Spots on my hippo tang? Fresh water bath?

[ScotJ]

I got some pictures of my tangs that have some spots on them. Difficult to see, but each ones has about 4-5 on either side. 3+ weeks ago each had just 1 or 2 spots.

Any ideas on what I should do? They seem to be scratching themselves on rocks and stuff on occasion as well

Thoughts?

 

[melosu58]

It sure does sound like ich. I`m not a fan of FW dips. Never seen it do any good. There are some that have but not me.

Also moving this to the sick fish forum.

 

[ScotJ]

Any suggestions then? I really don't want to see this fish get sick(er). The tank has corals, so I can't put in any chemicals.

Any ideas for treating it in a QT?

 

[melosu58]

I have some good links on ich but they wont come up. I`ll post them soon as they come up. Check the threads on the sick fish forum and you`ll see them.

 

[melosu58]

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-10/sp/feature/index.php

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/sp/feature/index.php

Read these

 

[torontofc]

i use garlic guard with my fish food, and my tang immediately loose the ick, i think u should try it

 

[Mitchell0605]

Be careful, the ich may have 'dropped off' the fish. Because ich is a parasite it has a life cycle and every 3-5 days the white spots on your fish will go. This means the ich has dropped off. A day later if the ich hasn't been cured it will return. Just be careful that this isn't what happened before you say 'Yay the ich is gone!'

 

[melosu58]

Garlic does not kill the parasite. After the parasite falls off they go to the substrate where over 200 tomites come from each one. Read this as far as garlic.

Garlic: What has been Studied Versus What has been Claimed by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

 

[torontofc]

Garlic does not kill the parasite. After the parasite falls off they go to the substrate where over 200 tomites come from each one. Read this as far as garlic.

Garlic: What has been Studied Versus What has been Claimed by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

OMG, now i know, sorry for giving a false advice.

 

[melosu58]

Dont worry about it. There is a misconception out there about garlic that it is a cure all. The only thing I agree about it is that I do believe it will help with the immune system of a fish. This of course is IMO.

 

[Innovator]

Your opinion would be accurate as garlic has also shown to help improve immune system deficiencies in terrestrial animals including humans

 

[lancer22386]

i would keep doin pwc,

 

[ezy33]

Garlic Extreem

i use garlic guard with my fish food, and my tang immediately loose the ick, i think u should try it

IME Garlic Extreme has quelled Ich attacks in my systems, but I have kept FW fish for many years so I been there. At the first sign of scratching I start adding garlic to the food and the water. If you wait until you can see dozens of spots it's most likely too late. After several days of treatment (when I can smell the garlic) I do a PWC and keep using garlic on the feedings. Expect a recurrence of the ICH. After that your tank should be clear of ICH. Until you add another fish, invert, rock, or coral. This has been my experience yours may be different. Maybe it's my water chemistry or my diligence at treating the system..

 

[melosu58]

IME Garlic Extreme has quelled Ich attacks in my systems, but I have kept FW fish for many years so I been there. At the first sign of scratching I start adding garlic to the food and the water. If you wait until you can see dozens of spots it's most likely too late. After several days of treatment (when I can smell the garlic) I do a PWC and keep using garlic on the feedings. Expect a recurrence of the ICH. After that your tank should be clear of ICH. Until you add another fish, invert, rock, or coral. This has been my experience yours may be different. Maybe it's my water chemistry or my diligence at treating the system..

Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[jrp1588]

I've been trying to treat with garlic guard by seachem, also supplementing diet with selcon. The whole time the ich continued to worsen. Today I bit the bullet and tore apart my display tank and removed all the fish to quarantine. I'll be treating with copper and running the tank fallow for 6 weeks.

Every single reef safe ich cure I researched got mixed reviews. Some praise garlic to high heavens, some like me have no success with it. Kick-ich and its ilk work for some, but does nothign for roughly the same amount of people. I'm tired of seeing my tangs covered in ich, so I'm going nuclear.

Oh, if you do a fallow period, make sure to quarantine ALL FISH. Otherwise you'll just have to do the whole song and dance over again.

 

[eatsomepopcorn]

Cure that Fish

I have performed a number of freshwater dips and would recommend it, along with regular garlic treatments and copper (see below):

1) Perform a freshwater dip to remove all external parasites and most of ich
a) Get a 5 gallon bucket of RO water, put a heater, airstone, raise the temperature to your main tank temperature and raise the PH to match the main tank with marine buffer (buffer max from API) and run your airstone.
b) Net fish and place in 5 gallon bucket for 4-5 minutes - watching extremely carefully for fish to stress out. At the first sign of heavy breathing or stressing out remove the fish and place in quarantine tank or main tank. All of my fish made the whole 5 minutes. If the fish seems to be doing really well, go an extra minute or two.
2) Place fish in 10 gallon quarantine tank and treat with copper medication per the directions - usually 10-14 days
3) Use concentrated garlic in main tank 1 drop per gallon or follow directions to add to their food daily - this helps prevent many parasites and improves their slime coats.

Let me know if you need any other advice.