Is this ich or something else?

[tobster]

Is this ich on this blue tang? I noticed it showed up about a week ago and seems to be increasing.

 

[saltwaterfish.com Verified Sponsor]

Looks like it could be do you see any fin flashing or scratching on the rocks/coral? Blue hippo tangs are known to be ich magnets and will flare up at the earliest inconvenience. Do you have a UV sterilizer running on the tank? If not I would recommend separating and treating with ich-x or copper to be on the safe side.

 

[tobster]

Looks like it could be do you see any fin flashing or scratching on the rocks/coral? Blue hippo tangs are known to be ich magnets and will flare up at the earliest inconvenience. Do you have a UV sterilizer running on the tank? If not I would recommend separating and treating with ich-x or copper to be on the safe side.

No flashing or scratching I’ve seen. She does get in front of the wave makers every now and then.

There are 8 other fish in the tank and none of them have any spots, including a blackish bristle tooth tang which is why I wasn’t sure if this would be ich.

She’s about 6” long so I don’t have another tank that could hold her for treatment.
Are there any reef safe in tank treatments?

 

[saltwaterfish.com Verified Sponsor]

No flashing or scratching I’ve seen. She does get in front of the wave makers every now and then.

There are 8 other fish in the tank and none of them have any spots, including a blackish bristle tooth tang which is why I wasn’t sure if this would be ich.

She’s about 6” long so I don’t have another tank that could hold her for treatment.
Are there any reef safe in tank treatments?

Sometimes ich will only affect fish that have weakened immune systems or are prone to stress, so you'll see some tangs get it in a tank and no other fish will as their immune systems fight it off. While there are reef safe ich treatments most of the time they are not really effective and will still tick off your corals to a degree.

If I were you I would invest in a UV sterilizer for the tank, this won't get rid of the ich fully but it will keep the population in control, and you wont have to take out all your fish and treat them, and leave the tank fishless for 8-12 weeks. If you aren't able to get a UV sterilizer soon I would just keep an eye on her and if it gets worse separate her out and start treatment.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Is this ich on this blue tang? I noticed it showed up about a week ago and seems to be increasing.

Pics very dark but I see mucus cones mixed with ich which they are susceptible to and recommended is treatment in a separate tank . Often you will notice other occupants show no signs but recommended is to remove all fish and treat them as well using coppersafe or copper power for a full 30 days at 2.25ppm which they respond to well and add an air stone and monitor copper level with a reliable Copper Test kit such as Hanna Brand- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Is this ich on this blue tang? I noticed it showed up about a week ago and seems to be increasing.

That does look like ich. The way I tell ich from mucus plugs is ich will often be found on the fins, while mucus plugs are always on the body. Can you see any spots on the fins?

 

[tobster]

That does look like ich. The way I tell ich from mucus plugs is ich will often be found on the fins, while mucus plugs are always on the body. Can you see any spots on the fins?

I just double checked and I do not see any spots on her fins.
What are mucus plugs?
Here are a few more pics if it helps.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I just double checked and I do not see any spots on her fins.
What are mucus plugs?
Here are a few more pics if it helps.

It sure looks like something on its side fins, but the pics aren’t clear.

The trouble is, a fish can often have both issues, but ich will be fatal if untreated.

Mucus plugs tend to be larger and not on the fins. Ich spots will change locations and change in numbers day to day.

Do you have the ability to isolate all of the fish and treat with hypo or copper if it does turn out to be ich.

 

[tobster]

It sure looks like something on its side fins, but the pics aren’t clear.

The trouble is, a fish can often have both issues, but ich will be fatal if untreated.

Mucus plugs tend to be larger and not on the fins. Ich spots will change locations and change in numbers day to day.

Do you have the ability to isolate all of the fish and treat with hypo or copper if it does turn out to be ich.

I could probably get something to put them in for treatment if needed.
Should I check again tomorrow and see if there’s any changes or just assume it’s ich?
I also noticed she was swimming in front of one of the wave makers and a piece of the white stuff flew off of her. Would ich do that?
Also, I haven’t added any fish or inverts for several months. Just curious where this come from all the sudden.
Here’s a little better picture.

 

[tobster]

I’ve ordered some copper power, Hanna tester and ammonia badge. Supposed to be here Friday.
Here is a list of the fish in the tank. Are they all ok to be treated with copper power at the suggested therapeutic level of 2.25?
2 clown fish
Blue tang
Bristle tooth tang
Swallow tail angel
Mccosker wrasse
Ignitus anthias
Blue chromis

All these fish have only been in this tank for about two months. I still have their old tank up and running and have yet to take it down.

Old tank is 115 gallon display so it should be plenty of room for all of them.

Would it be ok to remove the sand and what live rock is left and use that tank for the treatment?
If so, should I keep running the skimmer while treating?
Would I still need to add an air stone if skimmer is running in sump?
Should I slowly raise the copper to 2.25 or do it all at once?
Do I need to add some plumbing pipe so they have hiding spots?
Thanks in advance

 

[strich]

Not a fish medic but went through the hypo salinity protocol for my own tank. A few suggestions:

• Highly stressed out fish seem to often die a lot quicker with ich present. So all your questions around how best to setup the medical tank - Go for maximum comfort! Add good hiding spots, add whatever you can to manage ammonia etc. Maybe add some live rock you're happy to throw out after the copper treatment?
• For me UV didn't help much, but there are a lot of variables around setup and use and maybe I didn't do that right.
• Not sure if one of the medics above said already but AFAIK you need to go fishless in the main tank for 45ish days. IMO the biggest problem there is again that medic tank - Needs to really be working well and keeping all those fish happy.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I’ve ordered some copper power, Hanna tester and ammonia badge. Supposed to be here Friday.
Here is a list of the fish in the tank. Are they all ok to be treated with copper power at the suggested therapeutic level of 2.25?
2 clown fish
Blue tang
Bristle tooth tang
Swallow tail angel
Mccosker wrasse
Ignitus anthias
Blue chromis

All these fish have only been in this tank for about two months. I still have their old tank up and running and have yet to take it down.

Old tank is 115 gallon display so it should be plenty of room for all of them.

Would it be ok to remove the sand and what live rock is left and use that tank for the treatment?
If so, should I keep running the skimmer while treating?
Would I still need to add an air stone if skimmer is running in sump?
Should I slowly raise the copper to 2.25 or do it all at once?
Do I need to add some plumbing pipe so they have hiding spots?
Thanks in advance

Sorry - I was offline overnight.

All of those fish are fine with copper power at 2.25

Ammonia control is vital for a hospital tank set up on the fly. Don’t forget that your copper will give a 0.5 ppm false ammonia reading, so you only have to worry about ammonia above that level. If there is any non-calcium bio media that you could move over, that would be great. If not, you can use a limited amount of live rock, but that rock will be trashed for using with invertebrates later on.

Run the skimmer during treatment, for added aeration.

Get the copper level to 2.25 ppm in 24 hours.

Yes, use plastic pipes for hiding places for the fish.

 

[tobster]

Sorry - I was offline overnight.

All of those fish are fine with copper power at 2.25

Ammonia control is vital for a hospital tank set up on the fly. Don’t forget that your copper will give a 0.5 ppm false ammonia reading, so you only have to worry about ammonia above that level. If there is any non-calcium bio media that you could move over, that would be great. If not, you can use a limited amount of live rock, but that rock will be trashed for using with invertebrates later on.

Run the skimmer during treatment, for added aeration.

Get the copper level to 2.25 ppm in 24 hours.

Yes, use plastic pipes for hiding places for the fish.

I do have some extra live rock that I don’t mind disposing of. Will it be ok to keep that in during treatment or will it absorb the copper and make it hard to maintain the 2.25? There is probably about 20 pounds of rock still in the tank that is up and running.

I forgot to add there is also a royal gramma an chaulk bass and a couple of citron clown gobies. Are they ok in the copper as well?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I do have some extra live rock that I don’t mind disposing of. Will it be ok to keep that in during treatment or will it absorb the copper and make it hard to maintain the 2.25? There is probably about 20 pounds of rock still in the tank that is up and running.

I forgot to add there is also a royal gramma an chaulk bass and a couple of citron clown gobies. Are they ok in the copper as well?

You’ll find that extra copper will be pulled by the rock at first, but then it will slow down. There is some extra expense in copper and test reagents, but really, people lose fish to ammonia if you don’t use some bio media, so I think it’s a good trade off.
Figuring how much rock to use is tricky - you could start with 10 pounds and add more if needed. Feed carefully to avoid uneaten food!

Those fish are also fine with copper power. Really,?only shark, rays, some eels and flashlight fish have serious trouble with copper power.