I'm new on here and have a question about my long nose hawkfish. He's fairly young. Ive noticed what looks to be some sand stuck in his gills, I think sand because my power head was blowing sand around .. Could it be sand or disease?
Long nose hawkfish
- Thread starter Niknak
- Start date
- Tagged users None
kschweer
Moderator
Welcome to R2R!! A picture would be helpful for a positive id. @Humblefish @3FordFamily @melypr1985 should be able to help you out.
melypr1985
totally addicted
I'll tell ya what... Get a good close up picture- High res if possible. Then do a freshwater dip on him using a dark container. It's a great way to rule out/in flukes and super easy/fast/free to do. Then we can look at the pictures and talk about other possibilities including sand.
Here's how to do the dip.
Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.
How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.
Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.
For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.
Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.
Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.
Here's how to do the dip.
Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.
How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.
Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.
For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.
Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.
Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.
melypr1985
totally addicted
Welcome to R2R. If it is sand, it should be cleared out by morning. Unless you have really coarse sand that has gotten lodged in there somehow.
yes... just do my suggestion if it's still there in the AM...
melypr1985
totally addicted
It is reverse osmosis deionizwd water. The sip sounds scarry but its really not too bad on the fish. Its worse for our nerves i think 
Yes my nerves are shot already! I'm a worry wart anyways. I just lost my half black angel.. So I'm keeping my eye on this one. Thank you for the help.It is reverse osmosis deionizwd water. The sip sounds scarry but its really not too bad on the fish. Its worse for our nerves i think
4FordFamily
Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
I can't tell much from that photo but could be the start of lymph? Around the mouth is not a common place to have spots (unless the fish is covered everywhere). Lymph around the gills and mouth can lead to the mouth being "stuck open" and even breathing issues if it gets very bad.
I've never seen it on hawkfish but that doesn't mean it can't happen. We will need higher resolution and less blurry photos to properly ID more definitively.
By the way, lymph cannot be treated and most of the time it just goes away on its own. It's just a virus I believe, rarely deadly. BUT if it is impacting the ability of the fish to control its mouth that's certainly more troublesome.
I've never seen it on hawkfish but that doesn't mean it can't happen. We will need higher resolution and less blurry photos to properly ID more definitively.
By the way, lymph cannot be treated and most of the time it just goes away on its own. It's just a virus I believe, rarely deadly. BUT if it is impacting the ability of the fish to control its mouth that's certainly more troublesome.
All my fish look good but a new angel my husband brought home is making me uneasy ... I don't know if he looked it over first but she looks covered in ich. And I don't want the rest of my fish to get it. She is the only one other than my long nose hawk that has white spots. Except hers are not in the gills. Best pic I can get she won't stop moving so much
Well... We went through and took out all our rock looking for the little long nose hawk fish.. And he was nowhere to be found! 
I looked in holes in the rocks, in the over flow, in the sick down in the sumo, NOWHERE. Only thing I can think is he got weak and the baby eel ate him. Idk... But my coral angel is going in to our fish guy tomorrow to be treated for ich. I hope it hasn't got to all of my fish If it's ich.
I looked in holes in the rocks, in the over flow, in the sick down in the sumo, NOWHERE. Only thing I can think is he got weak and the baby eel ate him. Idk... But my coral angel is going in to our fish guy tomorrow to be treated for ich. I hope it hasn't got to all of my fish If it's ich.
Yea I also have a porcupine puffer so the poor shrimp would be dinner. I have a cleaner wrasse .. It seemed to be eating whatever but I just can't believe it could get that all off. She didn't look like that until she got under the light. But I talked to our fish guy and he said to bring her into him.
