Rescue Purple Tang - Help save him too... - Page 2

RegalAngel · 11/24/2010, 07:56 AM

Please note:

That what this fish has may not be HLLE! Severe cases of Ich can cause loss of scales like you are seeing. So continue treatment and it may recover much of the scale loss.

However, if it is HLLE....well.....

"Also, my fish was completely removed from all traces of his previous environment whereas your fish with HLLE are still your fish in your home, with probably the majority of the original environment still intact."

My system was totally overhauled and I have no more issues with the carbon that caused my fish to develop HLLE....essentially I no longer use carbon. I only have two fish with HLLE in my system the others are gone.

Good luck witht the tang.

http://bwclark.smugmug.com/Aquariums

MechEng99 · 11/24/2010, 10:37 AM

I've never seen ich lead to something that looks exactly like HLLE, but I will look for some research on it. But, like I said originally, the tang developed ich AFTER getting him into hypo. The previous owner QT'd & treated the tang for ich before introduction to his system and never saw signs of ich or other infection (other than the HLLE). When I got the fish, it was totally healthy except the HLLE (not sure where it got the ich again from).

I don't understand how a "severe case of ich could cause loss of scales" that looks exactly like HLLE? If it was a severe case of ich, I would guess the ich would've left damage all over the fish, not just along the lateral line and face.

RegalAngel · 11/24/2010, 02:09 PM

"I don't understand how a "severe case of ich could cause loss of scales" that looks exactly like HLLE?"

It is the open wound that Ich causes that will setup the environment for the secondary bacterial infection to cause this type of situation.

Good luck!

Fretfreak13 · 11/24/2010, 03:12 PM

Wow, Mech. I have some serious admiration for what you're trying to do. I tried to save a little firefish once, I would have given the friggin fish mouth to mouth if it would have helped, but I didn't have the resources and access to the medication you have. Good luck, and I'd love to see more pictures of your "ugly" fish. lol

bluerexy · 12/13/2010, 11:03 PM

Any updates? I'm actually hoping my purple tang gets over HLLE. I bought him with it already and I thought to myself, he may not be a show piece but it doesn't mean it's still not a beautiful fish. I can't wait to put him in his 180. Hopefully the HLLE will go away a little. He's eating well and is nice and fat. That's the most important part for me.

MechEng99 · 01/02/2011, 02:49 PM

Ok, here he is! True proof HLLE is curable! Ok, granted, there is still some scarring, but even that is healing up! The white spots on his face are where the cleaner shrimp is picking - still healing there. His face was pitted sooo bad...I can't believe how he is now. He's extremely happy too...in fact it's nearly impossible to get a photo of him since he swims so fast! Even his fins are growing back (although slowly.) Not only is he gorgeous, he has a great personality and a great story to tell. Everyone who comes over is amazed to hear how much he's recovered.

Before:

Today (Left side):

Today (right side):

After he sat in QT (hyposalinity, copper, formalin, erythromycin, & PraziPro at various points), he was moved over to the main display (150g). I fed a combination of blended raw oysters, shrimp, mussels, scallops, red/green/brown seaweed, selcon, vitachem, garlic, and fish eggs. I made sure he had plenty of seaweed sheets to munch on whenever he felt like as well.

RBU1 · 01/02/2011, 07:34 PM

Great Job....You should be proud you helped that little fella....

milhous3er · 01/02/2011, 07:39 PM

very nice read !! great job keeping everyone updated on the progress of this fish !! you should be very proud of yourself !!

byrdman81 · 01/02/2011, 11:37 PM

Thats great!! So glad to see how well he's recovering!

mr&mrsfish · 01/03/2011, 08:15 AM

Absolutely incredible job!

inthesea · 01/03/2011, 09:52 AM

Great job!!

MechEng99 · 01/03/2011, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RBU1

Great Job....You should be proud you helped that little fella....

RBU1 - I can't thank you enough for your positive attitude and encouragement. I never imagined the tang would heal this quickly from HLLE.

Regal Angel - I hope my experience challenges your opinions on HLLE.

Thanks everyone - Pretty crazy month. I appreciate the words of encouragement, support, and...I won't lie...the pats on the back are nice. I feel like I can finally breathe again. Let's all make sure we know our fish disease/treatment...and not give up on the ugly/sick fish!

meatball87 · 01/11/2011, 11:09 AM

Wow great job saving the tang he looks like a completely different fish

MechEng99 · 01/11/2011, 12:32 PM

Thanks - he's doing better every day. I think there's a lack of emphasis on good nutrition & ample tank size...that's all I can seem to attribute the recovery to.

meatball87 · 01/11/2011, 12:42 PM

U put the time and effort into saving this little Guy not many people can say that we need more people like u in the hobby instead of people getting rid of a fish because it doesn't make their tank look pretty

Korrine · 01/27/2011, 08:24 AM

congratulations and hooray for your efforts!!!

tubntxawg · 01/27/2011, 09:37 AM

Great job on the healing!

SkullV · 01/27/2011, 10:29 AM

Any updates a couple weeks later?

biggmc · 03/10/2011, 11:14 PM

did u try metronitazole

lhm nole · 03/10/2011, 11:19 PM

I am impressed very good job

smoyer · 03/10/2011, 11:43 PM

much improved

Tat2demon · 03/11/2011, 12:44 AM

Wow! I gotta be honest and say Im not sure if I even would have tried with one that far gone. Well done!!

geaux xman · 03/11/2011, 12:54 AM

glad to see there was a happy ending to this story!

MechEng99 · 05/28/2011, 05:47 AM

Just thought I'd give an update...

Mr. Purple is doing absolutely wonderful. He has fully healed except two eraser-sized areas around his eyes. That seems to be the only long-term damage. His fins are still growing back (very slow process) as well.

And I have to say, he has the best temperment of any tang I've met. Very peaceful, calm, and nice to his tankmates.

Korrine · 05/30/2011, 01:54 PM

Glad he's still doing well for you. New pics would be fantastic if you get a chance.

By the way, I was told my purple that I've acquired was a peaceful calm tank mate as well. That hasn't been tested yet, though!

11/24/2010, 10:37 AM	#27
MechEng99 aka Reef'd Up Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,311	I've never seen ich lead to something that looks exactly like HLLE, but I will look for some research on it. But, like I said originally, the tang developed ich AFTER getting him into hypo. The previous owner QT'd & treated the tang for ich before introduction to his system and never saw signs of ich or other infection (other than the HLLE). When I got the fish, it was totally healthy except the HLLE (not sure where it got the ich again from). I don't understand how a "severe case of ich could cause loss of scales" that looks exactly like HLLE? If it was a severe case of ich, I would guess the ich would've left damage all over the fish, not just along the lateral line and face. __________________ See my homepage for more information on rescuing coral! PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Systems: 200g SPS-dominant, 75g Rescue, 30g QT, & 10g QT

11/24/2010, 03:12 PM	#29
Fretfreak13 I am not a boy! Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,114	Wow, Mech. I have some serious admiration for what you're trying to do. I tried to save a little firefish once, I would have given the friggin fish mouth to mouth if it would have helped, but I didn't have the resources and access to the medication you have. Good luck, and I'd love to see more pictures of your "ugly" fish. lol __________________ ~Kali Just keep swimmin'

01/02/2011, 02:49 PM	#31
MechEng99 aka Reef'd Up Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,311	Ok, here he is! True proof HLLE is curable! Ok, granted, there is still some scarring, but even that is healing up! The white spots on his face are where the cleaner shrimp is picking - still healing there. His face was pitted sooo bad...I can't believe how he is now. He's extremely happy too...in fact it's nearly impossible to get a photo of him since he swims so fast! Even his fins are growing back (although slowly.) Not only is he gorgeous, he has a great personality and a great story to tell. Everyone who comes over is amazed to hear how much he's recovered. Before: Today (Left side): Today (right side): After he sat in QT (hyposalinity, copper, formalin, erythromycin, & PraziPro at various points), he was moved over to the main display (150g). I fed a combination of blended raw oysters, shrimp, mussels, scallops, red/green/brown seaweed, selcon, vitachem, garlic, and fish eggs. I made sure he had plenty of seaweed sheets to munch on whenever he felt like as well. __________________ See my homepage for more information on rescuing coral! PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Systems: 200g SPS-dominant, 75g Rescue, 30g QT, & 10g QT

01/02/2011, 11:37 PM	#34
byrdman81 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Louisville,Ky Posts: 543	Thats great!! So glad to see how well he's recovering! __________________ Working on 20L setup. Drilled bottom center custom overflow,Tunze 9002 skimmer, mag 5 return. Custom built cabinet to match the kitchen cabinets. AI led lighting Current Tank Info: 20 long nano currently working on 40 Breeder

01/11/2011, 12:32 PM	#39
MechEng99 aka Reef'd Up Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,311	Thanks - he's doing better every day. I think there's a lack of emphasis on good nutrition & ample tank size...that's all I can seem to attribute the recovery to. __________________ See my homepage for more information on rescuing coral! PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Systems: 200g SPS-dominant, 75g Rescue, 30g QT, & 10g QT

11/24/2010, 07:56 AM	#26
RegalAngel Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: The Redwood Reef Posts: 908	Please note: That what this fish has may not be HLLE! Severe cases of Ich can cause loss of scales like you are seeing. So continue treatment and it may recover much of the scale loss. However, if it is HLLE....well..... "Also, my fish was completely removed from all traces of his previous environment whereas your fish with HLLE are still your fish in your home, with probably the majority of the original environment still intact." My system was totally overhauled and I have no more issues with the carbon that caused my fish to develop HLLE....essentially I no longer use carbon. I only have two fish with HLLE in my system the others are gone. Good luck witht the tang. http://bwclark.smugmug.com/Aquariums

11/24/2010, 02:09 PM	#28
RegalAngel Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: The Redwood Reef Posts: 908	"I don't understand how a "severe case of ich could cause loss of scales" that looks exactly like HLLE?" It is the open wound that Ich causes that will setup the environment for the secondary bacterial infection to cause this type of situation. Good luck!

12/13/2010, 11:03 PM	#30
bluerexy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Berkley, MI Posts: 60	Any updates? I'm actually hoping my purple tang gets over HLLE. I bought him with it already and I thought to myself, he may not be a show piece but it doesn't mean it's still not a beautiful fish. I can't wait to put him in his 180. Hopefully the HLLE will go away a little. He's eating well and is nice and fat. That's the most important part for me.

01/02/2011, 07:34 PM	#32
RBU1 Moving on Up Join Date: May 2004 Location: Southern NJ Posts: 5,167	Great Job....You should be proud you helped that little fella....

01/02/2011, 07:39 PM	#33
milhous3er Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Lancaster, Ohio Posts: 326	very nice read !! great job keeping everyone updated on the progress of this fish !! you should be very proud of yourself !!

01/03/2011, 08:15 AM	#35
mr&mrsfish Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Hamilton, OH Posts: 140	Absolutely incredible job!

01/03/2011, 09:52 AM	#36
inthesea Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 389	Great job!!

01/11/2011, 11:09 AM	#38
meatball87 tang freak Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: london oh Posts: 258	Wow great job saving the tang he looks like a completely different fish

01/11/2011, 12:42 PM	#40
meatball87 tang freak Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: london oh Posts: 258	U put the time and effort into saving this little Guy not many people can say that we need more people like u in the hobby instead of people getting rid of a fish because it doesn't make their tank look pretty

01/27/2011, 08:24 AM	#41
Korrine You could get a ticket!! Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Upper midwest Posts: 4,288 Blog Entries: 1	congratulations and hooray for your efforts!!! __________________ Try to keep in mind that we are all human...mistakes do happen! Be kinder than necessary because every one you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Current Tank Info: 40 breeder - started 9/2011 - platinum perc and sanjay's black photon clownfishes; sps and lps, and soft corals; 250w MH, 20 long sump w Bubble Magus Nac 3.5 skimmer 12g nano cube -serpent star, mini carpet anemones, w 6 sexy shrimp, 150w MH, maxi je

01/27/2011, 09:37 AM	#42
tubntxawg Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: N Posts: 60	Great job on the healing!

01/27/2011, 10:29 AM	#43
SkullV They Got My Number Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 6,898	Any updates a couple weeks later?

03/10/2011, 11:14 PM	#44
biggmc Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: freeburg,il Posts: 4	did u try metronitazole

03/10/2011, 11:19 PM	#45
lhm nole Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 1,199	I am impressed very good job

03/10/2011, 11:43 PM	#46
smoyer Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 118	much improved

03/11/2011, 12:44 AM	#47
Tat2demon Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Sioux Falls, SD Posts: 833	Wow! I gotta be honest and say Im not sure if I even would have tried with one that far gone. Well done!! __________________ Nate cham - "Taste it, if it tastes like poop.....it is." Current Tank Info: 400 gallon in progress. 8x3x2.5

03/11/2011, 12:54 AM	#48
geaux xman Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Baton Rouge, LA Posts: 3,279	glad to see there was a happy ending to this story! __________________ - Miracles 180g 60x30x23" rimless FOWLR - Youtube video: Miracles 180g March 2013

05/28/2011, 05:47 AM	#49
MechEng99 aka Reef'd Up Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,311	Just thought I'd give an update... Mr. Purple is doing absolutely wonderful. He has fully healed except two eraser-sized areas around his eyes. That seems to be the only long-term damage. His fins are still growing back (very slow process) as well. And I have to say, he has the best temperment of any tang I've met. Very peaceful, calm, and nice to his tankmates. __________________ See my homepage for more information on rescuing coral! PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Systems: 200g SPS-dominant, 75g Rescue, 30g QT, & 10g QT

05/30/2011, 01:54 PM	#50
Korrine You could get a ticket!! Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Upper midwest Posts: 4,288 Blog Entries: 1	Glad he's still doing well for you. New pics would be fantastic if you get a chance. By the way, I was told my purple that I've acquired was a peaceful calm tank mate as well. That hasn't been tested yet, though! __________________ Try to keep in mind that we are all human...mistakes do happen! Be kinder than necessary because every one you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Current Tank Info: 40 breeder - started 9/2011 - platinum perc and sanjay's black photon clownfishes; sps and lps, and soft corals; 250w MH, 20 long sump w Bubble Magus Nac 3.5 skimmer 12g nano cube -serpent star, mini carpet anemones, w 6 sexy shrimp, 150w MH, maxi je

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