Is this Ick

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stainless_wm

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Oct 2, 2005
Messages
187
Location
Kansas
Well I cant show you the picture because its too big, But I bought a Yello Tang today, He's a little guy, The tank he was in looked great and every body looked pretty good.

I brougt him home, let him adjust for an hour and set him loose.

A few hours after that, I noticed little white spots on him. even on his fins.

I have never had Ick before so I dont really know what it looks like.


Does that sound like Ick?


Wade
 
Ick is described as looking like little salt grains on the body and fins. I'm no expert, but without a pic, your discription sounds like ick. Don't use a copper-based medication in your main tank, it's harmful to inverts. Do you have a QT? Is he in QT or in main?

Sometimes ick will clear up by itself, but depending on how bad it is, you may need to medicate, best to do that in a QT.
 
Run over to Walmart and get a 10 gallon tank for $10. and a small HOB filter,heater, etc. Stop at Home Depot on the way back and get a few 2" - 3" pvc elbows, 45's end caps etc. pieces that the fish can hide in while in QT.

Prepare your new Quarantine tank.

Use a Hyposalinity treatment for the next 6-8 weeks.

Ich will never clear up by itself. The fish may become strong enough to fight off the parasite but the parasite will remain in the tank waiting for a moment of weakness. Best to rid the main tank of it now. Treatment in a QT tank while keeping all fish out of the main tank for 6-8 weeks is the only way to do that.
 
Did he hide out in the live rock? I've had fish get pods stuck to them after hiding out. I've had to learn not to panic .....
 
Well I ran to walmart and got a 5 gallon hex, ran to the LFS got more crushed coral, and set up the hex tank.

I took the crushed coral and water out of my main tank to set up the QT. Threw in a chunk of LR. Let the QT adjust for a few hours, let the tang adjust for about 45 mins. Turned him loose in the QT. 4 hours later he was dead.


JG, he did hang out in the LR, and I dont know what pods look like, But from what people say, it sounds like Ick.

Each individual "Spot" resembles a grain of salt.


Either way he's dead.


Now I got to go back to LFS and see if they will do anything about it.


YEAH RIGHT


Thanks for all the info!!!!

Wade
 
The best advice I can give you in this situation is to QT every new addition w/ diligence from now on! If the Tang did indeed have ich, watch the other fish in the display closely since they may have been exposed to it. Not QT'ing causes many more hassels in the long run then just getting it over with in the beginning. It is also easier to closely observe the new fish in QT ie. good/bad eating habits, unusual or strange behaviors, etc. Good luck in the future.
BTW what where you using for water circulation in the QT?
 
This fish store had several different tanks with Tangs in them, If I do get more I will get some out of a different tank, I didnt notice, but this was a very well stocked store, with probbably 70 different tanks. I am not sure if they share a filter or not.

I have decided that, since I already have the tank, I may as well leave it running as a qt tank.

As for circulation in the qt. This Hex came with a little filter in the hood. It even has a little bio-wheel. I am not sure how much GPH it turns, but I was in a rush and forgot to think about circulation,,,

Why do you ask?




Thanks

Wade
 
Just another piece of advice, don't put any rock (live or dead) or anything porous in your QT tank. If you do, you won't be able to treat with any copper or other medicines without infecting everything. When in QT land, epecially when fish are stressed or sick, use low lighting (only a couple hours a day) and PWC's every other day to keep up with the levels in the tank. Take a piece of sponge and place it in the sump of your main tank and let it site for a couple of days, then chuck the bio-wheel and just use the sponge. Also get rid of the carbon bag as again, it will remove any medications that you are using in the tank.

Do you have any other fish in the tank? If so, watch them closely for Ich and at the first sign of it, QT 'em and leave the tank fallow for 6-8 weeks (inverts can stay). This will rid the main tank of the disease (basically starving the Ich to death) and then you can throw your fish back in.

My tank got hit with Marine Velvet recently and I lost 4 fish b/c I didn't have QT. I've had my 4 Tangs in there for 3 weeks now and treating with copper and they seem to be doing well.

*****Take this adivce with a grain of salt b/c some people agree and others don't but I have found doing FW dips for 3 minutes to help significantly. I only do it once or twice a week but I have noticed the Ich seems to 'fall off' their bodies. Again, some people agree and some don't, but I've FW dipped my 4 tangs now once a week for the past 3 weeks and they are doing alot better.*****
 
don't put any rock (live or dead) or anything porous in your QT tank
Agreed. You really want your QT to be bare bottom with some pvc parts or similar for hiding places.

Take a piece of sponge and place it in the sump of your main tank and let it site for a couple of days, then chuck the bio-wheel and just use the sponge
I would keep the bio-wheel in the sump of the main tank (that's what I do) and then use it on the QT to help with the bio load there when needed. I would chuck it if any medication was used but not if a hypo treatment was used.

FW dips are quite stressful to the fish and do not remove the parasite. Some may fall off but not all. Hypo is similar but you slowly take the SG down and the fish can handle the gradual change. The parasite can not live in the low SG.
 
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