Please help with ich on purple tang in QT.

[huckjai]

My first time dealing with an actual confirmed disease. Looking for some advice on my next steps please.

I QT all my fish with TTM and medicate with Prazi and Metro. The purple tang will most likely be the last fish I will be stocking in my display tank.

I picked up the tang on Thursday from my lfs. They got it in on Tuesday. I dropped it into my QT around 6pm. It is doing extremely well, swimming and eating a lot. I was about to transfer it to the next QT tank and spotted ich on the body.

Just wondering what should I do next? I have copper power on hand but hate the idea of using it, as it might cause more stress on the fish? Should I just continue with TTM in hopes of the ich falling off? And then hopefully none will be left on it by the last transfer?

Or should I just start using the copper power? Is it relatively safe? Do I slowly up the amount to therapeutic level? Or just go full on therapeutic from the get go?

Thanks guys for your help!
#reefsquad

 

[Billldg]

I am a big fan of using Copper Power on everything. I have always dropped my fish straight into a QT tank with the Copper Power level of 1 ppm and ramped it up to 2 ppm over the next 3 days. @HotRocks , @4FordFamily , @Big G , how quick can the level be raised. If the fish is showing no signs of weakness then I would think it could be ramped up quickly.

 

[Old Fritz]

Ich doesn't just "fall off" during ttm. What happens is when you keep swapping the fish between sterile tanks the ich will continue its life cycle on the fish. When it finishes its life cycle on the fish it comes off and goes into your substrate. By removing the fish and cleaning the tank you are killing all the protomonts that come off of the fish meaning that the ich will be killed and won't reach the stage where it would attach to the fish.

Same thing goes with copper. It does not kill it on the fish but rather kills it later in the life cycle. I prefer using copper but ttm is an effective treatment for ich as long as it is done correctly. However if it is actually marine velvet ttm is not effective and copper should be used instead

 

[rkpetersen]

I would definitely start with Copper Power.
Make sure you have the Hanna HR Copper Checker to measure levels. Aim for final level of 1.8-2.0 ppm.
Other copper test kits are inferior and it will be hard to tell your actual copper level with them.
Since your fish is already sick, I would start with a dose of 0.8 ml of Copper Power per actual circulating gallon of water (not stated tank capacity.)
That should bring you close to a level of 1.4 ppm.
Test and add more the next day to bring it to the therapeutic range (around 0.3 ml per gallon.)
Then test again and add further copper if necessary.

Tangs aren't particularly sensitive to chelated copper. Here's a chart.

 

[huckjai]

Ich doesn't just "fall off" during ttm. What happens is when you keep swapping the fish between sterile tanks the ich will continue its life cycle on the fish. When it finishes its life cycle on the fish it comes off and goes into your substrate. By removing the fish and cleaning the tank you are killing all the protomonts that come off of the fish meaning that the ich will be killed and won't reach the stage where it would attach to the fish.

Same thing goes with copper. It does not kill it on the fish but rather kills it later in the life cycle. I prefer using copper but ttm is an effective treatment for ich as long as it is done correctly. However if it is actually marine velvet ttm is not effective and copper should be used instead

Thanks for the explanation Fritz. Yes, I know how the ich lifecycle works. Just easier to state that it "falls off", haha. But appreciate your time to input the full details.

I'll start copper today at 1ppm and ramp up over 3 days.

 

[huckjai]

I would definitely start with Copper Power.
Make sure you have the Hanna HR Copper Checker to measure levels. Aim for final level of 1.8-2.0 ppm.
Other copper test kits are inferior and it will be hard to tell your actual copper level with them.
Since your fish is already sick, I would start with a dose of 0.8 ml of Copper Power per actual circulating gallon of water (not stated take capacity.)
That should bring you close to a level of 1.4 ppm.
Test and add more the next day to bring it to the therapeutic range (around 0.3 ml per gallon.)
Then test again and add further copper if necessary.

Tangs aren't particularly sensitive to copper. Here's a chart.

Thanks rk for the calculations! I was just reading it up on the sticky. 0.8ml per gallon sounds good. Running 5 gallon QT tanks. Yup, I have the Hanna checker.

Should i go full 30 days of copper? Or can I do 14 days and then transfer to a sterile QT as Humblefish mentions in the sticky?

Thanks!

 

[4FordFamily]

I am a big fan of using Copper Power on everything. I have always dropped my fish straight into a QT tank with the Copper Power level of 1 ppm and ramped it up to 2 ppm over the next 3 days. @HotRocks , @4FordFamily , @Big G , how quick can the level be raised. If the fish is showing no signs of weakness then I would think it could be ramped up quickly.

I do it over 48-72 hours. 24 if the fish is visibly affected.

 

[rkpetersen]

Thanks rk for the calculations! I was just reading it up on the sticky. 0.8ml per gallon sounds good. Running 5 gallon QT tanks. Yup, I have the Hanna checker.

Should i go full 30 days of copper? Or can I do 14 days and then transfer to a sterile QT as Humblefish mentions in the sticky?

Thanks!

Most people would say do the full 30 days. Don't want to risk contaminating a disease-free DT. I've had that happen after a short quarantine, even though the fish looked 'absolutely fine'; it was no fun.

 

[rkpetersen]

Thanks rk for the calculations! I was just reading it up on the sticky. 0.8ml per gallon sounds good. Running 5 gallon QT tanks. Yup, I have the Hanna checker.

Also should note that that's a pretty small QT for a tang (unless it's a really small juvenile.)
Smaller tank = more stress; might make it harder for the fish to fight the disease.
Just a thought.

 

[nereefpat]

Just to be different...

Since you usually do TTM, why not use TTM this time? This is what it's meant for. The only reason not to is if you think it may be velvet instead.

 

[huckjai]

Just to be different...

Since you usually do TTM, why not use TTM this time? This is what it's meant for. The only reason not to is if you think it may be velvet instead.

I've always done TTM as a precaution. Since this time it's confirmed ich, decided to go with copper to make sure the ich is eradicated.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Any pics?
you furst before treatment want to verify its ich and not crypto or oodinum

 

[Halal Hotdog]

My personal preference is to QT with medication. If the fish has ich that doesn’t exclude the possibility of having velvet as well. By treating with copper you will be treating for multiple external parasites and simplifying the situation. TTM can be very effective as long as you are certain the fish has ich and nothing else.

 

[huckjai]

Any pics?
you furst before treatment want to verify its ich and not crypto or oodinum

@vetteguy53081 Evertime I get near it, it hides in the pvc pipe or swims too fast for me to try and capture a pic. But I googled oodinum and crypto, and it doesn't look like it, but more like ich. But now that you mentioned crypto or oodinum maybe you can help me with another issue I found in my display tank just now. =(

 

[nereefpat]

Marine ich IS crypto...Cryptocaryon irritans