Blue Hippo Tang with cloudy eyes and is scratching them on rock
- Thread starter fishygurl
- Start date
dinogeorge
Member
Hey there FishyGurl,
Don’t panic. I’m sure we can get this figured out.
Is he actually scratching his eyes on the rocks, or is he glancing off rocks to rid something on his face? My guess is that he has ick and is trying to dislodge them from his face and gill coverings. What else is in the tank with him? Do you have another tank where you can move him and treat him?
Don’t panic. I’m sure we can get this figured out.
Is he actually scratching his eyes on the rocks, or is he glancing off rocks to rid something on his face? My guess is that he has ick and is trying to dislodge them from his face and gill coverings. What else is in the tank with him? Do you have another tank where you can move him and treat him?
fishygurl
Active Member
it looked like to me that he was scratching his eyes in the cave he is always in. I think he does have some ich on him though but i think he is scratching his eyes. I have 2 cleaner shrimp that go on him. I also have a flame angel, purple firefish, yellow wrasse, and a lil yellow watchman goby. and no i dont have another tank ready for him to go in.
m0nk
Active Member
Sounds like the tang might have ich. Scratching on rocks is a big indicator, and if the cleaner shrimp are "cleaning" it, then it definitely sounds like it. And, if one fish has ich, the others will get it. Have you added anything into your tank lately?
Your best bet is to setup another tank as a QT and treat all the fish. That means you'll need to collect them all out of your main tank and acclimate them into a cycled tank. Read the sections in this thread on setting up a QT and HypoSalinity/Ich for all the info you'll need to accomplish this:
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/127007/faqs-fish-diseases-treatments-quarantine-health-info
I went through this when I got a blue hippo tang and after successfully treating with hyposalinity in a QT, the tang and my favorite clowns survived. I did loose 2 fish in the process, though, but in the long run, it was worth it to follow the process so that I didn't loose ALL of my fish, and to ensure that any new fish won't breakout with ich as well. Best of luck, and this is the best forum resource for additional questions.
Your best bet is to setup another tank as a QT and treat all the fish. That means you'll need to collect them all out of your main tank and acclimate them into a cycled tank. Read the sections in this thread on setting up a QT and HypoSalinity/Ich for all the info you'll need to accomplish this:
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/127007/faqs-fish-diseases-treatments-quarantine-health-info
I went through this when I got a blue hippo tang and after successfully treating with hyposalinity in a QT, the tang and my favorite clowns survived. I did loose 2 fish in the process, though, but in the long run, it was worth it to follow the process so that I didn't loose ALL of my fish, and to ensure that any new fish won't breakout with ich as well. Best of luck, and this is the best forum resource for additional questions.
m0nk
Active Member
Originally Posted by FishyGurl
would i have to do this to all of my fish??? cause my yellow watchman, yellow wrasse, and purple firefish never had ich just the hippo and flame i dont think the others can get ich like their skin is different or something i could be wrong just wondering though
They could get it, ich is a fish based parasite and will infect any host fish that the larva come in contact with. There are some that are more ich resistant, but if it gets on the fish in even the tiniest bit, once you re-introduce the hippo back into the tank, it'll get ich again. There are several stages of the parasite, and because of this, the main display tank will need to be completely fish-less for about 5-6 weeks. This is the only sure way to rid it of any stage of ich.
would i have to do this to all of my fish??? cause my yellow watchman, yellow wrasse, and purple firefish never had ich just the hippo and flame i dont think the others can get ich like their skin is different or something i could be wrong just wondering though
They could get it, ich is a fish based parasite and will infect any host fish that the larva come in contact with. There are some that are more ich resistant, but if it gets on the fish in even the tiniest bit, once you re-introduce the hippo back into the tank, it'll get ich again. There are several stages of the parasite, and because of this, the main display tank will need to be completely fish-less for about 5-6 weeks. This is the only sure way to rid it of any stage of ich.
sepulatian
Moderator
You can set up a rubbermaid tub with a powerhead and a heater. Move your rocks and any inverts into that and hypo the main. You will need to treat all of your fish.