Oceanic6 June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 Knowing that Tangs are very susceptible to ich, I still took a chance with a baby blue tang. I added him as my first fish in my tank and watched him for a month to see if he was healthy. After a month, he showed no sign of ich. So, I added more fish. I added a pair of black ice clownfish and a bangaii cardinal. Weeks after, I still saw no signs of ich present. In fact, the tang seemed happier with other fish in the tank. As I was feeding my corals this afternoon, I noticed small white dots on my tang - ich!! I've seen them recover before, but usually with a few other tank mate casualties. I paid a lot for my clownfish and I would be devastated if they died. Now that my tank is infected, what would be the best thing to do? I could remove the tang, but would that make a difference since the ich is already in the water? So, that might be pointless. Would it help at all to remove the tang or is my only true option to wait and hope for the best? Any feedback would be appreciated. I really want to move fast on this if I can prevent the spread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 Did you QT the new fish? the new fish they may have brought it in. Catch all the fish. Put them in Qt. Treat with copper and let your DT go without fish for about a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceanic6 June 28, 2012 Author Share June 28, 2012 No, I did not QT them. To be honest, I never have QT'd fish before. I don't have a QT tank, but I really should set one up. Do I have to use cycled water or can I just make a fresh batch of saltwater? The only spare tank I have is a 10 gallon. Would that be enough or will I have to buy a bigger tank? As I understand it, the only things you need in a QT are some PVC piping pieces for the fish to hide in and an air stone with regular water changes. Hopefully, the change in environment and treatment will not weaken their immune system by stressing them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 I'd closely monitor the situation. Sounds like you've had them in there for quite awhile and now it's popping up so could be that some sort of stress has caused it - could be water quality issues, newfound aggression, temperature fluctuations, anything. I'd continue to feed and add vitamins to it (as well as garlic, although it may not actually help anything) as well as monitor water conditions and do some water changes if anything is amiss. Pulling the fish at this point may or may not be a good idea. On a side note, I've had some success with Kick Ich before, but it's expensive to keep up the regimen and there's no proof that it actually works... Are you certain that it's ich and not something else? Pictures would help as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceanic6 June 28, 2012 Author Share June 28, 2012 Could be a result of a temperature change. It's been pretty hot recently and my AC is down. I've kept the heater turned off and I run a fan over the tank on occasion if I see a rise in temperature. I usually keep it at 78 degrees, but I usually turn the fan on when it hits about 82 degrees and it works pretty quickly. Is that enough of a temperature change to cause enough stress? I've been really good with maintaining water quality. I change my filter sock every few days, clean the skimmer cup every other day and change out my carbon and phosphate reactor every 2 weeks. My water is crystal clear. Ammonia and Nitrite are at 0 and nitrate is barely detectable. All the fish in my tank are eating very well and seem happy. I hope it's a misdiagnosis of an ich infection. My camera isn't good enough to capture the tiny dots, it would just come out as a blur. I can try to borrow my sister's DSLR and see if I can get a clear shot. I'm going to do weekly water changes over the next few weeks. I usually do my water changes every other week. I am currently feeding my fish frozen spiraling brine shrimp (package says it is loaded with multi-vitamins and stabilizer vitamin C) and frozen mysis shrimp. I also feed them pellets on occasion. Would that be enough or should I feed them something else as well? What's the best way to feed them garlic? Could I use the minced garlic they sell at the market? They are chopped pretty finely. I'll also consider Kick Ich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 I thought that an increase in temp could provoke or cause outbreaks but I found out from the supervisor of Divers Den that it's the reverse. A decrease in temperature can bring on an outbreak if it's in your system. He also says he sees outbreaks when the seasons change. So he makes sure that his system temps are constant, especially at night when they tend to drop. The QT size depends on how big your fish are. All you need is fresh mix, a HOB filter with poly fiber, a heater, powerhead, PVC for the fish to have a hiding place and light. A bio sponge form your system would be great only if your system is pest free. PC's are fine for fish. You can use something like prime or Marco rock makes a bio solution that cycles a tank fast. It's very inexpensive and needs to be kept in the fridge. I've heard great things about it. Have some stability, stress coat or Amquel on hand in case you have ammonia spikes and fresh mix ready for water changes. You want at least double the amount of water your QT holds. In the meantime you can treat your tank safely with Kordons Ich attack. I've used it when I saw some spots that I thought were ich. Not sure that's what it was, it may have been sand, but they went away. It's all natural. The reviews on amazon for this product are great. It's also very inexpensive but I don't know how easy it is to get at a LFS. I bought 4 bottles of it from Super Pets when they were closing shop. All 4 bottles are gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 I'd leave the fish alone, feed them regularly, keep the temperature as stable as possible, and observe them. Don't add any more fish for a while either. If you catch them all and place them in a QT tank, you might make the situation worse and subsequently lose the fish. As it is right now, the only one stressed about the situation appears to be you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey18 June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 Don't worry so much. Many many Tangs and fish can recover from Ich. In my experience the more I do the worse it gets. Zygote is right. feed, watch and don't mess around too much. The best thing i have EVER done is add UV to my tanks. Before UV my fish would die from ich. With UV they recover. I probably still have ich in the tank, it pops up every now and then, but the UV keeps it totally under control. Just a few months ago I added a large hippo tang to my system. In two days he started showing signs of ich. He's fine now. What did I do for him? Nothing. Feed lots of nori, run UV. But that's what I do when I don't see ich. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey18 June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 Oh and you need to get some seaweed sheets and feed that. Tangs are primarily herbivores and you are feeding primarily a meat diet. That is not really an appropriate diet for the tang and will definitely result in a compromised fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinebiologist June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 There is no such thing as a Ich free tank. It is a natural thing and most of the time your fish immune system fights it off just fine. Just like you and me with the common cold virus. Right now we have it in our systems but our immune system keeps it under control. So first off take a step back and breath and relax. Just check your chemistry make sure there is no problem there. And just keep an eye on the tang. Feed him plenty of Nori. My powder brown gets a ich break out probably once a month where he goes from fine to head to tail in ich spots and then 2 days later he is fine. I do not know why people freak so bad about ich. Dont worry if your fish is healthy it will recover. And it is probably some stress in the tank that messed with its immune system adn allowed the ich to break out. So do not pull the fish and put it in a QT tank. That will kill the fish. You will take a stressed fish and make it 100 times more stressed. Let it live in its happy home and just make sure to make him happy with good chemistry and stable water and food. Just my 2cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceanic6 June 28, 2012 Author Share June 28, 2012 Thanks for the great feedback from everyone! It is very reassuring to know that this is a very common problem and that I should relax. Tangs are more prone to ich. However, in my experience they are also more likely to recover from it than other fish. I was just worried that it would spread to the other fish. I will just monitor the tank/fish and keep them fed well. I will do some more research on UV Sterilizers. It sounds like it would be a good investment. I've never heard of Kordon's Ich Attack, but I'll look into that. Thanks for the great tips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 Thanks for the great feedback from everyone! It is very reassuring to know that this is a very common problem and that I should relax. Tangs are more prone to ich. However, in my experience they are also more likely to recover from it than other fish. I was just worried that it would spread to the other fish. I will just monitor the tank/fish and keep them fed well. I will do some more research on UV Sterilizers. It sounds like it would be a good investment. I've never heard of Kordon's Ich Attack, but I'll look into that. Thanks for the great tips! I have this UV. I am very happy with it. Excellent quality. Would definitely recommend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 I'm glad you posted this. Thank you. There is no such thing as a Ich free tank. It is a natural thing and most of the time your fish immune system fights it off just fine. Just like you and me with the common cold virus. Right now we have it in our systems but our immune system keeps it under control. So first off take a step back and breath and relax. Just check your chemistry make sure there is no problem there. And just keep an eye on the tang. Feed him plenty of Nori. My powder brown gets a ich break out probably once a month where he goes from fine to head to tail in ich spots and then 2 days later he is fine. I do not know why people freak so bad about ich. Dont worry if your fish is healthy it will recover. And it is probably some stress in the tank that messed with its immune system adn allowed the ich to break out. So do not pull the fish and put it in a QT tank. That will kill the fish. You will take a stressed fish and make it 100 times more stressed. Let it live in its happy home and just make sure to make him happy with good chemistry and stable water and food. Just my 2cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integral9 June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 I have this UV. I am very happy with it. Excellent quality. Would definitely recommend. Thanks for the link. Great price and great website. Lots of info about UV there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countryboy June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 I had a ich outbreak in my reef tank with two blue hippos and my friend at the LFS told me to use the ich attack by kordon but he told me to double the recommended dosage or it wouldn,t work. I used it for six days and the ick went away and no damage to any corals. It's expensive but I'm sold on it! I would have taken my fish out of the tank but I couldn't catch them with all the live rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mann June 28, 2012 Share June 28, 2012 you NEED to read this: another member posted it on a thread and it help me VERY VERY much!! READ THIS BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE. Marine Ich - Myths and Facts Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) One of the marine aquarist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan June 29, 2012 Share June 29, 2012 I thought I saw ich on a tang when I first got them. I thought Ich attacj worked for me too. I also doubled the dose. It may have just gone through a cycle. I may not have had ich. Who knows? There is no mistaking what my most recent investment has. My GW definately has ich! I had a ich outbreak in my reef tank with two blue hippos and my friend at the LFS told me to use the ich attack by kordon but he told me to double the recommended dosage or it wouldn,t work. I used it for six days and the ick went away and no damage to any corals. It's expensive but I'm sold on it! I would have taken my fish out of the tank but I couldn't catch them with all the live rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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