What's worng with my tangs? Pics Included.

Here's some pics, it looks like scabs that surround each eye, left and right. The hippo tang additionally looks like he has a cataract on his left eye; I know it sounds crazy, but he deffinatly has a haze in his left eye. What's wrong? I feel so bad for the little guys. Is there any meds I can give them? Any input would be great. Thanks everybody.
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the cloudy eye could be flukes, prazipro i believe helps clear that up but isnt recommended to be used on a tank if you have featherdusters. the scabs i'm not too sure about, hopefully someone else can chime in as i am kind of curious myself. how are they eating? any loss of appitite? i would soak their food with garlic and selcon to help them fight this as well.

i hope everything goes well! best of luck to you
 
It also looks like something has been nipping at your sailfine. If the two tangs are fighting they could be stressed out as well. Any way to seperate them while you treat them?
 
more than likely the marks on both fish are from aggressive fighting, two tangs of that size in that size tank will def. raise some tempers. a tail whip from a surgeonfish can inflict quite a bit of damage. if you have a second tank that you can set up and isolate one of the two tangs for a little bit that would probably be best until they heal up. how long have they been tankmates? ever notice chasing or a "backing into" motion by any of the tangs towards one another?
 
more than likely the marks on both fish are from aggressive fighting, two tangs of that size in that size tank will def. raise some tempers. a tail whip from a surgeonfish can inflict quite a bit of damage. if you have a second tank that you can set up and isolate one of the two tangs for a little bit that would probably be best until they heal up. how long have they been tankmates? ever notice chasing or a "backing into" motion by any of the tangs towards one another?


+1 most likely due to fighting and stress. I have a 75 gallon and had a blue hippo and purple tang. I had to get rid of the blue because it got too big and kept fighting with the purple.
 
I've found the Blue Hippo to be a very hyper fish. They nailed that fish in Nemo. A 55 will not be big enough once it grows bigger. I would recommend only 1 tang in a 55. I'm sure this is what's causing the problem.

Brett
 
that's it ray. It's gotta be. I do use activated carbon, and I've never dosed vit. C. I think it's time I do. Ray, I know you always post group buys for vitiman C, what kind should I get, where should I get it, and how do I adminester it? I think I'll also try a bactrial medication as some of the people on you link think HLLE may be bacterial. Can't hurt right.
 
Thanks for the info everybody. I will be stting up my 90gal any time now. So as soon as I do my tangs will have a bigger home. If the problem persists though I might end up having to sell one for cheap, just so he/she has a good home.
 
Might as well setup a 120 as it is still a 4 ft tank and will offer room for them to grow.

The vitamin C we ordered was for dosing in the water to lower nitrates. I am not sure that would work for this.

What do you feed them? I would think any pellet food should have suffcient vit c.

I guess you scouod soak the food in some vitamins

It could come about from stress, and two tangs that size in a 55g are proabably stressed.
 
Looks like HLLE (head and lateral line erosion) to me, do you run carbon?

Look a bit more than halfway down the page (2/14/09 date) at the picture of the Kole Tang:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7WZPA_en&tbs=isch:1

Also see here:

http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/hlle-and-activated-carbon-looking-link

--Ray

hey Ray, is there any real proof that running carbon can cause HLLE? I was really always under the assumption that it is mostly caused by stress and malnutrition
 
Only what I read in those articles.

I was always under the impression it was nutrition related.

I actually got that link in an email from Coral Magazine yesterday so I figured I would post it.
 
It is definitely the beginnings of HLLE. Was going to say it before I even got to Ray's post, because I've had tangs that had it. If it continues, you will begin to see the line extend back over the body of the fish, with general detorioration of the fish. Doesn't seem to be a huge impact on their health in general, as they will eat very well. Stress could definitely contribute to the onset of HLLE though, and having more than one tang in a smaller space could definitely do that. HLLE can also be brought on by a diet that is depleted in greens, as that's a tang's natural diet. Make sure you're feeding them nori, or other vegetable-based food.
 
I run carbon religiously, and have never experienced lateral line in any of my tangs due to that. Before I knew what I was doing, I did feed them a diet that primarily consisted of brine shrimp with little spirulina, nori, or other vegetable-based foods, and those fish did develop HLLE. You see it a lot in office tanks of people who have professionals maintain the tanks, because the office workers feed the same flaked food day in and day out. My Scopas I have now is not showing any signs of it, neither did the sailfin that I had for a year before he died unexpectedly. I would, however, venture a guess that stress is exacerbating the situation.
 
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