Hippo tang with one white spot on his side - what to do?

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ScotJ

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
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I have a hippo tang that has been scratching himself(or herself) on the rocks lately. I looked at it and there seems to be a white spot on it's side. What should I do? I do have corals in the tank, and no quarantine tank right now; though i could make one with a plastic tub or something.

Thoughts?
 
We need more information. What size spot? When did you get it? Since you have corals be sure not to use any copper based meds. Really don't use any meds at all. Well there are some reef safe meds on the market now. Got a picture?
 
tough to get a picture - the glass of my tank is scratched (long story, but from before I bought it).

Spot is 1/8th of a inch in size, maybe smaller - white in colour. right in the middle of the fish on the side.

I just got the tangs (two hippos) this past weekend.

They are about 3" long both of them and get along well, as well as the small yellow tang I got at the same time.
 
Your tangs may have knifed that hippo in a scuffle. It does not sound like a diease. more like an infection due to a cut or something like that. Be sure you have good water quality and just watch him.
 
Will do.

It only scares me because of how he has been rubbing him self on the rocks.

I had a tang when I first got the tank that was doing that, and it came down with an aweful case of ich later on and died. I'd like to avoid a repeat of that obviously.
 
Well, If you can get a QT you could have him in a tank that he could not scrape himself on. Tangs are ich magnets, so the slightest stress and that hippo could come down with it. I'm not really up on all the meds but a few of the guys on here are really good at it.
 
my hippo has been doing that too, scratching like a cat against an old piece of coral.
 
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