Help rescue tang!

[chevypride]

So I went to go purchase 2 clown fish from an online ad. The tank was nasty, very undermaintained, and just bad looking. Anyways, there was a hippo tang that looked rough, I couldn't not get it! It's 6-7 inches, and has what I believe to be HLLE. I'm no expert so I need help! I want to save this fish! It was on a meat only diet (ouch) (mysis and brine shrimp). So my first thing is introduce him to some seaweed! I'm in need of ideas! I've been reading up but want all the information I can get!


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

 

[Andy Sager]

Can't tell for sure with these pics but HLLE does not appear to be the problem. Best solution is a clean environment with a good nutritious balanced diet. Many Tangs are healed from most conditions with the addition of vitamins via food/algae or liquid additives. You will probably see a marked difference in the fish's coloration and physical appearance after a couple of months of good living and eating.

Hope this helps.

 

[chevypride]

Here's some more pictures. He's ALOT darker since being in my tank compared to there's. Hopefully he'll look a lot better soon. He's the ugliest fish I've ever seen! (I'll still love him if he stays ugly!)


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

 

[Bigdon]

I'm only a beginner but he's beautiful not ugly lol


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[Mebbid]

Wow, I've never seen a rougher looking fish still alive.

I would suggest a round of metronidazole medicated food to clear out any internal parasites. Following that good varied diet with vitamins and maybe some garlic wouldn't hurt as well.

 

[chevypride]

For how rough he is he's actually really active. He swims all over the tank! I have no idea what happened to him, or what's wrong she said he "looked like this for a long time".


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

 

[chevypride]

Someone ate all the seaweed I put in last night! Hopefully it was him. There's usually left overs if my other tang eats it!


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

 

[chevypride]

The thing I'm most worried about is his top fin, the front part is almost gone, it's all spiky... And under his eyes is really bad. Is the medicated food bad for my other fish? I don't have a QT tank, if need be I'll run and grab something and do 100% water changed but I'd rather have him in the DT. He seems so much happier in there!


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

 

[Mebbid]

The thing I'm most worried about is his top fin, the front part is almost gone, it's all spiky... And under his eyes is really bad. Is the medicated food bad for my other fish? I don't have a QT tank, if need be I'll run and grab something and do 100% water changed but I'd rather have him in the DT. He seems so much happier in there!


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

Nah, it's just fine. Just feed every day and don't feed longer than 5 days straight.

 

[chevypride]

Okay great. I'll go down to my LFS and see if they have it. If not hopefully the owner is in. He's awesome! When everyone says feed garlic what do you mean? Like garlic extract? Real garlic? Where do you get it?...


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

 

[Mebbid]

Okay great. I'll go down to my LFS and see if they have it. If not hopefully the owner is in. He's awesome! When everyone says feed garlic what do you mean? Like garlic extract? Real garlic? Where do you get it?...


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

There are garlic additives for food made just for fish your LFS should sell it. Supposedly garlic will help with a fishes immune system and even though I never suggest it, it couldn't hurt to use it.

 

[chevypride]

Yeah. I was really hoping to do most of my fish husbandry all naturally. But I don't really have time for something that may or may not work. So I was thinking medicated food and garlic...

My fish get flakes everyday, frozen thawed mysis every second day, and 24 hours a day they has seaweed (changed every evening and morning if there's left overs). I've also tried baby brine shrimp but there really not interested. Is this a good diet? Should I add more?


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

 

[Mebbid]

Yeah. I was really hoping to do most of my fish husbandry all naturally. But I don't really have time for something that may or may not work. So I was thinking medicated food and garlic...

My fish get flakes everyday, frozen thawed mysis every second day, and 24 hours a day they has seaweed (changed every evening and morning if there's left overs). I've also tried baby brine shrimp but there really not interested. Is this a good diet? Should I add more?


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

Sounds like a good diet to me

 

[chevypride]

I went to the LFS and they really had nothing. I was hoping the manager would be in but he was off. There was just stuff to dose the whole tank for internal parasites, external parasites, and fungus infection. And I didn't know if dosing the whole tank was a good idea (and HLLE isn't really any of those?).. Everyone else is fine. And dosing a big tank is costly. He's funny to watch when he eats the nori. He pokes it a bunch and then just takes a huge chunk and swims away and eats it. He also looooves mysis, but I've cut back a little so he eats more nori (he's never had greens so he's obviously lacking those vitamins). He's doing really good, my yellow eyed kole tang will go up to attack him, and since he's 4x his size and doesn't swim away my kole tang gets scared and leaves him alone, they even hid in the same hidey hole when I was scrapping the algae. I'm washing my filter sock everyday instead of every three days. Everyone says "perfect" water conditions, but perfect how? I'm testing ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph. What else would be a major factor for him? He also doesn't graze like my kole tang, he will sometimes nibble a rock here and there but my other tang is constantly up on the glass, rocks, sand, everything! Is this normal? He still eats like a horse just not how I thought he would.


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

 

[Andy Sager]

Based on the comment that "he has looked this way for a long time", I would lean more towards this being a living conditions issue and not a disease issue that needs to be medicated. As previously stated, a good diet with clean (normal) water conditions should get him back in shape over time.
You really can't compare the feeding methods of a Hepatus tang to a Kole tang. Look at their mouth structures. The Kole is designed to be constantly grazing while the Hepatus is designed to specifically eat specific foods. For example, a Kole will strip a tank wall clean of algae while a Hippo won't ( because it can't ). A Hippo will eat a shrimp body while a Kole won't.
I'd just continue giving him good food and possibly add some vitamins to the food or tank so that he has the best possible means to regenerate some body meat and fins.

Hope this helps

 

[chevypride]

Okay. Thank you. I just thought all tangs grazed like that. I'm still very much a newbie at all this. During my reading I also read electrical current can cause HLLE, and when she was netting him her light kept shocking her. So honestly whatever he has, bad diet, bad water, and electrical current all could have played a factor. His clown tank mates are doing really good, so I'm almost certain it isn't a parasite or fungus or anything like that. My boyfriend even woke up today and was like hey! The blue fish is blue! don't mind the photobomb. The clownfish always wants to be in photos too.


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

 

[Andy Sager]

That's just it, most people see a "sick" fish and want to medicate immediately when rehouseing is the better option. You have to really know what the situation is before arbitrarily medicating or you are just wasting money, time and the fish's well being.
Glad to hear he's looking better. Give him time and the right environment and he'll look even better
Keep us posted

 

[chevypride]

Heey guys!! Great news, the hippos marks are GONE. No line along is lateral line, his top fin is growing back his tail looks awsome! He's still not as dark as I'd like and has a few marks under his eye... But that'll come!

After losing most my fish, and having him survive, I know he's a fighter! He'll be back to normal very soon I think!!



40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

120 gallon saltwater

 

[Andy Sager]

Glad to see the improvements. Once again, a good environment and proper care heals a fish

Keep us posted on his progress.

 

[chevypride]

Yes! I haven't added any medication at all, and he's doing great. I'm trying to think of different things to add to his diet that are fairly easy to get... Someone said cucumber, and a few other things. So I'm going to do some more research on that and hopefully he'll get even more different food!


40 gallon cichlid tank;
Pseudotropheus socolofi (albino) x 1
Labidochromis caeruleus
x 1
Metriaclima greshakei x 2
Amatitlania nigrofasciata x 20
Pseudotropheus crabro x 1
6" pleco x 1

120 gallon saltwater