Help save my fish!

[Ohlawd]

My hippo tang has come down with something. Someone said ick but I am thinking it is something else because I can see external bumps not just white spots. I have him in qt. Was treating with Paragaurd but he is getting worse. fortunately still eating. Please help! Black ick? Parasites?

Edit: I should mention I did give him a 5 minute freshwater bath prior to him going in QT.

 

[Ohlawd]

My hippo tang has come down with something. Someone said ick but I am thinking it is something else because I can see external bumps not just white spots. I have him in qt. Was treating with Paragaurd but he is getting worse. fortunately still eating. Please help! Black ick? Parasites?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Paraguard goes not do much.
Best bet is coppersafe administered for a full 30 days at 80.5 deg at therapeutic level 2.25-2.5 monitored by a reliable copper test kit and no api brand either
Monitor ammonia levels and add aeration via air stone

 

[Ohlawd]

Paraguard goes not do much.
Best bet is coppersafe administered for a full 30 days at 80.5 deg at therapeutic level 2.25-2.5 monitored by a reliable copper test kit and no api brand either
Monitor ammonia levels and add aeration via air stone

Do you think it's ick or is that just general cure all? As far as copper how slowly do I need to introduce it? I have a Hannah copper checker.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

My hippo tang has come down with something. Someone said ick but I am thinking it is something else because I can see external bumps not just white spots. I have him in qt. Was treating with Paragaurd but he is getting worse. fortunately still eating. Please help! Black ick? Parasites?

Edit: I should mention I did give him a 5 minute freshwater bath prior to him going in QT.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Your tang seems to have Cryptocaryon, marine ich. As @vetteguy53081 said, Paraguard isn't likely to help with this. Coppersafe at a full dose, using a good test kit to measure it would be the treatment I would use. It looks like the fish is in a quarantine tank already, so that help. If you don't go the copper route, you could could try hyposalinity, although copper works better.

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

Jay

 

[Ohlawd]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Your tang seems to have Cryptocaryon, marine ich. As @vetteguy53081 said, Paraguard isn't likely to help with this. Coppersafe at a full dose, using a good test kit to measure it would be the treatment I would use. It looks like the fish is in a quarantine tank already, so that help. If you don't go the copper route, you could could try hyposalinity, although copper works better.

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

Jay

Thanks yes he is in QT. I just did a 50% water change and am going to dose copper safe.

 

[foxt]

Take care to raise the copper levels over several days, not all at once. You can search for how to treat with coppersafe using the search function here. You will need a good test kit as well as the coppersafe.

 

[Ohlawd]

Take care to raise the copper levels over several days, not all at once. You can search for how to treat with coppersafe using the search function here. You will need a good test kit as well as the coppersafe.

Ok thank you I under dosed and will raise it up over the next few days. Hannah copper checker in hand.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ok thank you I under dosed and will raise it up over the next few days. Hannah copper checker in hand.

About 3 days will do it. Add 0.3mL/gallon every morning and evening for 3 days. This should get you to 1.8mL/gallon at the end for a concentration of 1.7ppm. Then one more 0.3 dose should get you there

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

T

Take care to raise the copper levels over several days, not all at once. You can search for how to treat with coppersafe using the search function here. You will need a good test kit as well as the coppersafe.

To clarify - raising copper slowly is a hold over from the old copper sulfate/citric acid products. These bound coppers do not need to be ramped up slowly, in fact, you can move fish right into a full dose. There is a huge risk in raising it too slowly - coppersafe takes up to three days to reverse the disease. If you take three days to get to a full dose, you are six days out and the fish will be very sick.
The key is to add copper in two half doses, testing in between to ensure the dose is accurate. This can be done in 12 hours.
Jay

 

[foxt]

T

To clarify - raising copper slowly is a hold over from the old copper sulfate/citric acid products. These bound coppers do not need to be ramped up slowly, in fact, you can move fish right into a full dose. There is a huge risk in raising it too slowly - coppersafe takes up to three days to reverse the disease. If you take three days to get to a full dose, you are six days out and the fish will be very sick.
The key is to add copper in two half doses, testing in between to ensure the dose is accurate. This can be done in 12 hours.
Jay

Thanks for clarifying!

 

[Ohlawd]

Thank you both for the advice. Wu is already looking much better. I would show you but he doesnt want to leave his coconut.

 

[Ohlawd]

About 3 days will do it. Add 0.3mL/gallon every morning and evening for 3 days. This should get you to 1.8mL/gallon at the end for a concentration of 1.7ppm. Then one more 0.3 dose should get you there

T

To clarify - raising copper slowly is a hold over from the old copper sulfate/citric acid products. These bound coppers do not need to be ramped up slowly, in fact, you can move fish right into a full dose. There is a huge risk in raising it too slowly - coppersafe takes up to three days to reverse the disease. If you take three days to get to a full dose, you are six days out and the fish will be very sick.
The key is to add copper in two half doses, testing in between to ensure the dose is accurate. This can be done in 12 hours.
Jay

Somehow I screwed up and my copper levels are at 2.9 is this emergency levels high?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Somehow I screwed up and my copper levels are at 2.9 is this emergency levels high?

Fish shouldn't be held at 2.9 for long. 2.5 is the full dose. Are you using a Hanna checker?

Mathematically, a 15% water change will reduce the copper level to 2.5

Jay

 

[Ohlawd]

Fish shouldn't be held at 2.9 for long. 2.5 is the full dose. Are you using a Hanna checker?

Mathematically, a 15% water change will reduce the copper level to 2.5

Jay

I am. Using the Hannah. That's why I'm baffled that I messed it up.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I am. Using the Hannah. That's why I'm baffled that I messed it up.

If you added all copper at once, you may have miscalculated your tank volume. If you added partial doses, testing in between, there may not have mixed enough.
Jay

 

[Ohlawd]

If you added all copper at once, you may have miscalculated your tank volume. If you added partial doses, testing in between, there may not have mixed enough.
Jay

I must not have given enough time to mix because I did like you said and did half doses.

 

[Ohlawd]

If you added all copper at once, you may have miscalculated your tank volume. If you added partial doses, testing in between, there may not have mixed enough.
Jay

I pulled slightly over 15% and got it to 2.25 and I think I will just keep it at that.

 

[bruno3047]

For future reference. The white spots you see show the parasites after they emerge from the inside of the fish. Before they show as white spots, as they are emerging, they will appear as bumps. The only reason you can see them as white spots is because they’ve already gorged on the fish’s flesh. As they are entering the fish you never see them because they are microscopic. Good luck.

 

[Ohlawd]

Here he is today. No visible ich but he's gonna stay in QT the full period.