Yellow tang can't get rid of ich

[Krazykarl]

Hey all I recently bought a juvenile yellow tang.... Been a part of my tank for approx 3 week but recently notices white spots in body and fins . Prob ich but ive done everything I've read... Cranked the heAt to 84 steady, but refuse to use chemical. I'd hate to lose this guy... He is eating and active just has white spots everywhere... Any help would be good.... just upgraded lights to 4 bulb t5 from pc so maybe that's causing the stress? Thks

 

[lewis844]

tangs are hard to keep ich off of I have had a yellow tang for about 8 months and I have not seen any ich on him because of my cleaner wrasse (RIP haha). Honestly you have to pick up one if you can find a store that will sell you one

Get a cleaner and you will get rid of the ich

 

[Cal_stir]

the best treatment is hyposalinity,ive used this treatment twice for fish i bought with ich, must be done in a hospital or quarantine tank. cleaners can't remove parasite from the gills or eyes or deep in the flesh. hyposalinity kills the ich, the ich cannot adjust to the pressure and explode. you slowly lower the salinity to 1.009, about 2 points per day,once at 1.009 you keep it there for 14 days, the life cycle of the ich. then raise the SG the same way, then observe for 7 more days to be sure. you need a refractometer to be accurate with your salinity, any lower than 1.009 can be dangerous to the fish, anything above 1.010 probably won't work,  water temp about 82 degrees.

 

[ricklalonde]

I agree with Cal... the best way to get rid of ich is with hyposalinity. Below is a site that can explain this method in further detail.

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23131-hyposalinity-treatment-process.html

*Note* This must be done in a separate tank (hospital tank). Hyposalinity should NEVER be used in a reef system, as it will kill corals and all types of delicate invertebrates.

If this treatment is not an option, I would recommend finding a cleaner wrasse. They really do a great job. If you plan on keeping more tangs purchasing one would be worth the investment.

Please let us know if you need more help. The majority of us have had to deal with ich before. There is a bunch or different options out there.

Very Important - Do not use any copper ich medication in you display tank. Copper meds will wreck your live rock.  

 

[Cal_stir]

Krazykarl
where do you live?
I'll be done with my 5 gal hospital tank tonight, I'd be willing to let you borrow it if you need one.
it has a light, a heater, a small filter.
Cal

 

[Krazykarl]

Wow thanks to all for the input. Really nice to see ppl out there that actually wanna help. I raised the temp of the tank to 84 and let it ride for a few days....all the white spots are gone....he is still swimming and eating without a problem. im sure the white spots are free floating in the water column or in the substrate however, i have a uv filter installed in my sump so hopefully those pesky buggers got zapped. If something comes up again, ill definitely be looking in to getting a cleaner wrasse, only concern however, is i read that if the tang is stressed (which i don't see signs of) the wrasse constantly harassing the poor tang will only cause more damage than good. But as of right now he looks great....ill keep everyone updated over the next few days....thanks again

 

[shayneh]

A word of caution I have read that a cleaner wrasse will eventually starve to death in an aquarium because there aren't enough fish to clean. They are known as obligatory feeders and derive all their nutrition from the parasites and mucous of fish and despite eating other foods in the aquarium they will eventually perish. In fact most conscientious livestock suppliers don't recommend them as they are difficult to keep regardless of experience level and because they serve such a vital role keeping the reefs clean and healthy. You can get more information by googling cleaner wrasse in the aquarium.....

Some alternatives although hit and miss.... cleaner shrimp have been known to take care of ich as well and most fish will head over to their cleaning station willingly and I have had cleaners that got their little claws right into the gills and mouth of my ailing fish. 

The best recommendation/option (in my opinion) is the Neon Goby. It is known to other fish as a cleaner and being a true cleaner goby it will eat ich and other parasites as well as dead tissue from tankmates. The good part is they are easy to keep and even successfully reproduce in captivity. They look quite similar to a cleaner wrasse as well so you get all the benefits of a cleaner wrasse without the guilt.

 

[fishit]

no cleaner wrasse will eat frozen food when the parasites are all gone but that's y they are hard to keep. it is hard to get 1 that will eat frozen when needed took me 3 tries but now have one that eats both for a year now. i think hypo salinity will just cause more stress on you poor tang i don't suggest this tangs always Kary ich so when they get stressed it will come back as long as you have a cleaner wrasse in there he will get rid of it

 

[shayneh]

fishit just think how many cleaner wrasses then needlessly die if say average mortality rate per tank in North America was only a 1 in 3 mortality rate (based on your success thus far). Why risk it when a neon goby is also a true cleaner but will also derive nutritional sustenance from whatever other foods you put in the tank.

Cleaner wrasses "Only" derive their nutrition from parasites and the mucous of other fish and are deemed almost impossible to keep alive long term (even for experts). Just because they are eating does not mean the fishes nutritional needs are being met. Not trying to harp on anyone but fish should live longer than a year or two. For example I have seen clownfish live for over 15years in captivity. Taking the time to research and make informed choices not only saves money it preserves our actual ocean reefs and if there isn't a market for livestock doomed to perish in our tanks than some of our less scrupulous fish stores will stop selling them.

Sorry to jump all over you fishit but that is crappy advice to give when a dying/dead cleaner wrasse in the tank creates all sorts of other potential problems. Google is a great tool to research your purchases and anyone that spends even 5 minutes reading about cleaner wrasses will have second thoughts.   

 

[spyd]

As long as your Tang continues to eat, it will fight off the ich problem on its own. Always a good idea to move it to a Quarantine tank though. Generally, the ich will be gone within 14 days.

 

[Seggsy]

+1 with spyd

I gave my hippo ich with hypersalinity - hydrometer said 1.023, fish store said it was 1.039 - he had had ich once before and the cleaner shrimp seemed to help.  However, the high salt also killed the cleaner shrimp this time.  It was pretty bad, but it ran it's course, and no recurrences in several months.

BTW - can we have an update?

 

[Kleko]

I would recomend a wrasse they will genraly keep ich off him becuase they eat parasites and things like that

 

[estwing]

cleaner wrasse, we try to have one in every tank

 

[shayneh]

I feel compelled to point out that people google "cleaner wrasse" and read up on the amount of places that sell them that do not recommend them, there are a multitude of sites that feel when they are removed from the wild they leave areas of the reef unserviced as they are known to service thousands of fish a day in their sections of the reef and their dietary needs are difficult to keep.

I would recommend cleaner shrimp or an aquacultured species like the ORA neon goby which looks the same as the cleaner wrasse but can also eat other prepared foods.

Much like wild caught Bangghi Cardinals are on the IUCN Red List of endangered species I urge folks to thoroughly research their purchases and support aquacultured/reef friendly choices.

http://www.tfhmagazine.com/saltwater-reef/feature-articles/cardinal-sin-the-plight-of-the-banggai-cardinalfish-pterapogon-kauderni-koumans-1933.htm

 

[estwing]

my personal cleaners eat like pigs they love frozen brine.  ;D

 

[pulpfiction1]

never had an issue with cleaner wrasse,got one that is easily 2yrs old and eats anything i toss in

 

[shayneh]

Just urging others to thoroughly research their purchases.....