powder blue tang ich please help hes alot of $$

[Mike Paul]

So I jus recently sold a rang and replaced with 2 tangs hippo tang and powder blue tang hippos doin fine no signs of ich but powder blue looks like hes starting to break out I know its cause of the move but is there anything I can do besides freshwater dips to help get rid of ich should I put powder blue in sump so ich doesnt spread

 

[Marshall O]

Well first, freshwater dips is not a method to rid a fish of Ich. At best it may provide some temporary relief. Second, it is unlikely placing a fish in a sump will stop the spread unless you isolate it from the DT. But at this point, you will probably be stressing the fish out more, which is not what you want to do. If you want to get rid of Ich, you have a couple of options. Treat just the PBT and hope none of your other fish are infected, or pull all of them from the DT and treat them all in a HT. You would need to leave your tank fallow for 10-12 weeks. Treatment methods include copper (cupramine), hyposalinity, chloroquine sulfate, and tank transfer method. Which way you go is up to you and what you are comfortable with.

 

[wdebenedettojr]

Moving him to the sump will solve nothing. Whether he is in the sump or the display the ich is still in the system. Only thing that will do is stress it out more and make the ich worse. Is the powder blue eating???? Is he acting normally??? Feed vitamins in the food such as selcon or vitachem. The fish can naturally fight it off if he has a good diet and parameters are in order.

 

[new2saltyfish]

dip your nori in max amino and vitamin c...only thing i've found that worked for me

 

[dannyp02908]

Do t waste your time treating the one fish. It's likely already in your system. Either you can treat all fish and have a fallow display for 2-3 months or you can attempt to manage it. Powder blues are one of the harder tangs to keep. What size is your tank and what do you have for flow as well as other inhabitants? A hippo and a powder blue is a lot.

 

[Gonereefing]

My hippo tang had ich a few years ago after a tank breakdown and transfer. The other fish in tank didn't appear to get it. Hippos are notorious for getting ich and this one was no different. After getting parameters in new tank to near perfect and feeding quality food (sometimes with garlic supplements) my hippo was ok. Stress is the trigger for these types of fish getting ich. I was going to put in ht and let new tank run fallow for 3 mos but while contemplating this, the ich on my hippo cleared up.

 

[dannyp02908]

Not seeing ich on the animal does notean that ich is not in the tank. Just means that your fish are healthy enough to fight it off. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. A lot of us have ich in our systems including myself. The key is keeping the stress levels low and a proper diet. Ich is very much manageable.

 

[Mike Paul]

Thank you everyone I dont think I want to qt. All my fish only because the guy above me says ich is living in my tank I do notice my clown get it once in a blue moon but I am feeding nori soaked in kents garlic xtreme if he dlesnt get better and ich transfers to other fish il, then qt. All my fish but right now its only on my powder and been feeding him the garlic soaked nori and he looks like the ich is clearing up not completely gone but feel the noris gonma work I jus think its weird cause I got my hippo a week ago and powder about two weeks agobut my hippo doesnt appear to have ich bht tnank you for your info and stopped freshwater dips someone says it stresses them out more and does kinda make sense cause im moving him around and dipping him in freshwater but TN tnank you for your help and pray to the fish gods for my powder to pull thru thank you for your guys time

 

[Marshall O]

FYI - I wouldn't soak anything in garlic unless you are trying to get a fish to eat. There is no proof it is a benefit (i.e. immune system), and some will argue that it can cause long term damage to fish (though again, I haven't seen anything conclusive).

Keep stress to a minimum, keep them well fed, and see how everyone does. I have Ich in my tank as well. Keep it in check, and you really don't have to worry about it.

 

[JohnK]

Also to add;

There is a clear choice in approach. You can either complete a full treatment with the goal of eradicating ick, or you can do all you can to minimize stress and help your fish to live with it and manage it.

Once ick is in the system all the fish are affected, symptoms or not. Treating one fish won't do much since the parisite will still be there.

Ick can be eliminated, but it's a signfiicant amount of work and can be stressful on the fish. I've seen people lose fish in treating them, and I've seen people lose fish because they didn't treat them. Some people have deccent more or less long term success "managing" ick. Others will argue that managing ick is a ticking time bomb that will inevitably take out some or all of your fish.

It's up to you who you listen to, and what approach you will take. Just try to be clear on which way you go, I've seen far too many examples of people getting confilicting advice from both camps and ending up trying mixed methods that don't end up being effective from an "eradication" approach, OR a "management" approach.

Good luck

 

[dannyp02908]

Good advice right there.

 

[Ocean Explorium]

Well first, freshwater dips is not a method to rid a fish of Ich. At best it may provide some temporary relief. Second, it is unlikely placing a fish in a sump will stop the spread unless you isolate it from the DT. But at this point, you will probably be stressing the fish out more, which is not what you want to do. If you want to get rid of Ich, you have a couple of options. Treat just the PBT and hope none of your other fish are infected, or pull all of them from the DT and treat them all in a HT. You would need to leave your tank fallow for 10-12 weeks. Treatment methods include copper (cupramine), hyposalinity, chloroquine sulfate, and tank transfer method. Which way you go is up to you and what you are comfortable with.

I completely agree. I would add the recommendation of a UV sterilizer (on all systems)



Warren Gibbons
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Ocean Explorium
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