Is this a disease or a wound? (flame angel with hole in his face)

terrymason · #1 12/31/2007, 06:17 PM

I picked up a new flame angel last night. He looked great at the store, and today he seems to be swimming ok, and niping at my live rock (as he should I believe), but he's got a large hole in his face. The hole seems to be fringed with white skin. I'm not sure if this is a bite / attack mark, or if it's a disease.

He lives in a 56 corner, with a 10 gallon sump. the tank mates are:

1. fuzzy dwarf lion
1. flame angel (the one we're talking about)
1. yellow tail blue damsel
1. serpent star
1. 20 or so hermits
1. coral banded shrimp
1. peppermint shrimp.

What do you guys think?

rlcline76 · #2 01/01/2008, 04:21 PM

I need new glasses. I somewhat see what you are talking about. By your description I would suspect MHLLE. You might want to post your water parameters, check for stray voltage, add a vitamin supplement to the diet, remove an aggressive fish...if you have witnessed any such mayhem in the tank. If you could put the fish in QT, it might recover quicker. Some would suggest metronidazole medicated food.

JHemdal · #3 01/02/2008, 01:07 PM

That isn't HLLE. There are no lateral line pores at that part of the fish's face. Besides, unless the fish had it when you bought it last night, HLLE is ruled out due to the speed at which the lesion appeared!

This is pretty straighforward - I bet the fish got snagged in the net OR smacked into a rock when they were catching it. There is a slight chance that the lesion is from the angel getting pronged by the lionfish after you added it to the new tank - but I doubt that is it.

Barring any serious secondary infection, it should get better on its own. (Although it is always best to quarantine new fish!)

Jay

terrymason · #4 01/02/2008, 01:17 PM

I think it's a wound from a rock or something else. He seems happy, and is eating well. At first the wound was a kind of empty hole that looked bad, but now it looks mostly white, and appears to have closed some. I think he'll make it.

As to quarantine, I completely agree with you, but I've only bought 3 fish in the year or so that I've had my tank up. I even bought a Q tank, but it was just too much work to have two separate tanks up and running. Unless somebody dies, I think this will be my last new fish, and I'll just grow some frags

Thanks guys
Terry

rlcline76 · #5 01/02/2008, 01:23 PM

Sorry, I was actually looking at something else...I said I needed new glasses! lol When I am squinting I can come up with just about anything.
That is good to hear that it seems to be improving.