Blue tang ich

[boboyo]

Is there any reef safe cure for ich? I heard the products are garbage and the info is all over the place...

basically I paid extra for all my fish to be quarantined and treated for ich and I had no issues. The problem is, being a noob, I bought snails at an LFS and ever since then my blue tang got ich... I later remembered there was a couple of fish on the tank where the snails were and I feel they’re the culprit. The ich on the blue tang went away then came back in force. Had him for 2-3 weeks now. None of the other fish have ich. I’m worried about QTing my Mandarin and getting a big enough tank to QT everything because I have 6 fish...

The blue tang is a pig and eats eeeeverything!! I got him pretty fat since I got him. Are there any recommended food supplements to boost his immune system? I feed them pellets and frozen brine/Mysis which I soak in garlic once or twice a week. He’s still young and doesnt eat no

would raising temperature in my tank be safe for the inverts and corals? The info is all over the place online so I’m looking for first hand experience. I also think UV is out of the question since it might kill my pods...


Any recommended QT tank sizes for 2 small clowns, mandarin, lawnmower blenny, and a small-medium sized blue tang? It’s heartbreaking to let my tank fallow for 3 months but I guess it’s the only way to go...

Like I said, every other fish is fine. The blue tang also appears amazing except for the white spots. I’d rather try immunity boosters before the fallow method

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I've never found a reef safe ich medication that works with moderate to severe infections. When they do "work" with minor infections, it is most likely due to "ich management" working, not the medication. Most do not disclose their ingredients. I won't add anything to my tanks that I don't know what the ingredients are.

The only one I know of that lists ingredients and those are known to actually have efficacy against ich is Ruby Reef Rally Pro. Now - I still worry that the reason it is "reef safe" is because its dose is lower enough not to harm corals, and I worry that it won't control a moderate ich infection either...

Raising the temperature to treat marine ich is a fallacy, carried over from treating FW ich, where it does work. Raising the temperature with Cryptocaryon, marine ich, just speeds things up, they actually prefer it a bit warmer, say 82 F.

UV will not kill your pods, (unless you hugely oversize the unit) but it also won't control ich, although it has other uses.

Can you post a picture of the fish take under white light? That would give me some idea as to how advanced the infection is so far.

Jay

 

[boboyo]

I've never found a reef safe ich medication that works with moderate to severe infections. When they do "work" with minor infections, it is most likely due to "ich management" working, not the medication. Most do not disclose their ingredients. I won't add anything to my tanks that I don't know what the ingredients are.

The only one I know of that lists ingredients and those are known to actually have efficacy against ich is Ruby Reef Rally Pro. Now - I still worry that the reason it is "reef safe" is because its dose is lower enough not to harm corals, and I worry that it won't control a moderate ich infection either...

Raising the temperature to treat marine ich is a fallacy, carried over from treating FW ich, where it does work. Raising the temperature with Cryptocaryon, marine ich, just speeds things up, they actually prefer it a bit warmer, say 82 F.

UV will not kill your pods, (unless you hugely oversize the unit) but it also won't control ich, although it has other uses.

Can you post a picture of the fish take under white light? That would give me some idea as to how advanced the infection is so far.

Jay

It’s not too too bad but it’s slightly worse than the first mini outbreak on him. I really appreciate your input and your knowledge. Although online it says to get a big enough UV for “ich management” which is also why I don’t want to go down that path. At that point buying a QT tank is a lot cheaper lol.

im really trying to explore the vitamin or immune boosters path if anyone had experience with that.
Here are pics, I did the best I can. He’s a fast one (just keep swimming). I baited him with food since he got scared when I turned off the blues.

Quick question : would an algae bloom stress him out? I’m fighting green algae spots on my glass and diatoms rn.

 

[Duffer]

Don’t know of any meds out there that cure itch, many folks quarantine the fish and use Cooper..

I can tell you I don’t know if the snails are the culprits either

blue hippos are know to be Ich magnets

 

[Jay Hemdal]

It’s not too too bad but it’s slightly worse than the first mini outbreak on him. I really appreciate your input and your knowledge. Although online it says to get a big enough UV for “ich management” which is also why I don’t want to go down that path. At that point buying a QT tank is a lot cheaper lol.

im really trying to explore the vitamin or immune boosters path if anyone had experience with that.
Here are pics, I did the best I can. He’s a fast one (just keep swimming). I baited him with food since he got scared when I turned off the blues.

Quick question : would an algae bloom stress him out? I’m fighting green algae spots on my glass and diatoms rn.

Algae won’t cause the tang any stress....
Jay

 

[Spieg]

A 40 gallon breeder should be big enough to QT your fish. If you do QT your fish, be careful with the Mandarin... They can have trouble with some copper treatments.

 

[DinoMagnet]

Keep him fed
With a variety of foods and use selcon. Boost their immune system. Unless you have a decent sized QT tank. My blue went bonkers in my bio cube 14 hospital.

 

[Uncle99]

Copper, Hypo or TTM, the latter being a much more “natural” approach, but only these 3 things are PROVEN to be successful.
Otherwise all else is a gamble.
DT needs 70ish days if you want virtually certainty that the parasite cycle has been stopped.

As stated above, feeding is the most important factor in recovery, but we need to remove the parasite and kill it first before the fish can start eating.

 

[boboyo]

What should I feed them? Blue tang could eat all day if there was food. He could easily eat 30 food pellets in 1 sitting. He’s actually a pig. I know pellets have a higher nutritional value so I assume there’s more vitamins in them. I also don’t want to kill the blue tang by making him morbidly obese. I legit feed him 10 pellets 5 times per day and then at night I feed everyone with the brine/mysis shrimp mix

 

[xxkenny90xx]

What should I feed them? Blue tang could eat all day if there was food. He could easily eat 30 food pellets in 1 sitting. He’s actually a pig. I know pellets have a higher nutritional value so I assume there’s more vitamins in them. I also don’t want to kill the blue tang by making him morbidly obese. I legit feed him 10 pellets 5 times per day and then at night I feed everyone with the brine/mysis shrimp mix

Forget the pellets. Forget the "healthy supplements" like garlic and selcon. Feed them what they eat in the ocean. Go to the asain supermarket and get some seaweed sheets, clams, mussels, squid, octopus, shrimp, fish, salmon, ect. Real seafood that is sold for human consumption!

 

[boboyo]

Forget the pellets. Forget the "healthy supplements" like garlic and selcon. Feed them what they eat in the ocean. Go to the asain supermarket and get some seaweed sheets, clams, mussels, squid, octopus, shrimp, fish, salmon, ect. Real seafood that is sold for human consumption!

You’re actually right.... now I feel stupid for not thinking of this lol. I do feed a lot of brine and mysis and every time there’s amphipods with my frag water, I take them out and put them in my tank. The blue tang is quick to eat them. The longest survivor lasted 8 seconds

for seaweed sheets : he doesn’t wanna hear about it at all. I’ve been putting one every 2 days for 2 weeks

 

[xxkenny90xx]

You’re actually right.... now I feel stupid for not thinking of this lol. I do feed a lot of brine and mysis and every time there’s amphipods with my frag water, I take them out and put them in my tank. The blue tang is quick to eat them. The longest survivor lasted 8 seconds

for seaweed sheets : he doesn’t wanna hear about it at all. I’ve been putting one every 2 days for 2 weeks

There are different types/colors of seaweed. Maybe try a different one? I feed my tangs seaweed but I also blend seaweed up with my seafood mix. Maybe you could trick it into eating seaweed that way.

 

[boboyo]

There are different types/colors of seaweed. Maybe try a different one? I feed my tangs seaweed but I also blend seaweed up with my seafood mix. Maybe you could trick it into eating seaweed that way.

You're amazing... I dont get why I didnt even think of this or why it's not all over the internet. Its so logical and simple yet no one mentions it anywhere..... 10/10 advice.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

You're amazing... I dont get why I didnt even think of this or why it's not all over the internet. Its so logical and simple yet no one mentions it anywhere..... 10/10 advice.

Right!? I don't get it either. I guess people just like the simplicity of dropping in some flakes or pellets

 

[boboyo]

Right!? I don't get it either. I guess people just like the simplicity of dropping in some flakes or pellets

I only got pellets because of their concentrated nutritional value tho. I feel stupid because instead of ghost feeding through my cycle I was throwing in small pieces of squid in my tank to food the bacteria. I feel dumb but also enlightened. I’m crushing up some soaked nori rn. I have a feeling like it’s gonna work easily

 

[Uncle99]

I only got pellets because of their concentrated nutritional value tho. I feel stupid because instead of ghost feeding through my cycle I was throwing in small pieces of squid in my tank to food the bacteria. I feel dumb but also enlightened. I’m crushing up some soaked nori rn. I have a feeling like it’s gonna work easily

I would not underestimate the “pellet” many are quite high in protein and this IMM is an important factor.

 

[ca1ore]

FWIW, the blue tang (assuming you mean Hepatus) is actually a plankton feeder. Of course they will eat nori .... heck, they’ll eat just about everything.