Achilles with Ich

[reefslugs]

ich

ich

Don't get too crazy feeding. You don't want to get nitrates in you tank. That will just stress him out more. In my opinion, garlic doesn't work. Been there done that, no help. You diffidently need more than one cleaner shrimp. I use three large ones in my tank. What foods are you feeding? Do not just do frozen. You need to feed a high quality flake, which is loaded in vitamins. My tangs will only eat O.S.I. Both the marine flakes and the spirulina flakes. If I give them ocean nutrition flakes they won't eat it. I don't now why. I also put a piece of seaweed select on a clip for them to nibble at.

Like I said before, the key is to keep them eating ang keep there gills clean. I hope this helps. Remember these tangs are extremely hard to keep, but don't give up.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

I am feeding seaweed twice a day. The food mixture is frozen san fran bay mysis, sea veggies, cyclopeeze, rod's reef and formula two. He only eats the mysis, sea veggies and seaweed. I am closely watching the nitrates. I will get some O.S.I ASAP and try it. I am also soaking the mixture in garlic, vita chem and selcon. I am afraid my cleaner shrimp might have bit the dust today. Hopefully, he just molted and was in hiding. I will try to run to the LFS and pick a few more up tomorrow night. I know they are hard and won't give up at all. On a positive note, my fowleri looks pretty good today.

Thank you for the help. I know your achilles looked great. Mine is about the same size.

 

[Reeftanks6]

Hope he gets better Charlie. Will be following along.

 

[zt444a]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11824482#post11824482 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Charlie's Angel
That is why I ordered the selcon. I believe vit C is a big ingredient. It will be here tomorrow. Everyone is still eating. Have fed them eight times today. Thank goodness for big skimmers.

That is alot of feedings! How are things looking?

 

[Reeftanks6]

yes that is a lot of feeding but in the long run it might help the achilles.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

Things are looking O.K. The achilles is still eating, picking at the rocks and swimming around. However, my 2.5 inch lemonpeel mimic tang looked sluggish last night. Not a good sign. Water parameters are excellent, so the feedings are not affecting anything yet. Skimmer is going crazy...filling up over half of the collection cup in 24 hours. Cut feedings to 6 yesterday, but they are lighter feedings. I am going to head down right now to check on everyone. Also, going to follow reefsluges advice and get some OSI food and a few cleaner shrimp tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Reeftanks6]

Ok sounds good make sure you feed him some nori this should boost up his immune system.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

yeah...feeding lots of Nori as well...sheets in the morning and when I get home from work.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

Got 3 cleaner shrimp tonight and they are acclimating. Also, got some OSI...the fish love it. My mimic and achilles went crazy for it..mainly the spirulina...thanks for all the advice guys...so far they are hanging in there.

 

[Reeftanks6]

Sounds good thats good that you achilles went crazy for it.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

All still well. I was really concerned about the mimic the other night, but he was looking good yesterday and loved the new flake food. I'll keep everyone posted.

 

[Reeftanks6]

OK.

 

[reefslugs]

food

food

You know OSI food has been around for years. But they only make two flavers. I've tried all the flavers of Ocean nutrition, but when it comes to hard to keep fish, they won't eat it.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

It is amazing. This fish absolutely love this stuff. However, the achilles likes mysis and nori the most. My mimic who is a picky eater pigs out on the Spirulina. Thank you for the tip. Achilles looks about the same and still eating. I got 3 cleaner shrimp the other night and have yet to see them. They were about an inch in size. Did notice my fowleri has scratch marks, so it appears he is scratching himself. However, I haven't seen him do it and he does not have any white spots on him. He is the biggest pig of all. Keeping my fingers crossed, but I am not too positive at this point. Will keep doing what I am doing.

 

[paulamrein]

Bump for update

 

[Charlie's Angel]

Update - Achilles is still covered in ich and my fowleri has it as well. Both fish are still eating. I keep nori in there for them at almost all times. I have cut the feddings down to about 3-4 day and still soak the food. My achilles loves the nori and mysis and nibbles on the OSI spirulina. Fowleri eats everything. Seems that only my acanthurus tangs have visible signs of ich. I have 3-4 cleaner shrimp in the tank now and have noticed one cleaning off a yellow tang. Hopefully, it will get to work on some others. I will be doing a water change this weekend. Checked nitrates on Sunday and with the heavy feedings for the week the nitrates were at 0.4. This was up from 0 the week before. Keeping my fingers crossed that these guys will pull through.

 

[Michelle L]

When I first got my powder blue tang, he had ich cycles for months until he finally got accustomed to living in captivity. He never faltered once when it came to eating, and I feel that is the key. As long as your fish are still eating, they very well may be fine; it just may take some time for them to fight off the ich completely. Patience, my friend!

 

[Charlie's Angel]

Thank Michelle...I have noticed a slight increase in nitrates...they were at 0 and yesterday were around 0.5 or 0.6 ppm, which seemed up from the 0.4 it was on Sunday. Hard to tell with how light the pink is on the Salifert test. I will just keep feeding them and hope he fights it off.

 

[Reeftanks6]

Yes i think if your fish are eating everything your giving them i think he will eventually pull through.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

Well the Fowleri is eating everything and the achilles munches on the rock all day, the nori a ton and eats some of the mysis. I have noticed that my nitrates have slowly increased some over the past week. I will be getting some snails to help clean up any detritus and/or food that hits the ground. Right now, I have almost nothing for a clean up crew. Also, will be doing a decent sized water change this weekend and changing my kold-steril filter just to be safe.