Blue Hippo with Bumps - Need Advice

qlcing · Dec 14, 2016

I noticed bumps on my blue hippo (and scratching itself against the rocks) about 2 weeks ago. The only conclusion I could come to (and my LFS) was Ich. The bumps are not entirely white however.

I've had no success trying to trap it to get it to my quarantine tank (and help would be appreciated).

I've been treating it with medicated caviar and Ich treatment for about 5 days now in the main tank. Note: no other fish are displaying symptoms of Ich.

It doesn't seem to be helping at all. What should I do? Tank is 110 gallons and all my parameters are perfect.

Brew12 · Dec 14, 2016

qlcing said:
I noticed bumps on my blue hippo (and scratching itself against the rocks) about 2 weeks ago. The only conclusion I could come to (and my LFS) was Ich. The bumps are not entirely white however.

I've had no success trying to trap it to get it to my quarantine tank (and help would be appreciated).

I've been treating it with medicated caviar and Ich treatment for about 5 days now in the main tank. Note: no other fish are displaying symptoms of Ich.

It doesn't seem to be helping at all. What should I do? Tank is 110 gallons and all my parameters are perfect.

My hippo does this too. I will never have one in an aquarium again because I stress every time I see him. While you can't rule out Ich, I know my tang always gets abrasions from how it tries to wedge itself between rocks. It will even develop white marks. I hope this is the case with yours!
All I can say is keep a close eye on him and I wouldn't start worrying unless you see him breathing rapidly or you start seeing the white spots on his fins.

Oh, and welcome to Reef2Reef!!!! Glad you stopped by!

Humblefish · Dec 14, 2016

Hippo Tangs will sometimes get splotches (probably stress spots), but scratching itself against the rocks is not normal. Does the fish seem to target the gills when it scratches?

qlcing · Dec 14, 2016

Humblefish said:
Hippo Tangs will sometimes get splotches (probably stress spots), but scratching itself against the rocks is not normal. Does the fish seem to target the gills when it scratches?

No - it seems more of a full body scratch. I would love to get her into my quarantine tank, but she's always hiding in the rocks, etc like normal. Is there a decent trap that would work?

Brew12 · Dec 14, 2016

qlcing said:
No - it seems more of a full body scratch. I would love to get her into my quarantine tank, but she's always hiding in the rocks, etc like normal. Is there a decent trap that would work?

Keep a close eye on it for infection. If it looks like a scratch then just observe it for now. Watch for changes in either the fishes behavior or its appearance. I wouldn't try to catch it unless you see something new or different.

Ann_A · Dec 14, 2016

Approximately how large are the bumps? Roughly how big around are they?

How long have you had the fish and have you added any new fish to the tank in the last month or so?