New Aquarist (?) With possible Ick/Ich problem

[BobbySchulze]

Hi all, I started a saltwater tank about 4/5 months ago and recently got a young Hippo Tang who appears to be showing signs of ich from what i've heard. Constant scraping on rocks/offering to my cleaner shrimp, not so sure about the white coloration because I currently have an algae problem i'm looking for a UV filter for, so it's not super easy to tell. Can post pictures, however I am unable to run a quarantine tank. So assuming it is actually Ich, I have to decide whether to try and find someone to buy it into their quarentine, or hope it survives the Ich. Any input is appreciated.

Other information
85 gallon tank, living with 2 clowns, 2 sleeper gobis, a cleaner shrimp, BTA, and a damselfish.
I'll run water quality tests again in a bit but last I checked everything looked normal.

 

[BobbySchulze]

Oh I should have mentioned, I live kenmore square, Boston

 

[dz6t]

What other fish you have in there?

 

[BobbySchulze]

What other fish you have in there?

85 gallon tank, living with 2 clowns, 2 sleeper gobis, a cleaner shrimp, BTA, and a damselfish.

 

[dz6t]

I think the best thing to do for the tang is to feed it well and ride it out, keeping the stress level down is the best thing to beat ich, do not buy any ich treatments as they wont work, including garlic

 

[BobbySchulze]

Would treating the algae with getting the UV filter help reduce stress? Or is that purely asthetic?

 

[dz6t]

What type of algae?

 

[BobbySchulze]

I'm not really sure, the tank has turned a cloudy greenish tint, due to being in sunlight regularly. Is there a way to tell?

 

[JohnK]

I'm not really sure, the tank has turned a cloudy greenish tint, due to being in sunlight regularly. Is there a way to tell?

If it's the water itself that is green (and not growth on the glass giving the tank a greenish appearance), then it is a free floating algae bloom. That is really the only algae that UV will help with, so you are probably on the right track with that thought.

Regardless, it's very unlikely that the algae has anything to do with Ick in the tank. It might stress the fish a little, and in that sense could make them a little more susceptible, but it's definitely not a cause and effect thing.

As far as the fish and ick / parasites, it's all the fish that should be considered infected even if the others are not showing symptoms. That said, are you sure it's Ick? Do you see white spots that come and go? If you are just seeing scraping it could be another parasite. Are the fish breathing/gilling normally or does it seem labored? Have you lost any fish?

 

[BobbySchulze]

Have not lost anything, I'm mixed about the white spots on the tang, all other fish in the tank behave normally. I don't think there's any white spots, but again it's hard to see through the cloudyness. Like I can easily see the fish colors but without perfect clarity it's hard to make out. I don't think so though.

 

[JohnK]

Hmm,

If it is ick, fish often tolerate it pretty well and when fish are lost to ick it happens slowly. Add to that, you said a QT is not an option at this time.

Based on that ^, I would agree, try to keep stress low, feed well, and go from there (ie manage the ick, think harm reduction). I'd go ahead with the UV since UV is typically effective on the free floating algae and should clear it up fairly quickly. Once you clear up the algae you can better monitor the fish and have a better ongoing assessment of whatever illness is affecting them. Just be sure to size the UV properly with the flow that will be going through it, if the flow is too fast it will be ineffective.

 

[BobbySchulze]

Thank you very much! If indeed it turns out to be ick, should I consider finding someone to buy the tang at a portion of it's value, and let them try and nurse it? Or just ride the storm?

 

[JohnK]

Nope, once it's in the tank all the fish should be considered infected and removing the one showing symptoms is pretty pointless.

FWIW fish can survive with ick and plenty of aquarists opt to live with "managing" ick. Ick can be cured/eradicated but it requires using a proven treatment and keeping the display tank fishless for at least 8 weeks (unless it's a fish only system, in which case you could treat the whole system with copper). Lots of people report having lived for years with low level infections that rarely even show symptoms. For my own personal purposes I'm quite fanatical about keeping ick out of my system, but I'm in the minority not the majority there.

Also FWIW, just to throw this thought out there... It's been a very long time since I have kept one, but if I recall correctly hippo tangs will sometimes seem to rub on rocks even if there is nothing wrong. Also fish presenting themselves to cleaner fish/shrimp doesn't really mean much of anything since the cleaners are actually picking at dead skin and whatnot and actually do very little if any removal of parasites. In other words, there is at least a chance that your fish are perfectly healthy . But then again the spots can be easy to miss, particularly if you can't get a good look at the fish.

 

[BobbySchulze]

Sidenote: Some feather dusters I had just shed their heads at the same time.... I heard that was an indicator of a problem? Nitrates usually I think?

 

[JohnK]

Sidenote: Some feather dusters I had just shed their heads at the same time.... I heard that was an indicator of a problem? Nitrates usually I think?

It could be related to a water quality issue.

 

[BobbySchulze]

After doing some more research, it looks like it is an issue with phosphates I think. I'm missing the test kit for it, will test this weekend (I don't have any more phosphate test-stuff). If this is my problem, any suggestions for remedies?

 

[dz6t]

Do you run carbon?


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[delta]

I would get the tank on a more rigorous maintenance schedule and just keep the environment as stable as possible. Make sure the hippo tang has nori every day.

 

[JohnK]

After doing some more research, it looks like it is an issue with phosphates I think. I'm missing the test kit for it, will test this weekend (I don't have any more phosphate test-stuff). If this is my problem, any suggestions for remedies?

Phosphate will feed algae growth and inhibit coral growth, but it isn't the cause of a fish parasite. Moreover free floating algae/green water is different from most other types of nuisance algaes in that the best intervention is UV sterilization. Keeping nutrients, particularly phosphate, under control is a key part of regular husbandry but I don't think there is any specific cause and affect here.

So yes, definitely address any phosphate issue so you don't run into other issues down the road because of the phosphate, but don't expect that to cure the fish disease or the green water.