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>