Hippo tang spinning in circles... need help

[mcummings1205]

Hey all.
I am new to this forum. After asking many people without answers, they recommended I try posting on here because of the great knowledge you all have. Sorry this is a little long, I just want to be very specific so we can help my poor hippo. I was not sure exactly where to post this, as I am new. I also posted under the fish disease forum.

I bought a hippo tang (about 2/3 inches) a few months ago. I put her in my QT to treat for ich with cupramine. She was eating at first then all of a sudden she would not eat. For 3 weeks I tried to get her to eat in QT with no luck. While in QT she started to do flips and spin violently like she was being flushed down a toilet. She could not swim nor hold herself up. After her QT time I moved her back into the main tank (hoping this would maybe solve the problem). She hid in the tank for a few days (I just assumed she was dead). One day she came out trying to swim around and that is when I caught her and put her in a breeder box in the main tank. My main is a 120 with all normal water param with no other issues with any of the fish. Before putting her in the box in the main tank she would still fly around in circles like being flushed down the drain. In the box she was able to lay on her side. I used a syringe and would hold her up so I could put food in her mouth. I did this for the first few days. I also put vitamins in her food. After a few days she can still not sit up or swim, but I can feed her with the syringe while she lays on her side. I thought maybe it was a bladder issue, so I started to feed her peas. She did eat them. Now when I pick her up to see if she can swim, she still spins like being syphoned down drain. I also noticed she has not pooped after a week of feeding her. So I lightly pushed her stomach to help her poop.

I do not know what else to do. I tried many hours of research online, with nothing close to what she is doing. I also asked all my LFS and they just said to keep giving her vitamins. I did try a few FW dips, but that did not seem to help much.

Here is a vide:


Please please please! I hope someone can help me. You all are the best!

 

[CandyCaneCoral]

could be swim bladder or disturbance most likely itch as it can damage fish

 

[mcummings1205]

What should I do?

 

[CandyCaneCoral]

do you feed pellets to your tang?

 

[CandyCaneCoral]

Ok I need you to look for black studs that look like pepper on it's skin it could be a bad case of black itch

 

[mcummings1205]

Ok I need you to look for black studs that look like pepper on it's skin it could be a bad case of black itch

Its not ich.

 

[CandyCaneCoral]

ok good and bad as now its questionable check for any color loss or extreme mucus production near the gills and those symptoms do look like ich and if it is your fish doesn't have much to live

 

[Jvesche20]

The video does not look like ich. Its hard to tell but it looks like its got a pinched stomach. Can you post a picture of the fish so we can get a better look? She could have pooped and you not noticed. what was the copper level when you had it in the QT?

 

[Jvesche20]

#reefsquad see if they can help

 

[Jvesche20]

I may have missed this in the post but what are your parameters?

 

[CandyCaneCoral]

Here is the thing at late stage of ich they start to rub there body on the bottom and that looks like it. But another thing could be ammonia spike but I doubt it so go check the ammonia for your tank

 

[hdsoftail1065]

I'm not the fish disease expert. It acts like it hit it's head, I have not seen anything like this. Watching to see what the experts say.

 

[CandyCaneCoral]

Ich makes its host uncomfortable and at its last stage it makes it goes to the ground and just scratches itself until it dies of hunger but yeah it kind of does look like head trauma

 

[EmdeReef]

Hey all.
I am new to this forum. After asking many people without answers, they recommended I try posting on here because of the great knowledge you all have. Sorry this is a little long, I just want to be very specific so we can help my poor hippo. I was not sure exactly where to post this, as I am new. I also posted under the fish disease forum.

I bought a hippo tang (about 2/3 inches) a few months ago. I put her in my QT to treat for ich with cupramine. She was eating at first then all of a sudden she would not eat. For 3 weeks I tried to get her to eat in QT with no luck. While in QT she started to do flips and spin violently like she was being flushed down a toilet. She could not swim nor hold herself up. After her QT time I moved her back into the main tank (hoping this would maybe solve the problem). She hid in the tank for a few days (I just assumed she was dead). One day she came out trying to swim around and that is when I caught her and put her in a breeder box in the main tank. My main is a 120 with all normal water param with no other issues with any of the fish. Before putting her in the box in the main tank she would still fly around in circles like being flushed down the drain. In the box she was able to lay on her side. I used a syringe and would hold her up so I could put food in her mouth. I did this for the first few days. I also put vitamins in her food. After a few days she can still not sit up or swim, but I can feed her with the syringe while she lays on her side. I thought maybe it was a bladder issue, so I started to feed her peas. She did eat them. Now when I pick her up to see if she can swim, she still spins like being syphoned down drain. I also noticed she has not pooped after a week of feeding her. So I lightly pushed her stomach to help her poop.

I do not know what else to do. I tried many hours of research online, with nothing close to what she is doing. I also asked all my LFS and they just said to keep giving her vitamins. I did try a few FW dips, but that did not seem to help much.

Here is a vide:


Please please please! I hope someone can help me. You all are the best!

Any ammonia? Sorry if I missed and you already replied. Sometimes ammonia poisoning will cause this behavior. You could try methylene blue for that.

spinal injury can present itself in different ways or a bladder issue. Peas will only help with constipation which has near identical symptoms, unfortunately won’t help with the actual bladder disease/damage. Sometimes damage to the lateral line will also cause similar issues.

After a M.B. bath or dosed to a QT I would leave the fish alone in a stress free environment and hope for the best. You could also try NFG.

 

[Lasse]

Any ammonia? Sorry if I missed and you already replied. Sometimes ammonia poisoning will cause this behavior. You could try methylene blue for that.

My first thought too. But I have not seen any prolonged response like this for NH3 poisoning - the fishes I have seen react in this way have died rather fast. But I have always connected this behaviour with poisoning.

What I understand - the fish react normal the first days and show up this behaviour after a couple of days with prophylactic copper treatment? Was the QT a new set up?

spinal injury can present itself in different ways or a bladder issue. Peas will only help with constipation which has near identical symptoms, unfortunately won’t help with the actual bladder disease/damage. Sometimes damage to the lateral line will also cause similar issues.

After a M.B. bath or dosed to a QT I would leave the fish alone in a stress free environment and hope for the best. You could also try NFG.

Never heard about methylene blue treatment of NH3 poisoning before. How does it work, and do you know how it can cure a NH3 poisoning?

I think it is a damage to the nervous system and – honestly – I need to be the unwanted messenger – I do not think that the fish will recover into normal condition. If it get feed, and with good feed, it will possible survive but…….


What you mean with NFG?

Comment to the Ich suggestion - over there - it looks like the statement -" it is ich" is the reefing form of the general answer - "42"

Sincerely Lasse

 

[EmdeReef]

My first thought too. But I have not seen any prolonged response like this for NH3 poisoning - the fishes I have seen react in this way have died rather fast. But I have always connected this behaviour with poisoning.

What I understand - the fish react normal the first days and show up this behaviour after a couple of days with prophylactic copper treatment? Was the QT a new set up?



Never heard about methylene blue treatment of NH3 poisoning before. How does it work, and do you know how it can cure a NH3 poisoning?

I think it is a damage to the nervous system and – honestly – I need to be the unwanted messenger – I do not think that the fish will recover into normal condition. If it get feed, and with good feed, it will possible survive but…….


What you mean with NFG?

Comment to the Ich suggestion - over there - it looks like the statement -" it is ich" is the reefing form of the general answer - "42"

Sincerely Lasse

A few ways MB can help with ammonia poisoning:

- mild antimicrobial effect for ammonia burns to prevent infection setting in
- increased dissolved oxygen
- indirectly, helps with a possible concurrent nitrite poisoning. I’ve also recently come across a paper indicating ammonia alone is a contributing factor to methemoglobinia

A lot of it is anecdotal but it’s been a relatively successful go to for ammonia poisoning.

 

[mcummings1205]

The QT was new I put her in. The amonia was a little higher at times in there, but in my main tank right now the ammonia is reading 0.

 

[mcummings1205]

The video does not look like ich. Its hard to tell but it looks like its got a pinched stomach. Can you post a picture of the fish so we can get a better look? She could have pooped and you not noticed. what was the copper level when you had it in the QT?

the copper was at .5.

 

[ngoodermuth]

It looks like a spinal injury to me

When she isn’t spinning, does it look like she kind of sinks to the bottom, or floats to the top?

 

[Lasse]

Thank you for the answer

I’ve also recently come across a paper indicating ammonia alone is a contributing factor to methemoglobinia

Do you have a link to this? NO2 is normal no problems for saltwater

Sincerely Lasse