I think tangs keep a packet of ich in thier pocket....

[PB_Smith]

so no matter how healthy they look at first, they can always open that pack of ich and give you a headache...


So the other day I came into possession of a beautiful powder brown tang.
(before I get hammered by the "tang police", yes I know my tank isn't ideally big enough, but trust me, the tang is in a much better situation now than previously, also gives me more impetus to set up the bigger tank)

Anyway he looked fine at first and he is settling in good. He ate a sheet of nori yesterday and eagerly goes for any food fed to the tank and is doing a lot of grazing.
So of course this morning I wake up to a salted tang....



He is still acting fine, full coloration, grazing, chasing other fish, doing normal tang stuff.



(dang, those scratches sure show up in pics)
So my dilemma is, do I just hook back up my UV, up water changes and hope for the best
or do I risk injury and further stress by removing him to a hospital tank.....


I'm actually not too concerned about the other fish getting ich, they have all fought it off a couple of times before but we will see....

I know, I know, should have quarantined him first, especially a tang, but it was rushed thing.......

[PB_Smith]

ohhh, I just looked and I guess in the time I was typing this thread and drinking coffee the tang employed the services of the cleaner shrimp as there are no more cysts on his body. There are still a few on the fins, but all I see on the body is the spots where the cysts used to be.


dang, that was fast


think I'm gonna get some antibiotic food just to be safe, some of the marks on his body may be susceptible.
any suggestions?

[Sniperhank]

Sounds like you are doing everything you can when it comes to remaining in the DT, though I don't think the UV will have much of difference since the hobby grade ones simply don't process enough of the water going through them, it should all make a difference. Time will tell in this case. If things get to nasty you'll have to remove, but it might be too late at that point.

[PB_Smith]

Yeah the UV isn't gonna "cure" it for sure, but it can't hurt.
It's an 18 watt DIY unit and I use medical germicidal bulbs rather than ones sold specifically for aquariums. They have a little more oomph and longer life., and can be found for much less $$$.
I only push about 75 gallons an hour through it when I use.


The tang seems unphased except for occasional flashing.
He ate almost an entire cube of formulae two himself and continues to assert his place in the tank, all good signs.
He is even getting used to me, being much more bold and checking me out instead of peaking at me from behind a rock.

[PB_Smith]

I'm glad I reworked my rockscape recently so there is room all along the back.
Least night after I turned off the main lights and just blues on, the tang began to swim laps around the tank and in a few minutes he had a course dialed in and went racing around the tank.
I need to move two rocks and he will be able to do a full oval around the tank....LOL




seriously though, it does drive home the point that I'm gonna have to set up the bigger tank or find him a bigger home within 6 months at the latest....

[Sniperhank]

They can grow quite fast. Least we don't have to be worried about it being housed in a 20 gallon tank and that the owner is aware of what it'll take to keep it fat and healthy.

[PB_Smith]

Originally Posted by Sniperhank

They can grow quite fast. Least we don't have to be worried about it being housed in a 20 gallon tank and that the owner is aware of what it'll take to keep it fat and healthy.

Oh trust me, I had real trepidation about putting him in my tank, but I fear his fate would have been worse if I didn't as it was "orphaned" to just such a person as you mentioned.
luckily I was able to rescue it, but I did so knowing full well all the implications.

[PB_Smith]

Ok, so this morning I count 8 cysts on him, and it looks as though about 6-10 more may show up in the next day.
I noticed that with tangs skin you can just barely make out the spots where a cyst has imbedded a day before it erupts and is visible.
Each spot where there is a cyst today was a noticeable tiny "bump" on the skin yesterday.
Never noticed that with other fish, probably due to the scales.

[PB_Smith]

Well I'm happy to report that the tang looks absolutely great!
He had a few cyst this morning and I was fortunate enough to see him go to the "cleaning station" and allow the cleaner shrimps do their thing, he even flared his gills and let them poke around in there. After about 2 minute he came out, cyst free.
That is soooo cool to see actual results from the cleaners.


He has asserted himself as the new "top dog" in the tank, is displaying awesome coloration and hasn't any "bumps" that I think indicate a cyst under the skin.


I know it will be a few weeks before I can declare it gone/under control, but at this point I'm not overly concerned.


tried to get a picture, but between the tang being camera shy and my dog being jealous and forcing himself between me and the tank, pics will have to wait....LOL

[Sniperhank]

If only it could work like this in healthy systems more often.

[coralbandit]

Well I hope you are correct.
It has not been 4 days since you aquaired tang?
The cleaner shrimp can't cure ich ,not my opinion,but documented many places.
I will provide links if you like.
I had an emperor angel,powder blue tang and fox face when I added my chevron and it all blew up!
There are only three ways to kill ich.
All the fish I mentioned were lost over a period of a month.
Watch your tang closely.
And of course good luck.

[PB_Smith]

Originally Posted by coralbandit

Well I hope you are correct.
It has not been 4 days since you aquaired tang?
The cleaner shrimp can't cure ich ,not my opinion,but documented many places.
I will provide links if you like.
I had an emperor angel,powder blue tang and fox face when I added my chevron and it all blew up!
There are only three ways to kill ich.
All the fish I mentioned were lost over a period of a month.
Watch your tang closely.
And of course good luck.

I know, that's why I said I can't say for sure for a few weeks, but so far all signs indicate it will go well.
Cleaners can't "cure" ich or any parasitic infestation, BUT what they do accomplish, especially with ich, is getting the cysts before they detach from the fish and fall into the substrate where they incubate and then release hundreds more larvae.
So the more cysts the shrimp eat, the lower the population will be at the next cycle.
So that coupled with more water changes vacuuming the substrate, good diet, UV sterilizer and low stress environment, ich usually can be managed no problem.
No one of those elements in itself will "cure" ich, but when combined the chances of it getting a stronghold in the system are very slim.
I'm sure adding the chiller to the system has also helped. no more 10 degree swings over the course of 24 hours, now at most it fluctuates 1.5 degrees.

Sad to say that in most situations where ich takes out numerous fish in a system, chances are very high that there were already underlying issues that compromised the fish's immune system.

That really only applies to ich though, oodinium, brookynella, flukes, etc. are another story altogether and completely healthy fish can succumb to those parasites much more readily and quickly and often by the time symptoms are obvious, it's too late, as Mr. X's recent tragedy demonstrated.

so I guess we can at least be thankful that ich is relatively slow by comparison.

[PB_Smith]

Well, after my sitting with the camera against the tank for five minutes, his urge to nibble nori overcame his camera shyness...LOL

[Sniperhank]

And photobombed by the PJ. Always the creeper in the saltwater community.

[coralbandit]

Very NICE!
I really wanted a brown when I got the blue , but I'm married(hehe) .
One of my favorites.
Although not "uncommon",it is not as commonly chose as powder blue.
Much more striking IMO!

[Sniperhank]

Agreed. Dream of a tank with a purple, powder brown, and my tomini.

[PB_Smith]

Thanks, they have always been one of my favorites, and this guy has that deep chocolate brown body color when he is happy.
I like the blues, almost got one, but they always look sickly and are not as hardy as the browns in my experience.




and yeah, that PJ cardinal lurking back there looks weird with those big red eyes watching everything...

[Toffee]

Personal, I found UV to be very helping in controlling algae ans Ich. It won't cure them but overtime it will disappeared.

However, don't buy those grade 1 or lower UV, you will need at least grade 2 or higher light bulbs and run it 24/7 during inital period.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Aquarium Advice mobile app

[PB_Smith]

Well it's been long enough for the little buggers to get moving with the second generation....and they are.


From the looks of my tangs skin, he will be erupting with a bunch of cysts in the next 24 hours, so the battle goes on.
He is still feisty and eating like an absolute pig, but I can also tell he is beginning to be distressed a bit, going and hanging out in the return stream with his mouth open so the water passes over his gills with minimal effort, and just acting a little "agitated".
He has been making regular stops by the cleaner shrimp and allowing them to do their thing every few laps around the tank, but I'm gonna have to step up my game a bit.


Has anyone out there had any real success with any "reef safe" treatments?

[coralbandit]

I can't claim success but have had no problems with using herbtana in reef tanks.
https://www.microbelift.com/products...herbtana-reef/
Several links to reef central threads if you search herbtanna that may have better results.
Qt is out of the question?