yellow tang with hlle--how do i reverse this?

[rgentry123]

title says it all. my yellow tang started showing signs of hlle about a month or so ago. i immediately took all carbon out of the system and started feeding a lot more nori thinking maybe some more vegetable matter in it's diet would help but it doesnt seem to be reversing at all. any thoughts out there?

 

[otrlynn]

I had a Kole Tang that developed HLLE in a QT while being treated for ich. I did a lot of reading at the time and it there may be a relationship between HLLE and carbon, but I never found anything difinitive. Most of what I read talked about keeping good water parameters and feeding nutritious food. I alternated between soaking the Nori in Selcon and Garlic guard and continuing to feed frozen mysis, pellets, and flake on a rotation. The HLLE that was visible along the lateral line disappeared, but there is some scaring left around his face. Basically it is an area that has lost color--gives the brownish tang the appearance of a racoon! Anyway, he is otherwise recovered but not picture perfect. Here's an article on HLLE from Reefkeeping Mag.

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

 

[goldmaniac]

i've had quite a few tangs recover from HLLE / lateral line when i put them in my tank. don't think it was my doing, just the setup I have. maybe this will help:

feed nori from a clip (either green or brown/red, i get it cheap from asian food store)
flake food, Formula 1 and Spriulina

this isn't a remarkable diet at all, so I think it's my setup:

120 AGA with a 50 gallon refugium
100 micron filter socks
NO SKIMMER
Caulerpa prolifera and 3" sand bed.

I setup this tank to be a lower-maintenance tank. My lights are more towards the blue side, so when they're on, you don't notice the definite green/yellow tint from the Caulerpa. I really think this is the key to recovery in my tangs.

over the years:
purple tang
convict tang
yellow tang
kole tang
all have recovered. I bought the yellow tang with the hlle, and the convict and kole tangs acquired the hlle from being in a qt tank in the basement for a couple of months. then back into the display, and they recover.

\ purple tang lived 6+ years, first two without the refugium w/ caulerpa.
my convict was in QT when i pulled him out of the display to go fish-less to rid the display of ich.
I have traded the others when they got too large/too aggressive.

hope this helps - I really think having no skimmer all these years kept the yellowing in the tank, from the caulerpa.

again, I like 12k - 15k lighting, so I don't notice the yellowing with the lights on. but when they're off, you can see it.

good luck -

G.

 

[joemama65]

I just read on another forum that someone fed broccoli to their sailfin and it got better not sure if it works but wouldnt hurt to try heres the link to where i read it. You decide if its a valid treatment or not.

http://www.reefland.com/forum/reef-archives/3061-how-reverse-hlle.html

 

[rgentry123]

thanks.i give the broccoli a shot as well as some of the other methods mentioned..thanks again everybody

 

[chaderic26]

I would soak the nori in a vitamin supplament. Also personally I think that it has to do with stress as well as vitamin deficiancies.

 

[Phyxius]

We rescued a Tomini tang for real cheap from a LFS that had HLLE.
Had it in QT and feed it Nori and a mix of other foods as well as the food soaked in Selcon and a little garlic. After QT time was over we placed him in our DT and today you could never tell it ever had it.

Just keep clean water and a balanced diet with Nori included as well as possibly some supplements and it should pull through fine

 

[Cadu]

also, check if you don't have stray current in your tank... it is said that stray current can lead to HLLE.
in doubt, i would drop a ground probe in the sump and leave it there but the best thing is to check one piece of equipment at a time. usually heaters are often the culprits...