Hippo Tang issue?

[himynameis]

Hey all, just looking for some pointers on this hippo tang I inherited a week ago with a tank purchase. To me it looks a bit beat up, but previous owner didn’t mention any aggression or other when asked. As you can see, the stomach looks to be a bit pinched, and the fins ragged, as well as some discoloration near the eyes.

Fish is feeding well and very active, doing what seems to be all the normal tang stuff.

Please provide any input if there is anything I could do to improve the health/recovery. Or just any general pointers are also welcome, thanks!

 

[EliMelly]

I would suggest tagging for a medic. @vetteguy53081 and @Jay Hemdal are the experts.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hey all, just looking for some pointers on this hippo tang I inherited a week ago with a tank purchase. To me it looks a bit beat up, but previous owner didn’t mention any aggression or other when asked. As you can see, the stomach looks to be a bit pinched, and the fins ragged, as well as some discoloration near the eyes.

Fish is feeding well and very active, doing what seems to be all the normal tang stuff.

Please provide any input if there is anything I could do to improve the health/recovery. Or just any general pointers are also welcome, thanks!

Split fins and skin damage can be caused by previous tankmate aggression, but also can show due to chronic issues like nutritional deficiencies or HLLE.
Just feed it well, both algae like nori, as well as high protein frozen foods.

Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey all, just looking for some pointers on this hippo tang I inherited a week ago with a tank purchase. To me it looks a bit beat up, but previous owner didn’t mention any aggression or other when asked. As you can see, the stomach looks to be a bit pinched, and the fins ragged, as well as some discoloration near the eyes.

Fish is feeding well and very active, doing what seems to be all the normal tang stuff.

Please provide any input if there is anything I could do to improve the health/recovery. Or just any general pointers are also welcome, thanks!

Agree on an aggression issue. To add on HLLE, It is not life threating in any way but offers secondary infection in some cases.
Maintaining GOOD water quality and diet are often the fixes and with severe cases, some healing.
Some foods to feed tang are :
LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
TDO Pellets
small plankton
Hikari Marine cuisine
Ocean nutrition veggie diet
spirulina brine shrimp
mysis shrimp
Prime reef
Nori seaweed basted with garlic extract

Add selcon vitamins to foods occasionally

 

[himynameis]

Thank you for the insight. I have removed the beauty angel, blue damselfish, six line wrasse, and bicolor angel that this hippo was previously housed with.

Feeding 3x daily at the moment, alternating nori, pellets, and frozen brine. I’ll keep at it and see if there is progress. The facial discoloration does already look to be improved compared to a week ago when I first picked up the fish.

 

[himynameis]

Agree on an aggression issue. To add on HLLE, It is not life threating in any way but offers secondary infection in some cases.
Maintaining GOOD water quality and diet are often the fixes and with severe cases, some healing.
Some foods to feed tang are :
LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
TDO Pellets
small plankton
Hikari Marine cuisine
Ocean nutrition veggie diet
spirulina brine shrimp
mysis shrimp
Prime reef
Nori seaweed basted with garlic extract

Add selcon vitamins to foods occasionally

I’ll have to get some garlic extract and vitamins. Currently I haven’t seen it go after the nori clip, only what is floating around sometimes.

 

[himynameis]

Garlic definitely gets some interest on the nori! thanks again

 

[himynameis]

Well just noticed today that the hippo tang has developed some white spots, I can count about 5-8 on each side now. Also it’s rubbing a lot more on the rocks throughout the tank. I’ll get a QT set up, and will try to get some photos.

Any ideas in the meantime? Still eating good. Very active. But I noticed a bit heavier breathing it seems in addition to the new spots that appeared today.

@Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081

 

[SudzFD]

Well just noticed today that the hippo tang has developed some white spots, I can count about 5-8 on each side now. Also it’s rubbing a lot more on the rocks throughout the tank. I’ll get a QT set up, and will try to get some photos.

Any ideas in the meantime? Still eating good. Very active. But I noticed a bit heavier breathing it seems in addition to the new spots that appeared today.

@Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081

A picture or video would be helpful but sounds like a parasite infection, maybe ich. The stress if the transfer could have allowed an infection to take hold. Quarantine tank setup is a good move. I think pictures and videos would help confirm the treatment but first instinct would be copper.

 

[himynameis]

A picture or video would be helpful but sounds like a parasite infection, maybe ich. The stress if the transfer could have allowed an infection to take hold. Quarantine tank setup is a good move. I think pictures and videos would help confirm the treatment but first instinct would be copper.

Will try to get some photos and videos tomorrow if I can catch and put in the QT. As far as copper goes, I have some arriving tomorrow, so I’ll be ready for it if needed.

Thinking about trying a FW dip as well, thoughts?

 

[SudzFD]

Will try to get some photos and videos tomorrow if I can catch and put in the QT. As far as copper goes, I have some arriving tomorrow, so I’ll be ready for it if needed.

Thinking about trying a FW dip as well, thoughts?

I’d pass on the dip. It’s pretty stressful for the fish and doubtful it will work unless it’s gill flukes. From what you described it sounds more like ich.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you for the insight. I have removed the beauty angel, blue damselfish, six line wrasse, and bicolor angel that this hippo was previously housed with.

Feeding 3x daily at the moment, alternating nori, pellets, and frozen brine. I’ll keep at it and see if there is progress. The facial discoloration does already look to be improved compared to a week ago when I first picked up the fish.

These fish will need more than this for diet

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Will try to get some photos and videos tomorrow if I can catch and put in the QT. As far as copper goes, I have some arriving tomorrow, so I’ll be ready for it if needed.

Thinking about trying a FW dip as well, thoughts?

Skip the FW dip, they can be stressful and never truly cure any issues as the fish gets reinfected once returned to the tank.

The spots could be ich, but the elevated breathing sounds more like flukes. A clear video taken under white lights will help in trying to figure out what's going on.

Jay

 

[himynameis]

I will try getting some video and photos after work this afternoon.

If flukes is suspected, would dosing the DT be advisable with Prazi, or better to separate the tang from the rest into a QT?
DT is just live sand and rock, some inverts, a cleaner shrimp.

 

[himynameis]

Here’s a photo I took last night, although not with pure white light. Will try to do better and a video later today.

 

[himynameis]

These fish will need more than this for diet

My current stocking list is as follows:

Hippo tang
Tomini tang
Yellow tang
Six line wrasse
Pair of clowns
Bicolor blenny
Fire goby

Currently feeding 2-3x daily, mixture of pellets/frozen brine/freeze dried mysis/cut up pieces of prev fresh/frozen salmon. Plus half a sheet of nori daily. What would you recommend that could be added or changed?

 

[vetteguy53081]

My current stocking list is as follows:

Hippo tang
Tomini tang
Yellow tang
Six line wrasse
Pair of clowns
Bicolor blenny
Fire goby

Currently feeding 2-3x daily, mixture of pellets/frozen brine/freeze dried mysis/cut up pieces of prev fresh/frozen salmon. Plus half a sheet of nori daily. What would you recommend that could be added or changed?

As mentioned:
Some foods to feed tang are :
LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
TDO Pellets
small plankton
Hikari Marine cuisine
Ocean nutrition veggie diet
spirulina brine shrimp
mysis shrimp
Prime reef
Nori seaweed basted with garlic extract

 

[himynameis]

Not sure why but my videos don’t seem to be loading here. Maybe my formatting. Here’s a photo from when I got home from work today, the spots look to be a lot less prominent today than yesterday. barely see them anymore, maybe just a little faint when at the perfect angle, can’t see in photos.

 

[himynameis]

As mentioned:
Some foods to feed tang are :
LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
TDO Pellets
small plankton
Hikari Marine cuisine
Ocean nutrition veggie diet
spirulina brine shrimp
mysis shrimp
Prime reef
Nori seaweed basted with garlic extract

Ok I’ll try to pick up some more options from my lfs this week. Thanks!

 

[himynameis]

I uploaded a clip to YouTube. Let me know if there’s a better video I should get. Not really sure what to look for but the spots are difficult to see on video.