Blue Hippo Tang got ich while I was at work!

[Daeron]

I'm pretty active in the husbandry of my tank, so I was real surprised to come home today to find ich on my hippo tang when none was there this morning. The only stressor that has been happening is the clowns getting a bit aggressive with each other (1 keeps jumping into my overflow box).

Current fish:
1 blue hippo tang
2 blue sapphire damsels
3 clowns
3 peppermint shrimp
1 purple long tentacled anemone
various hermits/snails

Hippo tang is eating very well (kind of a pig when it comes to mysis shrimp).

salinity: 1.024
pH: 8.2
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: <2

My question is should I QT the tang or all the fish? Can I just do the TTM or go completely fallow?

 

[domination2580]

Unfortunately Ich has multiple stages so your going to have to qt all fish with copper not cp since it will harm the blue hippo. And leave the display fallow for 72 days minimum. If I recall you can use formalin as well

 

[melypr1985]

My question is should I QT the tang or all the fish? Can I just do the TTM or go completely fallow?

Yes you should QT all your fish. You can run TTM provided you have big enough tanks for all the fish at each transfer. I would recommend TTM absolutely. You'll need a QT for them to stay in while the rest of the fallow period (76 days) plays out. My only question here is, are you sure this is only ick and not velvet? Sometimes they are hard to tell apart. How long have you had these fish? Any new wet additions including frags & inverts?

 

[4FordFamily]

Yes you should QT all your fish. You can run TTM provided you have big enough tanks for all the fish at each transfer. I would recommend TTM absolutely. You'll need a QT for them to stay in while the rest of the fallow period (76 days) plays out. My only question here is, are you sure this is only ick and not velvet? Sometimes they are hard to tell apart. How long have you had these fish? Any new wet additions including frags & inverts?

My questions exactly.

Based on the quickness that this developed could it be velvet? We don't know. Any other symptoms? Swimming in to powerheads? Hiding from light? Scratching?

 

[Deinonych]

Can you provide a picture of the affected fish? I agree with the comments above that velvet may be a potential cause. Also, what is the history of the fish in question, e.g. when was it acquired, was it quarantined (and how), what was the last "wet" thing added to the tank etc.

 

[TheHarold]

What size tank

 

[Daeron]

65g tank
Nothing new in the past 2 weeks (latest is the anemone that I can't get to stay in the hole in the sand)
No strange behavior that I can tell. Swimming around normally this morning with all the other fish (no aggressiveness out of the clowns).

 

[domination2580]

Idk 4ford and melypr it Kind looks like ich

 

[Humblefish]

I'm pretty sure that's ich. The dots are larger than velvet typically is and more spaced apart. But if you treated with copper or CP, you'd be covered both ways.

 

[4FordFamily]

I'm pretty sure that's ich. The dots are larger than velvet typically is and more spaced apart. But if you treated with copper or CP, you'd be covered both ways.

I agree that is ich

 

[Humblefish]

For comparison purposes, below is a Hippo Tang with ich:

 

[domination2580]

For comparison purposes, below is a Hippo Tang with ich:

I'd go with straight up copper because if I recall blue hippos can't tolerate cp.

 

[Humblefish]

I'd go with straight up copper because if I recall blue hippos can't tolerate cp.

Good catch

 

[Daeron]

I know it'll be a lot of work, but I think i'm going to do TTM with them. Can the anemone stay in the DT while it is fallow? Other thing I can't remember...does it need to stay dark the whole time or can it be lit while fallow?

 

[Humblefish]

I know it'll be a lot of work, but I think i'm going to do TTM with them. Can the anemone stay in the DT while it is fallow? Other thing I can't remember...does it need to stay dark the whole time or can it be lit while fallow?

All corals/inverts can remain in the DT for the 76 day fallow period. Run lights (and everything else) as normal. Toss some pellets in every few days to maintain bacteria levels and spot feed corals/inverts as needed.

 

[melypr1985]

i'm late here (was working) but I agree with ick and copper as treatment..... or TTM of course