HLLE

[capted]

Question for the disease experts. I recently came across an article that stated angelfish can get HLLE from low light or incorrect lighting conditions. I just don't see how that's possible. I did have a coral beauty go through 45 days in QT with dim lights that actually suffered from HLLE. Makes me wonder if there may be some truth behind the article. No carbon was in the QT.

 

[HuduVudu]

@capted I wouldn't put any stock in the low light article.

HLLE as you suggested is most likely carbon. This does not mean that your fish can not get it if YOU are not using carbon. If the previous residence of the fish was using dirty carbon then that can take time to show and is most likely the cause.

Also HLLE has a very specific apperance. Make sure that your diagnosis is correct.

 

[Sharkbait19]

I haven’t heard about hlle and light. Typically it is as a result of improper water conditions or diet. Carbon is also associated with it.

 

[threebuoys]

Carbon dust is often a problem. Never heard of light having any effect, @Jay Hemdal has studied the disease and may know more.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Highest cause is vitamin deficiency and improper diet, copper exposure and exposure to prolonged carbon source
Tangs also susceptible and important that water quality and dietary needs are met

 

[capted]

Ah, copper would make sense. I did treat the coral beauty with copper. Strange thing though is I treated a flame and a rusty angel with copper and they showed no signs of HLLE. As someone mentioned maybe the coral beauty was held in water that was heavily treated with carbon or poor water quality before I got it. I have a Majestic angel in QT at the moment and I am a bit worried about adding copper.

 

[capted]

This guy had it bad but healed pretty good. He was also treated with copper because of ich. I do run matrix carbon in that tank.

 

[capted]

Just read the article again. If you google majestic angelfish and read about care there are a few sites that state the same thing about poor lighting and HLLE. Maybe they justed copied each other but strange anyway. Never heard that before.

 

[Chortanator]

Now this thread has me worried, should I not run activated carbon in my DT with a coral beauty?

 

[Sharkbait19]

My coral beauty is doing fine with carbon in the filter.

 

[capted]

My other dwarf Angel's are doing fine with carbon. My coral beauty may have had it before I got it and just took some time to show up. Or maybe the copper treatment did have something to do with it.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Question for the disease experts. I recently came across an article that stated angelfish can get HLLE from low light or incorrect lighting conditions. I just don't see how that's possible. I did have a coral beauty go through 45 days in QT with dim lights that actually suffered from HLLE. Makes me wonder if there may be some truth behind the article. No carbon was in the QT.

The history behind the light aspect stems from a case at the Waikiki aquarium where some fish with HLLE were moved to an outdoor tank and it went into remission. They incorrectly assumed that sunlight was the variable, when actually, it was moving it to a tank with different water. Somebody has apparently reversed that idea to conclude that poor lighting must then cause HLLE, but it doesn’t - our control and test tanks were both run at ambient light in an aquarium basement, just enough for the fish to see their food (grin).
Jay

 

[capted]

Ha, I Knew you would have an explanation for the article. Thank you. What are your thoughts about copper possibly causing it? I didn't want to scare anybody away from using it or carbon.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Ha, I Knew you would have an explanation for the article. Thank you. What are your thoughts about copper possibly causing it? I didn't want to scare anybody away from using it or carbon.

I’ve never been able to demonstrate a conclusive relation between copper and HLLE, but it is commonly implicated through anecdotal information. I had one case where I thought copper caused a severe case when I overdosed it with a Koran angel….but I had used carbon to try and remove the copper (grin).
Jay

 

[capted]

I’ve never been able to demonstrate a conclusive relation between copper and HLLE, but it is commonly implicated through anecdotal information. I had one case where I thought copper caused a severe case when I overdosed it with a Koran angel….but I had used carbon to try and remove the copper (grin).
Jay

Figures, copper or the carbon. Well I'm going to start a copper treatment on my majestic and will post any signs of it. Hopefully none! Again, thank you.

 

[capted]

Here is a pic of the coral beauty. Not the best pic. Food floating around to get it out to take the pic. Have to zoom in to see it. Fish is super fast and camera shy! Pretty bad case of HLLE.

 

[Celestion]

After a copper treatment , Consider a small dosing of zinc to help neutralize the cu , and you don't have buy a $10 bottle , cheers

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

After a copper treatment , Consider a small dosing of zinc to help neutralize the cu , and you don't have buy a $10 bottle , cheers

I've never heard of this, how would that work? Zinc is also a toxic metal.

Jay

 

[Celestion]

zinc makes copper less toxic , that's all i got

 

[capted]

When I finish the copper treatment I just do several water changes to remove it. Then I usually prazi for a week then more water changes. Not a fan of dosing too many things. I already feel bad about poisoning fish with copper but I fell victim to ich when I took shortcuts!