Hippo Tang Illness I.D.

[mr_X]

i was considering purchasing a hippo tang privately from a local guy who is relocating. he offered his 2 tangs to me for a decent price, and was pretty insisting on sending me a pic before i came out to pick them up.
below is the pic.
i told him i wouldn't pay for them unless i was sure they could be rehabbed, and he agreed to wait until i have cured them.
anyone know what the deal is with these poor guys?

 

[StevenPro]

They both look to have pretty extreme cases of Marine Head and Lateral Line Erosion. I would put their chances of making a complete recovery somewhere between slim and none. I would not pay anything for them, but would take them for free to see if I could improve their lives somewhat.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/sp/index.php

 

[mr_X]

thanks. oh man!
then massive nutrition and as much supplimental vitamin packed foods as i can feed them and cross my fingers?

 

[Anonymous]

They both look to have pretty extreme cases of Marine Head and Lateral Line Erosion. I would put their chances of making a complete recovery somewhere between slim and none. I would not pay anything for them, but would take them for free to see if I could improve their lives somewhat.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/sp/index.php

Great article Steven. Interesting little tidbit about the iodine. We had a large Queen and large Koran angelfish (in different systems) that both developed atypical growths on their gills right around the same time. We eventually tracked down that these were likely due to iodine deficiencies in the food mix, and so we supplemented that in their diet. After about 6 months neither has shown the symptoms at all. At no point did either one appear to have MHLLE. At the same time a huge variety of Acanthurid and Naso tangs fed the same mix (which was apparently deficient in iodine) did not develop MHLLE.

 

[Anonymous]

my bet is hlle caused by electrical current-i have a whole tank of discus that look exactky like that, caused by a faulty heater-may not be fully 'reversible'-depends on how far down into the skin the damage goes, and for how long it was going on

just a good well rounded diet, and no voltage leaks will work, if anything will

 

[Anonymous]

my bet is hlle caused by electrical current-i have a whole tank of discus that look exactky like that, caused by a faulty heater-may not be fully 'reversible'-depends on how far down into the skin the damage goes, and for how long it was going on

just a good well rounded diet, and no voltage leaks will work, if anything will

Steven's article touches on the stray voltage theory. IMvhO I completely agree with his opinion on the matter. I've seen tangs get MHLLE in grounded and GFI'd tanks and reverse it in the opposite. I'd look to other causes before this.

 

[shavo]

what about slime coat? will slime coat help this situation? get them in a healthy environment, feed them well, and some slime coat? do they have saltwater slime coat?
just a thought it worked/helped in fresh water.

 

[The_Orca]

I did some reading as well. It seems like a lack of nutrients and stress. This guy is selling the whole setup if I'm not mistaken. He probably just stopped maintaining the tank and the fish. Maybe he just don't care anymore and his fish show it. Just maybe with a little Mr. X loving care you might be able to rehab them. It's an expensive Maybe. I do think that if you were to do this, keep them together. Separating them may put even more stress on them. In the picture it looks like they stay together.

 

[NurseSmartyPants]

I agree that it'll probably cost a few bucks to rehab them. Putting that $$ toward a completely healthy specimen seems like a safer bet, IMHO.

 

[Anonymous]

That's just about the most advanced case I've seen, and I've seen plenty. If you have the space, you can attempt to rehab them, but I concur with Steven's assertion that you're looking at a long shot.

 

[Anonymous]

my bet is hlle caused by electrical current-i have a whole tank of discus that look exactky like that, caused by a faulty heater-may not be fully 'reversible'-depends on how far down into the skin the damage goes, and for how long it was going on

just a good well rounded diet, and no voltage leaks will work, if anything will

Steven's article touches on the stray voltage theory. IMvhO I completely agree with his opinion on the matter. I've seen tangs get MHLLE in grounded and GFI'd tanks and reverse it in the opposite. I'd look to other causes before this.

i'll agree to disagree -i've seen too many apparent instances of electrical fields (not necessarily grounded current flowing through water) causing skin/tissue erosion over the years to discount it as a possibility