[luciafam]

(this is a duplicate to a response on another thread) I am thinking that my Hippo Tang may now have Ich. It was fine for the first few weeks we had it, but when we added the second batch of new fish....a pair of black and white cardinals and a yellow long nose butterfly, I noticed 3 tiny white dots on the darker portion of the tang. Could this be ich? The tang was really nervous around us and was just coming out more when we got the new fish. The tang is eating good and swimming around a lot now, but I am worried. I do not have a quarantine tank set up yet. If I were to do that, do I need to take water from my current tank? What size is good for a hospital tank? Is there anyway to treat the ich while the fish is still in the main tank? I don't want to loose the tang, so would appreciate help in this area. I am new to this hobby so am still trying to figure everything out. Also, is the ich contagious to the other fish? I have heard that it is from stress like others have mentioned and is always around, but it's the fish's lower immune system that can bring it on. I think maybe our tang got stressed out by the new arrivals. Is there a chance the ich will go away on it's own? One last question, if we were to treat it in a hospital tank, what medicine is the best. And the garlic.....is that something that you add as a regular part of the diet? How often?

[RyanG]

Hippos are known to get Ich sadly.

If I were to do that, do I need to take water from my current tank?
yes you can this is fine.

What size is good for a hospital tank?
it depends, how big is the fish? I had a small clownfish that got ich when I first bought it, and he was fine for a few weeks in a 2.5 gallon tank. But again he was small.

Is there anyway to treat the ich while the fish is still in the main tank?
No

is the ich contagious to the other fish?
ich is in all fish, so yes they can get ich too, it will spread fast if you don't take action now

Is there a chance the ich will go away on it's own?
No, it will only get worse!

One last question, if we were to treat it in a hospital tank, what medicine is the best.
coper gets rid of it the fastest

And the garlic.....is that something that you add as a regular part of the diet? How often?
Yes, I feed at least three times a week.

[luciafam]

I am not sure if I am seeing things or if there really is a problem. I see what appears to be a pin point size white dot on the dark area of the tang. There is one on one side and two on the other. Is this what ick looks like starting out? If I can, I will try and get a picture of it. If I do get a picture, how do I add a picture on this website?

Bev

[RyanG]

sounds like ich, go to the photo gallery and upload the photo, then click on the Image button and then paste the address, or just private message me and I will help you. (its super easy when you figure it out the first time)

[luciafam]

Thanks. I will try that. When I checked on it just a bit ago, I could not see the dots anymore. Do they come and go as the illness progresses? What other signs besides the white spots would you see? Do they stop eating, become less active? So far she is eating well and has become more active and is even hanging out in the open again for longer periods. What about this product I have heard of called "Stop Parasite". It says you can treat a tank and not quarantine. Have you heard of this product and if so, what do you think? On the website, it says to use it in the bag you transport your fish home in, in the acclimation bucket and then to add some to the tank....all to prevent an outbreak. Just wondered if it was all fluff, or really worked to prevent problems. I will still try and get that picture. I have a good one of her last night, but that was before I saw the dots today.

Bev

[luciafam]

Hi,

I have tried to upload photos both to tank photos and fish photos. Everything seems to be working right....it shows it uploading and then says it was successful, but then I can't find them anywhere. How do I email directly to you?

Bev

[RyanG]

ryan.gripp@reef-builders.com

Sorry Bev, I just now saw your post. (my fault)

[Olliereefer]

Another good cure to marine ich(whitespot)is not to stress the fish out by moving it to different tanks ,Keep your water conditions spot on and the main one is to keep your hands out the tank!
You will find that tangs usually bounch back after a week or two if the above is done.
If you have just added the tang it's almost guaranteed that it will have a case of whitspot and will from time to time for no apparent reason.
Good luck
Ollie

[marineimports]

i treat ich all the time in my main system as long as you dont have any invert there ,you can and i have over 5000 fish a week in my warehouse and we never get ich because i use aqua cure as soon as they come in,and i supply my customers with the product ,it has been a secret for 30 years but i bought the business from my uncle and i am going to make it public very soon,this is the product that they tried to copy for years

[baycity20]

The best way to treat ick is to turn of your aquarium lights , turn on your heater to 85o Put in some ick treatment Copper Safe works very well and if possible get the infected fish into a hospital tank so you dont kill you fish by doing these steps.