My blue hippo tang has some scratches on its right side and theyre red. Shes very active and swims good and eats like a beast. But i just realized she has scratches on her side that are red. She doesnt have ich or anything but she kisses the rocks alot. I need help what can i do?????
2007-10-03 11:56:55 · 3 answers · asked by Chris M 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
My water parameters are at perfection.
2007-10-03 12:01:37 · update #1
Well the only other tank mates are a pair of true percula. And the it looks like little scratches more than one on its lower belly. Please help im really worried.
2007-10-03 12:11:37 · update #2
The scratches may be secondary. If the tang is scratching against rocks/gravel, there's an irritant in the skin, and that usually means a parasite of some type. Or, it could mean there's too much obstruction for its activity level and it "swings too wide" when making turns and bumps into the rock causing it to be scratched.
If by "kissing the rock" you mean pecking at it, that's normal - it probably sees something small that it considers a meal.
What other fish/organisms do you have in the tank? Anything that could harm the tang? Are the scratches single, or multiple lines? Could you add that info?
ADDITION: I doubt that the perculas would be harming the tang (other than chasing it if they were in the tank first and not allowing the tang in "their" territory). I was just concerned that you may have other fish/shrimp/crabs that might. I'd do a very close inspection for any spots or cloudiness around the scratched areas. And you might just want to spend some time observing as the fish swims around - make sure it's not flashing, or bumping against rocks accidentally from too little room (these are both very active and will become relatively large - they need BIG tanks!). Keep up the water quality to lessen the chance of the scratches from becoming infected. For now, I'd say to just watch, but if it develops a problem, you may need to quarantine the fish. As long as it stays active, eats well, and doesn't "dull" in color, it doesn't sound like whatever is the cause of the scratches is negatively affecting the fish.
NOTE: You might also want to give your water test results - there could be problems for which you aren't testing, at least we know what tests you are doing.
2007-10-03 12:07:48 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
looks like dory has a skin infection. try to look for something in a pet store to help it
2007-10-03 13:11:33 · answer #2 · answered by Jordan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Call a animal doctor
2007-10-03 12:00:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋