need opinions on best treatment (blue tang)

[guardrail]

Hey all i just saved this blue tang from certain further health issues because it jumped out of a stores display tank and was put into a 65 with way too much rockwork for a swimmer like this.... now from the obvious signs of bad HLLE what else might be wrong... and what treatments further than a more algae diet and deep mud bed refugium tank should i do? any other recommendations? thanks.... heres the picture....

 

[kevin2000]

MMM ... might add underweight/starvation to the list.

 

[techigirl78]

Poor thing. How big is it? It could be stunted.

I would make sure it gets a mix of foods. I keep nori out for mine and feed it a variety of frozen vitamin/garlic enriched foods.

I know someone on here saved a blue tang from HLLE, but I can't recall the thread I saw where they posted before and after pics. I think providing an appropriate environment with good water conditions and nutrition goes a long way though.

 

[JHemdal]

Isn't it funny how people can look at a picture and see two completely different things? What I see is a long-term captive hepatus with atypical HLLE and what looks like scrape marks on its flanks from jumping out or banging into coral. The fish seems to be around 4 to 6" long and looks kind of full-bodied - almost chunky to me. The previous posters see a skinny, stunted fish....

So - if what I'm seeing is correct, I would watch for secondary infections on those scrapes and make sure that the nips in its caudal fin are not being caused by another fish its in with now. Since most cases of resolved HLLE also involved the fish being moved to a new tank, you're halfway to winning that battle - assuming that your tank has an unblemished record for fish and HLLE.

If what I'm seeing is incorrect, well then, never mind(grin)



JHemdal

 

[jmicky41]

JHemdal, are you saying that HLLE can be treated by moving a fish to a new tank? And that if said tank had a fish with HLLE in it previously, that the HLLE not improve? Have they ever figured out what exactly is the cause of HLLE? Has the link to carbon usage and HLLE ever been proven?

My tiny (nickel sized) blue tang got real bad HLLE in my 20 gallon quarantine tank under hyposality. It looked like half it's face was gone/pitted. After a few months back in the big tank it looks perfect - also grew to quarter/ half dollar size.

 

[JHemdal]

jmicky41,

Obviously HLLE is a complicated topic, but there is tons of misinformation out there. What I was trying to say is that most cases of completely resolved HLLE included moving the fish to a new (better) tank at some point. Straight diet changes with everything else remaining unchanged does not work in the vast majority of cases, and in the cases where diet change alone has purported to cure the fish, there was very often another change that went unidentified (these run the gamut of installing a skimmer, changing brands of carbon, changing the substrate, cleaning out the sump, etc.).

I've determined to my own satisfaction that carbon fines (dust) from certain brands of carbon initiates HLLE. This is "proven" as far as I'm concerned. I strongly suspect that we will ultimately find that all cses of acute HLLE and some chronic cases of HLLE are caused by particulate matter in aquariums causing damage to the fish's lateral line pores.

Jay

p.s. - just for my own curiosity - how large is that fish and is it skinny like the others saw?

 

[techigirl78]

JHemdal - Do you know which brands of carbon could be or have been linked to HLLE? I use black diamond and haven't had any issue with my tangs in a few years - though I don't constantly run it either. Also, I thought the tang looked like a decent size, assuming that is correct, you don't think it could be stunted if it was housed for a good amount of time in a rock packed 65 gal? Not that there would be any treatment beyond getting it in a bigger tank, I just have read that once stunted it can effect long term growth and overall lifespan. Thoughts?

 

[JHemdal]

No on the brands, most of the carbons I've heard of problems with have been bulk commercial products because thats what public aquariums use, and that's where my information comes from. I've only got some general ideas that dusty, soft carbons are worse then extruded pellets or carbon that was rinsied well. Filters with high flow rates that will tend to grind the carbon into dust also play a role in this.

I'd love to set up a study and really nail this down as to brand/type of carbon, but that would mean instigating HLLE in the study fish which is pretty invasive....

Jay