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FAQs about Hawkfish Disease/Health
Related Articles: Hawkfishes,
Hawkfishes of the Cook Islands,
Related FAQs: Hawkfishes 1, Hawkfishes
2, Hawkfish Identification,
Hawkfish Selection, Hawkfish
Behavior, Hawkfish Compatibility,
Hawkfish Systems, Hawkfish, Feeding, | 
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Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish "Hunger strike in Quarantine
Tank" – 03/23/10
Hi WWM Crew,
I am hoping you will have some suggestions for getting this guy to eat
better.? I have tried EVERYTHING I can think of...
Here is the situation:
I have a 29 gallon reef tank and purchased this guy a couple of weeks
ago to go into my reef?
<?>
tank after quarantining him. He was purchased from my local LFS and was
eating well...I observed this on several occasions prior to purchasing
him. He was observed eating live brine and frozen Mysis. He appeared fat
and
healthy. He had been there for 2 plus weeks before I purchased him. I
have a small 10 gallon quarantine tank, with a Biowheel filter. The
biowheel?is put into?my reef tanks sump in-between quarantine uses to
culture bacteria. He is currently housed in this tank and was treated
prior to admittence?to the quarantine tank?with a ph/temp adjusted
methylene blue/freshwater bath.
<I would summarily have just placed this Cirrhitid in the main
display... and would do so now>
Tank is bare bottomed, and has a few small pieces of pvc pipe for hiding
placed?in the tank. Water parameters are ph 8.2, nitrates 0, ammonia 0,
nitrites 0, water from my weekly reef tank water changes (25 % weekly
from reef tank, making it a?50% water change to quarantine tank
weekly)?is used to replace and change water in quarantine tank. No
lights on the tank, ?just ambient light from room the tank is housed
in,?water temp is 78 degrees.??
I have seen him eat on occasion...but he isn't eating enough and seems
to be losing a little weight now...not quite as plump as he should be. I
am feeding Rod's Frozen Food, and frozen?mysis shrimp, these are soaked
in Selcon prior to feeding,?I?have also tried formula one, prime
reef...even the pelleted food recommended on WWM pages, etc....he's
interested in food and occasionally I'll see him grab a piece of
food?shyly...but not enough to maintain him. I even got desperate and
tried some live brine soaked it in Selcon and he will eat that...but I
know this is not a valuable food source for the long term...any ideas on
how to get him to eat more and better food??? He's been in there 2 weeks
already and I do not want to admit him to the reef tank w/o him being as
healthy as possible and eating well is of great concern...There is no
evidence of disease...but could this be an unseen parasite problem..or
stress??
<The latter>
Is there anything else I can try to reduce stress or encourage
feeding...Thank you for your assistance!!!
Kathy
<Move this fish... Bob Fenner>
Re: Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish "Hunger strike in Quarantine Tank"
– 03/23/10
Sorry I forgot? to inc this the SPG? Is 1.024
<... what's wrong with your formatting? Not to worry re the water
density
here. BobF>
Re: Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish "Hunger strike in
Quarantine Tank" 3/23/10
Bob,
Thank you for your quick reply. I will do so immediately!!
<Heeee! If not sooner!>
I thought about putting him in there right after the bath..but was
trying to be careful since my reef tank hasn't had any Ick/parasite
problems and hoping that will continue to be the case :)
Thanks again,
Kathy
<Hawkfishes period are quite resistant to common protozoan problems...
And are generally "very clean" on import. I fully suspect that yours has
very little chance of being a carrier here... and much too much chance
of suffering from delay in being permanently placed. Cheers, BobF>
Flame Hawkfish continually
breathing rapidly 6/1/09
Dear Mr. Fenner and Wet Web Media crew,
<Hello Ramona.>
It SICKENS me to even type this out on paper, but it looks like he has
velvet! I have heard so many HORRIBLE things about this disease. I CAN'T
believe that this could very likely be the problem. Not only do I not
know what to do, I have to face the fact that I may likely lose both
him, and the Foxface. What STUPIDITY on my part to put them both in the
same (30 gal)tank with a tank divider!!
<We live and learn.>
I have taken up so much of your valuable time (and website space) with
this entire mess. As I had mentioned in my original post, I had fish for
many years that very suddenly suspiciously died. As I also mentioned, I
had become ill and couldn't do a water change on my 80 gallon FOWLR tank
with a
25 gallon sump for a month. When I discovered the loss, the first thing
I did was test the water parameters (something that I kept CLOSE eye
on).The only thing that was out of the norm was the nitrate level(40
ppm). I am beginning to wonder if SOMEHOW the velvet had gotten into the
display tank and I just didn't notice it at that point. I was back in my
wheelchair (YUKKK!!!) for a while. My family had to help me with
EVERYTHING, including caring for my fish. The ONLY things that I had
ever added to either of my
tanks( I also have a 26 gallon bow FOWLR with a large sump with live
rock) over the years would be hermit crabs and snails, as their life
span is not terribly long. Even these would be in QT for 4 weeks
FAITHFULLY, so that something like this could be avoided.
<It, as you see, can and does still happen at times.>
That would certainly explain the reason that they had all perished so
fast.
the maroon clown( from my original post about him swimming as though he
had swim bladder problems) was the only survivor, and, as I mentioned,
has made a complete recovery. WHERE DO I START??!! Likely by asking
someone TO KICK ME IN THE PANTS for being so ignorant. I am (humbly)
writing this so that someone else may benefit from it and not make the
same foolish mistakes I have made. The tank divider is a HUGE NONO!!. I
found it to be a bacterial breeding playground. I never thought it would
become a problem because I had both sides outfitted with a Marineland 15
(160gph) filter on each side, along with a box filter filled with
crumbled live rock from the main tank( that would likely explain the
velvet , if in fact , that was in there to begin with), with a high air
input to keep water movement going.
The poor little Hawkfish is still eating well.
<Good.>
He does have some almost white patches on his body, now that I Know what
I am looking for. His respiration is what concerns me. How long can
ANYTHING live if it is struggling to breath.
<Not long.>
The Foxface APPEARS to be just fine. Perhaps it has not gotten bad for
him yet. If there is ANYTHING I can do that could save this little
sweetie's life, I will do my best to do that. I am terrified to work
with any kind of copper, as I have read from other posts that it can be
tricky.
<It is a poison, the level must be monitored. Easy enough with a test
kit.
Chloroquine diphosphate is more expensive, a bit harder to come by, but
can be effective also and is generally regarded as a safer option.>
The main tank has had only hermit crabs and snails in it for over 2
months.
I will continue to leave it this way for a while, as I was getting ready
to put the clown back in. How could I add more oxygen to a QT tank than
I already have? If this is truly velvet, why has the Foxface shown no
sign
what so ever?
<If it is he likely will in time.>
I hope I haven't spread this to my smaller tank if it is (royal gramma
and 2 wild caught Perculas that I have had for NEARLY 10 YEARS!!) Thank
you for allowing me to post this on this WONDERFULLY helpful website. It
may be too late for me, but perhaps this may help someone else in a
similar situation.
I feel almost ASHAMED to ask for any help, as I feel that my own
ignorance has brought this about. Thank you ever so much. Ramona
<Welcome, hoping for the best, Scott V.>
Flame Hawkfish continually
breathing rapidly 5-30-3009
Dear Mr. Fenner and crew,
I can't believe that I am bothering you again (already) for more advice.
PLEASE KNOW THAT I TRULY APPRECIATE IT!! You had such excellent advice
for my maroon clown, which by the way, has made a full recovery. I am
ready to put the maroon clown, along with the other fish in QT (hippo
tang, Foxface lo, flame Hawkfish) in my big tank after having all of
them in QT for over 2 months. I am quite concerned about the Hawkfish. I
have never had one before. He has been eating everything and anything
very robustly. I noticed from day 1 that he breaths much harder than the
other fish .
<Hawkfishes, for all their apparent sedentary behavior, require high
oxygen tension... More so than many other fish families>
As I had mentioned in the post about the maroon clown, I am right on top
of the water conditions in the QT tanks( each fish is in it's own tank).
Over the last week, the breathing has gotten much worse. Today, after
the usual water change, I noticed that his breathing was even worse yet.
Also his color paled. He is still eating but has now become picky about
it.
<Cut back on the feeding. Way back>
This little guy is PRECIOUS! I will do what I have to help him, but
don't know what to do. I don't know if this would matter, but I soak his
food in Selcon each time I feed him.
<Mmm, as much a fan as I am of this product, I would not use it
continuously>
I have used this product for the last 6-7 years ,and have never had a
problem with it. at the moment, he is in a 30gal long, with a divider
for him and the Foxface. Each side of the divider has its own Marineland
15 Bio filter, and also a box filter in the opposite corner that is
filled with crumbled live rock from the sump of my large tank. There is
plenty of water movement in each side of the tank. The Foxface is fine,
and quite friendly (My previous one took forever to adjust to tank
life). His breathing is just fine. I would be grateful for either yours,
or someone else's input on this.
It was hard enough to lose the other fish that I had for so many years.
I don't want to lose this little one. thank you so much for taking your
time to read this. Ramona
<I would be very chary/careful re much food offering... minimal for now
here. Bob Fenner>
Flame Hawkfish ill :( Help?, Ich, 4/15/09
Hello to My All-Knowing Fish Keepers,
<Ha, hardly, I did achieve total enlightenment once, but then found
a bottle of Tequila and it has been all down hill from there.>
I'm new to saltwater. I've been referring to your site often these
past couple weeks in an effort to save my fish. And, I've learned
the importance of a QT, so please no I told you so's. : (
<Well we did...>
As soon as I am able to find a job, I'm all over it! I've learned my
lesson. I don't want to go through this again, but without any other
alternative, I had to treat the display tank this time.
<Often can be worse and not treating at all.>
So now I am trying to save my last remaining fish. My beautiful
Flame Hawk. He's my buddy and still hanging on. Any help you can
offer, I would gladly appreciate.
<Will try.>
I have a 120 gallon fish only saltwater. It's approximately 6 months
old.
Everything was perfect, and then I added a tang, who I believe to be
the culprit in this nightmare. Anyway. I had a Scopus Tang, (who I
returned to the LFS about 10 days ago after 5 weeks, because he was
mean as hell believe it or not and used to chase/terrorize my Hawk
all the time, but the night before I took him back, I noticed a few
spots on him) a maroon clown, two yellow tailed damsels, a choc chip
starfish and my Flame Hawk. The starfish and the flame are all I
have left now. : ( My water appears to be perfect, nothing
registering on ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, my PH is 8.2
and the salinity is 1.020. (I'm gradually lowering it)
<I would not, will definitely kill the starfish and any life
remaining on your live rock/live sand. Also numbers please next
time, "perfect" tends to mean different things to different people.>
It used to be 1.023.
<I would maintain a more natural level of 1.025-1.026.>
Oh, and I've been keeping the temp around 82. I've been doing water
changes of about 15 gallons every other day.
<Ok>
Anyway, I'm fairly certain that I have crypt/ich. although, to this
day, I've never seen it on my Hawk. But he did the whole
flicking/glancing thing for about a day and a half and has had rapid
respiration. My damsels
were covered in little white dots the day after I took the tang
back.
<Could very well be.>
I went to my LFS and they recommended Greenex of 1 drop/gal since I
didn't have a reef tank, but had the starfish.
<Not a treatment I would have gone with, in fact not a chemical I
really like to have around the house if I can avoid it, pretty toxic
stuff, Malachite Green and Quinine HCL.>
I removed the Chemzorb from my filter, turned the light off and
began treating the tank with the Greenex every other day for six
days. This was Tuesday, 4/7. 4/8, my hawk and all other fish stopped
eating. LFS told me that on Saturday, my hawk should be better.
(I read about the Greenex and the importance of not using too much
malachite green for fear of poisoning, so i used 110 drops for the
110 actual gallons in my tank to account for the sand (1 lb per
gallon, about 2
- 2 1/2" deep) and rockwork/decorations.
<Yes, very toxic.>
Now, he has stopped glancing, and his color has returned, he was for
a couple days, pretty pale, struggled to move and didn't leave his
little home under a rock cave.
<Probably more due to the treatment than the cure to be honest.>
On Saturday, he still did not look great and is still breathing
rapidly.
But as I said, his color has returned and he is on his 'perch' at
the top of the tank near the filter. When I contacted the LFS they
told me that the Greenex is a weak medicine so the
starfish/invertebrates can withstand the treatment and that I needed
to begin another course of treatment 3 days after the last one.
<I would never consider GreenEx a weak medicine, in fact quite the
opposite, one of the stronger medications available.>
I treated again with 110 drops last night after changing out 15
gallons.
How long will I need to treat the tank? And is the advice they are
giving me good in my current situation?
<At this point I would just stop all treatment, I think here the
treatment is worse than the disease. Good water quality and feedings
will do more for this fish than the Greenex. When you are able to
get a QT you can remove this fish and treat in there while allowing
the main tank to go follow and the Ich to die off before adding new
live stock. I would also think about finding a new fish store,
Greenex/Malachite Green is about one of the least desirable
treatments for what you are trying to achieve here.
See here for more http://www.wetwebmedia.com/malachitegreen.htm .>
My starfish appears fine. He's been active and roams the bottom of
the tank picking up food that my flame is not eating. The actual
reason for this e-mail is the food. I haven't been able to get my
hawk to eat for 8
days. He used to eat like a champ before he got sick. Mysis shrimp,
brine, live brine, marine flake, and New Life Marine Formula
pellets. How can I get the poor little guy to eat? I don't want him
to starve, he
appears to be fighting this mess.
<Stop treatment and improve water quality here and see if that does
not get him back on track. Perhaps some live brine or garlic soaked
foods many entice a feeding response.>
Please let me know if you need any other information.
Help. :( & Thanks,
~ Jen
<Welcome>
<Chris>
Re: Flame Hawkfish ill :( Help?, Ich, 4/16/09
Hello to My All-Knowing Fish Keepers,
<Ha, hardly, I did achieve total enlightenment once, but then found
a bottle of Tequila and it has been all down hill from there.>
Thank you for the laugh, the information and the quick response! I'm
trying my best to save him on little resources. Stupid Economy! >: |
~ Jen
<Good luck with everything.>
<Chris>
Re: Flame Hawkfish ill – 4/17/09
Hello again!
<Hi>
I followed your advice from yesterday and stopped treatment, put my
Chemzorb back in the filter and slowly returning the tank to normal.
My hawk is eating again!!!!! First time in 9 days! THANK YOU!
<Excellent.>
Now all I have to do is find a different LFS. Considering that is
the better of the 3 here, might prove challenging!
Thanks again! : )
Jen
<Your best bet is to find a shop that carries healthy livestock and
educate yourself through multiple sources so that you do not have to
rely on the advise of someone who is trying to sell you something,
especially at times like now where sales are down and stores are
desperate for the quick buck.
I have found a couple shops whose livestock selection is excellent,
however I cringe whenever I hear them giving advise to hobbyists.>
<Chris>
Longnose Hawkfish Snout/Jaw Issue? 11/28/2007
Good morning
all,
<David>
I'm frustrated...
<... the calm before the storm?>
Last December, I set up a 200g FOWLR tank with a deep sandbed (approx
5"). My salinity stays pretty constant at 1.025, temperature at 26.5 -
27.5oc, my water flow is 18X/hr.
Water parameters are all in check
except Nitrates stay consistent at 20ppm.
<Okay>
I have a 28"
Snowflake Moray, a Magnificent Foxface, Banded Serpent Star, and a
Harlequin Tuskfish remaining in the tank. I wrote to Bob a few times in
September when my two Bannerfish mysteriously disappeared and were found
in my eel's lair. Both fish were aggressive feeders and seemed healthy
aside from a few odd behaviors from time to time. The odd behaviours
were consistent over the 5+ months that I had them and figured if it was
a problem, they would've perished earlier. The ReefCentral Community
believes that it would be highly unlikely that the Snowflake would have
caught and killed these fish, but likely scavenged on the corpses.
<I
agree>
Anyhow, we've discussed this before. I wanted to comment on my
longnose Hawkfish. I purchased a longnose Hawkfish in late September. He
was always curious and an aggressive feeder who liked to play 'keep
away' with my Tuskfish (i.e. grabbing food and running swimming like mad
to ensure the Tuskfish didn't steal it from him). About 2 weeks ago, I
noticed a small bump on the very tip of my Hawkfishes snout. He was
still feeding at the time. A few days later, it almost appeared that
where his snout meets his head was a little swollen. Upon a closer look,
I wasn't sure... but obviously it must've been for me to notice in the
first place? Something didn't look right. The jaw seemed inline looking
at it straight on, the fish's coloration remained bright, but something
didn't seem right about the jaw... and the fish would always keep it's
mouth open a little bit, never closing it. When I noticed the mouth open
consistently... it was then that I noticed it wasn't feeding at all...
not even taking an interest in any food. The Hawkfish would sit within
inches of the eel and the eel would never bother it... the other fish
would never pay attention to the Hawkfish, however there was usually a
playful chase when the Hawkfish snapped up the last bit of food (being
chased by the Tuskfish). Anyhow, so I'd estimate the Hawkfish hadn't had
anything to eat for maybe 6-10 days. Yesterday morning, the Hawkfish lay
dead on the sandbed... I had noticed the Hawkfish gill beats per minute
had increased fairly rapidly over the prior 3 days. Are you familiar
with anything that would cause minor swelling around the jaw area of a
longnose Hawkfish?
<An injury from bumping into something or being
bitten>
Like I said, the swelling was hardly noticeable, but the
initial bump on the snout certainly was noticeable. I'm almost thinking
that the eel mistakenly grabbed the Hawkfish by the snout/head and
realized that he wasn't desirable to eat and then released the fish....
Perhaps leaving broken bones into the skull and some bruising with minor
swelling?
<Not likely... Oxycirrhites are smart... and fast...
Perhaps the Choerodon... in going for the same food item... or it could
have "jumped", hit the top...>
I don't know... there wasn't really
any discoloration around the head area and the Hawkfish eyes would still
be alert. In your opinion... what could potentially cause the Hawkfish
to keep his mouth open or possibly disable the use of his mouth?
<See
above>
It's frustrating because I started this tank with successfully
keeping all of my first 5 fish (but I did something stupid with two of
them in a hospital tank and know exactly why they perished)... but have
lost my last 3 introductions without an obvious sign of what went wrong.
I'm only introducing a new one every 4-6 weeks after a 3-4 week
quarantine. If fish are collected by cyanide, would it take about 3 - 5
months to start having health problems?
<Rarely... most die
immediately to within a few days to weeks>
While I have your
attention, I am using RO/DI water filter since beginning of September. I
am averaging about 10g/week water change on a total system volume of
about 230g. From Dec 06 - July 07 I was using tapwater and a minor hair
algae issue that went away and I had the cleanest tank I've ever had...
nice coralline algae and only had to clean my glass once every 6 weeks.
About July, hair algae galore!!! Hence I bought the RO/DI unit. Having
used it for the past 3 months and using PhosBan for the past 6 weeks...
I am noticing little improvement in my hair algae situation. Mind you,
leaving the 2xBannerfish corpses in the eels lair vs. taking apart my
tank to retrieve the bodies likely didn't help the cause. Am I taking
the proper steps with PhosBan and RO/DI ??? My lights are 95W strip and
a 65W strip for 9.5hrs/daily.
David Brynlund
<Is one approach...
there are others worth considering... All posted on WWM. RMF>
Giant Hawkfish Ailment 10/22/07
Hi,
<Hello
Christine>
First of all thank you for providing such an in depth and
helpful website. I often find that the most accurate information I get
comes from here as opposed to many of my local fish stores. Anyway,
after carefully searching through your site I could not find a situation
as specific as mine, with regard to my giant hawkfish.
<Neat animals>
Let me first say that I am meticulous when it comes to water changes,
checking levels, salinity etc. So I can confidently say that the
environment is not "dirty". My giant hawkfish, who resides with his eel
brother in their 100 gallon tank has developed a very faint gray film
over his left eye. It is not within his eye but covers it. Nowhere on
the body are there any other signs of infection, or fungus, or whatever
it may be. The closest thing I could find online as far as descriptions
go is something called cataracts. Well, I first thought it was a fungus
but now I am quite uncertain. It was suggested to me that a brief
freshwater dip will cause this film to simply fall off after awhile. I
did that for about 2.5 minutes and I have yet to see any change. My
hawkfish (Chad) is still as personable as ever. He eats, swims and
behaves normally. I am worried about this thing over his eye. It is
almost cloudy but again, not inside of the actual eye. I was also
recommended Rid-Ich as a simple solution but based on the material on
this site, it seems as though Rid -Ich is not so simple and will cause
more harm than good.
<Agreed>
I have live rock and live sand in
the tank and I have no quarantine tank to use, so my choices are
limited. Well, I hope I have provided sufficient information. It's not
so much an emergency as it is a motherly concern. For now though... I
will continue with my water changes and monitoring of levels and p.h.
Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
-Christine in Ca.
<As you state, this is a one-sided involvement (unilateral)... Though
Cirrhitids are agile, fast... this one may have scratched the outer
eye... Perhaps there is an infectious agent involved subsequently... but
maybe not. I would leave this fish where it is, do your best to maintain
optimized water quality, good (supplemented) nutrition, and be patient
re (likely weeks to months) self-cure here. Bob Fenner in smoky San
Diego> Arc-eye hawk with freckles - 08/15/06
Hello Bob and friends. I really hate to do this, but I Googled and
Googled. I opened at least two threads about this. Anyway,...I have a 37
gallon column with 30 plus lbs. of live rock with one bubble tip
anemone. There's one coral beauty,
<Needs more room than this>
a
mated pair of yellow head Jawfishes, and an arc-eye hawk. I quarantine
everybody. The arc-eye had a black spot on his side that honestly looked
like pigmentation.
<Likely was/is>
Kept him in quarantine and
the spot didn't change at all. After two weeks I put him in the display,
determining it was just like a 'freckle'. The black spot is like a fleck
of black pepper. It's not raised above the surface,...it just looks like
a pigmentation. Only problem now is, there's now like 4 of them on the
fish! Again these spots are not raised above the surface. He also seems
extra skittish all of a sudden. The tank is like 9 months old. ph:8.2,
sg 1.022, nitrite:0, ammonia:0, nitrate:40, alk:2.2. Please help!
Adam B.
<Mmm, I'd raise your spg and alkalinity... Could be still
some sort of melanization... from... who knows? The anemone's presence?
Overall stress of captivity? Harassment from the Centropyge? The
Opistognathids? I would not "treat" per se. Bob Fenner>
Re:
arc eye hawk with freckles (more) - 08/15/06
(continued) I
also performed 3-4 freshwater dips for about three minutes before moving
to display. When the hawk was in quarantine I treated with a formalin
based medication called 'rid ich'. This was for about 5 days. I thought
maybe it was Paravortex
<Could be... but where would this come from?
Has been recorded on about 125 species of five families... but this
turbellarian has a direct life cycle...>
or some sort of
subcutaneous parasite. I have since removed him the main display and now
he is acclimating to the qt's water. Temperature in main display is 80.
Also, I wanted you to know he still eats like a pig. Even as early as an
hour before I removed him, he was attacking the frozen Mysis with a
vengeance.
thx
Adam B.
<A bigger
tank... time going by... Bob Fenner> Re: arc eye hawk
with freckles (more) - 08/15/06
So, my only question
is,...do I leave in qt?
<Mmm, no... not indefinitely...>
He
obviously hates it in qt. I don't think he feels secure. The first time
and this time around. If I should leave in in qt,.. how long?
<Let's
cut to the proverbial chase... this species, family's members need to be
housed in larger quarters, not with shrimp... see WWM re...>
If it
was Paravortex wouldn't it have fallen off and also the 'spot' would go
away?
<... not likely parasitic... If this flatworm could persist
for weeks...>
I have a 90 gallon that's running fallow due to ich.
As with any fish that's starts to 'outgrow' the 37, they will be
promptly relocated.
<Oh! Good>
But, back to the hawk, I don't
want him to stay in qt unless YOU or one of your people say so. You're
the man Mr. Fenner.
<Heeee! We're the fish men!>
'The
Conscientious Marine Aquarist' is a incredible book,...thx
Adam B.
<I would try to hold off on returning this Cirrhitid to the tank with
the small crustaceans... and place it in the larger tank when it's
"ready"... and not worry re the black spots/freckles. BobF>
Re: arc eye hawk with freckles (more) 8/16/06
Well
the only problem with waiting on the 90 gallon is that I still have like
3-4 weeks until it's 'safe'. And the hawk won't eat in the qt.
<Try
a grass shrimp...>
He didn't the first time around either! As soon
as I put him in the display (initially), he was eating like a maniac.
You had said something about 'housing with small crustaceans',.... I
don't have small crustaceans. Just some hermits crabs,
<...>
I
feed frozen Mysis. Maybe that was the misunderstanding. So, back to the
original question,... can I put him in the display temporarily until the
90 is ready?..
<Back to the orig. resp.>
You said 'no, not
indefinitely' about leaving him in qt, isn't that like saying yes and no
at the same time?!?? (very slick.. lol)
<Sorry for the confusion...
mean/t, "not indefinitely in the quarantine>
And you also said 'if
this is flatworm it could persist for weeks', do you mean it would stay
visible on the fish?
<... yes>
To the best of your un-ending
fish knowledge you think it's not likely parasitic, and I agree, but
why??
<Not expressed as such... not likely on the one host...>
I'm a fiend for fish smarts,...I work at a LFS, so I like to know the
'WHY''s. Thanks
again,...I'll do my best to leave you and your crew
alone for a while.
Adam B.
<Heeee! Be reading, chatting. Bob
Fenner> Re: arc eye hawk with freckles (more)
8/17/06
Well, I really thought I'd be leaving you alone, but,..
the damsel in the qt (waiting to go into the 90) is now showing similar
spots!
<Unusual>
So, obviously the hawk is staying in qt. Now my
question is, did the damsel get ti because of the less than optimal
parameters in qt.... because I don't see spots on anybody in the main
display. Maybe because of the close quarters? I feel horrible! Should i
be worried about the others in the main display? I'm going to go ahead
and treat qt with a formalin based med., regular dose?
<Mmm, I would
first try a simple/r pH adjusted FW bath... detailed on WWM... under
"Dips/Baths"... and see if these blackish spots "fall off"... as in
Paravortex... I still have my bet on these being "stress markings"...
and would NOT subject the fish to Formalin exposure>
Am I losing
it??...
<Perhaps temporarily>
Could the black spots still be
something else?
<Definitely>
How quickly things can turn into
a nightmare.....?!
thx
Adam B.
<Ten deep breaths... a
long walk... the letter in your sock drawer... Bob Fenner>
Re: arc eye hawk with freckles (more) 8/18/06
Could
the marks on the damsel be bite marks from the hawk?
<Mmm, yes>
...You know how damsels always 'tail-slap' new additions ...?
<Some,
yes>
....Maybe the hawk retaliated?....Tried fw dips on the fish
with no luck.....jeez.....Adam B.
<Then not Paravortex... I'd take a
"chill pill" here... wait on any/all "med.s". BobF>
Sick Long
Nosed Hawkfish 7/19/06
Hello!
<Hi there>
My husband
and I recently stumbled on your site and have found it to be incredibly
helpful. Thank you all for your hard work.
<Welcome>
I'm
writing concerning our long nose hawkfish. We've had the hawk
for about 5 months now, and everything was fine until
recently. The hawk has been in
our 90 gallon tank. It had been
our reef only, no fish tank until this year.
We were down to a
variety of mushrooms and a small clump of star polyps, so we decided to
add some reef friendly fish. We added a Maroon Clownfish,
Diamond
Watchman Goby, Algae Blenny, and Hippo Tang.
<Okay>
We've been
battling a low pH and alkalinity problem in all our tanks since moving
to our new house. It seems to be due to the composition of our water
here, which is not ideal for aquariums.
<Ahh...>
We've now got a
R/O unit which mostly helps. We've been using Seachem's Reef Builder
and Reef Buffer to correct the problem.
<Good products>
Long
story short, a little while ago (a month maybe), I noticed that
our hawkfish had what appeared to be a small bump on the lower part of
its mouth.
We worried at first that it was an injury
from jumping or running into something else. We left him alone to see
if it would heal.
<Which is what I would have done as well>
It
has not gotten better, instead it has gotten bigger. The hawkfish was
eating fine. When we realized that the problem was worse we put the
hawkfish into our QT tank to be
able to observe and to feed it
without competition from the other fish in the tank.
We
were gone this past weekend and came home to find that part of
the hawk's lower jaw seems to be missing and it is having trouble
catching the bits of
food I put in the tank. It is still active,
curious about its surroundings and coming to the surface to see what
food I put in the tank.
Is it possible to diagnose what is wrong and
save this fish or is it more humane to euthanize the fish at this
point? I really don't want to see it suffer.
<I am almost always
siding on treatment and holding out hope...>
Other than the now
corrected pH and alkalinity problems, the rest of our specs are within
the normal range.
Can you help me identify the problem?
<Maybe. Could be a long-term internal disorder... genetic, even
parasitic... perhaps a nutritional deficiency of some sort... I'd
strongly consider even a tumor resultant from a physical injury.>
I'm happy to provide and additional information that you might need and
even a photo, if that helps.
Thank you very much!
-Jen
<Pix
are almost always of help... I would maintain this fish at NSW water
conditions, spg of 1.025, soak its foods in a vitamin, HUFA and iodide
prep. solution. Bob Fenner>
Re: Angel (medicine poisoning)
disease?
I'm sorry to bother you with this question, I've
searched the site for a while and couldn't find a answer. I had a dwarf
flame angel, a small Koran angel
and a small hawkfish in a 30 gallon
quarantine tank. Is it possible for the 2 angels in a quarantine tank
to get a disease, and not the hawk?
<Yes>
The two angels eyes
became very cloudy. I was treating the tank with Maracyn 2, Maroxy and
Coppersafe.
<<... how much of all this?>>
Both angel's eye's
seemed to just waste away leaving what seemed to be two blind angels.
After removing the two, the hawkfish seems fine. It has been 4 days
since taking out the angels. I've read some things about angel disease.
Is this what happened?? <Angels can be a little sensitive to
copper. Did you monitor your copper level with a test kit? The
recommended level would be 0.15ppm. Another problem is too many
medications in the tank at one time. Determine the disease and treat
for that disease only. James (Salty Dog)>
<What? Where's the
previous correspondence? There are some three dozen of us "here". Bob F>
Thanks for the quick response. The copper level was at .15ppm, My main
question wasn't answered though. Is it normal that the 2 angels health
was
horrible while the hawk seemed, and still to this day is seems
fine?
<Cirrhitids can be remarkably disease resistant compared to
Angels. Bob Fenner> White Fecal Matter
Morning Bob,
<Scott>
I have a question regarding a Dwarf Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys
falco, I believe) which I recently moved into a QT. I was running a 39
gallon Eclipse 3 as a FOWLR tank for 4 years. That was until my wife got
pregnant and decided to turn my fish room into a nursery!!! I was able
to adopt out all of my specimens except for this one hawkfish. So I set
up a 10 gallon Eclipse 1 and cut the material Bio-Wheel down to size to
fit the Eclipse 1 Bio-Wheel, to avoid a new break in period. I also
transferred 5 gallons of the water but none of the LR or Substrate. So
the tank is clean except for 1 piece of bleached coral for hiding. I
also moved a few bumble bee snails, and Mexican turbo snails with the
hawkfish. This was not meant to be a QT tank for health reasons, so no
meds were planned on being used.
Since moving into the new tank, the
hawkfish stopped eating immediately and breathing became heavy.
All water parameters (e.g. pH, salinity 1.023, temp, alk) are exactly as
they were in the main tank.
Three days ago, while performing a
partial water change, I saw a little white worm wiggling around on the
glass bottom of the tank, so I quickly sucked him out with the hose, not
thinking to try to save it for ID. About a day after that I noticed my
hawkfish had white stringy fecal matter and was still not eating. When I
woke up this morning, I noticed that he has the beginnings of Popeye
disease. I have the full range of meds (e.g. copper, MarOxy, Formalin-3,
Maracyn I and II), however I'm not quite sure how to treat. I know that
I have to remove the snails, no biggie there. Any help would be
fantastic.
<If anything I would try a dose of Metronidazole/Flagyl...
this is described on WWM's root/marine web. Bob Fenner> Longnose
Not Doing Well
>Hi, I am hoping someone can help.
>>Hello.
>I have a longnose hawkfish. I noticed he was not eating as well as he
does normally. I also noticed he was perching a little crooked on the
rocks. Now I have noticed his left eye is bulging out. Do you think he
got hurt, or could it be some sort of disease.
>>One eye tends to
be from injury, if it were disease it would present equally and
bilaterally.
>Should I quarantine him? Any advice would be
helpful. Thanks Debbie
>>You may wish to figure out who/what is
causing him injury. In the meantime, it may certainly be the case that,
until you get it sorted, q/t is best. Marina Longnose Not
Doing Well - Follow up
>Thanks for your prompt reply. I don't
know who would be bothering him. I only have a 35 gallon tank, with 5
fish. I have had him since October, and have seen on bullying from
other fish. I guess I will try QT him, maybe he will recover faster, if
he does not have to fight for food. Debbie
>>Ahh.. this is
telling. Longnose hawks, as you may very well be aware, are known
jumpers. I am guessing that in such a small tank he may have hurt
*himself*. In which case, there's likely no need to move him, but you
might wish to consider future digs for him, especially if this occurs
again. Marina Flame Hawkfish
I have 29 gal tank with
a maroon gold stripe clown fish, purple Dottyback, eibli angel, and a
flame hawkfish. I had recently used MelaFix to fix to the
tail of
the clown who looked like he had been picked at. But this made the water
kind of filmy looking so I put activated carbon in the media tray of my
emperor
280 to try and clear the water and this seems to have worked
wonderfully. Except that my Flame hawkfish is now hiding in the rocks,
and is always on his side. He
just sits there when the other fish
come over and poke at him and really doesn't seem to be eating.
<Doesn't sound good. Just sitting there is no big deal... but the other
behavior...>
He used to sit on the powerhead in an upright position
all the time, but now will only stay crammed up in the rocks on his
side. Aside from the charcoal to clear the
water there have been no
changes and the other fish seem much happier since the charcoal went in.
Is this normal for a hawkfish or should I be concerned.
<I would be
concerned. I would execute a large water change (25%) and try a bit of
live food... best, some live Glass Shrimp... perhaps soaked in an
appetite/vitamin enhancement product like Selcon. Bob Fenner>
Thanks
for any help you can give me,
Jim Re: Flame
Hawkfish
Bob,
<Jim>
Thanks for your advice, but he still
died today. When I first bought him it was about 4 weeks ago and he
didn't seem all that active in the tank at the store.
<... sounds
like cumulative stress, damage from collection, shipping...>
And
against my better judgment I let the store worker talk me into getting
him because they said his colors looked good and I had read that they
were supposed to
be a very hardy fish, but it turns out I may have
gotten damaged goods since my other three fish, which I bought from
different pet stores, are all doing well.
<Think so. Bob F>
Thank you for your help,
Jim Kinney Re: Flame Hawkfish
Bob,
Here is my last question of you on this. I'm not going to get
anything to replace him for at least a couple of weeks,
<And
hopefully he will reciprocate>
but I wanted to keep the number of
fish at 4. And I wanted to know if a flame Hawkfish is actually a good
fit with the fish I currently have.
Because this one had labored
breathing from the day I brought him home and I wanted to know if that
was their way or again just the built up stress?
Thanks for all your
help,
Jim
<Uh, Jim... what are the other specimens? Only time
can/will tell whether this Hawkfish rallies. Bob Fenner> Sick
Hawkfish
<Beth, I'm sooo very sorry for the delay, I just got
this today. Hope we aren't too late. MacL>I have had a banded Hawkfish
since 9-16. The store had him for 4 weeks and I put him in qt for 2
weeks. He has always been a great eater. I feed him flakes and fresh
shrimp. About 3-5 days ago he spit out his shrimp and hasn't eaten
since. He seems to have raw areas around his mouth and part of his lip
is swollen and red. <That doesn't sound so good> I don't know if I'm
imagining it but he seems to have white patches around his gills...maybe
just natural markings I don't know if I'm paranoid or not. <Could be or
it might be some type of fungus. Very possibly might be where he's
knocked into something.> He also has small white dots all over his nose
and above his eyes...again maybe just natural markings. <Those probably
are natural.> The only med I have is rid-ich and I live in a rural area
and must travel to get anything else. I have moved him to the qt. I
tried a freshwater dip but he went into shock so I put him in the qt
without it. <Lots of times when they are being freshwater dipped they
will lay on the bottom and look pathetic but that's actually typical of
fish in the dip.> He is still active and "plump". I put in a dose of
rid-ich as it says it will kill fungal and parasitic infections. It
will be Saturday night before I can get anything else. I had allowed the
main tank to get away from me and amm and no2 was 0 but no3 was between
40 and 80. the qt is stabilized and amm and no2 is 0 and no3 is 15. ph
stays a constant 8.2 and temp is 78 in both tanks. s.g. is 1.024 he is
the only fish in the tank aside from a choc chip sea star who is
thriving...surprising considering the no3. <You definitely need to do
water changes to get that more stable. I have had excellent success with
MelaFix in my saltwater tanks for this type of problem. Please write me
back and let me know what's going on with him? Good luck, MacL>
any
help, please
Beth Hawkfish On The Mend!
Thanks
for getting back. I know you all get a lot of mail.
<Scott F.
following up tonight!>
"Spike" is still in the qt. He just finished a
round of Spectrogram. There was definitely white
patches on his side
that was obscuring his stripes. Same with the raw patches around his
face. The Spectrogram has worked great. the blister below his lip is
going away. it is now just a red spot on his lip about 3/16 in. long. He
ate some fresh shrimp yesterday and is once again swimming very well.
The Spectrogram apparently killed my biofilter in the qt, so I am doing
daily 2 gal water
changes.
<A good help in this situation. You may
even want to limp the biofilter along with a "bacteria in a bottle"
product for a while...>
I still have a few questions... do I wait
another day and do another round of Spectrogram as the package suggests,
or run carbon for a day or two and try a different antibiotic.
<I'd
stick with just one medication, especially if it is working. Always
follow manufacturer's suggestions concerning dosage and duration, unless
you are noticing very negative reactions. Just keep monitoring water
quality and begin using carbon and water changes when the next round of
medication is complete.>
I do have Melafix, but was told it is not
effective.
<Perhaps it is on some conditions...I'm not a big fan of
it. And again, I would not mix medications at this point.>
And now
that he is eating, should I go back to his regular every other day
schedule or daily to help him get stronger.
<I'd go for daily, with
attention to water quality, of course.>
I usually give him a few
flakes and about 4 small bite sized pieces of shrimp.
<Try some
really nutritious items, like Mysis Shrimp, which can really help
provide the nutrition that he needs to get stronger...>
Thanks again
for all your help, Beth
<Sounds like you're doing a great job, Beth!
Keep it up! Regards, Scott F>
Flame hawkfish losing color
3/1/05
I have a 125 FOWLR with 130lbs of rock and ample skimming
and circulation. About 4 weeks ago, I added a flame hawkfish to the
tank. He was bold red, active and eating well, basically an excellent
specimen. Since joining my tank he has continued to be active and eats
well. Tank gets a variety of foods (saltwater multipack--4 different
foods, plus Mysis shrimp, zooplankton, romaine lettuce, broccoli, and
flake, making a diet of 9 foods in addition to whatever is on the
rocks).
<do emphasize crustaceans in this fishes diet... principal
prey and also color enhancing. Add some Cyclop-eeze based foods too for
value and color>
The other occupants:
Yellow tang
Juvenile blue angel
Foxface
Royal Gramma
Sixline wrasse
Chalk bass
Ladder glider goby
Purple firefish
Green Chromis
Percula clown
The hawk has always appeared to get along with
everyone, and I have not noticed any obvious stress. For the past few
days, his color has been fading. He is still eating, but he spends more
time on the bottom rather than hopping among the powerheads and rocks.
He just doesn't look healthy. Any ideas why he is fading? What should I
do?
<it could be impending illness... do look for symptoms. It could
also be light that is too bright or substrates that are too light. 4
weeks is not long enough for diet to be the reason, though. Do examine
the previous suggestions. Kindly, Anthony> Hawkfish illness
5 days ago we did a 12 gallon water change on our 55 gallon tank (we do
these weekly). In the tank currently are 2 domino damsels and a falco
hawkfish. We also have converted to power compacts (4 55's) and have
finally been leaving all four lights on (rather than just for a few
hours for the
adjustment period) One day later (after the water
change) the hawkfish was hiding out in our live rock which was strange
for him. But, he was still
eating and looked fine so I thought he was
okay. He is not eating now and acts almost dead, but still breathing. He
looks at the food as it is
offered, and notices it, seems interested
but does nothing. His fins are not clamped, his breathing is normal and
his color is good. He does look
skinnier though. Also, it seems like
he is not "with us." Plus, he never comes out from under the rocks (he
is usually all over the place) I did
another water change as we had
used a buffer for the replacement water last time. I am thinking he got
poisoned by supplements. Here is my problem...I
would like to
quarantine him, however my quarantine tank is occupied by a Sailfin tang
I purchased about a week ago, (before this all happened).
Should I
place my hawk in there anyway? Should I just let the hawk hang out in
the main tank and 'hope' this all blows over? Could this be related to
the lights at all? (Too bright?) Would quarantine help if he has been
poisoned? (or something). He just acts brain dead, and usually he is
such a
character-coming up to the tank to let us feed him when he
sees us, etc. So this is very upsetting. BTW all my testing levels were
normal. Thank you in
advance--Carolyn -just when I thought I was
getting this all down...>>
Hmm... something is awry with your
Hawkfish... it might have something to do with the supplement (maybe he
got a strong dose, ate some?), but not the lighting as a factor..... And
I would just leave it in the main tank and hope for the best... Not
worth the trauma to all (including you) trying to catch it... possibly
upsetting the Sailfin Tang... versus what might be gained.
Bob Fenner
Hawkfish
Hello,
I have a 72 gallon saltwater tank with a
porcupine puffer and a maroon clown. These were the only fish because of
an outbreak of ich. I bought a 20 gallon QT tank (unfortunately after
the outbreak instead of before) and left the 72 empty except for live
rock and sand for six weeks. I then put the puffer & clown back in the
72, everything seemed to be fine to this point. We then bought a red
Coris wrasse and a red flame hawk and put them in the QT tank for 2
weeks.
<A little short, I prefer a full four weeks just to be sure.>
They seemed to be doing fine with no signs of disease. I added them to
the 72 tank and on the 27th the next day the hawkfish was dead. I did
notice his color seemed pale when we first put in the larger tank and he
literally dropped to the bottom instead of swimming, but his color
seemed to come back soon after and he was perching on rocks soon
thereafter. The wrasse is doing fine, but I'm in the dark what happened
to the hawkfish. We were told they were very hardy. I do need to mention
that the water checked out fine in both tanks before we bought the 2 new
fish and the temperature and salinity are identical. The 72 tank is
about 6 months old. Any ideas? Should I do different in the future,
maybe treat any new fish with copper just to be sure?
<Because of the
fast nature and lack of symptoms we can probably rule out a disease as
the cause of death. I would instead double check the water quality in
the 72 (perhaps at a LFS with their test kits) and also look into your
acclimation procedures when you released the hawkfish. -Steven Pro>
- Mystery Spot -
Hello,
<Good morning, JasonC here...>
I
have had Snarky, a Long Nose Hawk, for approximately one and half years.
Tonight I noticed, for the first time,
this black spot on gill next
to his eye. I netted him, and he let me attempt removing the spot, but
it would not
come loose, as if there was nothing clinging to his
body. I can not tell if it is Turbellarian, or if he had
developed a
beauty mark, that I just happened to notice after all this time.
I
have attached a good picture of the spot I am referring to for your
examine, and I can magnify this picture, and
resend it if you need a
closer view of it. I would appreciate if you could let me know what
your assessment is ASAP,
so I can begin treatment if required. <I
think this is most likely something similar to a bruise.> I am also
scheduled to
leave on vacation this Friday. It always seems that
stuff like this happens before I go on vacation. <Ain't that the truth.>
Anyway, my tank is very healthy, and I don't suspect this to be an
illness, since Snarky isn't exhibiting any loss
of appetite,
scratching, or listlessness, it's just that it seems like an unnatural
marking amongst his red and
white pattern. What do you think? <I
think it will be fine - will go away in time.>
Thank you for having
such an informative site/resource for an aquarist to improve their fish
friends'
health and well being.
Sincerely,
Joel
<Cheers, J
-- > - Single Black Spot -
Hello,
I think I missed
your assessment. Should I be concerned or not? <It's my opinion that
the spot is just a bruise. No cause for concern.>
Thank you, Joel
<Cheers, J -- > - Another Follow-up on Freshwater Dips -
Would you consider Longnose hawkfish a fish? <Of course - it's certainly
not a bird or a horse.> The ich seems never affected it. <They are just
durable and disease resistant.> Would you recommend a cleaner wrasse for
the tank since it feeds on external parasites? <No. Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/labroide.htm > I bought one last
weekend because I had seen them servicing the fishes, hoping this one
would perform the same function. Yet this new wrasse never
approached/touched the fishes w/ ich. <Is probably getting used to the
new environment.> Is that strange? <Not really.> I wonder if the ich on
the fishes scared the wrasse away. <I doubt it. Cheers, J>
Disease ID
Hello Crew,
I have an Arc Eye Hawk (Ivan's his
name) that 2 times over the last 6 to 8 weeks has had small, white
nodules (for lack of a better description) on the front spines of his
dorsal fin. They look a lot like small pieces of Styrofoam (and having
recently battled Ick it looks nothing like it). The first time, they
went away on their own, leading me to believe that something (some
debris) got stuck on him. He got them a second time and as of yet they
have not gone away (after about 7 days). He is otherwise active and
eating really well. Do you think he has some funky disease and if so
what is the treatment? All other fish in this tank (a 180g FO) are
healthy and eating well. Any insight that you can provide would be
greatly appreciated!
Bob Jones
<Hey Bob, it is hard to say with
out a picture, does it look fuzzy? Check out the disease sections at the
link below, see if any of that sounds familiar
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/index.htm
If he is
infected with something, the first step would be to get him into a
quarantine tank for further observation and identification of the
disease. Feel free to send a pic if you can. Best Regards, Gage>
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