Purple Tang Problems

[RickM61]

I have a purple tang that has been in quarentine for the last 40 days due to an ich problem..he or she shows no sign of ich anymore and i was going to transfer back to the display tank today but i noticed lines on its face and down his laterial line..is this a stress and would it be ok to move it back to the display tank..

thanks in advance for any advise

 

[Macimage]

I would not move any fish to my display tank until it is perfectly healthy. If you think it's getting HLLE, then you should treat in the qt tank until he/she is well. There are several downsides to moving an unhealthy or not completely healthy fish to your dt:

1. You run the risk of the fish in the display tank getting sick.

2. The move to the display tank will cause more stress to tang. If it's healthy, it has a better chance of any type of aggression shown during the first few days after the move.

3. He/she will have to compete for food in the dt. If it has HLLE, it needs extra food and vitamins, which are easier to provide in a one on one environment.

All in all, it's better to treat in the qt tank until you are sure it's healthy.

Good luck!
Joyce

 

[RickM61]

ok what is HLLE.. i just started giving it veggies and its eating this stuff up..

 

[cloak]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/sp/index.php

 

[Chibils]

HLLE is an acronym for head and lateral line erosion. It's a disorder caused by (we believe) a lack of certain nutrients in the diet.

I didn't click the link ^, but I assume it is info about HLLE.

 

[RickM61]

it describes what it is but not much on how to treat it..any suggestions would be helpful..i dont want to lose this guy

 

[Chibils]

IIRC, it's a lot like scurvy for fish. Vitamin C is what he's lacking most likely, but I'm not too well versed in HLLE.

 

[cloak]

A varied diet should be all you need. Heavy on the greens. See alot of this in freshwater oscars. There omnivores, but have been fed nothing but feeder goldfish and worms.

 

[Macimage]

I think soaking their nori in Selcon and other vitamin enriched additives helps.

You may want to use the search button at the top of RC and spend some time reading all the threads on it.

Good luck!
Joyce

 

[marc price]

move it to your reef display asap and feed it nori. in an established reef tank it'll heal of it's own accord.

 

[RickM61]

thank you all so much for your help..i just put him back in the display tank and he has eaten alot of greens today...i will keep you all posted on how he is doing...

 

[Patrick12]

If the HLLE is the only symptoms exhibited and the fish has been cured of the crypt, then it is fine to add back to the display. In fact, that may very well help reverse the issue. HLLE has many purported causes......stress, nutrition, stray voltage, and small confines...another kind of stress. It is important to ensure that the crypt has been treated and is certainly gone. Otherwise, you will re-infect the display. Hope that helps.

 

[niles1967]

The answer is obvious. 5 weeks in QT . Let me guess: no biological filtration or frequent water changes. Ammonia builds up fast and the ph is unstable in a QT tank and HLLE comes soon thereafter. Sometimes QT can be worse than the disease you are trying to prevent. My experience has convinced me that HLLE is a direct result of poor water quality.

 

[niles1967]

Consider this also: HLLE is not contagous. Keep the fish in optimal water parameters and it will disappear in a few months. Take my advice, I have been through this before. If other fish start eating away at the new fish's scales, then HLLE has set in to the point where it can't remain in your DT. Remove it back into QT., otherwise watch it closely.

 

[niles1967]

Listen Rick, I just read through this again. If your fish has a raised line over the top of it's body from head to tail, it is HLLE. Scale loss around the face will follow if better water conditions are not soon met. Trust me on this.

 

[flfireman1]

Check out my previous thread on the same issue:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1325431
Also notice the dates. This fish healed very quickly. HLLE is a combination of things IMO: poor water quality, poor diet, poor environment. Everything I read points to those factors.

I happened to inspect this fish last night and he is completely healed, you would have never known he had a problem. He has a healthy appetite and is a stunning fish.

Good luck, it will heal with a little time.

 

[RickM61]

niles

i put the fish back in the DT and he is eating fine- all sorts of foods..in fact anything i put in there...1 thing i want to stress..yes this fish was in qt for 5 weeks but in no way did he have poor water conditions..i monitored my levels on a daily basis and did water changes according to tests and added meds back according to directions..and when i did water changes i 50/50 with RO and water out of the g/f seahorse tank that was not infected.. thanks for the advise


Rick

 

[Macimage]

Glad to hear he's doing so well.

Joyce

 

[RickM61]

thanks Macimage

he seems to be doing much better today..starting to show the rest of the tank who is boss again..

Rick