Fangblenny Injury

Cole_Voeller · Feb 10, 2023

Hello all!
So I have a striped fangblenny, and he’s always done great. However he often gets injuries on his face, and I’m not sure what it could possibly be. I believed maybe he was flashing due to flukes, and I did two rounds of prazi. The injuries are still appearing though. They’re always right beside his eyes. The pictures don’t show it amazingly well, but the injury is deep, and his skin is peeled off somewhat because of it. Any idea what I can do for him?

fishguy242 · Feb 10, 2023

#fishmedic

Lavey29 · Feb 10, 2023

I have the same fish. They are fearless dare devils. Is it pecking at a powerhead? Mine sleeps inside my return pipe and does tube slide runs down to the sump.

vetteguy53081 · Feb 10, 2023

Cole_Voeller said:
Hello all!
So I have a striped fangblenny, and he’s always done great. However he often gets injuries on his face, and I’m not sure what it could possibly be. I believed maybe he was flashing due to flukes, and I did two rounds of prazi. The injuries are still appearing though. They’re always right beside his eyes. The pictures don’t show it amazingly well, but the injury is deep, and his skin is peeled off somewhat because of it. Any idea what I can do for him?

I agree that it has stemmed for injury. While these injuries can heal themselves, this has become infected, bacterial in nature and poor guy needs to go into quarantine and treated for at least 5 days with seachem kanaplex. Add airstone for added oxygen and maintain good water quality.

Cole_Voeller · Feb 10, 2023

Lavey29 said:
I have the same fish. They are fearless dare devils. Is it pecking at a powerhead? Mine sleeps inside my return pipe and does tube slide runs down to the sump.

He likes to sleep in the nozel for the UV sterilizer. But it has been turned off as I used prazi not too long ago.

vetteguy53081 said:
I agree that it has stemmed for injury. While these injuries can heal themselves, this has become infected, bacterial in nature and poor guy needs to go into quarantine and treated for at least 5 days with seachem kanaplex. Add airstone for added oxygen and maintain good water quality.

This has happened multiple times, I have no idea what causes it. Oxygenation is no problem. Am I able to add Kana directly to the tank? Catching him is gonna be a total pain due to my rockwork, and I have no corals in the tank.

Jay Hemdal · Feb 10, 2023

+1 on this looking like mechanical injury to me as well. Secondary infection is always a possibility. I wouldn’t dose your DT with antibiotics though.
Jay

Cole_Voeller · Feb 16, 2023

So I treated with Kana in a 10 gallon for 5 days. He’s currently in his original tank now, but is seems like the Kana didn’t do anything, and honestly it looks worse. I know he’s not a tang, but is it possible he has HLLE? It looks like there are just chunks of flesh missing around his face, like they’ve been hollowed out. I keep his tank low nitrates, and all other fish are completely fine. He’s the only fish that I’ve had this issue, and it’s been going on for a long time. It just seems to be getting a lot worse now.

Cole_Voeller · Feb 16, 2023

Jay Hemdal · Feb 16, 2023

Cole_Voeller said:
So I treated with Kana in a 10 gallon for 5 days. He’s currently in his original tank now, but is seems like the Kana didn’t do anything, and honestly it looks worse. I know he’s not a tang, but is it possible he has HLLE? It looks like there are just chunks of flesh missing around his face, like they’ve been hollowed out. I keep his tank low nitrates, and all other fish are completely fine. He’s the only fish that I’ve had this issue, and it’s been going on for a long time. It just seems to be getting a lot worse now.

Can you post better pictures?
Blennies can get HLLE, but I’ve never seen it on this particular species.
Jay

Cole_Voeller · Feb 16, 2023

Jay Hemdal said:
Can you post better pictures?
Blennies can get HLLE, but I’ve never seen it on this particular species.
Jay

Waited until he went into his usual hole. This is probably the best picture I will be able to get, although it still looks funny. The only thing I could possibly guess is that the digitate hydroids are stinging him all night or something, as he is the only fish who sleeps in a spot where they can touch him, but I have never heard of them affecting fish before.

Jay Hemdal · Feb 17, 2023

Cole_Voeller said:
Waited until he went into his usual hole. This is probably the best picture I will be able to get, although it still looks funny. The only thing I could possibly guess is that the digitate hydroids are stinging him all night or something, as he is the only fish who sleeps in a spot where they can touch him, but I have never heard of them affecting fish before.

Thanks - yes, that's HLLE. Unfortunately, there are many purported "cures" for this, but none really work. The study that I published showed it is caused by activated carbon use in tangs, but removing the carbon does not always allow for healing. Lots of people will say "lack of vegetable matter" in their diet - which might make sense for tangs, but not a carnivore like this blenny.

Jay

Cole_Voeller · Feb 17, 2023

Jay Hemdal said:
Thanks - yes, that's HLLE. Unfortunately, there are many purported "cures" for this, but none really work. The study that I published showed it is caused by activated carbon use in tangs, but removing the carbon does not always allow for healing. Lots of people will say "lack of vegetable matter" in their diet - which might make sense for tangs, but not a carnivore like this blenny.

Jay

Strange. Well at least I finally know what’s wrong with him. Ever since I’ve had him, he’s always gotten these “injuries” on his face all the time. Not sure why it’s getting worse now. I do feed spirulina brine, if that provides plant matter. I’ve also never run carbon in the tank before. Any recommendations as to what I should do? And also, probably way to late to ask this, seeing how long he has always been with my other fish, but HLLE isn’t contagious is it?

Jay Hemdal · Feb 17, 2023

Cole_Voeller said:
Strange. Well at least I finally know what’s wrong with him. Ever since I’ve had him, he’s always gotten these “injuries” on his face all the time. Not sure why it’s getting worse now. I do feed spirulina brine, if that provides plant matter. I’ve also never run carbon in the tank before. Any recommendations as to what I should do? And also, probably way to late to ask this, seeing how long he has always been with my other fish, but HLLE isn’t contagious is it?

HLLE in marine fish does not have an infective agent associated with it (FW is different). However, the same cause can inflict damage on other susceptible fish.

Jay