Is this ich?

[Jamroz37]

I've seen ich before but this doesn't look like it it work come and go when he gets stressed but once he gets it it wil go away in like an hour

 

[TheTodd]

If it comes and goes throughout the day, it is probably not Ich. Ich tends to stick around, then often "disappears", but it has simply dropped off the fish and into the sand/rock as part of it's life cycle. The stress lowers immunity and causes fish to be more susceptible to catching it, or having it reappear, but I've never heard if it coming and going as you describe. Could it be sand? Hard to see clearly on my phone though.

My question would be, you make it sound like it stresses often. What is causing the frequent stress?

 

[Jamroz37]

No it's actually starts out clear and will spread on the body and makes my fish look horrible then it will turn to black dots then disappear its not sand

 

[TheTodd]

It is probably Black Spot Disease, which is most common with Tangs. It's like Ich, in that it is a parasite (flat worm), but usually not as harmful. Stays on fish for 5-6 days, drops off into the sand, multiplies and usually comes back. Fresh water dips are supposed to do wonders, followed with treatment of Formalin. Apparently, unlike Ich, where ideally you treat in QT and leave DT fallow for about 6 weeks, these guys can survive months without a host. Hyposalinity in the DT is supposed to help during that time.

 

[Jamroz37]

Would me soaking the seaweed in garlic help it maybe fight it off because hypo salinity won't be an option because my corals and either would QT because I don't have one haha

 

[TheTodd]

Garlic helps with stimulating appetite for picky eaters. It is argued that it boosts the fishes immune system, but that seems more a belief than actual proven science. I kinda think its that the fish that is eating is healthier than the one that's not. Garlic is absolutely not a treatment or cure.

For treatment, its tricky without a QT. You could do the freshwater dip. That supposedly gets a lot off the fish, almost instantly. I'm not sure about Formalin in a DT. I've never used it. Apparently if the fish is cured, but the DT is not treated, this parasite lives on and can come back.

IMO, getting a 10-20g QT costs a lot less in the long run than losing fish. $10-$20 for a tank, $30-40 for a power head or small filter to keep water moving, a couple pieces of PVC from Home Depot and a heater. Probably less than $100 if you go high end prices. If you add fish later without QTing first, they could have Ich, or something like Marine Velvet and you could lose all your fish.

 

[Jamroz37]

Would a ten gallon be enough for a tang? And if I treat him and put him back in wont the disease just infect them again?

 

[TheTodd]

That was the tricky part. If you can not treat the DT, which amounts to either leaving fallow for several months or hypo, the parasite lives and it can get your fish again. I know with Ich, it is possible for fish to be strong enough to basically hold it at bay. This seems less deadly than Ich, so if the fish is otherwise healthy, it might just be fine. My concern would be that if you go forward not using QT for new additions, you could easily introduce something worse to the tank. Been there, done that and its no fun.