off. Ammonia and nitrite have remained at zero continuously. Nitrates are still at <5ppm. No water quality issues to speak of.

Thank you both. It sounds like it's not anything to worry about, but better safe than sorry. If anyone has any other questions or ideas, let me know.

 

[mattsilvester]

Jason,

Indeed, nothing to worry about at all.

I must be honest, hypo in the DT, with LR in place may not have been the best idea in the world - but your half way through it now and it appears you are well on top of any potential water quality issues, so stay the course.

I've discussed recently with others about HLLE in angels; copper treatment has been one of the possible causes, or contributors, to HLLE in angels and tangs - and it does seem that aquarists that have treated their fish with copper do seem to have higher instances of angels with HLLE - so you have done the right thing with the hypo-slainty treatment, in terms of avoid possible future problems (I am in no way saying the copper treatment is the cause of HLLE, it just might be, with only anecdotal evidence).

Good luck, hope it all works out - really nice looking fish by the way - one of may favourites.

 

[SDguy]

It doesn't look to be in the correct location to be HLLE, especially the smaller, upper blotch. Lovely fish, BTW.

 

[JSeymour]

Jason,

Indeed, nothing to worry about at all.

I must be honest, hypo in the DT, with LR in place may not have been the best idea in the world - but your half way through it now and it appears you are well on top of any potential water quality issues, so stay the course.

I've discussed recently with others about HLLE in angels; copper treatment has been one of the possible causes, or contributors, to HLLE in angels and tangs - and it does seem that aquarists that have treated their fish with copper do seem to have higher instances of angels with HLLE - so you have done the right thing with the hypo-slainty treatment, in terms of avoid possible future problems (I am in no way saying the copper treatment is the cause of HLLE, it just might be, with only anecdotal evidence).

Good luck, hope it all works out - really nice looking fish by the way - one of may favourites.

Awesome. I know, the day I started dropping the salinity in the DT, I debated several different alternatives. By the end of the day, I had lost two butterflies and my trimaculatus was looking bad, so I took the plunge. I've been aggressively carbon dosing to counteract the die off. Seemed to work well.

Thank you, she's one of my favorites too.

It doesn't look to be in the correct location to be HLLE, especially the smaller, upper blotch. Lovely fish, BTW.

My thoughts exactly. I did think HLLE when the first, larger spot appeared, but it's too high too so I quickly dismissed that.

Thank you.

 

[alton]

It is normal, enjoy the transition