Sick Tangs

[jonr]

I am looking for advice as I have a blue regal tang and a yellow tang with two different diseases. I have had the blue tang for 4 months and he was in my display and doing great until this week. I saw him flash a few times earlier in the week and then today noticed 5-7 white spots of ich. I managed to net it with much effort and have moved it to a separate QT. To complicate matters, I just purchased a yellow tang 2 weeks ago and it has been in the QT since for my normal 4 weeks quarantine period of new fish. This week it has shown less interest in food and today I noticed black spots on the new yellow tang. Black ich/tang disease.

I only have 1 QT, is it a 20g and now has both tangs in it. (I Know not ideal) I have gradually lowered the sg of the QT throughout the day to 1.018 and am thinking of bringing it down a bit lower. I am about to do some reading about both diseases and try to figure out where to go from here, in the meantime any advice would be greatly appreciated. Will copper treat both infections? Any other suggestions/advice??

Thanks for the help.

 

[jonr]

From what I read it looks like hyposalinity is the only thing that may treat both diseases and seems less stressful for the fish that fresh water dips or formalin or copper. I have lowered the sg to 1.012 in the QT.

Any other suggestions or advice?

 

[carey]

I think you did your research well. The only thing I have to add is an article link.

Marine Ich or White Spot Disease

It suggests an even lower salinity.....

 

[jonr]

The fish seem to have acclimated well to 1.012 and both fed this morning. I will drop it a bit further tonight.

What about the other fish in the display tank. They are looking healthy and eating, but I read that if one fish has ich then it is in the tank and they all should be treated. Do I really need to tear down the whole tank even if the fish show no signs of disease?

 

[carey]

Theorectically you are right. If those two had ich then it's in the main tank. The only way to go get rid of it out of the main tank is to remove all fish for about 6-8 weeks. Yes, I know sounds extreme but it's the only real way to get rid of it with any certainty. How big is your main tank and how many other fish are in it?

It might just be a matter of time before the other fish are infected, although with tangs it usually rears it head earlier and worse, just a tang thing really. They stress out that easily allowing them to contract the ich easier.

 

[jonr]

I think it will ride it out for the display, everyone else looks healthy. I know it is taking a risk, but I would be able to get the fish out anyway.

I am having trouble with water quality in my 20G QT and the 2 tangs. I am using baking soda to keep the pH constant as one article suggested and it works well and is cheap and easy. But I think the hyposalitiny killed ad biological filter I may have had and the ammonia level is climbing. Other than water changes is there a way to keep the ammonia down in the relatively small tank for the 4-8 weeks it will take to treat them???

 

[carey]

Just keep up with your water changes and you can add some prime, it will help keep the ammonia that is in there somewhat less harmful.

 

[leftyfish]

I think it will ride it out for the display, everyone else looks healthy. I know it is taking a risk, but I would be able to get the fish out anyway.

I am having trouble with water quality in my 20G QT and the 2 tangs. I am using baking soda to keep the pH constant as one article suggested and it works well and is cheap and easy. But I think the hyposalitiny killed ad biological filter I may have had and the ammonia level is climbing. Other than water changes is there a way to keep the ammonia down in the relatively small tank for the 4-8 weeks it will take to treat them???

Get amquel, use it daily at first, then the bacteria will level out with the hypo. Keep the hypo down to 1.010- 1.009.

When you put them back in DT, they will get ich again as the other fish are in there still and most likely have it in their gills. Ich sucks, but if you leave the tank fallow for minimum of six weeks and do hypo or copper with all your fish, you can be rid of it.

 

[all4wheels2]

Going through this same thing. I just lost both my yellow and blue tang to ich. I had to pull out the rest of the fish, even though they were symptom free. You have to get your display tank empty - that's the only way to get rid of it.

Right now you are only treating your tangs - as soon as you put them back in the tank, they will get the ich again. That's what happened to mine. Some fish are just more resistant (my firefish and clowns have not had one spot), unfortunately, tangs are not that lucky. They succomb pretty easily.

I have my survivors in a QT and I'm going to leave them there for 4 weeks. My SG is at 1.012 as well.

I syphoned the top layer of sand in my DT and did almost around an 85% water change lol. I also changed the filter material and am letting it cycle again. I guess I'm alittle paranoid now

 

[rdnelson99]

Hope you don't mind me jumping here with a related question. If you were to put all your fish in a QT for that length of time, would there be any reason other than CUC to not, empty the tank and start from scratch with a new cycle? Or, could the ich survive in the live rock for a few weeks while it was cycling?

 

[all4wheels2]

Actually, that's exactly what I did. Since it takes 4-6 weeks to properly cycle anyway. And no, the ich won't live that long since there won't be any fish while it's cycling - at least not in my tank.

Good thinking