I noticed today that my Yellow tang is covered with Ich. I set up the QT this morning and am planning on putting him in it tonight. I went out and bought Mardel CopperSafe to treat the QT with. Is this the right way to do it? Also, how long do I need to keep him in there for? What about the main tank, will he get it right back once I put him back? I know I caught this early and he is doing very well so I am sure it will work. Just not sure I am doing it properly.
Treating Ich on my Tang
- Thread starter Sea Turtle
- Start date
I'm no fish expert, but I've noticed that tangs get "ich" a lot more readily than other marine fishes seem too. Mine has had a few bouts with it.. each one after or during some sort of stressful event.. like a tank change.. that sort of thing.
He has always pulled through without a xtene tank. I guess you have to weigh the stress of the xtene against the potential of damage in your display.
B
He has always pulled through without a xtene tank. I guess you have to weigh the stress of the xtene against the potential of damage in your display.
B
I was fortunate enough never to suffer the consequences of not quarantining my fish when I had a tank (something to do with also having an excellent LFS that always quarantined I think), but, from what I've read, a lot of people go for a low salinity approach to ich treatment. That is, start with the same salinity in the quarantine tank as the tank the fish has come from and gradually lower the salinity over time. I don't remember the details of what salinity to aim for, but a search for low salinity treatment should bring up the details.
Thans for the advice. Maybe I will lower the salinity a bit in the QT. I put him in the tank on Saturday and treated with one dose of CopperSafe. I guess, I'll leave him in there for about five days or until all signs of the ich are gone. He seems to be ok. He's swimming around and eating just fine. I think I'll do about a 90% water change tonight to get rid of his crap from the water so that amonia does't start developing.
'Fraid not. I'm just really wary about copper treatments, probably more than is merited. The low salinity treatment is long-winded and fiddly, so maybe the copper treatment is a good option, as long as there is no chance of any of that treated water making its way into your display tank with all its lovely corals...
I have noticed that a few of the other fish in the main tank have some ich on them. I think that the yellow tang is almost ready to go back into the main tank. My fear is that he will get the stuff right back on him again. Is this what is going ot happen? How do I get it out of my main tank? :x
How big is your quarantine tank? Fact is the ich parasite can live in your tank for up to 6 weeks, even without a fish host, so the only way to get rid of it is to take all the fish out and treat them for ich and leave the tank for 6 weeks before returning the fish to the tank. The most effective, proven treatments cannot be carried out in a tank containing inverts (low salinity (hyposalinity) or copper). Some people say the adding selecon and garlic to the fish's food will enable them to fight off the parasite, but I'm sceptical.
Try searching on Google. I just searched under "treating ich marine" and the first hit is a pretty good article on the options and their pluses and minuses.
Try searching on Google. I just searched under "treating ich marine" and the first hit is a pretty good article on the options and their pluses and minuses.
The QT is 5 gallons. But obviously I am completely wasting my time as when I put him back in the main tank it will start all over again. I have no idea how I would a catch all fish and put them into another tank for 6 weeks??? 8O 8O 8O :x :x :xThe Escaped Ape":2wc0pk3v said:
Sea Turtle":2gobf2r6 said:
OK, don't panic, I've just had an idea. It doesn't have to be a tank, does it? Obviously you need something to hold all the fish comfortably, but you could probably make do with something not particularly attractive couldn't you?
What about a big Rubbermaid vat? Set that up with water circulation and a skimmer if you can (could you borrow a spare skimmer - a lot of us have old ones we don't throw away, so a fish buddy may be able to help you out). Just as a temporary solution until the tank has sat without fish for 6 weeks.
You already had some success with your wife's wine carafe, go with that. I would, at this point, recommend an eight week fallow period, you don't want to have to do this again. Raise the temperature of the display to help speed up the life cycle as well.
Hyposalinity is used to some success, but I've been reading more and more of parasites that are becoming resistant to the shift in specific gravity.
You could also simply try doing a LOT of water changes on the display, and start feeding the fish fresh-frozen foods with garlic and see if you can boost their immune systems well enough that they can fight the parasite on their own. Whether or not you try this route is up to you, personally I'd fallow the tank.
Another treatment for those fishes that don't respond well to copper is Formalin. Steven Pro's written a good bit on it, as, if I recall, has Charles Delbeek (you could hit up Matt or Thales and see if they know or can speak with him).
Yes, that's what is going to happen. Once you have an animal displaying ich in the main tank you must assume that conditions are right for it to pop up on all others. If I recollect your main tank is full of corals and other inverts, thusly, the only way I know of is to fallow it for several weeks (no vertebrate life). That means quarantining all fishes in a bare tank until the display has been fallowed long enough to interrupt the life cycle.Sea Turtle":394gmxm0 said:
Hyposalinity is used to some success, but I've been reading more and more of parasites that are becoming resistant to the shift in specific gravity.
You could also simply try doing a LOT of water changes on the display, and start feeding the fish fresh-frozen foods with garlic and see if you can boost their immune systems well enough that they can fight the parasite on their own. Whether or not you try this route is up to you, personally I'd fallow the tank.
Another treatment for those fishes that don't respond well to copper is Formalin. Steven Pro's written a good bit on it, as, if I recall, has Charles Delbeek (you could hit up Matt or Thales and see if they know or can speak with him).
Not 'just' garlic, Turt. Their diet must be as fresh as possible, and as well-suited to each species as possible. And you cannot leave out the frequent water changes, water quality must be pristine, as it is at sea. Remember, this is not fail-safe. Fallowing is fail-safe, almost.
I cannot recommend any kind of garlic as this is not my treatment method. Personally, I would remove all the fish and fallow the tank. But, there are others here who I believe have used the garlic method, they could better advise you (I believe Emily B is one who uses or has used garlic for help in treating ich).
As long as the foods are in good condition (not all farked up from being frozen, freezer burn, smell off, etc.) then those should work fine, although brine shrimp are almost the nutritional equivalent of potato chips for fish. However, I would add a LOT more to the roster there. Chopped squid, shellfishes, fish (all must be frozen to 0F as for human consumption in order to prevent further spread of disease or parasites), fresh veggies (leafy greens)/seaweed if at all possible. Variety is key along with quality. With all that food then water changes are an absolute must, no matter how hard you're filtering. I would search on marine nutrition to ensure all residents are getting what they need.
As long as the foods are in good condition (not all farked up from being frozen, freezer burn, smell off, etc.) then those should work fine, although brine shrimp are almost the nutritional equivalent of potato chips for fish. However, I would add a LOT more to the roster there. Chopped squid, shellfishes, fish (all must be frozen to 0F as for human consumption in order to prevent further spread of disease or parasites), fresh veggies (leafy greens)/seaweed if at all possible. Variety is key along with quality. With all that food then water changes are an absolute must, no matter how hard you're filtering. I would search on marine nutrition to ensure all residents are getting what they need.
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