Powder brown tang has ich! Help!

[SeaCilla1212]

Hello everyone. I have a 55gallon mixed reef. I have a foxface, blue tang, two clowns, and a powder brown. I had only the foxface. Then I added the clowns. Then a couple weeks later I added my blue tang and my powder brown tank at the same time. Everything was going fine no one was picking on anyone. The foxface just follows the powder brown around a lot but never bully's him or anything. I started to notice about two nights ago a few spots on the powder brown tang. So last night I started feeding them all mysis shrimp soaked in garlic. My levels are better than they have ever been for me. Does anyone know how I can get rid of this or why he got ich? He's eating very well and seems very happy he actually eats alllll day long. Is there anything else I can do to stop this before it gets out of control?

 

[dannyp02908]

Ok. First off, your bio load is quite heavy for that size tank and even more so being somewhat new. Adding 2 tangs at the same time is ill advised. Second, of the 5 fish you have, 3 are too big for a 55. The blue hippo gets easily to 12 inches in home aquaria. The powder brown gets 8-10 I believe and a foxface gets to 9. Realistically, I would probably get rid of those 3 fish.

Now, in regards to ich. The only sure fire way to get rid of it is to take the fish out and QT them. While they are out, treat them with meds. Leave your display empty of fish for at least 8 weeks. Reintroduce your fish.

Now, tangs are prone to ich. Some more than others. Powder browns and hippos are both very prone. A lot of times, it is brought on by stress. Under ideal circumstances, most fish can fight off ich. But, with them being in such a small tank, I would say they have a decent amount of stress. Tangs do t generally get along with each other as it is so I would bet there is some bullying going on without you noticing.

Sorry for the long post. Just figured I would give as much info as possible.

 

[SeaCilla1212]

Thank u I appreciate it. I know all those fish get big. But I was just gonna keep these fish until they get to big cuz they are so so so small right now. So when they get to large I'm gonna trade them in.

 

[SeaCilla1212]

Is there something I can do or add to my display tank like herbtana or something that will get rid of the ich?

 

[dannyp02908]

Nothing will get rid of the ich. The fish need to be treated prophylactically and the display needs to be fallow for the life cycle of the ich.

Regardless of the size, tangs are bullies. They may be fighting with each other over territory.

 

[SeaCilla1212]

Could I take out the powder brown and just treat him?

 

[CoralJunkie]

Once one fish has it then it's in your tank, the only way to rid it from your tank is by taking all the fish out for at least 8 weeks and treating them in a qt tank

 

[dannyp02908]

The problem is that the parasite is already in the water. Thats why a fallow tank is recommended. The parasite needs a host to complete its life cycle and start again. Without the host, the cycle ends. It's widely accepted that the cycle is around 8 weeks but I've heard some people say 12.

As long as your fish are healthy, it's not really a huge concern. They will fight it off. But as I said before, stress is a big factor. If the tangs are fighting or they are unhappy in the tank, they will be weaker and more succeptible.

For what it's worth, I have ich in my tank. Ive known about it for at least 2 years. I have never lost a fish to ich. I rarely even see it on my fish.

 

[SeaCilla1212]

Did u ever take them out and treat them or do u just try to maintain it and keep an eye on it?

 

[dannyp02908]

They have never been treated or hospitalized. I honestly don't even keep an eye on it. I feed my fish and go on my way.

 

[SeaCilla1212]

So have their spots gotten worse and spread on every fish or have they just stayed the same?

 

[higorc]

Like stated before, Ich is in your tank and the only reason why the other fish are not showing it is because they are either stronger or not as stressed as the Powder Brown. On another note, powder browns are very susceptible/sensitive to Ich (even more than most tangs).

You are at some serious cross roads here... Like Danny, I know I have Ich in my tank but haven't lost any fish to it in over 2 years. The key is to reduce stress for the fish, feed it a lot so it gains strength (though I don't think it would help if he is being bullied by something in your tank) or take all fish treat it and leave the tank fallow for 2 to 3 months.

I have done all of the above and the only think that has worked for me is managing the Ich. I have taken multiple approaches to doing it. Carefully selecting fish to create a stress free environment, a properly sized UV sterilizer and keeping the fish healthy.

Good luck, Ich sucks I know...


Higor

 

[higorc]

Did u ever take them out and treat them or do u just try to maintain it and keep an eye on it?

Are you running a Fish-only-tank or a tank with corals and inverts? If you have only fish in your tank, you can treat the whole tank with Hypo with out removing anything. Otherwise, you have to take the fish out and treat them separately.



Higor

 

[dannyp02908]

My fish rarely show spots. They are in an environment where they are not bullying each other and have room to move around. Honestly, if it were me, I would trade the powder brown in. They aren't the easiest tang to keep and having him with a hippo in that size tank is asking for trouble. These are not just my opinions. I know they are pretty fish. I love tangs of all sorts. But unfortunately, they don't usually get along unless they can get away from each other.

 

[dannyp02908]

She has some corals Higor

 

[dannyp02908]

Do you have a sump on that tank? Another thing that tangs require is a high level of dissolved oxygen.

 

[SeaCilla1212]

Thanx guys

 

[higorc]

She has some corals Higor

I see...

 

[phg1960]

Are you certain it is ich? Can you post a pic?

 

[JohnK]

As already said, assuming it is Ick stress is the major concern in this case. A lot of people have good luck "managing" / living with ick, but with multiple tangs and a rabbitfish in a 55 you can pretty much assume that all the fish are going to be in a perpetulal state of high stress. The tangs may be on the small side, but still, even one tang in a 55 is crowded. Multiple tangs together will cause each other significant territorial stress even if they seem to look fine. Multiple tangs in a minimal sized tank and your chances of managing ick are very low.