Blue Tang Ich

[gefilte]

I brought home a blue tang this week and he seemed OK. He was hanging out behind the reef, so when I saw him the next morning, he looked like he had little bubbles on him. I happened to be by the lfs a couple of days later to look for more fish and I mentioned what was going on. I was informed that it was ich and that I should treat it with garlic and metronidazole in the food. Any thoughts on this? Will it affect my other fish?

 

[fishfreek]

Will it affect my other fish?

Yes it could. Does it look like the ich is progressing or intensifying? Soaking the food in garlic can help. Its not quite known exactly what it does but there are theories in that it boosts the fish appitite and thus boosts imune system and other theories that the garlic goes into the fish and seeps out thru the body of the fish and the parasite has a distaste for garlic and drops off.

Ich is a parasite that needs a host to complete its life cycle so if the parasite falls off the fish before its cycle is complete then it will die.

Other possible treatments for ich include a freshwater dip, hyposalinity, copper based treatment (only done in a qt tank).

 

[gefilte]

The rest of the fish look fine. The tang isn't looking any better or worse. I went to the lfs this morning to get some water to do a small water change and the tang's brothers and sisters look about the same. I probably just didn't notice it before. I don't want to try the hyposalinity because I have other fish and an anemone and it seems like my anemone is pretty sensitive-assuming that I would try hyposalinity in the main tank as I have no qt. Since I have no qt, I'll continue on with this current method unless anyone has a better idea. BTW, this may be a dumb question, but what is a freshwater dip?.

 

[scuba_steve]

freshwater dip is where ya get some fresh water make sure the temp is the same ph all that the same as the main tank and catch the fish put him in the bucket of fresh water for a short period (5 min if that imo) and the ick will die