HLLE and my blue hippo

[Justin84]

So I have a blue hippo! My little blue hippo started out about an inch and has been growing rapidly! Not scared and not shy, especially when it comes to food! But as it’s approaching 2 years old I’ve noticed during the past 6-7 months that it’s gottened HLLE and ich... So what can I do? It’s not stressed and eats a ton of food! (LRS herbivore blend and Hakari seaweed) Do I try to hospitalize it and possibly stress it out or try to treat in the tank? Now luckily for me I do not have a green thumb (working on that) so I really don’t have coral. Suggestions?

 

[Humblefish]

For HLLE, I would read this: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/hlle-head-lateral-line-erosion.259916/

For the ich problem, read this over: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ich-eradication-vs-ich-management.188775/

 

[Justin84]

Thanks for the info! Just trying to figure out if it’s just better to manage the issue in the tank it’s currently in or hospital tank it’s little behind? I have 4 other tangs that share the same water (baby hippo in a 60 gal w/ a baby naso & the others are in a 225) and none of the other tangs show any ich outbreak or HLLE symptoms. I know that ich is in my system but I do well in keeping my fish fat and happy with good quality food. The HLLE symptoms are around the hippos eyes but it seems very energetic and always willing to eat. I may try offering nori instead of the Hakari pellets, just wanna make sure there’s no other forms of medication or treatment I could do for the baby hippo

 

[Wieloch89]

HLLE is not a disease rather a sign of “poor care” for lack of a better term. Not saying that you don’t care for your fish, but HLLE is caused by owner error... typically poor diet or stray current. You said he eats like a pig so we can probably rule out diet. I would check for a shorter out piece of equipment.

For ICH remove from the tank, and treat with copper. Dosing copper to the tank will absolutely make sure that you will never be able to keep corals alive in the future and it will kill your invers.

 

[Wieloch89]

Are you currently offering seeweed of any sort? Tangs graze of algae almost all day, the lack of green in their diet can also bring on signs of HLLE

 

[4FordFamily]

Hippo need vitamin soaked foods (selcon, zoecon, vita chem) and lots of nori. In the absence of these, they deteriorate via HLLE.

Managing ich is very very tough these days and you’re playing with fire (velvet), and limiting your future livestock choice (no acanthurus tangs like powder blue, Achilles, powder brown, goldrim, etc)

 

[Justin84]

I like the idea of feeding the hippo the vitamin soaked nori and will probably start it on that regiment very soon! The HLLE (and ich for that matter) reared it’s ugly head when I started running ROX 0.8 thru a media reactor. Within 2 weeks some of my tangs were showing ich and the hippo was showing erosion. That was 6 months ago and I’ve stopped. I started to slowly decrease the salinity down to approx 1.021 and I haven’t seen ich (except on my hippo) I’ll check for stray voltage (I’ve had a skimmer pump shock the hell out of me while cleaning it..) Thanks for all the input and info! I have a mixed bag of livestock and haven’t added anything new in over a year and so far just my problem child is giving me grief. I’m starting to bring the salinity back up now to coral levels (sitting at 1.023)

 

[Justin84]

Hippo need vitamin soaked foods (selcon, zoecon, vita chem) and lots of nori. In the absence of these, they deteriorate via HLLE.

Managing ich is very very tough these days and you’re playing with fire (velvet), and limiting your future livestock choice (no acanthurus tangs like powder blue, Achilles, powder brown, goldrim, etc)

All my livestock get fed heavy, if I hand feed nori the hippo will eat it all day but if I clip it the movement freaks it out and the snails make it their dinner. I feed Hakari around 6:45 am & LFS herbivore blend around 6:15 pm.. I’m going to try the vitamin soaked nori a little at a time and I’m sure my little blonde naso wouldn’t mind chomping on some as well

 

[4FordFamily]

All my livestock get fed heavy, if I hand feed nori the hippo will eat it all day but if I clip it the movement freaks it out and the snails make it their dinner. I feed Hakari around 6:45 am & LFS herbivore blend around 6:15 pm.. I’m going to try the vitamin soaked nori a little at a time and I’m sure my little blonde naso wouldn’t mind chomping on some as well

I recommend you soak frozen foods you’ve strained/drained.