New Blue Tang in tank, probable ICH, can't remove fish or corals

[P.Kelly]

Okay, so I'm probably fighting a loosing battle. I choose (unwisely) not to quarantine my new Blue Tang, as I have no other fish in my tank.

I am doubtful that I will be able to catch the Tang in order to quarantine at this point. I just installed a UV sterilizer off another tank, hoping it might do some good.

Aside from overfeeding, is there anything else I can do to improve the odds? If the Tang makes it, how do I ensure that the ICH doesn't return?

If he dies, the ICH will all die off after a few weeks?

Is there any proven coralation between a raised temperature and killing ICH? If so, how high and how long?

Thanks,
Pete

 

[happyface888]

You can feed your tang food mixed with garlic guard or garlic extreme. Garlic is used to build up their immune system so they have a figting chance. The uv sterilizer helps control some of the ich but not all but still helpful. You can try to set up a fish trap or something to catch the tang. If the fish does die you have to leave your tank fallow for 6 weeks in order for ich to die off. I read that raising them temp to maybe 82 but I'm not sure. Raising the temp can be stressful for the fish so it doesnt sound good to do it. It does speed up the cycle of ich but not good for the fish.

 

[luke33]

If you have another tank, i would suggest you move all your LR and inverts to it and hypo your main tank. This is how i QT'd my blue tang because i knew it would be to risky to have him in QT, it worked and all is good. But i had planned on doing this from the get go.

 

[willhoward]

All of the above is valid and good points, just to add to them. I've read in a scientific paper that some specimens of Ich can survive up to 90'F (32'C), so IMHO it's not worth it raising the temperature.

 

[fishyvet]

raising the tank temp dose not kill the ich, it simply speeds up the parasites lifecycle so other methods of treatment (copper, hypo) can kill the susceptible stages. Do not overfeed the fish, it will lead to deterioration of water quality which will stress it even more.

 

[luke33]

All the points listed are valid.........surprisingly! You got good advice all around! Good luck! About the temp, won't do much but speed up the life cycle a bit.

 

[happyface888]

You might consider the bugs in your sand bed as well, if you hypo your tank with sand in it. The bugs in the sand might die and cause a ammonia spike.

 

[luke33]

Bugs

Bugs

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10322152#post10322152 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by happyface888
You might consider the bugs in your sand bed as well, if you hypo your tank with sand in it. The bugs in the sand might die and cause a ammonia spike.

There's no might about it. Your bugs WILL die, all copods, bristle's, ampods, all of them are gonners if you hypo your main tank. However, if you have a QT you take out all your LR and your pods and bristle's will reproduce like ick in there. Then when you add back your LR your population will reproduce and within a couple months tops your back to normal. The hypo won't kill the bacteria, which is the best part about it.

 

[happyface888]

Man this sucks, lol I qted a coral beauty everythings fine, moved it to my ST wee ich..... I am guessing garlic and vitamin foods, I read about seachems recipe, metronized,focus + garlic guard dont know if that works. But currently feeding new life spectrum+ garlic guard,vitachem and zoe. Any other suggestions? And how hardy are coral beauties at handleing ich? In the pass I had a yellow tang that was infected with ich but in the end pulled through and from than on its become pretty immune to it. My brother had a purple and it too was dieing to ich, it got sucked into a powerhead but still ate and in the end pulled out healthy. So any suggestions while I dont want to pull it back out.

 

[luke33]

Coral beauty's are tough, but not tough enough to beat ick on its own. You can try the garlic zoe, all that stuff, I personally haven't ever had luck that way. Every time I hypo'd my angels in the past i've been successful at removing the ick, the one thing i have noticed though is that my angel's have developed lymph in about the 4-5th week of treatment, but fully recovered every time.

 

[Neptune777]

The solution is simple: Garlic won't work and your fish will not become immune.

Get this fish trap:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...x=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=2004&Nty=1

QT the tang and any other fish so you can do a hyposalinity treatment. 6-8 weeks of QT/hypo is better. Leave your display fish free during this period....and you WILL be ich free and your Tang will survive.

 

[P.Kelly]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10331622#post10331622 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Neptune777
The solution is simple: Garlic won't work and your fish will not become immune.

Get this fish trap:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...x=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=2004&Nty=1

I'm sorry, but that is the silliest thing I've seen for trying to catch a skiddish, recently added, afraid of everything, hiding in the rockwork Blue Tang. When I said, "can't remove fish or corals" I meant it. I wasn't just saying I didn't want to. No way a fish that swims as fast a Blue Tang is going to let you "manually" close the end of that trap on him.

 

[fishyvet]

you can try herding the tang into a container with a net then quickly scooping up the container out of the water. This is really less stressful and traumatic than trying to fish it out with a net. Nobody wants to remove rock or coral but unless you have encrusting corals bridging rock, it is easy to do. I have personally dismantled my 210 reef to pull fish out; rock, sps, lps, and softies. Corals can easily be moved temporarily to a bucket of salt water and sps attached to LR can simply be pulled out and sat on a towel on the floor. In their natural environment, these creatures go through low tides where they are exposed to the air for hours. 30min to an hour on a towel isn't going to hurt them while you pull the tang.

The other option is to feed a high quality diet and maintain pristine water quality in hopes the tang will be able to fight it off. This does not cure the ich, you will always have ich in your system unless you run the tank fallow for 6-8 weeks. Every new fish you add to your tank will be exposed to the ich in your tank and may die from the disease regardless of QT for other diseases.

Many people have had success with fish traps. It usually takes a bit of time for the fish to get used to the trap being in its environment. It is defiantly worth a shot if your other choice is to sit and watch the fish die.

 

[Neptune777]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10332272#post10332272 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by petes97
I'm sorry, but that is the silliest thing I've seen for trying to catch a skiddish, recently added, afraid of everything, hiding in the rockwork Blue Tang. When I said, "can't remove fish or corals" I meant it. I wasn't just saying I didn't want to. No way a fish that swims as fast a Blue Tang is going to let you "manually" close the end of that trap on him.

Whoaaa there skippy! The trap door is operated by a fishing line, you put some tasty bait in the bait box to lure the fish in while you can sit across the room with the fish line in your hand. When the fish enters the trap you let go of the line and the glass door closes extremely fast......I have one and it works great! I am speaking from experience and trying to help you.....

Fish caught in my same exact trap:
Purple Tang
Yellow Tang
Hippo Tang
Achilles Tang
Hawk fish

Also, if you have shy fish just leave the trap in the tank with the door open.....let your fish get good and hungry and feed from it for several days. You will be able to catch them eventually...the trap becomes part of their environment and they will have no issues entering it to feed.

 

[P.Kelly]

My bad. I read "Manually lower sliding-glass trapdoor once the desired fish has entered the trap" and "knew" it wouldn't work. Given that your experience with this product allows for a remote fishing line, then I can totally see how it could work for me with some patience. I'll give it a whirl!

I appreciate the help.

 

[Neptune777]

Not a problem Good luck with your Tang!

 

[luke33]

Still, he's saying he can't move his fish to treat, so i'd still suggest removing all your LR and inverts, corals and puting them in a rubbermaid with a heater and powerhead, tehn hypo your main tank. THis won't stress them out a ton, and no move. If you try to treat with garlic or what not, there's a great chance all your fish will die.

 

[Neptune777]

With the trap he will

 

[TeeLapia]

Honestly. S.O.L. if you can't move the fish. Ich will just go on the LR during one of the stages in the lifecycle and will look for another fish to feed on. You are going to have QT your fish to be on the safe side. Now some fish are more susceptible than others, but if you keep the fish in there, it's like a gamble. He may, or may not make. All you gotta do is feed and cross your fingers. I do suggest purchasing a UV sterilizer in the near future though.

 

[luke33]

FWIW, i've hypo'd qt's and display's with success. The only prob with hypoing the main tank is all the loss of the copods, but if you have tons of copods on your lr when you add it to your qt, then it takes not long to have a llarge population once you transfer the rock back. I'll be honest and say i prefer to hypo in the main tank as its so much easier for me. But everyone has different opinions about it.