Just gotta vent..

[Doan]

Ok as some of you know had ich on my tang again.... Tried kick ich for the last 2 weeks was not working. Last night she looked a little better and was even eating again by the time I got home. But My reef really could not take another week without a skimmer.. and I felt like dumpin more stuff in there for the next two weeks was not really gonna accomplish anything except start to really mess up my corals. So we got the cupramine had the QT set up for about a week (just in case) and tore appart the reef. Got the PBT out... That was tough.. and got her into QT... she was not all that excited and we added cupramine as per instructions you all know how that goes bring it up slowly add only the half dose on the first day. Once in qt as she was visibally upset after the prolonged chase to get her out of the display. Well this morning came downstairs all groggy but I wanted to see how she was doing. My beautiful fish is no longer with us... My wife is very upset.. I'm upset .... This is the one we did by the book.. Qt then display then ich then tried the Kick ich then said no lets get her to QT bit the bullet and tore apart the reef to get her out.. All for nothing. I think she may have hung on longer if we would have left her in the main tank.. but alas it was not to be.. Now I have a QT tank that is pretty much garbage as it and everything in it has been exposed to copper. Soo I think we are done with Tangs Forever (and that sucks they are my favorite fish but we have lost 2 to ich now the first we didn't take out of display for fear of stressing the sick fish and that didn't work either) and fish for a long while. I think my wife is done with the tank totally and I am done with fish for a long while. Just gonna keep the ones I have and play with the corals which I am having real good luck with prior to turning off my skimmer for the Kick Ich. This just really sucks..really sucks....

Thanks for the help yesterday guys I just don't think that my sick fish was able to make the transistion from one tank to the next..

I guess I am just no good with tangs... I have never lost any other kind of fish ever *knock on wood* and now 2 tangs..

Doan

 

[jamal-188]

Sorry for your loss I have been feeling the same way recently. I have a yellow tang that has been sick for months. I've done hyposalinty, medications on 3 occassions, daily 20% water changes for a couple weeks and I just cannnot get this fish healthy.

 

[ellisz]

Sorry for your loss. I am also unsure about tangs now. I have lost 3 yellow. 2 in QT and one that was in QT for a month and looked good in the display and then just up and died overnite.

I really want another one but I will wait a bit.

Good luck.

 

[Doan]

Yeah it's just real frustrating and sad... I did it all by the book.... guess tangs are just not for me.. Just very frustrating.. Not having a good morning..

Doan

 

[quarryshark]

I lost a yellow a few months back to velvet. I have another now, keeping fingers crossed (did the proper 4 week qt period).
Sorry for your loss, know how you feel.

 

[michealprater]

Attention all tang lovers.

Get a UV sterilizer. I have not lost a tang since I have owned one. Always keep your tanks tempature at 82-84 degrees. Soak all food you feed in garlic every single time you feed, not just when they are infected.
UV sterilizers kill water borne ich. So it rids your tank of it unless you purchase a fish that is hosting ich into your tank, which should not happen if you carefully pick your live stock at the store and quarinteen the fish before putting it in the show tank. Ich has a hard time living in tempatures over 82 degrees. Plus 82-84 degrees is more like natural tropical enviroments. Feeding with garlic every single time helps your fishes immunity which inturn can help them fight off ich if they ever had to.

The key is prevention. How many of you were doing all of these things when you lost the fish? Don't give up, and follow the above suggestions, give your tangs a good varied diet and a large enough tank and they will have long and healthy lives!

 

[Doan]

I keep hearing about the UV sterelizer my problem is I am afraid that that will kill all my pods. Thus totally starving my manderine to death... I had thought of that but I was told that that was just gonna devistate my pod population.

Doan

 

[michealprater]

Try a hang on the back sterilizer. They would literally have to swim up to the power head and into the sterilzer then.

 

[Boxster]

I lost my 1st YT for no aparent reason. I think I never feed him enough. For the 2nd YT, I QT it for 4 weeks and it develop "Black ick". I hyposalinity it and feed Nori with Garlic in QT. 2 weeks after the Black ick is gone, I release it into the main tank and continue to feed Nori frequently. One small sheet in the morning and one small sheet in evening. So far 2 months had past and the YT is as healthy as I can wish for.

From my observation, it is important for Tangs to feed constantly. The Garlic to me help during QT. I never try in the main tank since it is not proven yet. But I will QT any fish with food soak in Garlic. It helps the Tang's appetite too

 

[michealprater]

From my observation, it is important for Tangs to feed constantly. The Garlic to me help during QT. I never try in the main tank since it is not proven yet. But I will QT any fish with food soak in Garlic. It helps the Tang's appetite too

I used garlic every single time I feed in my show tank. I dont know about saying its not proven, but I can say this. Since I started feeding garlic, keeping my tank above 82 and added a uv sterilizer I have never had a case of ick.

 

[quarryshark]

Glad to hear. I am using garlic every single feeding session. Plan on continuing.

 

[cmpenney]

I always had terrible luck with tangs too. I've lost four over the years to ick each time they took others with them. Since them I have gotten a UV sterilizer. And my tank runs about 81-82 mostly because it's easier to keep it there than to chill it during the summer. I have been afraid to try as last time I almost lost my Majestic Angel that I've had for 7 years to the outbreak.

 

[Doan]

Yeah it is tough I appreciate the continued support. I still am a little foggy on the UV though. If I get a HOB and you said the pods would have to swim into it to be harmed wouldn't the ich have to swim into it as well to be eradicated thus eliminating the whole purpose of a Uv sterelizer. I am not trying to be smart just trying to get all the info before I Do something else stupid

Doan

 

[michealprater]

If I get a HOB and you said the pods would have to swim into it to be harmed wouldn't the ich have to swim into it as well to be eradicated thus eliminating the whole purpose of a Uv sterelizer. I am not trying to be smart just trying to get all the info before I Do something else stupid

Pods are much larger than ick. Ick is water borne in the first place so it is just floating around. Your pods should be down in the sand and in the rocks where there home is. If one was dumb enough to go for a swim, it would certainly become prey to a fish far before it ever makes it to the sterilizer. Its your choice though. Maybe you should concentrate on the garlic and tempature first. That may be enough. Use the UV as a last resort. Plus you dont have to run it 24/7, maybe just for a week or so when adding new fish.

 

[Doan]

Ok that makes a little more sense

Thank you
Doan

 

[michealprater]

This is from a recent PM I got from Brisco. I thought it was pretty good and wanted to share it and my responce.

Hello, I wanted to make a quick inquiry with your regarding Doans recent post on Tangs and ich. I like to think that im picking things up fairly quickly, but at the same time I am still really green. I moved my UV off my reef tank and onto my QT because I was under the impression that UV on a reef was bad. I will admit my ignorance and that I honestly can't remember why I got that impression. My first question is simply: Is this bad information? I have a 120G tank with an 18W UV. Secondly I wanted to inquire about the garlic. I have seen that Ecosystem makes a garlic product, its the only one at my LFS. Do you have a brand you like best? Lastly, and sorry for the lengthy PM, do you soak everything? I.E. Nori, live calurpa clipings, pellet and flake? Thanks for your help, I appreciate you taking the time to read this and respond.

Since you asked some really good questions I am going to include this in the post because I feel people can benifet from it.

Using the UV sterilizer on your qt is the best thing. If your reef is free of ich and you quarinteen properly with a sterilizer you will never have to worry about ich being introduced to your main tank. However from my experience my UV has never hurt my reef. Could it have killed some benificial stuff in the water, yes, did it make a noticible difference in my tank, no. Plus a 18w is far to small for a 120, so it is best you use it on the QT.

As far as the garlic. Seachem is what I use, it is about 1/3 the price of ecosystem and is just as effective. I would search for it on the internet I am sure it is available. I just don't know where because it is available at my LFS. I feed flake, have claupea in my tank and a large variety of frozen foods. I only soak the frozen when I feed, however it will not hurt to soak everything. I figure as long as they get some garlic each day, that will do them some good.

 

[Brisc0]

Thanks again for the information its a big help.

 

[michealprater]

Just remember, Ich is very hard to treat successfully and very hard to rid your tank of. It is very easy to prevent. Prevention is the key.

 

[Doan]

I have to say I agree with Brisco in that I am a little confused about what way to go with the whole UV thing. I think If I didn't have a mandarine that I would have one. My concern is that I think that it is gonna wipe out my pods or at the very least make it so they don't breed anymore. I can think of a ton of advantages for one espically in the disease control situation. I also think the the killing of bad stuff outweighs the killing of some good stuff MOST of the time. If I was not so paranoid about my mandarine I would not be against them.

Doan

 

[michealprater]

Putting a uv sterilizer on you quarintine would be a great idea then.