Blue Tang Ich

lightningbolt

Reefing newb
Ok i have her in a QT with SG on about 1.010 - 1.015 and using MelaFix. I heard that MelaFix was supposed to get rid of "ich" and apparently its not :/ Also i heard that adding Heat + NaCl (Salt) helps killing the Ich, does anyone knows if this is correct? And can i use the salt method after giving a dose of MelaFix?

Waiting for answers.
 
Salt? I've never heard of using salt. And warming up the water a bit will not get rid of ich, but it is believed to speed up the life cycle. If you are going to try hyposalinity (lowering the SG), you have to be very specific about how low you go and how long you keep it there. 1.010 to 1.015 for a week or two won't work -- you need to quarantine and treat for at least a month, preferably two at a specific SG. As was pointed out in your build thread, the stress from keeping a tang in such a small tank, especially a hippo tang (which are on the more sickly end of the tang spectrum and need a lot of swimming space) often leads to outbreaks of ich. I hope you have plans to upgrade soon.
 
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my hippo tang is like 1/2" or 1" once she starts growing i'll trade it at the LFS. now i want to help her a bit, she was ok at the DT but suddeenly a French Angelfish show Ich and he died and then my Hippo show Ich and i want to cue her.
 
Yeah what I'm saying is even a small hippo tang will have the tendency to get stressed in a smaller tank. Hippo tangs even moreso than other tangs.

Did you remove all the fish in the tank and treat them all? Or just the tang? You know if you only treat one fish, it will get ich again as soon as you put it back in the tank with the other fish? Once you have ich in your tank, every fish has been exposed. And you have to treat every single one of them to get rid of it. If you are only treating the tang, it's pointless. It will get sick again as soon as you move it back in the tank.

And the angelfish probably got ich because your tank is too small for that fish too :( Ich is opportunistic. Most fish carry it all the time unless they have been specifically treated for it. They will only show signs of ich when stressed or unhealthy. Like when they are moved to a new tank, are put in a tank with poor water quality, are fighting with other fish, or are put in a tank that is too small to meet their needs. I suspect your ich problems probably stem from all of these reasons.
 
i have another tang, a Yellow one, which is bigger and has no signs of Ich and was introduced at the same time as the Hippo :/ thats why im just treating the hippo only. i have a friend that has 1 in a 48 g and he's alright, dnt know why she act like that in mine :/
 
Just because the fish is small doesn't mean that it's comfortable in that size tank. Tangs like to swim fast and for distance, it's in their nature...If they can't accomplish this no matter what size they are they'll stress, and when they live in a stress filled environment that's the beginning of the end.

You're never going to stop having problems with these types of fish in that small of a tank...They're just not compatible. Another member of this forum called it the equivalent of keeping a St. Bernard in a Closet. That's pretty accurate. You can keep spending good money on those fish, but they're not going to last long. You're trying to defeat genetics.
 
Yellow tangs aren't as sensitive as hippo tangs, even if the yellow tang is larger. Yellow tangs will usually be okay in a 55. Hippo tangs, not so much.

Since you are not treating all your fish, you quarantining and treating the hippo is pointless and futile. Even if you do get rid of the ich on the hippo, it will get ich again as soon as you put it back in the tank because all your other fish have it. They may not be showing signs, but they have it and will give it back to the hippo again.

I'm starting to feel like a broken record here...
 
Most LFS keep their fish tanks with copper running through them. Also, like I said, you have to treat using copper or hyposalinity for a month or two to cure her. That's not worth it if you're not going to keep the fish. Just take her back to the store and let them treat her there.
 
i wont take it there until i know, she could die on the way :/ gotta call or take a ride first ;) but thanks for the help! I hate being a noob on Aquariums XD
 
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