Blue Hippo Tang issue! Urgent

[thud]

My blue hippo tang has been bobbing at the top of the tank ALL DAY. He isn't dead so I don't know what's up.

It is possible that he was overfed, could this be why? If so will this pass?

He is swimming vertically, he's not laying on his side or anything.

[wwest]

Have you tested your water?
How does the fins and everything look?
What else is in the tank?
What have you done to the tank in the last 72 hours?

Sorry for the questions, They help narrow it down alittle.

[wwest]

Also,
Is his mouth bobbing out or the top fin?
How often and what do you feed??

[thud]

Also,
Is his mouth bobbing out or the top fin?
How often and what do you feed??

We feed flakes twice a day and have nori seaweed on the clip every other day.

I'm doing the tests now and I'll report them as soon as im done.

[thud]

The mouth and top fins were bobbing out, he's been put in large net so that he stays in the water.

[thud]

I think I found the issue....

The ammonia is at 4.0 - 8.0



What do I do!?!?!?!

Is it too late?

Why is this only effecting the blue hippo tang?

[wwest]

What else do you have in the tank?

I would recommend doing a 10% water change. Don't do more than 10% or you might stress it and everything else really bad. I'm not so sure i would pull him out of the tank. I would be very Leary about this because it might stress him so bad he might pass. But if he gets to the point where you think he needs to come out i would recommend a very long acclimation into 50% new water and 50% old water. But that is just my opinion. I don't have that much experience with tangs. I would wait for someone else to recommend something or back up my recommendation. I would for sure do a 10% water change, that alone could help it out.

I really wish i could help you more.

Do you know where the ammonia is coming from?

In order for us to really give you a good answer we need to know what else is in the tank and how big the tank is. It might help pinpoint where the ammonia is coming from.

[thud]

Its a 125 gallon tank. We have a lopezi tang, fox face, purple tang, yellow tang and two clowns. - and the blue hippo tang. Oh and the powder blue tang.

The ph is deathly low 7.4 and the ammonia is high.

It's amazing because we did a water change two days ago AND did tests.. Everything was fine. We were so excited that the nitrates were practically unreadable.

This tank is ridiculous. Raising a baby and waking up 5 times during the night is easier than this crap.

Once you look away from the tank everything goes to hell.

[wwest]

How long do you wait to test after water changes? Did you try cleaning the test tubes with vinegar and R/O water and testing again to make sure? What type of water are you using for water changes?

I know how you feel about your tank. I suddenly ran into a po4 problem myself.

[thud]

How long do you wait to test after water changes? Did you try cleaning the test tubes with vinegar and R/O water and testing again to make sure? What type of water are you using for water changes?

I know how you feel about your tank. I suddenly ran into a po4 problem myself.

I believe we tested about a half hour after the water change. We have a water circulator in the tank, a diatom filter and a skimmer that works very well.

We are going to do another water change and up the PH slowly...

I just don't understand this. I am a member of all reef forums, I read read read and stuff like this continues to happen. What i don't understand is how everyone else manages to keep their fish and tanks healthy. This is a never ending story.

[wwest]

I just don't understand this. I am a member of all reef forums, I read read read and stuff like this continues to happen. What i don't understand is how everyone else manages to keep their fish and tanks healthy. This is a never ending story.

I understand completely! I have had problems i dont understand also. Hopefully someone will jump in soon and help you more with your tang.

[thud]

Problem solved!

We raised our PH and bought some ammonia tabs AND did a small water change.

The blue hippo tang is no longer at the top and is behaving normally. Amaazing!


yes yes yes

[Explosif]

Awesome, congrats!
Your ammonia spike came from somewhere, make sure you do a thorough check to make sure you arent missing anyone!

[Ocelot199]

What i don't understand is how everyone else manages to keep their fish and tanks healthy. This is a never ending story.

hahahahahahahahaha

dude, every other day I have a panic attack about something going on in my tank. i think most people do. theres always something that needs to be helped... you're not alone. not at all.

glad to hear your tang is happy again

[mikellini]

as the pH rises, so does the toxicity of the ammonia, so be careful to take that into account

[Rob]

great job in the guidance wes..
just a future note, doing water changes of up to 25-35% in case like this would not be unacceptable. normal changes of 10-20% is good, but during a problem the larger changes may be warranted.