White Patch on Blue Tang

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sosgal721

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Jul 28, 2007
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Fort Mill, SC
My blue hippo tang has this white patch between it's eyes, almost looks as if the color is faded. It's acting normal/eating fine, as are the rest of the fish.... water parameters are fine(Ammonia:0,Nitrite:0,Nitrate:20), no reason for it to be stressed, and it's not ich... any ideas of what it might be? Thanks in advance!

IMG_1596 [640x480].JPG IMG_1571 [640x480].JPG
 

joander123

what a fruitcake
Jan 12, 2007
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Massachusetts
looks like a start to HITH to me....

Your sure its eating ok and getting mainly greens?
 

sosgal721

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Jul 28, 2007
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Fort Mill, SC
Yep, it goes nuts for the formula one pellets I put in, along with mysis shrimp, and I see it eat the algae off the rocks all the time.
 

joander123

what a fruitcake
Jan 12, 2007
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Massachusetts
Ok, unfortunately neither one of those 2 products has enough green matter for the fish alone. It may be getting some from the rocks but keep in mind that these fish are herbivores, mysis shrimp is not a natural part of there diet, and if fed primarily with mysis and formula one this fish is very susceptible to disease like it appears to have picked up.

I have a yellow tang, and yes he does occasionally eat mysis and flakes and pellets (etc.) but he also has 2 clips full of dried seaweed per day that hang on the tank full of nori (dried seaweed) for him to graze on as well as algae off of rocks and powerheads and what not.

The problem may simply be that the fish is not getting enough greens.

Hope this helps,
Jay
 

Grins

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May 1, 2007
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I'm not positive it is HLLE but the fish is being set up to get it with the diet. It is most commonly believed to be caused by a nutritional defect and in the case of a tang that would be not getting herbivore foods. My tang eats like a pig when meaty foods are served but at least 80% of his diet is made up of marine greens. If you can't get yours to eat nori from the clip...and mine took at least a week to get used to it...then Formula II would be appropriate versus Forumal I.

Let us know if the spot changes but in the meantime, I'd change his diet.
 

sosgal721

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Jul 28, 2007
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Fort Mill, SC
Okay, thanks! I am now feeding him formula II, or at least doing my best, he gets scared and hides every time I get near the tank. How did you get him to eat the nori? Did you just put it in until he ate it?
 

Reefscape

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Nov 8, 2006
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I would put this down to stressfull conditions or maybe diet, would not say its HLLE as the dorsal fin looks in fine order and i would also expect to see the skin effected slightly different too..

The attached picture is of how a regal tang looks at the very early stages of HLLE..See the difference in the skin complexion...

Niko

HLLE Tang.JPG
 
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