is it possible for a tang to fight off ich?

[Dr.Nate]

Well, I know my tang has ich and has had it for at least 3 weeks. He still seems to be doing well, though, eating well too. I feed him frozen foods soaked in selcon and nori too. Is it possible for him to keep fighting it off, or is his demise inevitable?

BTW, QT is not a possibility as he is large and my QT is only a 10 gal.

 

[HoopsGuru]

I would say purchase a larger QT tank, a 30g is only about $60 and an extra powerhead. This will cover you on future purchases and is a necessary investment.

It is possible for any fish to suppress the ich, but you will likely be on a yo-yo as most tangs are prone to ich. Any other fish in your tank, and any future additions, will also be exposed as long as you allow it to remain in your system.

 

[90_berlin_joe]

DR.Nate,
what other life do you have in your tank. If fish only why not add some Cupermine for this would get rid of the ich in your tank. is any inverts then a QT tank is the only answer.

 

[Phyl]

Adding copper to a display tank effectively ruins that tank for life. Once the copper is in the seams you just don't know when and how much will leach from the silicone. Just because the tank is FO (no inverts?! live rock?!) doesn't mean that it would be an acceptable place for copper.

Your tang can indeed continue to fight off ich. If the tank is well fed (daily or every other at worst; nori every day) and the food is frequently soaked in **garlic** and selcon, and the stress in the environment is reduced/eliminated the fish can continue to fight off ich. My purple tang once in the main display got ich again after being certain that I had rid him of ich in QT. The fish has become asymptomatic and none of my other fish have ended up with it either. A high stress/overstocked environment is a definite recipe for doom, but as long as the conditions are right and the fish is well then you can continue to try to wait it out. You do need to be prepared for an emergency though. If the fish takes a sudden certain turn for the worst you WILL need to remove him and get him under treatment. There comes a point where they just can't fight it off as hard as it is attacking. My purple was defintely being overcome by ich when he was being treated. Had he gone untreated he would have certainly died. The stress of transport/acclimation/QT was very stressful on him and he fell hard to the parasite.

So I guess your answer is maybe yes, maybe no. Good luck with him!

 

[Dr.Nate]

thanks Phyl, that is what I was hoping! This has been very frustrating because I've lost fish to ich before, and I was sure my main was clear of it (fallow for 8 wks), but now it's back! ugh

 

[spinman]

I too worry about ich having a YT and this week getting a BHT. I knew it'd be stupid not to have a QT, so my buddy who's a flea market nut, found me a glass 55? gallon tank for $20 bucks.

I'll set it up when I see the 1st signs of ich.

Mike

 

[tripper]

Do not wait until you see signs of ich!!! The purpose of the QT is to treat the fish (if it has a parasite) before adding it to your main. If you put the fish in the main and then it has ich, you will have to take ALL of your fish out and put them in QT and leave your main fallow for 6-8 weeks. Speaking from experience, you do NOT want to have to do this. Set your QT up before you get your BHT and keep him in there for 4 weeks minimum to ensure it is a healthy fish.

tripper

 

[ellisz]

You can also try to add Beta Glucan. It can be found at some heath food stores or GNC. The local President of the Aquarium club here uses it and garlic to boost the immune system of her animals. Not a replacement for QT by any means but might help. According to her, some people overseas are using this and garlic in place of meds to treat fish.

The theory is that organisms are always present and healthy fish have no problems keeping them at bay. They garlic, beta glucan and environment are used to make the fish healthier therefore letting it fight the disease themselves. Evironment was put in there since housing fish with inappropriate tank mates or housing in smaller than needed tanks add stress to a fish's life and therefore don't promote good health.

I have not tried the Beta glucan yet but plan too. Don't plan to stop QT'ing either but I don't buy fish much anymore.

HTH

 

[Phyl]

I'm pretty sure that Selcon has Beta Glucan in it.