So, I am pretty sure that my yellow tang has black ich. I have read all the forms about black ich but I do have a few questions. First, I do have a QT tank and I am planning on putting him in there until it is gone but my QT tank is not large enough for all my fish and it does not appear that any of my fish have it yet. I do give them vita chem and garlic but I just started the garlic because my lfs had to order some for me after I ran out. I know that he is going to need to receives treatment but I am not sure what to do about the other fish and I know that once ich is in your DT it has to cycle before it is gone. I also wanted to know that difference between white and black ich. Please help!
Please help yellow tang with black ich
- Thread starter Kristi518
- Start date
Gwynhidwy
Meat Popsicle
Unfortunately you must treat ALL of your fish or treatment will be ineffective. With most diseases, once a pathogen is in your tank, all susceptible animals must be treated. The general treatment for black ich is repeated (over a period of days/weeks) freshwater dips and/or formalin baths, however you really should move your fish to a hospital tank. This allows you to leave the DT free of all potential hosts while the remaining worms starve out. I have been told that the tank should be left fallow for 12 weeks with this parasite.
If you absolutely cannot set up a proper treatment tank, you *might* be able to eradicate the parasite through regular dips of ALL fish. However, there are disease that cannot be treated in the DT so you will find a hospital tank necessary, particularly if you don't quarantine.
Black ich is caused by turbellarians, which unlike ich, are capable of surviving in the substrate on detritus, for a while, without a host. The do require a host to complete their life cycle. The black spots seen in this disease are the actual worms, which are capable of moving freely about the host. From what I understand there are some invertebrates, like sea cucumbers, that can also host these worms.
Regular marine ich is caused by Cryptocaryon irritans, a ciliate protozoan, that parasitizes fish exclusively. This parasite produces small, round, white nodules on the fish which give the classic 'sprinkled with salt' appearance. The white spots are actually cysts produced by the fish's skin in response to the irritation caused by the parasite. This is why freshwater dips are not very helpful for this disease, the fish's skin protects the parasite. Treatment relies on killing the free swimming forms of this parasite.
If you absolutely cannot set up a proper treatment tank, you *might* be able to eradicate the parasite through regular dips of ALL fish. However, there are disease that cannot be treated in the DT so you will find a hospital tank necessary, particularly if you don't quarantine.
Black ich is caused by turbellarians, which unlike ich, are capable of surviving in the substrate on detritus, for a while, without a host. The do require a host to complete their life cycle. The black spots seen in this disease are the actual worms, which are capable of moving freely about the host. From what I understand there are some invertebrates, like sea cucumbers, that can also host these worms.
Regular marine ich is caused by Cryptocaryon irritans, a ciliate protozoan, that parasitizes fish exclusively. This parasite produces small, round, white nodules on the fish which give the classic 'sprinkled with salt' appearance. The white spots are actually cysts produced by the fish's skin in response to the irritation caused by the parasite. This is why freshwater dips are not very helpful for this disease, the fish's skin protects the parasite. Treatment relies on killing the free swimming forms of this parasite.
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