My 1.5 inch blue hippo tang just started having white discoloration patches on the black area of it's body. At first I thought it was ick, but sources say pin-spots of white are more accurate for that. She is still active and eating, just these light patches in the black area of her body. Any thoughts?

when does this happen ?? i am betting it is just after the lights come on ?? if so it is completely normal in Hippo tangs.

what size tank is the little fish in ?? it could also be stress related.

Welcome to TR, headlink.

I'd like to know the size of the tank, tank mates, the food the Tang is eating and water parameters. Knowing all that will help us determine the problem.

Thanks.

Dick

55g.
nitrite/amonia=0.
Nitrate 30.
Ph 8.2.
78 degrees.
Occellaris/Saddleback/Bangaii Cardinal/Firefish/Cleaner Shrimp
Eating Marine Flakes/Frozen Brine/Nori

It is more noticable under the lights, but I can see it when the light is off also. Could it be Marine Velvet? Unfortunately, I do not have access to a QT. If I have to treat her with some meds, is it okay to do so in the main tank with the other fish? I know that if Copper is the proper medication, that I would have to take the shrimp out. Thanks for the help.

could very well be stress related. the 55g tank is really to small for tangs. they need a lot of swimming room and a 4' tank just can not provide that for them. i would look into trading him in or giving him to someone with at least a 6' tank.

Copper will be absorbed by the live rock and sand so not a good idea in your display. You can get a ten gallon set up pretty cheap for a QT.

First off - Welcome to TR handlink!

What's your filtration system? Do you have live rock/live sand? Are you using a protein skimmer?? Your nitrates are a bit high and could be causing stress to the fish, especially to a fish that's in too small of a tank.

How long have you had it?

Had the fish for 3 months. No problems up till now. No protein skimmer. Plenty of LR and sand. Basic top filter with 3 elements inside. Just came back from LFS and they think it's a fungus, giving me some copper free/reef safe meds to add to tank or to use in a 5-10 minute private dip. I'm thinking just to add to the tank because it might be too difficult and add too much stress to the tang to try and take her out for just 10 minutes. This medication is copper free and should be safe for the other fish and shrimp, plus I can continue to use it twice daily for 5 days like the bottle says instead of just a 1-time dip. LFS says to take charcoal out of the filter while using the meds though cause they dont mix well. I am thinking about getting a 10g tank to use as a QT for a week, but again, not sure if that will cause more damage. What do you think?

I would QT. A QT tank is very easy to set up! You just need a heater and a bit of flow. What do you have in your top filter right now? Any sponges? You could add that to the QT to boost the bacteria level.

You need to get your nitrates down though, in addition. You don't happen to have bioballs in that filter of yours, do you? They can be a nitrate factory. If you're planning on upgrading to corals at any point, you should consider investing in a skimmer.

Thanks so much for all the support. Though I would have loved to QT her, it's just not very easy with my current setup, and I think it could do more harm then good at the moment. I followed the instructions and advice and am now medicating the tank with chem-marin. Good news is that this experience and your advice is motivating me to get a QT together very soon so that I can more efficiently deal with this type of situation in the future. Also going to get a skimmer...

Great! Well...let us know how things go! :)