my scopus tang got shot? has a hole in its side

[supernareg]

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/supernareg/IMG_5106.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/supernareg/IMG_5104.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/supernareg/IMG_5103.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/supernareg/IMG_5101.jpg

one morning i woke up and saw that it had a black line going from it's middle down to the bottom, kind of like it was bleeding (but just discoloration there was nothing ON the skin). Then i noticed a small bullet hole.. like it legit got shot and was bleeding haha.

the hole hasnt gotten bigger, hasnt multiplied. the fish is swimming as usual (not erratically), and its eating my Formula 1 pellets.

what's wrong with it?? is it contagious??

[Ms.Blue]

How long ago did the spot appear?

[supernareg]

maybe 3 days now

[Ms.Blue]

Does it look to be infected? Are there any weird protrusions? Is it red? And finally do you have any sharp objects in your tank or any other aggressive fish?

[supernareg]

yellow tang which is bigger, used to bully it when i first put the scopas in (yellow was established) but doesnt bully as much.

that's what i was thinking too that maybe the yellow tang shot it

[dryworm]

maybe he is trying to get some street cred. is he a rapper?

[medic155]

maybe he is trying to get some street cred. is he a rapper?

Maybe a pistol shrimp got him. :lolspin: sorry, I couldn't resist

[supernareg]

Lol!

[Mgreener]

Hi! My blue tang have a hole in its side (like picture) ...
Please can anyone knows what I should do to help???
Thank you!

[Shaun v]

I did some searching and this is what I found...

"Head and Lateral Line Erosion (hole-in-head disease)

This disease can affect discus, other cichlids, and many saltwater fish. The fish develops holes in it's head and sometimes along its lateral line. Causes are unclear but as in any disease, stress and poor water quality likely play a role. The Manual of Fish Health states that HLLE is probably due to nutritional deficiency, especially of vitamin C. Fish in planted tanks rarely get HLLE, which supports the nutrition idea, since fish can nibble on the plants and obtain extra nutrition. Untergasser also observes that the protozoan Hexamita can be found in the lesions. Untreated cases can eventually prove disfiguring or fatal.
Remedy: First, make sure water quality is optimal and reduce stress. Stopping carbon filtration may help as it can remove nutrients from the water. Then feed a vitamin-enriched food, paying particular attention to vitamin C supplementation.

For stubborn cases, some books suggest metronidazole (Flagyl) to eliminate Hexamita (a mildly pathogenic protozoan) from the lesions. Your mileage may vary with that one. Metrozole and Hex-a-mit are commercial medications with metronidazole."

Quote from http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/disease-fw.html

[Crush Coral]

To me your tang looks very emaciated. Looks to me like he needs an improvement in his diet. Pics are not perfect but that is my opinion.

[sczlars]

+1 .. looks really thin. Daily nori, get it eating NLS pellets or something like that to fatten that fish up.

[Palting]

Another suspected cause for HLE is carbon fines. One more reason to remove any carbon, at least temporarily. Then when you resume carbon, rinse well first and make sure it doesn't get pulverized by too much tumbling where you place it or in the reactor. Plus, I agree with the others the tang looks malnourished in the photo. Daily nori on a clip should help. Not sure about NLS, though.

[Shaun v]

Any updates on your fish?