Lateral Line on my Blue Hippo Tang

[fishnugget]

Anyone have any ideas on curing this? That cost less than getting a new fish?

 

[Anonymous]

HLLE can be "cured" (it's not really an illness caused by an infectious agent) by providing the least stressful environment possible for your fish. Lots of anecdotes exist out there about grounding probes, diet, etc, but IMHO the causative factor is simply stress.

Provide a good diet--hippos aprreciate a bit of veggie fare but not nearly as much as other tangs. Provide lots of hiding places with LR. Don't house them with quarrelsome tankmates. Provide ample swimming room--I would imagine 100 gallons should be the minimum.

 

[JohnD]

I second what Matt has said. The bottom line is that stress is the killer. Any way or ways that we can reduce the stress on our gilled-buddies helps ensure them a long life. Besides grounding probes and a balanced diet, I suggest good water quality and the proper sized tank.

I've had my hippo for over a dozen years. Many water changes and meals consisting of Formula 1 & 2, Angel Formula, Prime Reef, nori, occassional live brine shrimp and occasional (less than once a month)blanched broccoli or orange slice seem to do the trick. I also have a grounding probe and LR for him to hide in. He may be one bad a** hippo to his tank mates, but when it is tank cleaning time, he is the first to hide.

Try some of our suggestions and see how it goes.

HTH

 

[Anonymous]

John,
I'd be interested to see what would happen if you removed your grounding probe. I have serious suspicions that, unless you have an electric leak in your tank, that they're not preventing HLLE. I only say this because I've seen an absolutely terrible case of it reverse itself in a tank without a grounding probe. You could see the hippo's gill filaments, it's gill plate had eroded that badly. The tang is now completely healthy w/o any sign he ever had it.

 

[ricky1414]

Lots of anecdotes exist out there about grounding probes, diet, etc, but IMHO the causative factor is simply stress.

I like your choice of verbage, the true meaning of the word "anecdote" is as follows: an·ec·dotes or an·ec·do·ta (-dt) the secret or hitherto undivulged particulars of history or biography.

what is lateral line disease, as I have never seen it before?

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I just meant that I've never seen any well documented evidence that the lack of a ground probe will cause HLLE. Lots of people might *tell* you the probe is the cure. However, there are lots of folks out there without ground probes who have perfectly healthy fish.

Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE) is the loss of scales around the eyes, gill plate, and lateral line of the fish. It usually starts around the eye and spreads to the LL. AFAIK, it has never been shown to be caused by a parasite or infectious agent. Tangs are particularly susceptible, as are angels.

 

[JohnD]

Matt -

I don't think anything would happen if I removed my grounding probe. My equipment is all pretty good and doesn't leak any electricity into the tank. IMHO the grounding probe is an inexpensive prevention tool to prevent stray electricity from causing a problem.

Whether it is stray electricity, poor diet, poor water quality, unsuitable tank size, unsuitable tankmates or some other factor, they all contribute to stress.

I too would find it hard to believe that a grounding probe would "cure" HLLE.

 

[Ryan Bowen]

Tang Heaven <Graciliara Sp?> has been helpful with my yellow tang's health. He had slight HLLE when he was donated to me, now he's robust and colorful.

 

[Terry B]

If you would like to read a comprehensive series of articles on HLLE you can find one in FAMA magazine. The series appeared in the September thru November 2003 issues of the magazine. It is available in print or online at www.famamagazine.com
Terry B