aquarius
Member
I've been keeping fish saltwater fish for 6 years and my latest disease bout has me completely perplexed. I have a 75 gallon FOWLR tank with a Juv. Koran Angel, a Powder Blue Tang, a Foxface, a Sohal Tang and a a pair of Percs. I know this is a very heavy load for the tank, but I had to rescue the Sohal from another owner who was about to dispose of it. Oddly enough, he is the newest fish in the tank, perhaps 6 months in my care and he has been dramatically impacted by whatever is infecting my tank. I also had a flame angel in there till about a week ago but he succombed to whatever is plaguing my tank. Without a doubt my fish are suffering from severe HLLE. The skin is erroding around the face and along the lateral line and notably on the powder blue it's starting to pit. The fish have been going through this for a little over a year, and the Koran was the first to come down with it. I've also noticed that the fish's fins are beginning are quickly deteriorating which I could only think of fin rot. But, before I go to treat whatever is wrong with the tank, I need help diagnosing the problem.
The fish get a varied diet of Formula 1, 2, and Prime Reef flakes, twice a day soaked in either Zoe, Selcon, or Zoecon. I also interchange Spirulina flakes as well. They get fresh seafood (clams, shrimp, scallops, etc.) and Seaweed Selects every few days which are also soaked in vitamins. The tank is filtered by two Fluval canisters a 304, and 404. The tank also has a protein skimmer. I'll admit that the nitrates are a little too high for my liking, and I know that this is exacerbating the problem, but it is not the root of it. I use two in-tank ground probes to eliminate stray voltage, but this has had no effect on the HLLE. I also have two other FO tanks, a 40 and another 75 and the only difference between this one and the other two is that the 40 and second 75 have a DIY wet-dry for filtration. Tank maintenance is performed regularly for each tank, they use the same source of water, and same salt mix. The filter difference is really the only variable here.
So, now what? I've always enjoyed keeping saltwater fish, but I'm getting pretty discouraged watching helplessly as their condition worsens. Any thoughts on the situation and how to remedy it? Where is the HLLE coming from? How about the rotting fins? How can I fix it? Thanks!
The fish get a varied diet of Formula 1, 2, and Prime Reef flakes, twice a day soaked in either Zoe, Selcon, or Zoecon. I also interchange Spirulina flakes as well. They get fresh seafood (clams, shrimp, scallops, etc.) and Seaweed Selects every few days which are also soaked in vitamins. The tank is filtered by two Fluval canisters a 304, and 404. The tank also has a protein skimmer. I'll admit that the nitrates are a little too high for my liking, and I know that this is exacerbating the problem, but it is not the root of it. I use two in-tank ground probes to eliminate stray voltage, but this has had no effect on the HLLE. I also have two other FO tanks, a 40 and another 75 and the only difference between this one and the other two is that the 40 and second 75 have a DIY wet-dry for filtration. Tank maintenance is performed regularly for each tank, they use the same source of water, and same salt mix. The filter difference is really the only variable here.
So, now what? I've always enjoyed keeping saltwater fish, but I'm getting pretty discouraged watching helplessly as their condition worsens. Any thoughts on the situation and how to remedy it? Where is the HLLE coming from? How about the rotting fins? How can I fix it? Thanks!
