scratching..

[Aquadiva]

... my Hippo, regal, blue...(whatever you want to call it) tang.

He's safely parked in the 10 gallon quarantine tank. No spots, eating fine, no other symptoms.

Kinda wondering if I should assume ich...or should I wait for the white spots? Anything else I should be looking for? Oh...only had him for 3-4 days. Thanks.

Linda

 

[Jim Tansey]

You need to watch him as they are prone to Ich especially after a move, mine got it a couple of days after I purchased him then got better and broke out with it again about a week after getting over it. In your case the 10 gallon quarantine may cause more stress than its worth, in my tank the Ick did not spread to any other fish and the Hippo is in excellent health seven months later.

Jim

 

[Ray]

I got a hippo from someone who had kept it in a very small container for about a week and it came down with a VERY BAD case of ich after I put him in my tank. I soaked my food in garlic and it went away and no other fish came down with it.

 

[Aquadiva]

OK, so are you guys saying the 10 gal quarantine tank is too small?? He is only a 2 inch little guy... I have a 29 gallon I was going to drill for a sump...I could use that temporarily. Would that be big enough?

Kinda just hate to dump him into the 75....its such a PIA to catch a fish in there if I have to get him out later.

So you guys think the scratching is the beginning of the ICH, huh?
TIA

 

[BigCrowd42]

I have a friend who has a Hippo Tang that we call The Teenager because every other week he breaks out with acnee! (white spots) It doesn't seem to affect the other fish.He is very heathy and is just prone to it I guess.

 

[dz6t]

use a 30 gallon rubbermaid tub. Just a thought.

 

[starrfish]

Scratching is definitely a sign of ich. You might not see the white spots for a few days because after the initial phase, the white spots drop off the fish and swim around and multiply. Then you will see them again on the fish. Most people think the fish is "cured" during this interim phase, but it's quite the opposite. The little buggers are just multiplying to come back and hit the fish stronger. I've never had a hippo, but if he's small a 10 gallon should be fine. Here's a good article on ich and how to cure it:

http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/marineich.html

Good luck,
Daire