Powder Brown Tang - ich id

[Jay Hemdal]

Sorry the white on this light isn’t very good on my phone camera. Anyways got him moved to a cycled QT with my two clowns that will be mainstays to the new tank as well. They show no signs but treating anyways.

The blue tang looked really rough. Is this still just ich or could it be more than just that?

Tough to see, but I think the dark spots are just a reaction to the ich trophonts - that happens with some tangs.

Jay

 

[Judson_f]

Tough to see, but I think the dark spots are just a reaction to the ich trophonts - that happens with some tangs.

Jay

Thank you Jay! That’s what I thought/was hoping but thankful for someone knowledgeable to verify!

I ended up taking your advice and did not use live rock, I took ceramic bio media from my DT filtration & live rock from another tank to set this QT up with a week ago. Then removed the live rock this morning before dosing copper. Followed instructions on bottle to get a 1.5ppm concentration, going to up it to 2.5 late this evening and start the countdown tomorrow morning for 30 days!

 

[Judson_f]

So I could not QT all fish at once & sadly came home today to a dead powder brown & clown while the other tangs are in QT.

Question for the pros - it was my understanding Ich rarely kills so long as they’re in a good environment and not too stressed - and PBT was the happiest fish in that tank! Not to mention a clownfish dying?! I would’ve expect that to be the absolute toughest!

Is there a possibility of this being velvet?? I have pics that I just so happened to snap of PBT yesterday to see if anyone can see anything. It defintiely just looked like ich

 

[Judson_f]

PBT approx 16 hours before death. I feel bad I lost him but he looked happier than the others so I was going to QT him last. Sigh

For anyone curious - the fish in QT are doing great. Lowest copper has been so far was 2.33 (accidentally too much RODI top off) and is usually closer to 2.5 and they are 10 days in.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So I could not QT all fish at once & sadly came home today to a dead powder brown & clown while the other tangs are in QT.

Question for the pros - it was my understanding Ich rarely kills so long as they’re in a good environment and not too stressed - and PBT was the happiest fish in that tank! Not to mention a clownfish dying?! I would’ve expect that to be the absolute toughest!

Is there a possibility of this being velvet?? I have pics that I just so happened to snap of PBT yesterday to see if anyone can see anything. It defintiely just looked like ich

Sorry to hear. No, that isn't correct (but is widely stated) - once an ich infection reaches a certain point, something called "propagule pressure" comes into play - there are so many reproductive theronts in the water, that they begin being a major stressor, so it then doesn't matter how good the rest of the environment is, the fish will still get sick and die. It doesn't always reach that tipping point, and that is called "ich management".

Velvet is rarer than ich and causes rapid breathing as the primary symptom, with hanging in water currents and not eating being secondary symptoms. You also will not see discrete spots with velvet.

Jay

 

[Judson_f]

Sorry to hear. No, that isn't correct (but is widely stated) - once an ich infection reaches a certain point, something called "propagule pressure" comes into play - there are so many reproductive theronts in the water, that they begin being a major stressor, so it then doesn't matter how good the rest of the environment is, the fish will still get sick and die. It doesn't always reach that tipping point, and that is called "ich management".

Velvet is rarer than ich and causes rapid breathing as the primary symptom, with hanging in water currents and not eating being secondary symptoms. You also will not see discrete spots with velvet.

Jay

Thank you for all your replies through this Jay! At least some of my fish made it & hard lesson learned. Will be keeping this QT up for a while as I stock the upgrade tank. No more risking fish/diseases for me

 

[GFX360x]

Sorry to hear about the fish. I feel for you. Sounds like you have a good game plan moving forward though! Best of luck on the new tank and getting them back healthy and disease free!