Does this stomach look normal??

[Scaggs1117]

Was giving my blue hippo a fresh water bath when I noticed his stomach seemed bulging a little bit, does this look normal? Or can this be a parasite . I attached pics
Thanks!

 

[Mark Goode]

It looks to me like a thin fish with a full belly. Is it new?

 

[Jasonak]

Agreed

It looks to me like a thin fish with a full belly. Is it new?

 

[exnisstech]

Look a bit thin. Freshwater dipping for a reason? Just curious, it not something I've ever done. I've heard of doing it to check for flukes but no other reason.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Was giving my blue hippo a fresh water bath when I noticed his stomach seemed bulging a little bit, does this look normal? Or can this be a parasite . I attached pics
Thanks!

Looks thin for a hepatus,,,,, please post pic of side view and what foods are you feeding?

 

[Scaggs1117]

It looks to me like a thin fish with a full belly. Is it new?

Yes I just got him today

 

[Scaggs1117]

Look a bit thin. Freshwater dipping for a reason? Just curious, it not something I've ever done. I've heard of doing it to check for flukes but no other reason.

I just got him today, was just checking for flukes but he was clean

 

[Scaggs1117]

Looks thin for a hepatus,,,,, please post pic of side view and what foods are you feeding?

I just got him today, was planning on pellets, nori, and mysis

 

[JGT]

Need to bulk him up. You’ll know when his stomachs is big. These guys can eat.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I just got him today, was planning on pellets, nori, and mysis

Insufficient diet and they are not big on seaweed. Some foods to offer as they fatten quaickly are :
LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
TDO Pellets
small plankton
Hikari Marine cuisine
Ocean nutrition veggie diet
spirulina brine shrimp
mysis shrimp
Prime reef

Add selcon vitamins to foods occasionally

 

[RabidDragon]

Need to bulk him up. You’ll know when his stomachs is big. These guys can eat.

Yea, I had one that literally ate 1/2 the food I put in the tank. The other 15 fish got the remnants of what it couldn't eat fast enought. It was like a bullet from one food piece to the next.

 

[Scaggs1117]

Looks thin for a hepatus,,,,, please post pic of side view and what foods are you feeding?

 

[Scaggs1117]

Insufficient diet and they are not big on seaweed. Some foods to offer as they fatten quaickly are :
LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
TDO Pellets
small plankton
Hikari Marine cuisine
Ocean nutrition veggie diet
spirulina brine shrimp
mysis shrimp
Prime reef

Add selcon vitamins to foods occasionally

The second half of that I have, good stuff .. how many times a day? And also I attached pics

 

[vetteguy53081]

The second half of that I have, good stuff .. how many times a day? And also I attached pics

3 feedings daily if possible. I utilize auto feeders in my absence

 

[vetteguy53081]

Fish looks better than pictured. They should in essence be quarantined but its in the display now I see

 

[exnisstech]

Looks good from the side so I agree with fattening it up. PE mysis has been my staple for years. I mix it with some rods or LRS and add some formula 1 and 2 pellets along with formula 1 and 2 flake, some dk1 pellets, and new life spectrum probiotix pellets. I mix it all together with some selcon and vitachem and feed at least 3 times a day. That mix feeds everything in the tank and I offer treats of flake and pellet in between meals. I feed the algae from my ATS in place if nori several times a week I'm retired, don't travel and love fat fish.

 

[kboogie]

In addition to the excellent food recommendations by @vetteguy53081, I would add a couple of items to the list, which will also help rapidly fatten up your Hippo Tang and promote general health.

Fresh Clams

I find fresh clams are invaluable in both getting fish to eat and fattening them up. Fresh clams are a good source of two key nutrients that are important (especially for Hippo Tangs).


Omega-3 Fatty Acids

If you remember your high school biology class, Omega-3 Fatty Acids include the infamous DHA, which is critical in brain and organ health. This will ensure physical robustness and feed fat stores.


Vitamin B12

Tangs are highly susceptible to HLLE. It has been proven through multiple research studies that there is a strong connection between HLLE and the use of particulate-abundant ("dusty") activated carbon (which is pretty much all carbon). Jay Hemdal has an excellent study he conducted with a partner that I feel is a bedrock study that all should commit to memory. One less studied influence of HLLE is a vitamin B12 deficiency. In the 80's and 90's, with the help of a vet, I treated HLLE with B12 injections. We observed a dramatic slowing of the disease amongst fish that were treated with B12 shots. My personal experience was not conducted as a true research study; that experience left me with the strong opinion that feeding food rich in vitamin B12 helps prevent HLLE. Clams have a high level of vitamin B12


Chopped Squid

Chopped squid is another food that I find my tangs love. Please note, not all fish go crazy for squid, but those that do benefit from two key items in its nutritional profile:

1. High Levels of Protein - Squid is incredibly protein-dense. When my wife was on Whole 30, squid was something that she used as a great supercharged source of protein.
2. Selenium - Which is a mineral that supports growth and a healthy immune system.

If you choose the frozen route for your squid, make sure it is labeled "raw" and has no additives (salt or preservatives). I find high-end supermarkets, specialty meat vendors, and Asian markets carry pure raw frozen squid.

I personally feed these items as a supplement to a diet built around various algae (nori, spirulina, other macros). FYI, I get all my algae products from Amazon; that way I avoid the "Reef Tax". I get 10x to 50x the product for the same price.

 

[MasterClassReefs]

I just got him today, was planning on pellets, nori, and mysis

Insufficient diet and they are not big on seaweed. Some foods to offer as they fatten quaickly are :
LRS herbivore diet
Formula 2 flake and frozen
TDO Pellets
small plankton
Hikari Marine cuisine
Ocean nutrition veggie diet
spirulina brine shrimp
mysis shrimp
Prime reef

Add selcon vitamins to foods occasionally

Fantastic advice.
This is very similar to what I do. I also use Vita-Chem along with selcon.

 

[Scaggs1117]

Fish looks better than pictured. They should in essence be quarantined but its in the display now I see

No that’s the quarantine tank, I was gonna do 2 weeks metroplex/paraguard and 2 weeks observation after

 

[Scaggs1117]

Looks good from the side so I agree with fattening it up. PE mysis has been my staple for years. I mix it with some rods or LRS and add some formula 1 and 2 pellets along with formula 1 and 2 flake, some dk1 pellets, and new life spectrum probiotix pellets. I mix it all together with some selcon and vitachem and feed at least 3 times a day. That mix feeds everything in the tank and I offer treats of flake and pellet in between meals. I feed the algae from my ATS in place if nori several times a week I'm retired, don't travel and love fat fish.

Thank you! Stupid question…you shut the wave makers off for feeding?