Hippo Tang battling ich...help!

[Macboy]

Hi,
I am new to the hobby and have a 72 gallon bow front tank with live sand and live rock...no corals (yet). My fish are all doing excellent but my hippo tang has a case of ich going on two weeks now. I have been treating the tank every three days with Ruby Reef's 'Kich Ich'. The tang (Doc) is eating and swimming around just fine but he does rub against the live rock trying to scratch the ich off. I tried a freshwater dip but only stressed him out more. He turned white and went to the bottom of the tank like he was dead. Soon as I put him back in the show tank he was fine. Anyway, any suggestions? Should I just continue using the Kick Ich every three days? Fortunately, there is no indication the other fish are getting it but Doc needs help. Thanks. Brian

[pvtdonut]

first off, tangs are notorious for getting ich. my powder blue gets it every once in a while. when he gets it, it goes away on its own in about a day or 2....like yesterday he had it, and today its not really bad...it faded away for the most part....he doesnt flash against the rocks or anything and it doesnt seem to bother him...at all.

but anyway, ill save the time of anyone else posting an answer cause we hear this all of the time on this site...and i wanna feel smart. =P

most people would recommend setting up a QT tank for him, and all of your other fish and treating them with copper...in the QT TANK, NOT THE DISPLAY. that is the most efficient way to "kick the ick..." if you have inverts, you can leave them in your display tank....ick cant live on them....so you are safe...

AND IF YOU DO HAVE INVERTS, DO NOT PUT COPPER IN THAT TANK! IT WILL KILL THEM! even if you plan on putting the inverts in later on, traces of copper can still be present in the tank, nd there is still a risk of killing them.

by having no fish for the ick to live on, (or politically correct..."in"...because ich lives under the fishes skin...unless the site i was reading was full of it...but i doubt it...there were pictures of ich under the fish's skin.. ) the icks life cycle will die in about a month. thus making your tank ich free. after the month or so, you can then reintroduce Doc and all of his tank mates back to the display tank.

also, make sure that you are keeping your water params up to par...that can stress a fish out, creating the disease.

and if anyone else on here responds to this ick inquiry, there is a 98.99999991/2 chance that you will hear that the hippo tang will need a bit more room than 4' of swimming space... most recommend 100 gallons or 6ft of un-obstructed swimming length for an adult tang. lol

good luck. and to the reef. =]

[Macboy]

thanks pvtdonut...I have read up on the necessity of a Q/T tank for treating this. I was hoping the 'Kick Ich' would do the trick but Doc keeps getting the white spots. One day (like today) he looks good then that night or the next day the spots seem to have multiplied. This is after two weeks of treatment. The copper treatment in a Q/T tank is the way to go then. My tang is a juvenile and I realize as adults it is recommended they be in at least a 100 gal. tank so getting a bigger tank may be on the horizon.
So Q/T ing all the fish is a necessity? Even though the others show no signs of it? I am also looking into getting a uv sterilizer as I have read this is effective in prevention of ich.
Thanks .

[pvtdonut]

yea, put everyone in there, because even though they show no signs of it, the ich can still have a fish to go onto before its cycle ends.

im looking into a UV sterilyzer as well. it does help destroy diseases in the tank, which is def. a good thing when it comes to ich. i would also like to get a bigger tank as well.....unfortunatly, my 65 is as big as i can go at the moment, while i still live at home. as soon as i move out, i will probably end up buying a bigger fish tank before i get a couch. lol

[nay,kid]

here is a good thread about ich and how to treat it. quarantine is the best option at this point for sure.
Ich

[Macboy]

Thanks for the info. That site had a lot of useful info regarding ich. Actually, there is an entire world of info on the disease (such a thing as info overload?).
Sorry to report I lost two fish the other day. My yellow Indo Tang and my yellow wrasse. I was in a panic trying to save these guys but it was too late. I am using Kordon's reef safe ich treatment. My hippo tang has cleared up almost completely. I know this doesn't mean the ich is gone but just in another stage. My royal gramma is not eating and hiding in the live rock most of the time...hope this isn't another casualty. Other fish seem fine (two clowns, bi color angel coral beauty and six line wrasse). Going to Petco today and buying a 20 gal Q/T tank and accesories. I am determined to eradicate this parasite once and for all.

[CarmieJo]

Hi Macboy and to TR. You are doing the right thing to get those guys in QT. I am worried about the behavior of your royal gamma, watch him closely. I am a BIG believer in QT for everything that goes into your tank. Here is agood article Reefreaders - Quarantine Now! that should help you with your QT setup.

[Macboy]

Thanks Carmie,
That was a great motivational article you directed me to. I am guilty of believing in the 'quick fix' approach. Thinking reef safe treatments will do the trick. There just isn't enough proven info out there for me to have confidence in reef safe ich treatments. My hippo tang Doc is still doing excellent (day two of no signs of ich and excellent color) however appetite is fair. My royal gamma is still not eating and acting erratic.
I learned a valuable lesson but still enjoy the hobby. Even my wife is getting into it. Thanks again for the advice all.

[Sea in the City Orlando]

Kick Ich is useless...don't waste your money! Sorry, I know it would be a nice quick fix, but I don't know anyone who's used it that's had any success.

Your very best bet at this point is to move the fish to an alternate tank and do hyposalinity. There are some very good articles on this and it will certainly help the situation quickly.

Keep in mind that ICH is usually the result of some type of stresser. The most common is temp changes in the tank. Most tangs..and saltwater fish in general, do best when you keep the temp swings in your tank to within 2 degrees...so if your highest temp of the day is 80 degrees, set your heater so as not to allow the temps to drop below 78.

Food, or lack of proper nutrition, can also be a stressor. Tangs are herbivores by nature and the bulk of their diet should be vegetarian. Be sure you're feeding a quality veggie in a clip (many of the "sushi" types have too much gelatin which is used to hold it together). When feeding, do feed a good quality herbivore frozen food. My favorite is Ocean Nutrition's Formula 2. Feed this to the tank first so your herbivores will fill up on that, then add your meaty foods. Although there is much controversy to this suggestion, I firmly believe in adding a drop of garlic to the food daily. You can buy supplements at your LFS or simply use a garlic press to squeeze a clove and make your own! This feeding regime will not only help keep ich at bay, it will also keep your tangs from developing HLLE. Good luck and let us know how you make out!