Ich devolpment in ~4 year old established tank??? - Aquarium Advice

BlueDolphin · 06-05-2007, 05:58 PM

Hello all. I have had my tank up and running (with the exception of a move over a year ago) for about 4-5 years now. I have a Regal Tang, Percula Clown, and Black and Yellow Blenny. The tang was my first fish, followed by the clown, and the blenny came about a year ago. All of my fish were QT'd, and have never had a problem until a few days ago. I noticed my Tang had a white spot on her side (like she had rubbed up against something). Then she began swimming erratically, hiding a lot, and not eating. Today, I noticed her dorsal fin is looking brown and frayed. I suspected ich to begin with, but usually only hear about it developing from new fish being introduced without QT'ing them. Is is possible to develop spontaneously like this? The clown and the blenny are absolutely fine so far...

seaham358 · 06-05-2007, 07:14 PM

Post a pic... the frayed fin does not sound like ich. tank and fish size? ich looks like salt on a fish. Could be bacterial or look up lateral line erosion

BlueDolphin · 06-05-2007, 07:19 PM

unfortunately i can't get a picture of her. she is hiding in her live rock hole. that was my other concern. i am setting up the QT/Hospital tank as we speak... but i'm afraid i won't be able to catch her to put her in it. i'm also afraid it will just cause more undue stress on her.

my tank is 60 gallons (small for a tang, i now know - but 4 years ago i was unaware). my tang is about 1.5 inches now.

**melosu58** · 06-05-2007, 07:20 PM

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

Here is a couple post on the parasite. Bad water parameters will stress the fish out and cause the parasite to overtake the fish. What are your water test results? Read the two post to see if you have the parasite.

BlueDolphin · 06-05-2007, 07:33 PM

i had read the posts, and it certainly sounds like she could possibly have ich. i have been having an on-going issue with slightly high nitrates (15-20), and thought perhaps that could have led to this onset? i have been trying to get the nitrates under control with water changes, but am baffled at what could cause them to remain high in the first place. i removed the sponges from the powerheads thinking they could've been the culprit. i just did a 40% water change on Sunday, and tested my water parameters. everything still looks good, aside the from the nitrates still being in the 15-20 range.

i am very concerned with my tang's health. how long can a fish live with this disease? what if i am unable to catch her to put her in the hospital tank?

**Devilishturtles** · 06-05-2007, 07:46 PM

Hi Kristen, sorry to hear about your fish.

I sorta agree with seaham, it doesn't sound like ich. Have you read anything on Headd and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE)? It's, unfortanetly, common in Tangs.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/sp/index.php

Your nitrates at the 15-20 range aren't high enough to cause long term issues, IMHO.

BlueDolphin · 06-05-2007, 08:02 PM

i have read about HLLE, but her symptoms don't seem to match. the way she's acting (erratic swimming, hiding, loss of appetite, abnormal breathing...) all seem to point towards ich. however, never seeing it in person before i am not 100% sure. all i can say is that the white spots i have seen on her do not look like grains of salt, but more like patches. i wish i could take a picture, but she won't come out of her rock...

Halcyon_Diver · 06-06-2007, 01:36 AM

Blue Dolphin....
My tang developed the same type of patches...kinda like a bleach spot....didnt know what it was until i put my hand in my sump and got a slight shock....i had almost 40 volts in the water...i replaced my heaters and installed a ground probe....problem solved....the patches disappeared in 2 days...Hope this helps...and good luck

tecwzrd · 06-06-2007, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueDolphin

my tank is 60 gallons (small for a tang, i now know - but 4 years ago i was unaware). my tang is about 1.5 inches now.

What do you feed your tang? I've never seen a 4 year old Blue Tang less then 5+"

macman7010 · 06-06-2007, 09:16 AM

I agree with tec a 4 year old Regal Tang should not be 1.5 inches as that is typically the size they are offered for sale at many outlets. In addition to that I have found that when offered for sale at that size Regal Tangs prove to be very tough to keep since they are prone to external parasites in the first place. When ich infects a large fish the surface area of the animal gives it a better fighting chance then when ich infects a tiny fish.

There is always a chance that an ich outbreak can occur, (or any parasite outbreak) even in an established tank. Immunity suppression, stress, even a day when temperatures accidentally rise or fall can all be culprits in allowing the onset of a parasitic infection. My recommendation would be, as you have done, setting up qt and treating the fish with either hyposalinity or copper if you determine once you get a good look at it that ich is in fact what you are dealing with.

Have you introduced any new inverts to the tank perhaps. Shrimp, snails, or anything really even live rock can have ich foiled over it. Also the spike in nitrates you are speaking about may have stressed the fish to the point of infection.