HELP, I've got a beautiful Sailfin Tang (Sheldon), I'm pretty sure he has ick as he has a few white spots on him and his colour seems to be fading. My problem is that he's in my DT 175 gal, and the only spare tank I have is a 10 gal. All my other fish in the DT are doing great, so far no spots. I don't want to take Sheldon out of the DT as he'd probably get worse putting him in a 10 gal. As far as I can see I have 2 options, buy a larger QT tank and put poor Sheldon in there or dose the DT. I'm assuming as the ick is already in the DT I could just get away with dosing the DT. Can someone confirm that.
Sick Tang
- Thread starter Georgefr
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If you dose the copper in the DT, it will be absorbed into the rocks. And then all if those rocks will at some point release the copper back into the water. A third option to treatment might be to remove ALL of your rock and store it in a plastic tub of saltwater with a heater and circulation pump. You'll need to dose with some ammonia every couple days to keep rock alive. Then remove any inverts and put in QT. then you could treat the DT. In not 100% sure, but you might have to replace the substrate after treating, or maybe just wash it well? I'm not sure about that. Good luck!
MacDracor
Aquarium Advice Addict
The sand will store copper as much as the rocks. Best option is a new qt.
MacDracor said:
Could replace the sand afterwards before add rock back in. Just throwing it out there. If you're too worried about fish not doing well in a small QT, it's an option. Not a great one, but an option nonetheless.
Brookechooka89
Aquarium Advice Regular
Try everything else before treating DT with copper. If you have done already, unfortunately you will eventually suffer the consequences. Try hypo-salinity and up the temperature (to just below what all your fish can handle).
Study ich...read, read, read!!! My tang is the only one that did survive after a nasty ich outbreak..which I found in the tank way too late. So even though your other fish look fine, tangs are quite hardy fish (and most often than not, the first one to show white spot on its body and if you get it in time, the one to survive).
Search what the ich parasite does in the tank. They can free swim for aaaaages before they find a host, eat away at your fish' flesh for a while then get off and reproduce. So that's why one day he may be covered then the next day he's only got a few spots, then the next day covered again. You need to kill the ich parasite when it's free swimming because it buries itself under the scales/flesh and the copper can't get to it. If they are covered in white spot (ich) do a quick fresh water dip on your fish the ich jump right off. They can't handle it.
That's why I picked hyposalinity and upped the heat and more bubbles in the tank (airstone or anything like that) as either way the high heat will absorb within the fish and hence effect the parasite under the flesh. Then it will unattached itself and die in the water with high salinity. The airstone is for the fish as changing the parameters makes the oxygen drop in the water.
Make sure you vacuum clean your substrate as well because most times that's where the parasite end up. If it doesn't get a host straight away.
Check these info https out:
http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_ich2.php
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/hyposalinity/Hyposalinity_OST_Osmotic_Shock_Therapy.htm
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/hyposalinity/ht/ht_hyposalinity.htm
I would get a UV steriliser and put it in ASAP if you can afford it.
Also, start feeding your fish real fatty food to keep them healthy and to help them keep their appetite ( and in a way keep them far so the parasites don't "suck them dry").
Good luck and let us know what you ended up doing and give us regular updates so we can help you through it
Cheers!
Brooke
Study ich...read, read, read!!! My tang is the only one that did survive after a nasty ich outbreak..which I found in the tank way too late. So even though your other fish look fine, tangs are quite hardy fish (and most often than not, the first one to show white spot on its body and if you get it in time, the one to survive).
Search what the ich parasite does in the tank. They can free swim for aaaaages before they find a host, eat away at your fish' flesh for a while then get off and reproduce. So that's why one day he may be covered then the next day he's only got a few spots, then the next day covered again. You need to kill the ich parasite when it's free swimming because it buries itself under the scales/flesh and the copper can't get to it. If they are covered in white spot (ich) do a quick fresh water dip on your fish the ich jump right off. They can't handle it.
That's why I picked hyposalinity and upped the heat and more bubbles in the tank (airstone or anything like that) as either way the high heat will absorb within the fish and hence effect the parasite under the flesh. Then it will unattached itself and die in the water with high salinity. The airstone is for the fish as changing the parameters makes the oxygen drop in the water.
Make sure you vacuum clean your substrate as well because most times that's where the parasite end up. If it doesn't get a host straight away.
Check these info https out:
http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_ich2.php
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/hyposalinity/Hyposalinity_OST_Osmotic_Shock_Therapy.htm
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/hyposalinity/ht/ht_hyposalinity.htm
I would get a UV steriliser and put it in ASAP if you can afford it.
Also, start feeding your fish real fatty food to keep them healthy and to help them keep their appetite ( and in a way keep them far so the parasites don't "suck them dry").
Good luck and let us know what you ended up doing and give us regular updates so we can help you through it
Cheers!
Brooke
Some good info on the parasite and treatment.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: A Quarantine Tank for Everything by Steven Pro
Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part I by Steven Pro
Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part II by Steven Pro
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: A Quarantine Tank for Everything by Steven Pro
Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part I by Steven Pro
Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part II by Steven Pro
Thank you all for the replies, I broke out the credit card an bought a larger QT I've moved the fish out and treated, and turned up the heat in the DT, along with frequent water changes and deep cleaning I'm hoping for the best, but ready for the worst.
WickedXb
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2012
- Messages
- 96
I lost my sailfin the same way. Tangs are very prone to ich.
Brookechooka89
Aquarium Advice Regular
Good to hear things are on the mend. Just be careful with moving the fish as they can stress and in some cases make ich worse. What are you feeding them, what water did you use for the qt, have you treated the qt and what changes / steps did you take.
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