hippo tang and ich... ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[helitaiwan963]

Ok, this is getting crazy. So my tank has been empty for a month now due to my Hippo tang having ich. Now they were all in copper treatment while the tank sat empty... All the fish were reintroduced into the tank friday morning...

My dad tells me that today, there are white spots again on the hippo tang...

WTH! Is this a lost cause with the hippo tang? What else could it be? This is going to be the 3rd trip the hippo tang will be making to the QT... What am I doing wrong?


-Eric

 

[MMreef]

You need to keep him in QT longer,about 8 weeks.Also did you monitor that the copper was at the right levels all the time? If is to low it will not do its job.

 

[SkullV]

Fallow period is 8-10 weeks minimum. One month is not long enough. Looks like it's either time to start over with the QT/Fallow or just feed heavily with garlic/metro and hope things work out. I still think that getting that hippo out of your 75g is your best bet.

 

[FishBeard]

4 weeks minimum in QT AFTER you see no more spots on the fish.

If you see a spot during that 4 week period, you have to reset the clock once the spots are gone again.

This goes for EVERY FISH in QT, doesnt matter which fish has the spot, its a tankwide countdown.

 

[MMreef]

Also if you have ich in tank right now because Hippo is in it,you need to keep your tank fishless for 8 wks. to get rid of ich. Otherwise it will come back as soon as you introduce fish back.

 

[helitaiwan963]

You need to keep him in QT longer,about 8 weeks.Also did you monitor that the copper was at the right levels all the time? If is to low it will not do its job.

Really? ****... I thought it was 4 weeks... And yes, i bought a Cu test kit to keep the levels at the correct level.

Fallow period is 8-10 weeks minimum. One month is not long enough. Looks like it's either time to start over with the QT/Fallow or just feed heavily with garlic/metro and hope things work out. I still think that getting that hippo out of your 75g is your best bet.

Argh, Gonna have to try and catch the fish again then... I've been feeding spectrum thera A. I'm seriously considering getting rid of the hippo at this point. It's been in a QT almost since i got it... It's only spent maybe 2 weeks in the DT

4 weeks minimum in QT AFTER you see no more spots on the fish.

If you see a spot during that 4 week period, you have to reset the clock once the spots are gone again.

This goes for EVERY FISH in QT, doesnt matter which fish has the spot, its a tankwide countdown.

The spots will usually dissapear after 2 days or so in the QT. Guess that the fish are gonna have to go back into the QT then... I may try and sell the hippo tang after... I love the fish, one of my favorites.

 

[FishBeard]

You need to read up on the life cycle of crypto, the spots disappear after a few days because they are falling off the fish to begin a new life cycle. This is why you count down 4 weeks from the last time you see a spot. A new life cycle will start up well within 4 weeks if your treatment isnt working. I would suggest this time around you just go hypo rather than treat with copper. As the fish have been subjected to the copper already, going hypo will be easier on the fish and less stessful during treatment. Just make sure to be slow about raising the salinity after the 4 week countdown, bring it back up to reef levels over an additional 2 week period.

Nothing good in this hobby goes fast, everything bad about it does. Just be patient and don't lose your motivation. At least you are continuing to do the right thing instead of just throwing in the towel, it will all work itself out in the end.

 

[helitaiwan963]

You need to read up on the life cycle of crypto, the spots disappear after a few days because they are falling off the fish to begin a new life cycle. This is why you count down 4 weeks from the last time you see a spot. A new life cycle will start up well within 4 weeks if your treatment isnt working. I would suggest this time around you just go hypo rather than treat with copper. As the fish have been subjected to the copper already, going hypo will be easier on the fish and less stessful during treatment. Just make sure to be slow about raising the salinity after the 4 week countdown, bring it back up to reef levels over an additional 2 week period.

Nothing good in this hobby goes fast, everything bad about it does. Just be patient and don't lose your motivation. At least you are continuing to do the right thing instead of just throwing in the towel, it will all work itself out in the end.

Yea... i need to do some more research on the life cycle as well as how to properly do a hypo treatment. From what i've read, copper and hypo both work and figured copper would be the way to go since so many people have had success with it.

Just frustrated that one of my top favorite fish has been sitting in a QT longer than it's been in the DT. This hippo has some of the better coloring I've seen versus other of the same kind. The blue is extremely blue.

On a positive note, all my SPS are starting to take off

Thanks
Eric

 

[SkullV]

Yea... i need to do some more research on the life cycle as well as how to properly do a hypo treatment. From what i've read, copper and hypo both work and figured copper would be the way to go since so many people have had success with it.

Just frustrated that one of my top favorite fish has been sitting in a QT longer than it's been in the DT. This hippo has some of the better coloring I've seen versus other of the same kind. The blue is extremely blue.

On a positive note, all my SPS are starting to take off

Thanks
Eric

Never once had an issue with copper. The reason your hippo got the parasite back was not a QT issue, it was an issue with not leaving the display tank fallow for long enough.

 

[helitaiwan963]

Hmm... so would it be a better idea to just start soaking my food in garlic and hope for the best? or QT again?

 

[FishBeard]

You need to treat the problem, don't apply a bandaid. As long as there are fish in the tank, there will always be ich in the tank.

Empty display tank for 8+ weeks, fish in QT for 4+ weeks after no more signs of ich.

If ich is gone before the 8+ weeks, do NOT move the fish back to the display until that timer is up.

 

[SkullV]

Hmm... so would it be a better idea to just start soaking my food in garlic and hope for the best? or QT again?

If it was my tank I would remove all the fish again. Treat with copper for 4 weeks. Then leave the fish in the QT (but remove the copper) for an additional 6-8 weeks while the display tank goes fallow.

 

[helitaiwan963]

If it was my tank I would remove all the fish again. Treat with copper for 4 weeks. Then leave the fish in the QT (but remove the copper) for an additional 6-8 weeks while the display tank goes fallow.

Hmm... ok guys. Time to break out the 10" net again... I hope my dad has as good luck as I did last time removing all the fish...

Man, this stinks, hopefully this will be the last time...

So once i get the tank fallow for 8-10 weeks, the 4 week rule is applied to new fish added to the tank right? Keep that new fish in QT copper treatment for 4 weeks before i Introduce it to the DT?

PS: Since the mandrins are less prone to ich, should that fish also be removed or would it not matter? Or would it still be able to carry ich. I'm just worried about how i'm gonna feed the mandrin in a QT...

 

[SkullV]

Mandarins can still carry Ich. I used a series of Paraguard baths when I introduced my mandarin. I feel bad because it probably hated it, but now it's happy and healthy.

 

[helitaiwan963]

Mandarins can still carry Ich. I used a series of Paraguard baths when I introduced my mandarin. I feel bad because it probably hated it, but now it's happy and healthy.

Hmm... ok...

kinda OT, but what are you feeding your mandrin? is it taking prepared foods?

 

[SkullV]

No idea. It eats whatever it eats (pods). I have a decent sized refugium and stocked 1000 pods the day I got him. He has grown and is fat so I'm assuming he is eating enough. He does get active when I feed rods or NLS, but I have never seen him take either.

 

[EricTheRed]

Fallow period is 8-10 weeks minimum. One month is not long enough. Looks like it's either time to start over with the QT/Fallow or just feed heavily with garlic/metro and hope things work out. I still think that getting that hippo out of your 75g is your best bet.

This is THE most important part of ridding your system of ich. (Aside from not getting it in the first place by QT'ing ALL fish before you put them in your DT.) You must go fishless for 8-10 weeks, no exceptions. If 1 fish in the DT shows signs of ich you must assume that ALL the fish have it (and they probably do, you just can't see it in their gills, which is usually where ich likes to live.) Move all fish (those with and those without spots) to a quarantine tank and begin their cure. (NOTE: During the move DON'T do any freshwater dip unless the infection is REALLY bad -- hundreds of spots and/or the fish isn't eating because it's breathing so fast; and/or the fish flashes every minute. If you read up on the enemy you'll know that a fresh water dip NEVER cures fish of Marine Ich -- BUT it can help a little in extreme cases.)

After the treatment, hold the fish in the QT for no less than 4 more weeks in normal salt water (normal specific gravity and without any copper in it) to see if the fish are cured.

Good luck

 

[EricTheRed]

So once i get the tank fallow for 8-10 weeks, the 4 week rule is applied to new fish added to the tank right? Keep that new fish in QT copper treatment for 4 weeks before i Introduce it to the DT?

All new fish should be QT'd for 4 weeks. Not only does it give you a chance to look for disease, but it also allows the fish to become accoustomed to tank life and prepared foods in a low-stress environment. Some people treat ALL new fish with copper and some wait to see if disease develops before treating. I like to use Cupramine by Seachem because it is easier on fish than straight copper. It's a matter of personal preference. However, you should always treat tangs/surgeons because of their high propensity to catch ich. It's also a good idea to treat all wild-caught clowns for brooklynella with formalin. Another good thing to do is treat all fish for worms (%30 of all wild-caught fish have worms) using praziquantel.

 

[Steve1986]

Correct if I'm wrong but ich is present in all tanks , but ich will attack a fish when the fish is stressed out due to nitrates or ammonia. I've had a blue tang for about 3 years now and every once in while he will come down with ich , I do some water changes , feed him food soaked in garlic and it goes away on its own. I also have other fish in there and they are never affected .

 

[FishBeard]

Correct if I'm wrong but ich is present in all tanks , but ich will attack a fish when the fish is stressed out due to nitrates or ammonia. I've had a blue tang for about 3 years now and every once in while he will come down with ich , I do some water changes , feed him food soaked in garlic and it goes away on its own. I also have other fish in there and they are never affected .

This is wrong. Not all tanks have Ich. The reason your tang has bouts that come and go is that it builds an immunity to fight off the Ich parasite naturally. When you see those flare ups is when that natural defense has faded off. Nitrates and ammonia have nothing to do with Ich other than stressing a fish out making them more susceptible to the parasite. If your tank has had Ich, and has fish in it, the Ich never goes away, whether the fish show signs or not. Proper treatment of the fish and allowing the life cycle of the Ich to complete with no fish in the tank to start a new cycle can completely rid the tank of Ich.