Help: Yellow Tang and Ich

[aznt1217]

Hello Everybody,

As some of you may know I got a really healthy tang last week from NY Aquarium Service. Well.... currently he has ich. I just saw it yesterday. JLAudio came by and said it was probably the stress from me moving around the rockwork to get rid of aiptasia that lowered his immune system substantially.

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Salinity: 1.024
Nitrate: 25 ppm
pH:8.2-8.4
Tank Temp:79 degrees F

The Tang is still eating. He flat out ate garlic yesterday. This morning I thought he was getting a little better but then he rubs on a rock or so every so often. What do I do?... I have another Tank thats a eclipse system 6 with a Coral banded in there... but it might stress the fish out more if I try to catch him.

If I catch him do you think a freshwater dip in RODI water for 10 minutes will work (hyposalinity).

I am going to try to pick up a skunk cleaner shrimp today so I can get him in there cleaning fast.

 

[ZANYMASTER]

Sometimes they just fight it off being that Yellow tangs are a bit more hardier than some tangs.The hypo may stress it more it.Just watch it and if it stops eating,then see if you get it out and treat it with copper in a separate tank.

 

[Teddy]

dipping the tang in rodi water for 10 minutes is not hyposalinity, i believe that dipping him will on kill the parasite that is on the surface of the tanks skin

hyposalinity is dropping the salt level to 1.009( somewhere like that i dont remember exactly) over the course of a few days and keeping the level constant for 4-6 weeks

you can also try copper if u dont want to try hypo

make sure you dont do this in your main tank

Good Luck!
o and if you are goin to do hypo make sure u get or have a refractometer

 

[marki24]

I wouldn't wait around and waiting for it to go away. Get it out of your main display tank and treat it with cooper. Once all ich is gone to the human eye wait some time before putting it in the display tank.
U can also lend it to someone who might have a hospital tank already and that is will to cure your fish. I would help you out but I dont have a hospital tank.

 

[aznt1217]

Thanks again mark for taking my call last night I was flipping out. The tang ate this morning and all the fish ate my garlic dipped cyclopeeze, mysis, seaweed, and pellets. I want this guy to have all the nutrients possible.

Still am not sure what to do, will see how he's doing when I get home tonight. Nobody else in the tank seems to have ich, my Midas blenny rubbed on some rocks but he does it randomly. I have to watch all of them carefully.

 

[ellebelle]

If your midas blenny is rubbing against some rocks, he probably has it too. The parasites just aren't large enough for you to see yet.

 

[aznt1217]

Just spoke to Tim, apparently the Midas Blenny's behavior is normal for their species. He isn't rubbing on rocks like a hippo tang with ich or something. He does it REALLY randomly other than that he's swimming around. He also like nibbles on his tail like a dog not frequently but I've seen him do it. It's some type of territorial ritual, but like I said I am not taking chances because I absolutely love my fish.

The tang seemed to have less ich than yesterday. I'm going to keep at the garlic feeding on all the fish. Let me know what you think of my "battle plan"

1. Going to give it a shot and ride it out because he seemed to be better this morning... still yellows up so that's usually a good thing with the Yellow Tang (no white stripe visible). Keep at the garlic feeding.

2. Run a diatom filter a bit and get a cleaner shrimp ASAP (I'll try to get one tonight).

3. Worst case scenario, I'll do a freshwater dip/QT tank with my coral banded. Been reading that the CBS eats dead tissue and stuff off of fish, good because my CBS isn't fed as much anymore.

 

[Teddy]

i could be wrong but i dont think garlic kills ich

the purpose of garlic is to boost the fishes immune system which will help prevent ich

if u cant find a cleaner shrimp u can also try cleaner wrasse, they eat parasite off fish as well

 

[h20 freak]

Garlic doesn't kill ich, it helps the fish fight it off.

Cleaner wrasses are very specialized feeders(eat what they clean only, most of the time)
Their constant following of your fish may just stress them out more, leave them in the ocean and LARGE tanks.

Fw dips are very stressful as well and I think it only gets the external parasite, not the internal ones.

A good read

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/advanced-reefs/37318-ich-immunity.html

The main discussion is a holistic approach and just keeping your fish healthy with little stress.


I have an example, not ich but same gist

I fuged my tomini because he was bullying my new blenny

left my house for a day

My over flow lost siphon and my tang of course wandered into the return section leaving him with very little water.

He was very pail, had a weird growth on his side and had succumbed to fin rot.

I immediately put him back in the main seeing as he was in no shape to bully anything.

After a day he was back to eating my normal garlic and selcon enriched diet.

Color and normal behavior returned.

A day or two later the growth burst open(no idea what it was), leaving a huge gash on his side.

I kept with the diet

wound heals a bit over a day or two

then for some reason the wound became worse to the point that I could see blood, but he still ate and behaved normally

Kept with diet and routine 10% wc after lights out to so that he wouldn't notice like I usually do

Now the cut is closing up more then before and the fin rot is gone, fins are healing.

This is over a 2 weekish period
Long but you get the point.

edit: if you decide to QT then do it as stress free as possible,ie don't break down your tank and chase him with a net for half an hour, traps are good for this.

 

[marki24]

Garlic doesn't kill ich, it helps the fish fight it off.


that would be 100% correct. IMO, garlic is that nature cure for "everything"

 

[aznt1217]

h20 Freak. I actually read that post like a few weeks back and in my head I thought it would never apply to me... little do I know I AM INSANE! lol

Well Here is a vid of the tang... I speak what I post lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kla_k5_2Zyk

 

[aznt1217]

Okay... just realized that the video quality sucks! but I mean you see the guy swimming lol

*EDIT* I just bumped the temperature in the tank up to about 81-82. Let's see if this helps at all.

 

[marki24]

:lol2: thats a really funny video and you are a brave soul putting your voice on the net hihi

 

[aznt1217]

lol... It's really funny because I AM THAT DESPERATE.

 

[h20 freak]

Tank looks good, nice aquascape. It seems like everything is going fine, just keep at it. I think you don't have much to worry about...or maybe I'm just to chill cuz of all the fish I've lost in the past:shhh:

 

[aznt1217]

Well right now I don't see any visible signs of ich on the yellow tang or my other fish. Fed them garlic dipped food again (Seaweed and sinking morsels for some variety) Tang did eat good sign given that it's day 3.

I am taking some extra precautions. Borrowed a UV Sterilizer from Jason and will run it a few days. I also upgraded my protein skimmer so I can keep water optimal. I dropped the temperature to 80 flat to make sure the 82 isn't too much stress on my coral frags.

 

[aznt1217]

Crap... Not sure if the clown has it. The spots on the Yellow Tang definitely DROPPED A LOT.

Came home to a tank full of bubbles because I didn't top off enough today. Not sure if it's ich or bubbles on the clownfish.

 

[h20 freak]

Is the clown that reclusive that you can't see the spot clearly?Is it normally reclusive like that?

 

[mray]

You said your clown just started hosting the frogspawn. The spots white/black can be from your clown getting stung by the frogspawn. It happens to all clowns who host so don't worry about it.

I'm not saying you clown does not have ich for sure because I don't know your situation real well but I wouldn't do too many radical changes at once. Just wait it out. Chances are your tang is fine because vendors usually don't sell sick fish.

 

[marki24]

You said your clown just started hosting the frogspawn. The spots white/black can be from your clown getting stung by the frogspawn. It happens to all clowns who host so don't worry about it.

I'm not saying you clown does not have ich for sure because I don't know your situation real well but I wouldn't do too many radical changes at once. Just wait it out. Chances are your tang is fine because vendors usually don't sell sick fish.

:iamwithst