Achilles Tang - Ich or Something Else?

[EliMelly]

Thanks so much for your help as always. Are the new pictures helpful?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I started my tank quarantine but had an Ich break out so decided to do management instead. I just haven’t seen Ich for a long time but wanted to confirm it was nothing else!

That looks like ich to me. Achilles are so prone to it that management is tough to do with them.

 

[EliMelly]

Thanks so much for your help as always. Are the new pictures helpful?

That looks like ich to me. Achilles are so prone to it that management is tough to do with them.

thanks Jay I appreciate you as always

 

[EliMelly]

That looks like ich to me. Achilles are so prone to it that management is tough to do with them.

Any suggestions that you have seen work?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Any suggestions that you have seen work?

Nothing really works when a fish has an active ich disease in a tank with any invertebrates. Without invertebrates, you can use hyposalinity:

Hyposalinity

Hyposalinity Jay Hemdal 2024 This term refers to a long-term bath treatment for marine fishes in which the salt content of the water is lowered and held below the point that certain parasites can survive. The salt level reached, and the time of the treatment are the two variables...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[EliMelly]

Hello,

So the fish is still alive and eating a bit, I wanted to send pictures as he looks worse. Any thoughts on what is going on?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sorry - can't see anything in those pictures, too many spots in the tank to tell which are on the fish.

What treatment have you begun?

 

[EliMelly]

Sorry - can't see anything in those pictures, too many spots in the tank to tell which are on the fish.

What treatment have you begun?

I started doing management with UV, live food, healthy diet, polyp lab medic, as well as dosed prazi pro three days ago because he began to develop black spots as well

 

[EliMelly]

Sorry - can't see anything in those pictures, too many spots in the tank to tell which are on the fish.

What treatment have you begun?

The spots are either on the wall or on the fish. If you zoom in the fish the spots are there. My concern is that he’s also pale, had some black spots, and not eating as well.

 

[TheDuude]

Would it make any sense to just remove the tang to treat in copper? Or once reintroduced would infection just restart?

 

[EliMelly]

Would it make any sense to just remove the tang to treat in copper? Or once reintroduced would infection just restart?

I believe it would start again

 

[Jekyl]

Would it make any sense to just remove the tang to treat in copper? Or once reintroduced would infection just restart?

All fish would need to be removed and treated. During which the tank would need to be run fallow for around 46 days.

 

[EliMelly]

The spots are either on the wall or on the fish. If you zoom in the fish the spots are there. My concern is that he’s also pale, had some black spots, and not eating as well.

@Jay Hemdal any thoughts? He’s a bit pale

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

@Jay Hemdal any thoughts? He’s a bit pale

Sorry, without clear video and pictures, I’m reluctant to make any recommendations….even with clear pictures, the diagnostic process is difficult.

The Achilles has some external parasite - flukes and/or ich. All the fish would need to be treated with copper and prazi, or just hypo, but I realize that is a huge task.

Jay

 

[EliMelly]

Sorry, without clear video and pictures, I’m reluctant to make any recommendations….even with clear pictures, the diagnostic process is difficult.

The Achilles has some external parasite - flukes and/or ich. All the fish would need to be treated with copper and prazi, or just hypo, but I realize that is a huge task.

Jay

Can I do prazi in the tank? I have it at home I believe. I can also attempt to do hypo as I don’t have any corals yet in the new tank.

 

[EliMelly]

Can I do prazi in the tank? I have it at home I believe. I can also attempt to do hypo as I don’t have any corals yet in the new tank.

Or does prazi also require copper

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Can I do prazi in the tank? I have it at home I believe. I can also attempt to do hypo as I don’t have any corals yet in the new tank.

Because I can’t see well enough for a firm diagnosis, you would need to run copper AND prazi to rule out most diseases (not all though). Hyposalinity could be used, but it won’t treat for velvet (but I don’t think that is the issue here).

Here is a post about hyposalinity:

Hyposalinity

Hyposalinity Jay Hemdal 2024 This term refers to a long-term bath treatment for marine fishes in which the salt content of the water is lowered and held below the point that certain parasites can survive. The salt level reached, and the time of the treatment are the two variables...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[EliMelly]

Because I can’t see well enough for a firm diagnosis, you would need to run copper AND prazi to rule out most diseases (not all though). Hyposalinity could be used, but it won’t treat for velvet (but I don’t think that is the issue here).

Here is a post about hyposalinity:

Hyposalinity

Hyposalinity Jay Hemdal 2024 This term refers to a long-term bath treatment for marine fishes in which the salt content of the water is lowered and held below the point that certain parasites can survive. The salt level reached, and the time of the treatment are the two variables...

www.reef2reef.com

Is there an issue running copper directly in the tank?

 

[Jekyl]

Is there an issue running copper directly in the tank?

It will leech into your rocks. Makes dosing a little more difficult and will remain. Afterward will require products to remove it from the system. Also, copper is toxic to inverts so your CuC won't make it.

 

[EliMelly]

It will leech into your rocks. Makes dosing a little more difficult and will remain. Afterward will require products to remove it from the system. Also, copper is toxic to inverts so your CuC won't make it.

Got it, I will send more pictures today. Let me know what you think it is. I’ve been dosing prazi into the tank.