Does my Hippo have Ick?

[stratmaster]

I tried to get a pic of him but he wasn't cooperating very well with me, does my Hippo Tang have Ick? If so, what can I use to treat him? I already went ahead and setup a permanent QT from now on. I suppose it was a definite learning experience from the Wrasse to always have a QT on hand to move fish over when you have water trouble in the main tank.

Anyway here.... he's not looking so good, although his appetite is remaining good. The Yellow Tang hasn't been out all day though, he's not eating. I'm concerned.

Can I use the products melafix and pimafix? I've had luck in the past with it, great results.

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals PimaFix - Fungus - Medications - PetSmart

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Mela Fix - Saltwater - Fish - PetSmart

Steve

 

[kaiofcanada]

Hard to tell from the lighting....but it looks like ick or velvet. But probably ick since you can see the white spots very clearly.

It has been a while since I had a saltwater tank, but I would be sure you were treating the right disease. I used to treat my saltwater ick with freshwater baths and formalin. I am not sure how I feel about using formalin now though. I am more educated and know that it is a long term carcinogen. And given how long most fish live, I would not treat using copper or formalin anymore.

Is the hippo also flashing/scratching himself on things?

Edit, neither melafix nor pimafix are going to treat ick. I found this link which might be helpful...
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+2160&aid=2420

Hope your hippo feels better soon.

 

[stratmaster]

Yes he's constantly scratching on the rock and it looks like he's actually putting indentations on his body (like scratches almost) but according to my LFS all Hippos scratch on rocks?
May I ask can Ick just appear out of nowhere or does something have to bring it into the aquarium?

Steve

 

[Flake]

Ich seems to appear out of no where on those tangs.

It looks like ich to me from the picture.

 

[kaiofcanada]

It can be either....there has been some evidence that suggests that ick is present in many tanks but that it is opportunistic. So when there is stress resulting from poor water quality or large temp fluctuations and so forth ick can arise in weakened/stressed fish where otherwise it was not apparently present. Having said this, it is also said that the parasite requires a host and can not survive more than half a day without a host, so I guess it depends on what you personally would like to believe. I have seen both scenarios play out myself.

Of course, it can also be introduced into a tank by addition of a new fish that is a carrier. Since ick is a parasite and goes through a replication stage of its lifecycle, thus amplifying itself, it can infect any/all fish in your tank. Unlike many other fish diseases, I would always recommend treating your entire tank for ick rather than one fish. If one fish has it that means it is almost certain that there are other theronts in the water and they can infect or reinfect any fish.

If you guys is itchy, he probably has ick. Maybe an expert can chime in on the latest, best, and least carcinogenic marine ick treatment.

 

[Flake]

I got a blue tang past ich with water changes and metronidazole. I've also heard that garlic can at least get the ich to drop off. Not kill it, but get it off. If the tang is healthy, it should be able to fight it on it's own.

 

[stratmaster]

He's probably not in the best shape though getting over from the ammonia shock I did to the system by adding to many fish at once. There's probably where the ick came from, maybe? Stressing from the ammonia?

Steve

 

[ccCapt]

Just going by that pic, it looks like ich and also possibly ammonia burn....looks like his "skin" is shedding.
Cryptocaryon irritans (ick) is a parasite. It must come into the system from another fish. It doesn't "appear" on it own regardless if the fish is stressed or not. There is also no scientific evidence that it can go dormant. It's either in the system or not. If can be present, but healthy fish can fight it off and not show signs. Put a weak or stressed fish in the tank and the ich can show up in full force.
On the other hand, you can take a fish which has been cured of ick, either by hypo or copper, put it in a 1 gal fish bowl and even tho it may be stressed to the max being in a little bowl, it will not get ick from the stress. If the parasite is not present, nothing can make it appear.

 

[stratmaster]

Ammonia burn you say? There was ammonia in the system but not anymore, will that just go away on it's own? The ammonia burn?

Steve

 

[melosu58]

Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part I by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part II by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: A Quarantine Tank for Everything by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

ATJ's Marine Aquarium Site - Reference - Hyposalinity Treatment

 

[melosu58]

Also moved to the sick fish forum.

 

[InfernoST]

Why not just put all of the fish in the qt and just start hypo treatment.

 

[CaptainAhab]

If you have the QT facility, not a bad idea. having your display fallow while the parasite runs it's lifecycle is ideal anyway. If it's just 2 tangs... treat em both

 

[fjmcm1947]

Flake how did you give the metronidazole to your tang, I heard you can mix with frozen brine shrimp.