Kole Tang...My first DD purchase.

[DavidinGA]

not simple if you have a reef tank. i have a LOT of corals and inverts so treating my dt for ich isn't an option.

I never said to treat ich (I have a mixed reef so I'm not gonna be able to treat anything). I said you don't have to worry about it so much on an established system because ich doesn't seem to kill or even flare up much on an established tank.

 

[Nina51]

i understand what you're saying but if you are adding a new fish even to an established tank, there is still the chance of it coming in with ich. i never used to qt but then, i never had corals. many years ago when i had a FO tank, didn't even have live rock so the couple of times i had ich, i treated the whole tank w/o a problem. now with this tank, i just think i would be playing with fire if i didn't qt.

i am not normally a patient person. i want it and i want it now. however, i am glad i made myself wait. this kole has been in qt for weeks and is just now showing signs of ich. still only 3 little spots on him but that's 3 too many. i'm waiting to get the cupramine and copper test kit i ordered and i will start treatment.

 

[DavidinGA]

i understand what you're saying but if you are adding a new fish even to an established tank, there is still the chance of it coming in with ich. i never used to qt but then, i never had corals. many years ago when i had a FO tank, didn't even have live rock so the couple of times i had ich, i treated the whole tank w/o a problem. now with this tank, i just think i would be playing with fire if i didn't qt.

i am not normally a patient person. i want it and i want it now. however, i am glad i made myself wait. this kole has been in qt for weeks and is just now showing signs of ich. still only 3 little spots on him but that's 3 too many. i'm waiting to get the cupramine and copper test kit i ordered and i will start treatment.

Right. Do as I say not as I do; always quarantine.

Hope the kole continues to do good!

 

[Nina51]

thanks. i'm watching him closely. i still only see 3 spots. i had to mail order meds as there is nowhere even close to me that carries stuff. i am setting up a new qt tank, a 10g. while a little smaller than the 14g he's in now, it is longer and i think the extra length will make him happy since he's gonna be in there for a while.

the only thing i could find was para guard and now that i have read about it online, it doesn't appear to do what it claims, i.e., get rid of ich so i am waiting for the other med.

never a dull moment in this hobby! LOL

 

[JoelA7]

I just need to point out that QT tanks are usually too small and highly unnatural. After weeks in QT a fish such as a tang, which normally swims a great deal, and is a forager, is just under constant low grade stress. There's nearly zero chance of a truly ick free system, so right into the display after a fresh water bath always made sense to me.

Even the temperature acclimation thing always struck me as odd. Swim through a thermocline while diving and you'll know what I mean. If the temp difference is within a few degrees the fish can handle that too.

 

[Nina51]

i know it's stressful, especially for fish like tangs but at this point, i would be totally stupid to put this fish in my dt even after a freshwater dip. if i can get him treated and he's good to go, fine. if worse comes to worse and i lose him because of stress, at least i haven't put my entire dt at risk.

 

[JoelA7]

@ Nina51 -- I hear you for sure. Hope everything resolves well. I intend to make a Kole Tang the last addition to my new tank, currently about 1/2 through cycling.

 

[Nina51]

really glad to see you are having good luck!! i have read, in detail, about the TTM. i wish i had the time to do it but by the time i get everything else done, i don't get to sit down until at least 8 p.m. some day, when i retire...

joel, this tang is simply gorgeous and has tons of personality! once he got used to me and the activity in the kitchen, he is out all the time. i swear, sometimes i see him waving at me.

eta: kendrid, the tanks you are using...do you have heaters, filters, etc. in them? can you explain a little more? say, if you are using 2 ten gallon tanks, do they have to be completely full of water or...?

if i could get away with simply filling a couple of 10g tanks with enough water to keep a heater submerged and maybe a small power head, i can see where it would be a LOT easier.

 

[Marshall O]

I just need to point out that QT tanks are usually too small and highly unnatural. After weeks in QT a fish such as a tang, which normally swims a great deal, and is a forager, is just under constant low grade stress. There's nearly zero chance of a truly ick free system, so right into the display after a fresh water bath always made sense to me.

That's why I have been using a 46BF as a QT for the past two years. Has a 1.5" sandbed (so I can QT my sand-sleeping Wrasses ), 75 lbs of live rock, powerheads on a wavemaker, skimmer, UV, carbon, & HOB 'fuge. All I treat in it is Prazi. I have QT'd 20+ fish in this tank, and have only had to pull one fish to treat in a separate tank (my Powder Brown Tang which had intestinal worms; two rounds of Prazi did nothing).

I also use a simple 10 gallon setup for easier/smaller fish. Barebottom with PVC, HOB filter, heater, small powerhead and light.

 

[Linkblaze]

I don't QT either. I did when I first got into the hobby, but found I just tended to kill far more fishes in QT then not. I buy from a trusted source. Observe the fish before buying. And then just acclimate over an hour or two with a couple of cups of tank water. I don't even bother with freshwater dips anymore - it's not going to cure or stop anything so why bother?

On the flip side, I just don't buy really expensive fishes or tangs that are known ich magnets. Since my fish investment is relatively low, I'm prepared to accept a fish wipeout. Cold calculus I know, but for me it's a lot easier then dealing with the hassles involved in a QT tank.

 

[Pigpen17]

My fish are my charges. They have been plucked from the sea and brought to my home. I will do all I can to make sure they are healthy and happy.

 

[Nina51]

agree with you, pigpen.

ellis, how is your kole doing now that he's been in your dt for a few days?

 

[EllisJuan]

agree with you, pigpen.

ellis, how is your kole doing now that he's been in your dt for a few days?

He still has the same marks of HLLE but they have not gotten any worse, which is good I suppose. I am hoping they will go away, but I don't know how long that usually takes. Other than that, he is doing really well. He is still mowing down Nori and has started eating spiralina brine like a pig. He still turns his nose up to Mysis, which kind of sucks because that is what I prefer to feed the most. I saw him chase my Carpenters Wrasse right out of the water and onto the floor. Luckily I was in the same room so I scooped him up and tossed him back in. I ordered some mesh netting from BRS and will be making a cover for the tank this weekend.


How is your guy doing Nina? Does he still have the 3 little dots.

 

[scubadan206]

Looks like my new one. Mine picks at the glass, but not at the rocks. Any way to teach these fish to do their job and pick algae off the rocks. Maybe obedience school for tangs?
He plays [follow the leader] with my rabbit fish.
Daniel.:wildone:

 

[Marshall O]

I find my Kole spends most of the day picking off the glass and sandbed vs. the rocks. So sounds pretty normal to me

 

[scubadan206]

Maybe, if they eat nori, we could tie it to a rock at the bottom. That way they learn that good food can be found attached to rocks.
Daniel. :wildone:

 

[EllisJuan]

I find my Kole spends most of the day picking off the glass and sandbed vs. the rocks. So sounds pretty normal to me

Funny, I find the opposite with mine. He picked at the glass a lot in the QT, but in the DT he picks mostly at rock. He also loves to pick at the snails and hermits shells...lol

 

[Marshall O]

Funny, I find the opposite with mine. He picked at the glass a lot in the QT, but in the DT he picks mostly at rock. He also loves to pick at the snails and hermits shells...lol

Mine actually ingests some sand while picking at the sandbed...weird to see sand then floating around the tank at feeding time!

 

[Nina51]

glad to hear he is doing well!!

my guy does still have the 3 little spots but that's it. yesterday, i spent the day fixing up a 10g qt. the 14g biocube that he was in was just too "square". the 10g is smaller in volume but he has more length to swim. i checked today and my copper got shipped yesterday so hopefully, i can get that started monday or tuesday.

 

[EllisJuan]

He finally discovered the deliciousness of PE mysis today. So now he is getting Selcon soaked nori, Spirulina brine, and PE mysis daily. I would say his dietary needs are all being met well. I would consider the water quality in my DT excellent. I do 15% water changes weekly, run a strong and efficient skimmer, and GAC & GFO in reactors. I don't know of anything else I can do to try to help him get over and heal from his HLLE.