large Imperator with MHLLE

also, would like opinions if you think MHLLE is transmissible or not. I currently have the Imperator isolated, primarily to optimize it's diet. If introduced to the community tank what do you think is the likelihood of spreading MHLLEE to the tangs or other fish?
 
My personal belief is the MHLLE is not contagious and is instead an environmental issue (diet and water quality primarily).
 
thanks Steven, the Imperator seems otherwise healthy, eating well, etc. if this was an infectious agent I would expect more symptoms
 
I do not have the Emperor, but I recently had MHLLE on my powder brown tang. He was in QT under copper treatment for ich. At the end of the two weeks, he had developed MHLLE. Not a severe case, but it was evident on his face behind his eye up to his spine.

He has been in the display tank for two weeks now and the MHLLE has receeded a great deal. I am hoping that it will clear completely. His eating habits improved shortly after he went into the DT and I ensure that he is well fed. He picks at the rock and walls all day. He also gets meaty frozen foods as well as flake, pellet and sheet algae. One theory in the link you provided is nutritional deficiency. While I cannot claim that was the problem with the PBT, I believe the improved eating MAY have helped reverse the MHLLE. Further, copper treatment is not what I would consider pristine water condition.

By the way, I really like the Emperor. I would like to get one, but I have a blue face who is the king of the tank. I think there would be major aggression issues and I just don't want to chance it.
 
thanks for posting rockworm, I'm particularly curious about any experience regarding transmissions to other community fish as my tank is "disease free" at the moment. Glad to hear your PBT is improving.

I don't blame you for being cautious about adding an Imperator with your Blue Face, the previous owner of my Imperator had him in with another large Scribbled angel and was very dominant. I'm wondering how aggressive he will be in my community tank of mostly Tangs, all of which are much smaller. I don't want to stress them.
 
make sure to offer the emp a variety of different fresh and commercially sold foods with added aminos and vitamins supplements plenty of greens and with pristine water quality and added nutrition and low stress the fish should recover almost fully if not entirely just be patient as this can take some months for it to heal
 
Elliot, there has been no transmission to the other fish in the tank. They are all healthy and doing great.

My blue face is about 5" long and was added after the following: vlamingi tang (6"), tomini tang(3"), longnose hawk(3"), biclour angel(3") and marine beta(4"). After the blue face, I added the powder brown(2"), potters angel(2"), flame angel (2")and a bannerfish(4"). The banner fish is the only fish that the BF has harrassed. This lasted for about 2 days and then the aggression resided. The BF occasionally gives him a short chase, but the bannerfish outswims him easily. I am a little concerned as I have 3 SemiLavartus Butterfly Fish that I will be adding in a month. They are currently in QT. They are very shy and skittish, although they do not hide as much when I go near the tank. The blue face may treat them the same way as he did the banner. However, he should also leave them alone shortly after he demonstrates who is the boss.

If the Imperator is similar to the blue face in temperament, then you should not have a problem with aggression.

Note that these fish are all in a 220g FOWLR. The only one I know I will have to trade out some day, due to size, is the vlamingi.

Ward

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13671846#post13671846 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elliott
thanks for posting rockworm, I'm particularly curious about any experience regarding transmissions to other community fish as my tank is "disease free" at the moment. Glad to hear your PBT is improving.

I don't blame you for being cautious about adding an Imperator with your Blue Face, the previous owner of my Imperator had him in with another large Scribbled angel and was very dominant. I'm wondering how aggressive he will be in my community tank of mostly Tangs, all of which are much smaller. I don't want to stress them.
Click to expand...
 
I have also been studying this disease for many years and know all of the theories of the causes. I like the idea that captivity causes it.
I personally have never seen a fish with it in the sea and I have been diving since the seventees. It is most prevelent in tangs and angels. My theory is still stress. We use stress a lot and there is no way to to control most stress in a captive fish. Tangs which are very suseptable almost always live in schools. You never see a hippo tang alone. In a tank they know they are alone which is the reason they hide in the rocks at your approach. They are also used to roaming far around the reef looking for algae which they eat all day, not just once or twice like we feed them. They also know they are in shallow water. You would never find an adult tang in water two feet deep. If you released one in the sea in shallow water, it would immediately head to deep water. I have a bleeny with severe HLLE. It was accidently left in a container of rock in the dark with no circulation or food for about a month. The skin is gone on half the fish.
My Hippo tang also had a problem when it was in a small tank for a few days. It developed HLLE in a short time. Being back in the reef tank he is much better with his "good" skin looking like velvet and very nice but he is scarred.
Vitamin A does seem to work to halt the disease but if the fish is scarred, it may always be that way. I feed vitamin A by soaking flake food in the vitamin. The vitamin is a sticky oil and it will stick to any dry food. Don't put it on wet food or it will just float causing an oil slick.
I once cured a large French Angel with vitamin A to a point where you could hardly tell the fish ever had HLLE but you never know if it was the treatment or if something else was a factor.
I occasionally feed my fish Vitamin A which comes as Cod Liver Oil.
I even take the stuff myself and I have never developed HLLE :lol:
 
well, thanks for your posts guys, I'm now considering just going ahead and introducing the Imperator into the reef tank as the likelihood of transmission seems rather small and there would be much less stress there.

I'd like to get your opinions, since I have you here :D

this is a 10" Imperator that will be with a mix of fish, mostly Tangs, that are at most half it's size. the Imperator was the dominant fish in a FOWLR tank including large puffer, triggor, Scribble angel, and another lg angel, where he chased the other Angels into hiding. Do you think he will stress out my other fish?

as you know, the thing about a reef tank is, once you release a fish it's almost impossible to catch it again :lol:
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13673629#post13673629 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paul B
I would say he is probably going to be a pest but I guess you will find out shortly
Click to expand...

hmm, haven't put him in yet! and may not

I'm hoping that he was aggressive towards the other angels and that since I don't have angels he will be ok, but that maybe just wishful thinking. I have never kept an Imperator, and this is a big boy! :eek:
 
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