Striped discoloration on Flame Hawkfish

[Kryssie]

Hello all.

I’m hoping someone can help me identify what could be a disease on my Flame Hawkfish. It looks like pale vertical stripes along her body.

It’s hard to see on the picture, but the marks are just dull areas of her normal colors. The black part of her spine looks grey, the red part of her body looks pink. Her appetite waned for a few days, so I changed her food to brine and mysis shrimp with selcon and garlic. Her appetite has resumed and she’s eating anything I give her, including flake now.

Some background about my system, I’ve had both my Flame Hawkfish since Valentines Day and I didn’t initially quarantine them, and all my fish got ich (2 Clownfish and the two Flame Hawks). I immediately went out and got a quarantine tank and started treating with cupramine. It’s been 30 days in quarantine and they have been out of copper for 14 days now.

 

[Kryssie]

Here are a few more photos.

 

[Humblefish]

I can't tell much from the photos, but it could just be stress marks.

 

[melypr1985]

I can't see anything wrong in the pictures either. They do get stress markings that can make them look odd. You may try increasing their hiding places while in QT. The more options, the more comfortable they will feel.

 

[Big G]

+1 ^^^ Place some plastic pipe pieces or some plastic aquarium plants in there to help the fish relax a bit. Might try dimming the lights a bit and or just using the ambient room lighting to help it relax. Consider a varied and rich food plan for your fish. @jsker has his fish "smoothie" that I switched to and my fish have never looked so bright and vibrant. Good reading https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/preparing-frozen-foods-for-my-fish-and-corals.300448/#post-3677350

 

[Kryssie]

Thanks for the responses. I’ll add some more pvc pipes into the tank. I’ll update with any changes.