Oh, please help.

Nitroxdiver63

Nitroxdiver63

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Black ick or HLLE? Please help!
Nearly 6 weeks ago we awoke to raised black bumps on our Hippo Tang, the night before... he was perfect. After researching and seeing that all of the other fish were doing fine, we left him in the DT until about three weeks ago when he stopped eating.

He's now been in QT for 3 weeks and though we have not actually seen him eat, we know he must be consuming something or he would have died a long time ago. We are feeding Formila flakes in the AM and garlic mysis in the evening. We are also leaving garlic Nori in the tank as well.

Again, we have researched nearly every forum and have read about all there is to read on Black Ick and HLLE but we haven't gotten the answers we need. Should we leave him in QT with copper? Shoot, we aren't even sure what we are fighting here! Most photos online are very blurry and we can't tell if they fit his problem or not. The water parameters are nearly perfect and the nitrates are between 5-10ppm. We've done water changes, nearly 50% a few days ago and this morning his black spots seem worse and though they are no longer raised like a welt, he has black lines through his scales.

We just need someone with some experience to please help us get our fish well again. He wants to go back into the DT and live a "Happy Hippo Life." ��

Thank you in advance.
 
Have you treated for bacterial infections? If not, I would try a broad-spectrum antibiotic like Furan-2 to see if that turns things around.
 
That doesn't look like black ich to me. When I've seen black ich, it looks like black pinpoints
 
The picture about halfway down the page at the following link looks somewhat like yours. I thought my hippo had some beginning symptoms of MHLLE and after a bunch of research found that there is no consensus on how to treat it. The best "plan" I got out of it was to feed enriched food. So I ordered and now always feed frozen food soaked in selcon, vitachem and a drop of kent garlic (to invoke a feeding response because in the beginning I had some sluggish eaters) once a day.

My fish's color improved and the "erosion" reversed. Then again, I am not sure if what mine had was MHLLE or indeed, if it was anything. It very well could have been my perception. Also, at the time it had some bad ich, then I took all the fish out and treated them in my hospital tank. So it could just have been stressed too.

In any case, it couldn't hurt to try enriching it's food if you aren't already. I actually read a couple of other things.. In one case the individual removed activated carbon from the filtration of their system and the MHLLE got better. In a completely different case, the opposite happened. The guy put activated carbon in and things got better.

How long have you had the hippo?

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/sp/
 
jbvdhp said:
That doesn't look like black ich to me. When I've seen black ich, it looks like black pinpoints
Click to expand...


That's how it started two months ago in the DT, raised black bumps. It's has sense turned into this. I'm beginning to think that it's getting worse and turned into this "mess" from treating in QT.
 
krullshards said:
The picture about halfway down the page at the following link looks somewhat like yours. I thought my hippo had some beginning symptoms of MHLLE and after a bunch of research found that there is no consensus on how to treat it. The best "plan" I got out of it was to feed enriched food. So I ordered and now always feed frozen food soaked in selcon, vitachem and a drop of kent garlic (to invoke a feeding response because in the beginning I had some sluggish eaters) once a day.

My fish's color improved and the "erosion" reversed. Then again, I am not sure if what mine had was MHLLE or indeed, if it was anything. It very well could have been my perception. Also, at the time it had some bad ich, then I took all the fish out and treated them in my hospital tank. So it could just have been stressed too.

In any case, it couldn't hurt to try enriching it's food if you aren't already. I actually read a couple of other things.. In one case the individual removed activated carbon from the filtration of their system and the MHLLE got better. In a completely different case, the opposite happened. The guy put activated carbon in and things got better.

How long have you had the hippo?

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/sp/
Click to expand...

I can not thank you enough for the link. You're right, that hippo looks exactly like ours. I'm going back over to read it all but I wanted to thank you first. We've had the hippo a little over two months and it's had issues from about the second or third week. She started out in the QT with copper. I'll post more reply after I read the link you sent.
 
krullshards said:
The picture about halfway down the page at the following link looks somewhat like yours. I thought my hippo had some beginning symptoms of MHLLE and after a bunch of research found that there is no consensus on how to treat it. The best "plan" I got out of it was to feed enriched food. So I ordered and now always feed frozen food soaked in selcon, vitachem and a drop of kent garlic (to invoke a feeding response because in the beginning I had some sluggish eaters) once a day.

My fish's color improved and the "erosion" reversed. Then again, I am not sure if what mine had was MHLLE or indeed, if it was anything. It very well could have been my perception. Also, at the time it had some bad ich, then I took all the fish out and treated them in my hospital tank. So it could just have been stressed too.

In any case, it couldn't hurt to try enriching it's food if you aren't already. I actually read a couple of other things.. In one case the individual removed activated carbon from the filtration of their system and the MHLLE got better. In a completely different case, the opposite happened. The guy put activated carbon in and things got better.

How long have you had the hippo?

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/sp/
Click to expand...

Wow, LOTS of information and really exactly what I have found while investigating... no one is sure how it's started and no one knows for sure how to treat it. No wonder I'm confused! So, here's what we did today...

We drained the QT and refilled with established water from the DT. We replaced the filter medium and we DID NOT add medication to the tank. We have been feeding Firmula 2 flakes, mysis and garlic soaked nori. I think we will continue these things without the addition of garlic and see what happens. What are you feeding? The link mentioned Vit C and A, nothing of which should be in the flakes since they are a recommended brand for the Hippos. I'm anxious to hear what you are feeding soecifically.

Again, thank you for the help! If you think of anything to add, please do so.
 
krullshards said:
I hope your hippo gets better. It's terrible watching your pet waste away and not be able to help it.
Click to expand...



Makes us all want to become "pet vets" doesn't it's? After reading the article provided above, this doesn't apear to be fatal in most cases. Sigh of relief there and hoping it stands true.
 
I haven't been successful in getting mine to eat nori. It's really strange. It's great that yours does. I got some kelp flakes and also, if I shred the nori into smaller pieces he'll eat those too.

I feed the flakes, mysis, spirulina fed frozen brine. I try to mix it up from feeding to feeding. What I do is stick it in a bowl full of tank water or RO/DI water and then put a few drops of selcon, vitachem and a drop of Kent garlic extreme in. I mix it up and let it soak for a few minutes then feed.

His color has been brilliant and he seems happy.

Here are links from Amazon for the stuff I use:

http://www.amazon.com/American-Mari...ie=UTF8&qid=1458015437&sr=8-1&keywords=selcon
http://www.amazon.com/Boyd-Enterpri...=UTF8&qid=1458015453&sr=8-2&keywords=vitachem
http://www.amazon.com/Kent-Marine-G...1458015469&sr=8-1&keywords=kent+garlic+xtreme

I agree. I find it very gratifying to successfully treat a fish and get it feeling well again. While in hypo I had a nitrite spike (before the hospital tank had fully cycled) and I didn't realize it. I almost lost a green chromis, one that I've had from the beginning. He was at first gasping at the surface of the water and then lying on his side at the bottom of the tank. I fished him out, stuck him in a little 1 gallon hospital tank, stuck an airstone in there and treated with methylene blue for 24 hours and he perked right up and is as strong as ever now.
 
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