HLLE - Miracle Mud/Feeding experiment

[andrewsk]

I have been reading about the Reef Safe Ick cure test on Reef Central where they tested 4 or 5 "Reef Safe" products to see which ones harmed Xena frags and which did not.

I was thinking that it would be good to try some similar testing myself for the products I use or am thinking of using.

What I would like to do, since it has recently been a problem for me is to try to get some more information on HLLE, what causes it and how to cure/prevent it.

Many people claim that diet will help prevent/fix HLLE. Others swear by Miracle Mud, others call it bunk (Albert?!)

What I was thinking was you could do the following:

Get 2 - 30 tanks, each seperated into 3 sections by dividers that allow water to flow through, but not food. (So you have 6 compartments in total.)

Both tanks are filtered exactly the same (To be determined) except one has the addidtional filtration of Miracle Mud in an external refugium.

Buy 6 or 12 fish of the same size that develop HLLE easily (like a Hippo Tang. Gold's has a bunch of small ones right now that are <1 inch) and place 1 or 2 in each compartment.

Compartment 1 in each tank is Fed Low Quality Generic Flake only
Compartment 2 in each tank is Fed Spectrum Pellets only
Compartment 3 in each tank is Fed Spectrum Pellets, Mysis and Algae All soaked with Vitamins and Selcon

Fish are monitored to see if HLLE develops. If it does, part 2 of the experiment COULD be to switch diets and tanks to see if it reverses for any of the fish.

This is just my first thoughts and ideas of what I would like to try sometime.

What do you think? Would this be a worthwhile thing to start up?

Keith

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

It would be a neat expt. but expensive. Aren't blue tangs over $50 each, even for the small ones? Also, I was under the impression that it took a long time to get this disease & the fish are usually bigger, not tiny, when they get it. Therefore, 10g or so is nowhere near big enough for a fast swimming fish like a tang.

Just my thoughts,

Anthony

[andrewsk]

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

It would be a neat expt. but expensive. Aren't blue tangs over $50 each, even for the small ones? Also, I was under the impression that it took a long time to get this disease & the fish are usually bigger, not tiny, when they get it. Therefore, 10g or so is nowhere near big enough for a fast swimming fish like a tang.

Just my thoughts,

Anthony

I had a small tang that had it and it came on pretty quick (if 2 months is quick). I do agree on the 10 gallons size, but I have seen them in Nanos before, although they were small fish (1 inch). (God knows what they did with them when they got bigger)

I guess you could go up to 45's (15 each). Anthing Larger and I would have a hard time finding space.

[albert_dao]

Heh, I sold them all over the weekend... $30 a pop.


Anyway, I've owned several tangs over the years and have never run into HLLE myself. I'm a big fan of pellets and mysis though and they all get fed 2-10 times a day, pending on how often I walk by the tank.

[Veng68]

I read somewhere that HLLE may be caused by high levels of nitrate in the aquarium system.

I guess that's why miricle mud systems may help with the HLLE because it reduces the nitrates in the system.

Cheers,
Vic [veng68]

[andrewsk]

Originally Posted by Veng68

I read somewhere that HLLE may be caused by high levels of nitrate in the aquarium system.

I guess that's why miricle mud systems may help with the HLLE because it reduces the nitrates in the system.

Cheers,
Vic [veng68]

Interesting. In that case, a remote Deep Sand Bed would have the same effect.