Blue Tang-Help

**criscokid** · 08-21-2009, 11:54 PM

HELLO!

I have a 125 gallon reef tank and I inherited a large blue tang today from a friend of a friend.

I got it home and its color just looks bad. I acclimated it and done everything that needed to be done for the fish to adjust but something looks wrong with it.
My friend said she did not know how its color looked when her friend had it but when she picked it up...it looked like it had real light blue patches on its dark blue areas.

I don't know if they did not feed it right or what but I am concerned about the fish.
So far its eating very well and is just a bit shy (as with all new fish) is it normal for Hippo Blue Tangs color to fade from stress?

This Blue Hippo is about 5in long and appears to be very healthy other than its color.

Any help would be appreciated for I dont have a lot of experience with Blue Tangs...I have always stayed away from them for the fear of ick.
THANKS in advance.

**Phurst** · 08-21-2009, 11:58 PM

Hippos definite can drastically change color in times of stress, and at night when sleeping. They can be nearly black, splotchy, pale, all kinds of things. Did you just get it today? I bet it'll be fine one it gets used to the tank.

**criscokid** · 08-21-2009, 11:58 PM

The fish is currently asleep or I would add a few pics. It has its bright blue color and then some real faded white patches. There is even some discoloration on its face.

**criscokid** · 08-21-2009, 11:59 PM

Yes, I got it today.

THANKS...I have been worried to death about this fishy!!!

**MidLifeReefer** · 08-22-2009, 12:09 AM

I wouldn't worry. Give it a week or so, and if the color is still bad then, I'd worry, but he'll be fine.

**rayme07** · 08-22-2009, 12:39 AM

Hi Kristy and Deryk Welcome to TR.

Kristy, I agree with Pearson that he is probably stressed and will get his color back in a few days. If he has some faded parts on his face it may be scars from head and lateral line syndrome. I would feed him lots of nori. I would love to see pics of your tank if you don't mind.

**criscokid** · 08-22-2009, 12:53 AM

Sure, I will get you some pics up tomorrow and lots of thanks for the advice!

I will add some pics of this fish too. It just looks really odd to me. It does not look like the nice looking blue tangs you see on the internet. It looks healthy (as far as its weight) just the color looks bad.
I am hoping that its just a bit stressed out and its nothing major.

**ScubaBosh** · 08-22-2009, 02:12 AM

I agree with the others. keep him fat and happy and his color should come back. Two things happened with mine. one was when he was scratching himself against corals cuz of ich or something he had on him. this caused lighter blue spot on him. and sendonly, he was very shy when i first got him. Now i cant take a picture of anything in my tank without him hogging the shot lol. So just be patient with 'em tangs

Here's "Big Blue"

**criscokid** · 08-22-2009, 10:34 AM

Now that is a beautiful tang! Thanks for the pic!

I think you guys are right.....my tang looks some better today.

I have tried to get a pic of him but he still is scared of me so it may take me a few days.

Here is my tank, I have a UV temporarily hooked up in there and it does not look real nice but I am moving it down in the sump in a few days.
This tank is huge it covers 7ft of wall space and my hubby built my cabinet for me.
It still has a lot of growing to do but its getting nicer everyday!

A few of my mushrooms..

...and my beauty, I have had her the longest!

**Iron E** · 08-22-2009, 10:47 AM

Nice tank and a beautiful anemone! Hope all goes well w/ your tang!

Tom

**CarmieJo** · 08-22-2009, 12:48 PM

Hello Kristy and Deryk and

to TR!

Kristy your tank is beautiful and the anemone is gorgeous! I love the cabinet.

Deryk, thanks for jumping right in with advice!

**rayme07** · 08-22-2009, 04:59 PM

Kristy, Great looking tank and stand. Thanks for the pic.

**criscokid** · 08-22-2009, 07:31 PM

Thanks a bunch folks!

I finally got a close up picture of this blue tangs face. One side of this fish is perfect in color now (including one side of its face) but the other side of the fish looks bad....especially its face.

Please take a look at this picture for me and tell if you still think the fish is just stressed or if you think it may even be hlle??? I think I spelled that right.

Again, I just got this fish and dont know that much about blue tangs but I have been reading articles and it just looks bad to me.
Its eating VERY well....actually like its never been fed before!!
I put a strip of dried red algae on one side of the tank and green algae on the other and he has ate all of that too....plus regular feedings

**rayme07** · 08-22-2009, 08:36 PM

It looks like he may have suffered from a little bit of HLLS but luckily someone must of tooken care of it quick because the scars don't look that bad. Other than that he looks pretty darn healthy and sounds healthy.

**CarmieJo** · 08-22-2009, 08:52 PM

I think it looks like HLLE. Keep feeding the algae. I would also be adding vitamins to the other food you feed.

**ScubaBosh** · 08-22-2009, 08:54 PM

you might also want to look into feeding him some fish oil...you can get it at a health food store. add a few drops to the algea food or flake food......it'll cause an oil sheen on the top of the water for about an hour which wont allow your skimmer to do its job. after an hour the water will be back to normal.

**criscokid** · 08-22-2009, 09:04 PM

I thought maybe this was HLLE or scars from it.

I feed my fish Prime Reef Flakes,Formula Two Flakes and Frozen Emerald Entree with a mixture of brine shrimp....not all at once but they get this mixed up daily.
I also put the sheets of algae in there 4 times a week.

Is that a good enough diet to bring this baby out of this? Will it always have scars from this?

I mean its OK with me if he is different I just want to make sure he gets all of the nutrition he needs at this point...poor guy!

I am sorry if I started this thread in the wrong place last night....I noticed there is a place here for just fish problems.

THANKS!

**rayme07** · 08-22-2009, 09:34 PM

It sounds like its getting enough mixture of foods with veggies. He may heal from the HLLE but most of the cases I have seen the scars stay. Don't worry about where you placed the thread if its not where it is supposed to be us mods will change it to where it is supposed to be. In fact I didn't even notice that it was placed in general discussion I will go ahead and move it for you in the Tang category.

**Phurst** · 08-22-2009, 10:18 PM

I agree that it's either HLLE or scars from it. A balanced diet and maybe some selcon dropped on the seaweed will help stop it. It soulds like it is otherwise very healthy.

**criscokid** · 09-12-2009, 01:42 PM

My tang looks 100% better then what he did look!

He has a few scars on his face but his color is beautiful and he has lost all his shy ways....

THANKS for all your help!

***lReef lKeeper*** · 09-12-2009, 04:19 PM

as everyone else has said, they look like HLLE scars ... if i had my other laptop i would post some pics for you. they MIGHT be in my old 125 gallon build thread, ill look for them later.

anyway ... diet and the proper size tank are extremely important for tangs. i rescued 2 (a Sohol and a Chevron that where TOGETHER in a 4' 120 (way to small for 1, more less 2) and i placed them in my 8' frag tank ... long story short, they were both fine and are still alive today with VERY LITTLE signs of ever being sick. they were both seriously disfigured from the MHLLE ... they were so bad that i thought they were goners when i picked them up. you couldnt even tell what kind of fish they were. time, diet, and plenty of space is all he will need to recover. the scars will disappear over time.

**criscokid** · 09-12-2009, 09:18 PM

I would really like to see the pictures when you have a chance to find them.

This guy is really shaping up and I am really glad that I got him. His top fin is damaged still ....I am in hopes that gets better too.

He has some more healing to do but he finally has that beautiful blue color.
I learned he was in a 50 gallon tank most of his life before I got him and I was told that he really did not get a good diet.
He seems very happy now and he has a very big tank with plenty of good foods.

***lReef lKeeper*** · 09-12-2009, 10:15 PM

here is a sailfin tang that i nursed back to health ... hard to tell what he was from the pic

this is the chevron tang after about 2 months of good diet, plenty of room, and some TLC ... you can still see a scar, but his whole side was ate up when i got him, i cant find the pics though. they might be on my other laptop.

**criscokid** · 09-13-2009, 09:36 AM

Wow, that poor sailfin tang looked terrible! His top fin looks all disfigured too...did that get better as well?

Thank you for the pics.....I never have heard of this until I started reading about this tang I got.

That chevron tang looks great.

***lReef lKeeper*** · 09-13-2009, 01:07 PM

the sailfin when i got it, was about 12" long and today is about 14" and is a healthy and beautiful fish. he still has some scars, but they were extremely deep pits in his head.

i wish i could find the pics of the sohol and chevron before i got them. ill keep looking though.