Powder Blue showing signs of ich, HELP

[jmccown]

OK guys, I am really getting worried. Introduced a very nice, very, very healthy PBT to my system on Saturday. Last night I noticed a few tiny spots on him. He has been eating good and everything, I don't understand. Anyhow, will a UV sterilizer help? I currently don't have a saltwater specific unit, but I do have a big UV sterilizer that I used on my pond. It is an 18 watt unit and is this same one on ebay, take a look http://cgi.ebay.com/Fish-Mate-Pond-...745475638QQcategoryZ20507QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I need some help, not to say it for sure is ich, but I don't want to lose an $80 fish. He is 6" and was in prime health when I got him from Fuji's the other day. He has been eating flakes (Formula One and munching on macroalgae).

I dosed my tank with some RX-P, last night before I went to bed. Got up this morning and my skimmer was going crazy, overflowing, etc. But that's beside the point. What should I do with my PBT. Thanks guys.

Water Temp - 78*
Salinity - .22
all other params seem to be in check. I use RO/DI water with PC lighting.

 

[mcox33]

uv sterilizer and figure out what is causing him to stress. Maybe another fish is picking on him because he is the new guy in town.

 

[jmccown]

So it could be stress related. I've heard that leaving lights off aids in the healing process as well as reducing stress. He is definately the biggest fish in the tank, I also have a small yellow tang, a foxface, and a pair of clowns. I hope he pulls out of it...

 

[ERTLEY]

Keep your uv sterlizer at a flow of about 100gph for atleast a month.Try to keep your water parameters as best as you can with no major changes...As long as he keeps feeding he should be able to build amunity and pull threw!Good Luck.....I never add chemicals,to me this is a better way.

 

[jmccown]

The UV sterilizer I currently have, will it be okay, although it is for a pond? I posted the link to it above. I can plumb it into my wet/dry pretty easily.

 

[ERTLEY]

Ya that should be fine..I use a 25 watt on my 75 gal reeftank.I beleive overkill is better in this field,than selling yourself short.But like i said your blue should build a amunity to ich.Just keep an eye on your water parameters!

 

[essop3]

Moving to a new tank is always alot of stress. Powder blues get ich if you sneeze wrong let alone get it stressed.

My foxface gave my PBT hell until I QT'd the foxface for a few weeks and rearranged my rocks. All is pretty good now with very little aggression.

 

[1package]

I had/have the same issue with my powder blue. I had the fish in QT for a few weeks, eating well, then intoduced to my display. My Purple tang harassed it and it came down with ICH. I first went the naturally imunity direction, food soaked in garlic, nori always available, hoping as you and others described that the PBT could shake it in time. After 2-3 weeks of the same, not really worse I decided on a different direction. I have a 25w UV that had been running on the tank for about 6 months prior to introducing the PBT. The UV's may work but I personally think it is naive to pin your hopes on it. Realistically, it only has the opportunity to kill what comes in contact with the light, meaning only the ICH that is in the swimming form that gets pulled into the pump or overflow feeding the UV, even assuming that it kills 100%, what percent of the total water will actually go through the UV? Just because it is 100g per hour or 1000g, maybe the same water or a large percent of the same water, even if all of the water should make it through the device.....the ICH are swimming, maybe into the water that just exited the UV, maybe onto a rock, etc.... I do not see it as a 100% thing. Obviously the bigger the UV, the more water flowing through it the smaller your system, all would help 100% of swimmers go through. Results however may be good enough to keep the ICH to a level that can be managed with a stress free environment, maybe eventually the UV could clear it up 100%. I think the key is keeping it out, once in tough to get out. Once it is in and visible, I do not think the UV is going to be the cure alone, at least in the short term.

As for the natural immunity, I have read mixed reviews lately on that, it has never worked for me in the past and is not working with my current powder blue. If the stress level were reduced - no Hippo tang, no purple tang (in my tank), plenty of seaweed strips - maybe, tough to say. If you are going to attempt the natural way - plenty of food and no stress from tankmates.

It goes without saying, if you can remove it and treat - this is best. For me, it was not an option.

About 9 days ago I went a different direction, a direction I swore I would not go. I have added Kick Ich or Ich Kick twice now and will add the 3rd treatment in a day or so as directed. So far all LPS, SPS and invertes (shrimp, snails and pods) look fine. The treatment same as the UV can only kill in the swimming cycle of the ICH life cycle so treatment for several days (no skimmer, no carbon) is required.

I would have preferred to treat the fish or let the fish build up an immunity, not options - so I reluctantly went the chemical route. ..................beautiful fish - good luck.

 

[Jimsreef]

I had a powder blue tang and i had it get what I thought was ich caused by stress. I went to the grocery store and bought some garlic out of the produce section and fed it to the tang it cleared up in a couple of days.

 

[jmccown]

Wait a minute, so you guys are referring to ACTUAL real garlic from the grocery store. I thought everyone was referring to a chemical supplement. Do I just mince the garlic?

 

[radone]

PBT are very susectpable to ich but don't assume that is what it has.
Most surgeon fish will get small spots on their skin which resembles grains of sand sometimes confused with ich.

Keep an eye out for it and keeping your params is a must these are quite tempermental fish.

A UV is ok to use but my opinion is don't rely on them. Most UV's are designed to rid of nuisance algae not ich.
I personally own a 130 watt unit for my pond and it works great for algae but you can still get infections on your fish. Be warned it will kill good along with the bad so take it for what it's worth. There is a big discussion here about their use.
IMO a UV should not be needed if you follow correct husbandry for your tank mates.

Just my $.02 BTW
Good Luck and keep us posted

 

[Jimsreef]

I just put a few small pieces in the tank. It is supposed to be good for the immune system. Jim

 

[radone]

Garlic is good

 

[LtPiper]

Yep real actual garlic. Why pay out the nose for garlic extract when they like the real thing and it's not some processed stuff? I put a clove of garlic in my fish mush mix. The fish go after it like crazy. Just mince it up.

 

[phljess]

I would just soak the food in garlic before feeding, seems to work well for me but I do not have a powder blue only a regal and yellow tang. I have read about and seen so many PBT with ich that I just havent ever bought one.

 

[fishmon]

Have you considered just lowering the salanity to 1.019 and raising the temp to 80. This will usually take care of ich in a few days without any problems or ill effects on corals or other tankmates.

 

[joyski58]

Ichy Tang

Ichy Tang

I've had luck in the past w/tangs with ich by using fresh water dips, and Mela-Fix follow-up. Also have seen tangs w/black spot, which looks ich only it's tiny black dots instead of white. Make sure you know what you have. Read. Read. And read some more. JKJ

 

[jmccown]

Good news guys, my PBT is looking much better. Still has a few spots but is definitely looking better. I'll try to put some pics of him up later. He is still picking at the LR and the macroalgae, so I feel much better about him. Thanks to all who have given info. Much appreciated.