hippo tang flashing...

[dpotts]

I've had my baby Hippo tang for 9-10 weeks now but every so often (2-3 times a day) I notice him flashing and this has been happening for about 4 weeks now. He has no white spots,is eating well and is quite fat,vibrant colouring and very active. I've noticed no strange behavior at all and he is just beautiful. He only flashes on one small rock on the very bottom...any ideas as to what's going on? I did not QT (I know better now!!) but have noticed no problems with any fish at all and no new fish have been added for at least 5-6 weeks. I do 10% water change every week and have great water parameters (0/0/0). I also use a protien skimmer..oh and the tank is 90g with a 20g sump. I know flashing can be a sign of parasites but I have seen none and he is one healthy guy! Any other reason for a fish to flash?

PS- I will be QTing all livestock from now on!! :angel:

[allan]

Is flashing the term used to describe the cat like action of rubbing itself on the sand or a rock spur? If so my hippo does the same thing. Not as frequently as before but I still see her doing it every once and awhile.

[dpotts]

Yes that's what I meant by flashing. When anyone mentions flashing people usually scream ICH!!:) I just don't see anything wrong with my little guy..."knocking on wood"!!. It seems to me that this can also just be a normal behavior sometimes!

[allan]

Yeah, when I hear flashing I think of NOs.

I can see tiny little spots once in a while on either a fin or near the top of the fish. My Hippo is the only one that shows this though. I do believe it's ick, just not bad enough for any drastic action as my guy still eats heartily and seems geniunely happy. And the spots are only visible once in a while, not often at all.

There is an excellent article somewhere on the forum that outlines dealing with ick, but you are probably already aware of it.

[Third Coast Tropical]

in general..."flashing" or scratching is associated with some type of external parasite / fungal infection.......

[dpotts]

So guess I'll just have to wait him out and see. I see absolutely nothing on him.

[TinyTanker]

I believe you might want to do some research on the potential disease, because in tangs, they dont look sick until the inside is worse than the outside most of the time.

[dpotts]

I believe you might want to do some research on the potential disease, because in tangs, they dont look sick until the inside is worse than the outside most of the time.


What makes you think I already haven't? I have read everything I could find on fish diseases. I just thought that something would have showed up by now...he's been flashing for over 1 month now!

[ACE]

I had a puffer do this for well over a month, and like you I never saw any sign of white spots anywhere on it. Then one day I REALLY looked veryclose at him and noticed very tiny black dots. After research and asking some FOWLR gurus on RC turns out it was black ich.

[allan]

Another point to consider, and I'm not implying that you don't know this already (but without actually asking or pointing out we won't ever know what one truly knows or doesn't), is that ich can attach itself to the gills themselves and be quite hidden from view. Don't know if this leads to flashing or not, but there it is.

Another point if I may is that some of the evidence I've seen on my hippo was nothing more than a slightly elevated same-colored point on its hide, kind of like a pimple. I've tried to pop it like I used to as a teenager but the little guy won't hold still for me ;). I've treated with something called ich away or some like product that is sold as 'all natural', and it seems to work... however the problem never truly went away. I think that is because of the actual life cycle of the ich guys and the way they live, spawn, and reattach to the fish. The natural coating, IMO, of the other fish in my tank seem to be sufficient to protect them, but the hippo...

I have a cow fish that I thought had ich, only to discover as he gets bigger that the white spots on its hide were ornamental. Now, on occasion, I do see a little white bump on one of its fins. He doesn't tolerate either my cleaner wrass or shrimp but his appetite has not diminished whatsoever and he continues to thrive.

[dpotts]

I guess at this point it's just a wait and see situation since he is already in my main tank. For now I see nothing (white or black) on him and he seems to be doing great. Sure hope he stays that way since I've become very attached to the little guy! :)