Blue Tang (is this ich?? treatment recommendation??)

[reefkeepingnoob]

New to saltwater, I have had my blue hippo tang in my tank with 2 baby clowns as well for about a month now. All seems well and they all eat well (diet is fish flakes and seaweed)

Just started noticing my tang constantly scratching itself against my rock, and maybe even white spots appearing. I am seeking any guidance from more experienced than me. I want to do what is best for my tank but not sure what to do next or if there is even anything wrong

(If something is wrong, how long do I have? And what are the effects??) Video provided

 

[vetteguy53081]

New to saltwater, I have had my blue hippo tang in my tank with 2 baby clowns as well for about a month now. All seems well and they all eat well (diet is fish flakes and seaweed)

Just started noticing my tang constantly scratching itself against my rock, and maybe even white spots appearing. I am seeking any guidance from more experienced than me. I want to do what is best for my tank but not sure what to do next or if there is even anything wrong

(If something is wrong, how long do I have? And what are the effects??) Video provided

Your video is blank and you will need more than 8 seconds ( at least 20 sec under white lighting )

 

[Jekyl]

Welcome to R2R! Along with white light photos and a short video, this post contains other things that may help out.

Some Helpful Hints When Posting or Responding to Threads in the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Section

Aquarium Fish Disease Problem Solving Determining the best course of action for a problem with your aquarium can be a difficult task. Even advanced aquarists will often need to seek the help of others for complicated or unique issues. Our intent here on Reef 2 Reef is to offer expert advice...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[adittam]

I agree with the others that we need some videos or at least pictures under white light.

That said, this is a great place to start reading about what you'll need to treat all of the fish in the tank, as it certainly sounds like it is sick with something, and if so, the clowns have been exposed now also (in your case, you can skip the 1-2 day observation period and start with copper treatment immediately):

Current Quarantine Protocol

2024 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed, proactive quarantine process can effectively eliminate these...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[reefkeepingnoob]

video!! idk why it isn't working before

 

[educatedreefer]

Video or not aside, if you see white spots and see the tang rub itself against the sand bed or rock, it'll take some time and visual evidence for us (Reef2Reef) members to properly identify, however the questions to be asked are:
what are your water paramters?
do you have corals or inverts or is it just two clowns and a blue hippo tang?
where did you acquire the fish from (if they have disease, it's best to avoid purchasing from the source to avoid infection exposure))?
do you have a separate tank or "hospital/quarantine" tank?

It's generally advised to quarantine fish in a separate tank before placing them directly into your main/display tank where you may have corals/inverts because you can dose medication in the quarantine tank without negatively exposing other sensitive organisms.
I suggest looking into taking the fish out and treating them in a separate tank, unless you don't have corals or inverts in the main tank, and begin dosing a low dose of Chelated Copper (follow instructions on the label EXACTLY) until you've reached a therapeutic level. This process is lengthy as, often the infective stage of the "white spot" either parasite/bacterial infection/virus is free-form in the water column which is how medicinal treatment works. The white spots you say may be the dormant/cyst form of the disease which is impervious to medicinal treatment.
DO BE CAUTIOUS: as scaless fish are sensitive to typical treatment methods so start slow and perform daily tests, remove any carbon, chemical, skimming filtration and have the water be highly-oxygenated with breaking water surface tension by simply pointing your powerhead towards the water surface.
What has worked for me in the past is Ruby Reef RALLY PRO and KICK-Ich together, or simply undergoing a full-copper treatment in a separate tank and running carbon and skimming after treatment to remove any excess or residual copper/medication.

There's tons of videos and advice online, but just try one treatment at a time, be patient, and try to avoid/learn from expensive mistakes

 

[adittam]

video!! idk why it isn't working before

The best way to post a video is by uploading it to youtube, and then posting the link to the video here.

 

[TokenReefer]

the video was there...saw it...now it's gone...

 

[MnFish1]

Actually - a picture is worth a thousand words. Having said that - white spots - with scratching/flashing - should be Crytpocaryon (Ich) - or oodinium. Flukes is also a possibility. Did you happen to quarantine the tang to begin with? IMHO - it's a parasite - either cryptocaryon - or velvet (less likely - based on what you've said) - or flukes. I would suggest you try to get a picture - and set up a hospital tank - into which can place all your fish if needed. The treatment will depend on more information from you. Best of luck