I bought a Powder Blue Tang and noticed Ich the other day. I did know this fish was prone to ich but wanted to try something more challenging. I have had a reef set up for 2 years now with no major problems. The tank is a 150 with a 110 gal sump. There is plenty of live rock and I am about to add another 50lbs. Once in the very beginning I did have Ich on a few fish and gave them crushed garlic mixed with a blend of frozen food for 6 weeks. It went away. I also have 2 cleaner shrimp 2 skunk shrimp, which I see most of the fish going to on a regular basis. I do not have a QT for the simple reason that I just don’t have the room. Something I am planning in the future. Also have a UV, which comes on for 6 hours a day. I did an 8 minute freshwater dip on the PBT and didn’t see any difference. He is very active and eating any and everything I offer. My question is what exactly does the freshwater dip do? Should I try it with copper added? Any other suggestions, which have worked?
Powder Blue Tang= ICH
- Thread starter NYFrank
- Start date
Copper will do nothing to the ich on the body. Copper kills the parasite only in the free swimming stage of the disease. Fresh water kills some of the parasites that are on the skins surface. The white spots you see are not the parasite, but the skins reaction to it. Eventually the cysts are released from the fish, and go to the bottom of the tank to eventually hatch again. Now the tomites start looking for a host. This is where copper or low salinity can kill them. The life cycle is 6-12 days. If the tomite can't find a host in 2 days it dies. Either remove to QT or try the garlic treatment.
wooden_reefer
New member
IMO, the degree of challenge is not in the degree of proness to ich. It is in the readiness of a fish to accept prepared food quickly. The less readily a fish accepts a variety of prepared food the more challenging.
To me, all fish are equal in terms of ich, all go thru quarantine for at least five fish to eradicate ich. Degree of proness makes no difference.
To me, all fish are equal in terms of ich, all go thru quarantine for at least five fish to eradicate ich. Degree of proness makes no difference.
itsthesong
Member
Don't use copper. The tangs are more sensitive to it. Go with the hypo for six weeks. Place in QT and slowly, over the course of a few days, lower the salinity to .009. Make sure you remove any other fish and QT as well. Leave the display fallow for six weeks to allow the ich to completly die off, otherwise it may come back again.
6stringpenguin
New member
ditto, listen to Freed and Itsthesong! Pull all fish and treat separately with hypo in a hospital tank. You will be amazed what a difference you will have when you reintroduce your fish after 6 weeks. If done correctly, BAM, no ich.
I totally agree with all the above suggestions regarding the QT tank and removing the fish. However at this point in time room for and additional tank large enough to house all the fish is an issue- Also damage to hard/soft coral attached to several pieces of LR is another issue. There is at least 150lbs of LR. Everyone has been eating the frozen food mixed with crushed garlic so that is not a problem. Does the garlic produce a taste in the fish that the parasites do not like hence not allowing for a host and dying off or is it a chemical in the garlic that kills the parasite? Thanks for all the info.
cleaner shrimp
cleaner shrimp
I got 2 cleaner shrimp (yellow with red and a white stripe down the back). They went to town on the tang to first 20 minutes in the tank. I also started grinding garlic with the tang food and dumped it in after soaking for 10 minutes. It worked and my powder blue looks great now. And he was really covered.
The fish now line up to get at the shrimp for a cleaning.
On the down side under my tank with the skimmer smells like seaweed and garlic, pew.
This is the first time Ive saved a powder blue, and I thought once the got ick they were goners. Im very happy with garlic and shrimp cure.
cleaner shrimp
I got 2 cleaner shrimp (yellow with red and a white stripe down the back). They went to town on the tang to first 20 minutes in the tank. I also started grinding garlic with the tang food and dumped it in after soaking for 10 minutes. It worked and my powder blue looks great now. And he was really covered.
The fish now line up to get at the shrimp for a cleaning.
On the down side under my tank with the skimmer smells like seaweed and garlic, pew.
This is the first time Ive saved a powder blue, and I thought once the got ick they were goners. Im very happy with garlic and shrimp cure.
Thanks for all the great info. The garlic is working well. I put one clove in a garlic press and keep about 3 days of thawed out frozen food soaking in some water and just feed as needed. I also have 4 cleaner shrimp but have seen everyone BUT the PBT going to them. He does have a few white dots still but nothing like it was in the beginning. I have also turned the UV back on. Thanks again- Ill keep you posted. And yes the skimmer does smell like raw crushed garlic. I'm happy I put the sump in the basement- 
ThrowinRoost89
New member
hey man, i think mine may be comign down with ich.
he has a couple white dots on the black of his face and a white dot on his fin.
all i get mine to eat is seaweed, should i crush a clove of garlic and soak a piece of seaweed in it, then put in my tank?
im also going to pick up a blood shrimp tomorrow.
would one work fine or do i need multiple?
he has a couple white dots on the black of his face and a white dot on his fin.
all i get mine to eat is seaweed, should i crush a clove of garlic and soak a piece of seaweed in it, then put in my tank?
im also going to pick up a blood shrimp tomorrow.
would one work fine or do i need multiple?
ThrowinRoost89
New member
i have pellets and flakes with garlic in it, but he wont toutch it. not will he eat mysis.
ThrowinRoost89
New member
im crushing cloves of garlic, putting some SW in there, and putting dried seaweed in it for 10min.....
he is eating that, and there a piece of garlic he was chewin on also.
i have to replace a 1.5x3in strip of seaweed about 3 times a day.
he is eating that, and there a piece of garlic he was chewin on also.
i have to replace a 1.5x3in strip of seaweed about 3 times a day.
ThrowinRoost89
New member
wow, within 15min of putting the cleaner shrimp in the tank, the PBT is allready going to it.
its kinda funny watching a shrimp climb around on the side of a fish lol
but i dont think my PBT has ich.... there is only one spot now on his face, and one on the body. there was more when i fist noticed it. coult it have been sand? he itches on the sand alot.
its kinda funny watching a shrimp climb around on the side of a fish lol
but i dont think my PBT has ich.... there is only one spot now on his face, and one on the body. there was more when i fist noticed it. coult it have been sand? he itches on the sand alot.
Similar threads
