Powder blue tang ich?

[Acemann]

Hey this guys been in my tank for about 2-3 weeks been doing very good he’s really active eats like crazy and eats the algae I feed him. I’ve gotten new lights for the corals so I switched them out I have two clownfish and an eel. Is this ich? water perimeters are good.

 

[PrattysReef]

Welcome to powder blues, one of the most susceptible fish to ich that ever existed. Only way you will get rid of ich now is to qt all your fish/ eel and fallow the your display tank until it is safe to put them back in ich free hopefully

 

[mehaffydr]

@fishmedic
I would say looks like it but
Lets ask the experts

 

[PrattysReef]

@Jay Hemdal will be able to answer this better than anyone

 

[nereefpat]

I would say at least some of that is ich. There's also some bumps, scrapes, and mucous.

That group of tangs (powders, Achilles, etc) is really susceptible to ich.

Any inverts or corals in the tank that you care about?

 

[Acemann]

I would say at least some of that is ich. There's also some bumps, scrapes, and mucous.

That group of tangs (powders, Achilles, etc) is really susceptible to ich.

Any inverts or corals in the tank that you care about?

I have a green birdsnest, gsp, sunset montipora, toxic green monticap and a large Xenia, peppermint shrimp, sand sifting starfish and tiger conchs, and a ton of snails

 

[Acemann]

Welcome to powder blues, one of the most susceptible fish to ich that ever existed. Only way you will get rid of ich now is to qt all your fish/ eel and fallow the your display tank until it is safe to put them back in ich free hopefully

Do I have to put them all in different tanks all I have is a 10 gallon aquarium and two five gallon bucket? There’s no way that’s big enough and how long would they have to quarantine

 

[Acemann]

Do I have to put them all in different tanks all I have is a 10 gallon aquarium and two five gallon bucket? There’s no way that’s big enough and how long would they have to quarantine

 

[Acemann]

I’ve also seen that it’s better to just leave them in the tank because of the stress on them to get them out and then just put vitamins and supplements in their food

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hey this guys been in my tank for about 2-3 weeks been doing very good he’s really active eats like crazy and eats the algae I feed him. I’ve gotten new lights for the corals so I switched them out I have two clownfish and an eel. Is this ich? water perimeters are good.

As mentioned by @nereefpat that is in least in part ich. Some other the other spots, as mentioned, may be bits of mucus, various nicks, etc. I'm looking at the spots on the fins that indicates at least some of these are ich.

Treating that in a tank with coral is going to be difficult to impossible for this species.
What other fish are in the tank with it?

The best treatment would be coppersafe for 30 days in a dedicated quarantine tank that has a stable bio filter. I understand that isn't always possible, but not doing that greatly increases the chance you will lose the fish.

If you want to try and manage the infection, run a search on "ich management" here. You will need a powerful UV sterilizer, really good water quality and diet, and then it helps to siphon off the sand/tank bottom early every morning.

Jay

 

[nereefpat]

I’ve also seen that it’s better to just leave them in the tank because of the stress on them to get them out and then just put vitamins and supplements in their food

It depends on the situation. The eel and clowns are more resistant, but the powder blue makes it tough to do that.

 

[Acemann]

It depends on the situation. The eel and clowns are more resistant, but the powder blue makes it tough to do that.

Seems crazy but I don’t see any ich on him anymore I move him into a 10 gallon quarantine last night but found him today without anything on him. Do I keep on with the procedure or put him back in the big tank? Could it have been just small bubbles from the sump that stuck onto him from the water being low? I Fr don’t see anything on him.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Seems crazy but I don’t see any ich on him anymore I move him into a 10 gallon quarantine last night but found him today without anything on him. Do I keep on with the procedure or put him back in the big tank? Could it have been just small bubbles from the sump that stuck onto him from the water being low? I Fr don’t see anything on him.

What you’re seeing is the principle behind the TTM method - where you move the fish 3+ times to “outrun” the disease based on its life cycle. With just one move, it typically comes back.
Be sure to monitor the ammonia level in that small of a tank, and PBT don’t like being housed in small tanks for a long ich treatment.
Jay

 

[Acemann]

What you’re seeing is the principle behind the TTM method - where you move the fish 3+ times to “outrun” the disease based on its life cycle. With just one move, it typically comes back.
Be sure to monitor the ammonia level in that small of a tank, and PBT don’t like being housed in small tanks for a long ich treatment.
Jay

What you’re seeing is the principle behind the TTM method - where you move the fish 3+ times to “outrun” the disease based on its life cycle. With just one move, it typically comes back.
Be sure to monitor the ammonia level in that small of a tank, and PBT don’t like being housed in small tanks for a long ich treatment.
Jay

Moved him into a 30 gallon seems much better but still no sign of ich. Thank you guys for your help!

 

[nereefpat]

You are aware that your display and the fish in it are still carriers?

You would need to pull all fish and treat to rid the display and fish from disease.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Moved him into a 30 gallon seems much better but still no sign of ich. Thank you guys for your help!

In essence, that would be a second move for TTM. You should read up on that process - maybe you can outrun ich with one more move!

Jay