dreaded ich!!

[ADAM537]

My blue hippo tang has ich... she has been in my tank for about 2 weeks and all of a sudden BAM ICH I have good water parameters and several other fish that include 2 clowns, 1 midas blennie, 1 spotted target goby, 1 blue damsel, 1 orchard dottyback, 3 green chromis, 1 wrasse, 2 fire shrimp, 1 coral banded shrimp, several hermit crabs and a few snails.

FYI- tank is 120 gallon

I set up a QT tank three days ago with water from the tank with a few pieces of live rock to help cycle the bio filter. I plan on taking out the live rock and adding meds. Should I only put the tang in the QT tank or all the fish and try to fallow the main tank of ich?

Tell me your thoughts... thanks.

[Loverotties]

The rock in your QT can't go back to the main tank after adding chemicals.

[Mr.Peanut]

Well, if your gonna try to cure it, you will have to treat all of the fish. Is that 10 fish you have? How big is the Q/T? Are you gonna use hypo or copper?

The best way to ensure the ich is gone from the display is the fallow method. I did it for 8 weeks. Maybe a little overkill but I wanted to be sure. I have read that the cycle can be anywhere from 7 to 72 days. Most people will say 6 weeks fallow is safe.

The shrimp, hermits and snails can stay in the tank while you leave it without fish.

Good Luck.

[ADAM537]

My QT tank is only a 10 gallon?!?
that would be 11 fish in one 10 gallon tank.
they are all really small fish but it would still be a tight fit?
what if i got a 20 gallon?

I was really hoping on treating just the tang in the QT tank for a few weeks and getting her back in the display tank nice and happy and fat? Is it worth trying?

[Loverotties]

[quote=ADAM537;1503991]My QT tank is only a 10 gallon?!?I don't know it's your tank.
that would be 11 fish in one 10 gallon tank.
they are all really small fish but it would still be a tight fit? To tight.
what if i got a 20 gallon? Better ,but still small.

I was really hoping on treating just the tang in the QT tank for a few weeks and getting her back in the display tank nice and happy and fat?I don't think she'll get fat that quick. Is it worth trying?Yes.[/quote]

[Newbie-Reefer]

I can relate to you on this. Out of nowhere my sailfin got ich. Coral banded shrimp is happy, and my cleaner goby too, but the sailfin is looking worse. He is to the point in only two days that I don't think he will make it either way.

[ADAM537]

So last night i removed the tang and put her in the QT tank all by herself. She has been laying on her side under a rock and not very active at all last night and this morning.

I couldn't catch her and I was getting really upset. She was inside of a rock and I just removed the entire rock with her in it and place it in the QT tank. Since I used the water from the tank I just made sure the temp was the same.

Tonight I plan on removing the rock and putting some PVC pieces in the tank for her.
i am going to add a mild med in the display tank and treat the tang with a copper med. i will keep everyone informed, I wish Gloria wouldn't have gotten sick.

[Mr.Peanut]

Originally Posted by ADAM537

So last night i removed the tang and put her in the QT tank all by herself. She has been laying on her side under a rock and not very active at all last night and this morning.

I couldn't catch her and I was getting really upset. She was inside of a rock and I just removed the entire rock with her in it and place it in the QT tank. Since I used the water from the tank I just made sure the temp was the same.

Tonight I plan on removing the rock and putting some PVC pieces in the tank for her.
i am going to add a mild med in the display tank and treat the tang with a copper med. i will keep everyone informed, I wish Gloria wouldn't have gotten sick.

Good luck. Keep us updated.

[Loverotties]

Hope all is well.

[Mr.Peanut]

After you cure the Tang, how will you be sure the display is ich free?

[ADAM537]

Originally Posted by Mr.Peanut

After you cure the Tang, how will you be sure the display is ich free?

i wont be sure but its a shot... i just dont have the energy to remove all the rock and catch all the fish. we'll see!!

all the other fish dont show signs.

[Mr.Peanut]

After I did my hypo and returned the fish to the display I was so nervous about another outbreak. Everyday I would stare at the fish looking for white spots. I am over a month now without any signs of ich. I really do hope you beat it.

[Newbie-Reefer]

My sailfin is doing better today. Looks as thought the cleaners might be helping. I think I am gonna treat the tank just as a precaution.

[Mr.Peanut]

Originally Posted by Newbie-Reefer

My sailfin is doing better today. Looks as thought the cleaners might be helping. I think I am gonna treat the tank just as a precaution.

You should. The sailfin is looking better because of the Ichs lifecycle. As the parasite matures it leaves the fish, falls to the floor and reproduces. More than likely if you do not treat the whole tank, you will see another outbreak in about a week.

[reefcrazy8587]

We had our purple tang for about 2 weeks when we had an ich outbreak as well...I left the fish in the tank and monitored it daily*more like every hour BUT instead of chemicals-I loaded the fish in garlic. We switched to garlic seaweed, and garlic flakes as well. We did more water changes *because of the increase in feeding the tang. I know this will not work for everyone, and had the fish started to "act" different, it would have been put into QT as well...it stayed active and is doing very well-many many months after the fact.