Please help with Purple tang ich ID

[KyleJ42]

Just got this captive bred purple tang about a week ago. Super healthy on arrival. A bit skiddish at first getting used to tank and ate perfectly fine. Broke my collarbone around the same time so haven’t been paying as much attention to the tank. No issues until this morning where I’m noticing it not swimming around as much and wife noticed a bunch of little dots on it. I’ve never had a healthy fish develop ich once in a tank before, and all other fish are healthy and displaying no signs of distress etc.

2 storm clowns, 3 Chromis, mandarin goby, prawn goby. Cleaner shrimp and 2 peppermint shrimps and some coral frags currently. Misc hermits snails etc.











Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Just got this captive bred purple tang about a week ago. Super healthy on arrival. A bit skiddish at first getting used to tank and ate perfectly fine. Broke my collarbone around the same time so haven’t been paying as much attention to the tank. No issues until this morning where I’m noticing it not swimming around as much and wife noticed a bunch of little dots on it. I’ve never had a healthy fish develop ich once in a tank before, and all other fish are healthy and displaying no signs of distress etc.

2 storm clowns, 3 Chromis, mandarin goby, prawn goby. Cleaner shrimp and 2 peppermint shrimps and some coral frags currently. Misc hermits snails etc.











Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

This is indeed ich and this fish and all others invite it will require treatment in a separate tank using copper safe or copper power st 2.25ppm for a full 30 days monitored with a Hanna brand copper test kit
Leave display tank with no fish for 6-8 weeks to allow any parasites to die off. Coral and inverts can stay in display tank

 

[Kooma]

Yep, time for copper. Once you do this, QT all incoming fish to prevent reinfecting your tank.

 

[KyleJ42]

Just got this captive bred purple tang about a week ago. Super healthy on arrival. A bit skiddish at first getting used to tank and ate perfectly fine. Broke my collarbone around the same time so haven’t been paying as much attention to the tank. No issues until this morning where I’m noticing it not swimming around as much and wife noticed a bunch of little dots on it. I’ve never had a healthy fish develop ich once in a tank before, and all other fish are healthy and displaying no signs of distress etc.

2 storm clowns, 3 Chromis, mandarin goby, prawn goby. Cleaner shrimp and 2 peppermint shrimps and some coral frags currently. Misc hermits snails etc.











Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

This is indeed ich and this fish and all others invite it will require treatment in a separate tank using copper safe or copper power st 2.25ppm for a full 30 days monitored with a Hanna brand copper test kit
Leave display tank with no fish for 6-8 weeks to allow any parasites to die off. Coral and inverts can stay in display tank

Would a 20 long be sufficient? What filters etc would you recommend for that? Thank you so much!!

 

[Kooma]

Would a 20 long be sufficient? What filters etc would you recommend for that? Thank you so much!!

Yes. Heater and a hang on back is plenty. An air stone would be beneficial. All your testing for is temp, salinity and ammonia. Have water warm and ready to replace the water in the QT if ammonia creeps up. Copper knocks down beneficial bacteria during treatment.

No rock or sand. A white pvc pipe works for a hiding space. Feed sparingly to avoid nutrient spikes.

I’d buy a seachem ammonia badge also.

 

[Kooma]

Oh, no light is needed other than for observation. Keep the fish in a low stress area at least 10 feet from the display tank.

I was always told 30 days copper at 2.3 (chelated copper power) and tank fallow (no fish in it) for 76 days.

Google “humblefish QT” for more details

 

[KyleJ42]

Oh, no light is needed other than for observation. Keep the fish in a low stress area at least 10 feet from the display tank.

I was always told 30 days copper at 2.3 (chelated copper power) and tank fallow (no fish in it) for 76 days.

Google “humblefish QT” for more details

So essentially fish would be in QT for 76 days as well but assuming full water change after 30 if everything looks good to rid copper, but not put them in display until 76+ day mark?

 

[Kooma]

Correct. This gives time for observation and any other treatments needed if there’s a bacterial infection, flukes etc.

I usually add plastic bio balls to a filter (my QT has a sump), this helped me with the water changes and establishing a biological environment for the fish.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Oh, no light is needed other than for observation. Keep the fish in a low stress area at least 10 feet from the display tank.

I was always told 30 days copper at 2.3 (chelated copper power) and tank fallow (no fish in it) for 76 days.

Google “humblefish QT” for more details

We keep our updated quarantine protocol here:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/

 

[MnFish1]

So essentially fish would be in QT for 76 days as well but assuming full water change after 30 if everything looks good to rid copper, but not put them in display until 76+ day mark?

I would suggest you follow the protocol here - not the Humblefish protocol - if you want to follow that. post on that site - because the people on that site are experts in their recommendation. Here its 1 month Copper (chelated if possible) depending on the brand of copper levels >2. All of the fish would have to be quarantined in the same way - any tank the fish was in needs to be fallowed for 6-8 weeks