Blue Tang With Ich

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mattyg18

New member
Over the weekend I picked up a Small Blue Tang and Goby. I was only going to get the Blue Tang but the Goby was in the tank with him and they seemed to be getting along well (plus he looked cool sifting through the sand and cleaning it) so I purchased both. I acclimated them both for almost 2 hours because the salinity of my QT was 1.025 and the LFS was 1.015. I had no idea i'm supposed to keep my QT that low until then. So as I was acclimating the fish I also did a water change on my QT which brought it down to 1.019. I do realize I only should have gotten one fish which i'm regretting now but its too late. Anyways I put them both in after two hours and the Goby seemed fine within a few minutes. The Tang seemed really stressed out and pretty much hung out on the bottom kinda laying on his side for about a day. Yesterday he started eating and today he was eating really well and swimming around for the most part. I've been feeding both the frozen mysis shrimp. The Goby has been eating and doing his thing pretty much from when I put him in. Now that the Tang is out and about I finally got a good look at him and he's got one small white dot on each side. One is a little larger than the other. I'm guessing its ich but not sure. I couldn't get a picture of it but I will try tomorrow. I have cupramine but read that its bad to use with Tangs. I also read about hyper salinity but honestly don't have the time for that. Seems that he's now eating is a good sign. Is there a chance this will go away if he continues to eat or do I need to be proactive and start on some type of treatment?

Thanks in advance!!
 
Good job on having a QT in the first place! If it's ich, it won't just go away in all likelihood. You want to eliminate any chance of disease and not introduce it into your display tank as well. Check out the fish disease forum on RC, lots of info there. Good luck!
 
For future reference, always ask the vendor or your LFS what they keep their salinity, test it yourself and adjust your QT to that. I prefer the TTM which is very effective and less stressful for the fish than Cooper. You can even do it in 5 gallon buckets.
 
+1, I would use the tank transfer method. It is less stressful than the other ich treatments, so much so that I use it on all my new fish. I would also consider treating with Prazipro during the TTM to treat any potential internal parasites.
 
I definitely will check the salinity of the LFS from now on.

Picked up another 10 gallon setup this morning and planning on the TTM if anything. I'm still not certain he's got Ich though. The two white spots seem better today. I was able to take some pics and will post them when I get home. Just wouldn't want to put them through the Strees of the TTM if it's not necessary.

Thanks again for the replies.
 
Prior to doing TTM myself, I was very concerned with the stress of it. It sounds like it would be stressful... However I don't see any signs of stress. Yes, catching the fish for those couple of seconds isn't the best, but they're perfectly fine once they're in the new tank. One this I use is a square kitchen strainer rather than a net. Works wonders with our larger fish we out through QT.

As others have stated, I would second a fish is likely more stressed dealing with Ich than they are with TTM.


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I'm planning on the TTM and heating up the backup tank as we speak. I'm just on the fence if my tang has ich or not. Heres are some pics. The more noticeable white spot is on his right side which unfortunately I couldn't get a good pic of. His left side looks pretty clear today aside from a small bump or two near his eye. Definitely looks better than yesterday.

So my question is do I still do the TTM or hold off and see if it gets worse??
 

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I'll guarantee you a fish is less stressed by a well-managed TTM than with ich---ich can easily be fatal, and the parasite can kill a tank. If you use a plastic strainer or colander and just gently lift, very little stress at all.

In another species, I have koi: I had a foot-or-so-long koi with a massive hole in its head from an eagle claw---too heavy to lift. This poor koi had to be medicated. I lifted her out with a trout net, medicated her for four weeks in a well aerated tub only a foot longer than she was---and this required a daily 50% water change, which she tolerated. When it came time to move her back into her 5000 gallon pond, there was no way to pick her up gently with the trout net: I put a teatowel down, then, with help gathered up the teatowel by the corners and carried her as quickly as we could to the pond, lowered the towel into the pond and released her. That was two years ago, and the scar is hardly discernible: she remains healthy and happy. Fish do not 'stress' if you move surely and efficiently and if they are well-supported in transit. And certainly they live longer if you appropriately treat a life-threatening situation.
 
Thanks Sk8r. So i'm assuming you think its definitely ich then? If we're not sure if it is, then any downside to a TTM just to be safe?
 
I'm going to start the TTM tomorrow morning as I read its better to start in the morning. I ordered an bottle of the Prazipro this morning and should have it by Friday. I can't seem to find it at any of the LFS.

This may be a stupid question but i'm assuming I should also treat the Goby with the TTM at the same time i'm treating the tang?? They are both in the same QT (which I'm now realizing wasn't smart).

Thanks again!!
 
Treat all fish that was in that tank. Now, if it is ich or something else, it's recommended that you let the tank go fallow for at least 72 days. Now, since that is your QT, you might want to empty it and clean it out and get it cycling again while the fish are in the TTM.
 
As info, I TTM paired with prazipro all new fish plus 4 more weeks of QT plus dipping formalin whether they show signs or not. I don't want to risk them infecting the entire system in my DT once they go in. Definitely TTM the goby as well.


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I think I read on here that as long as I clean the tank and let it dry 24 hours that anything Ich related will die off and I can get that tank ready again for the next transfer in 3 days.

Does that sound correct?

I was planning on just using my 2 - 10 gallon setups for the TTM
 
Where do you order the prazipro? I'm about to start qt with the ttm method. I was told all it needs is small heater, air pump with hose to aireate the water and some pvc pipes for the fish to hide in?
 
Yes use an air pump and air stone to provide oxygen in the water. Use new air stone and pipe in every new tank. Throw away the used pipe and airstone.
 
Ensure the tank used and heater is cleaned with either a bleach solution or white vinegar and ensure everything is completley air dryed before using again.
 
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