Ich help!

[ajensen23]

I noticed my small blue hippo tang was scratching itself on the rocks today. I looked closer and saw some small white spots on it. I'm guessing its ich. He is in my biocube29 along with a small goby,2 clowns, and all my coral. Anything I can do to help him? Hes been in there probably a little over 6 months. Thanks!

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[Denali08]

Time to set up the hospital tank.


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[Otter_rs]

Is he eating? Can you catch him? Some garlic in his food may help some. Water perimeters? Is it time for a water change, if so, maybe you should do a bigger than normal water change.


Brent \><{{{{*>
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[knightnsd]

I like the cleaner shrimp if you can get one, the hippo will pull up to the shrimp for cleaning and parasite removal. I always try and keep one in my tank but sometimes they end up food

 

[Budman's Corals]

I noticed my small blue hippo tang was scratching itself on the rocks today. I looked closer and saw some small white spots on it. I'm guessing its ich. He is in my biocube29 along with a small goby,2 clowns, and all my coral. Anything I can do to help him? Hes been in there probably a little over 6 months. Thanks!

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been there done it,just got rid of mine on the hippo,well not really got rid cause its always in the tank unless the tank goes fish less for 2 months,I wouldn't catch him as long as hes eating, It would cause more stress on him then its worth.Soak food in selcon and just keep him eating..also cleaner shrimp or neon gobie/cleaner wrasse would help...Some people dont like using UV sterilizers but i ran mine for the 2 weeks he had it and now its gone,just make sure the flow thru it is slow...Good luck and keep him stressless and eating...

 

[ajensen23]

thanks for the advice guys! yes he is eating, and I do have a cleaner shrimp. I saw the tang get real close a couple times and acted like he wanted to be cleaned but the shrimp just moved away... this is the first time hes gotten near it. I also saw one of my clowns "bitting" (not hard) the side of him, he seemed to like it lol. I have seen the bottles of liquid ich remover, is that stuff worth trying?

 

[EpicWin]

Look up some of the archived forums on ich. Honestly this discussion is like a hamster wheel..... Just keeps coming back around.

 

[Budman's Corals]

thanks for the advice guys! yes he is eating, and I do have a cleaner shrimp. I saw the tang get real close a couple times and acted like he wanted to be cleaned but the shrimp just moved away... this is the first time hes gotten near it. I also saw one of my clowns "bitting" (not hard) the side of him, he seemed to like it lol. I have seen the bottles of liquid ich remover, is that stuff worth trying?

don't even try that stuff. Nothing like that works just takes time for the fish immune system to fight it off. It's sorts like a cold to us..

 

[ParkerB]

Hypo or a designated copper tank is "technically" the only way to get rid of ich.

GL ich is the plague


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[knightnsd]

Agreed all of the real cures for ich will destroy any coral and I have tried the natural stuff with no apparent improvement. I like the treated pellets, than I soften them with, I also soak flake food with garlic and use a cleaner shrimp. I notice on occassions it seems to come back on the hippo over the years I have had him but it is usally very mild. I think they just seems to catch it on occassion and like others above if they are healthy, they kick it perhaps with some treated pellets, garlic and shrimp asssisting.

 

[bct15]

I don't think a cleaner shrimp actually eats ich based on gut content examinations, but I'm sure it will not hurt to have one especially of you have more than one tang where fighting is inevitable (I have two cleaner shrimp that constantly annoy me when feeding coral). They keep wounds clean. The best way to battle ich is good feeding and a UV sterilizer, let the fish's natural immune system fight it off. Soaking food in some garlic might help it eat a little bit more than usual, but do not soak the food everyday as to much garlic can do some damage to.

Catching the fish and hospitalizing the fish will just stress it at this point, and when you put it back it will probably get ich again.

 

[ajensen23]

He seems to be doing better. I noticed my cleaner shrimp cleaning him a couple times a day, and he is eating like normal. I'm thinking he will fight it off!

 

[Budman's Corals]

He seems to be doing better. I noticed my cleaner shrimp cleaning him a couple times a day, and he is eating like normal. I'm thinking he will fight it off!

good to know.Keep eating and he will be fine

 

[mike007]

If the fish has a strong immune system and continues to eat i think everything you are doing might work out. If you have corals i would't add any medication to the as it will effect them. I have only had luck with copper in a seperate hospital tank.

 

[ajensen23]

Everything seemed to be going fine. Last week it looked like all the spots were going away, but I came home today to find something very wrong. The tangs right eye has a cloudy "bubble" over it with a large white spot in the center. He definitely can't see out of that eye... Is there anything that I can do to help him? It does look like there might be two very small spots forming on his left eye... He is still eating, but his eye doesnt look good at all. I tried getting a picture of it, but its hard to get a clear closeup.

 

[Budman's Corals]

Everything seemed to be going fine. Last week it looked like all the spots were going away, but I came home today to find something very wrong. The tangs right eye has a cloudy "bubble" over it with a large white spot in the center. He definitely can't see out of that eye... Is there anything that I can do to help him? It does look like there might be two very small spots forming on his left eye... He is still eating, but his eye doesnt look good at all. I tried getting a picture of it, but its hard to get a clear closeup.

Mine had the same thing, after spots disappeared on body ,went away on its own.could be ich or he could of scratched it...

 

[ajensen23]

Mine had the same thing, after spots disappeared on body ,went away on its own.could be ich or he could of scratched it...

Do you think that his eye could recover? Is there anything I can/should do to help/prevent other damage, or is it just a waiting and praying game as long as he is still eating?? I really hope it doesn't spread to his other eye!

 

[Budman's Corals]

Do you think that his eye could recover? Is there anything I can/should do to help/prevent other damage, or is it just a waiting and praying game as long as he is still eating?? I really hope it doesn't spread to his other eye!

I think it will recover,It went to both my Hippos eye,I just think its the ich and theres nothing he can do about it,I was thinking cleaner fish dont touch the eye, But i cant say for sure it will,give it time it will clear...I know its frustrating sitting and waiting and doing nothing but that's all you can do..

 

[vamaro]

I have had my fair share of ick outbreaks. The suggestions for garlic won't cure ick. I have also used UV and currently use ozone and I can say with confidence that they won't cure ick either. The only way that I have cured ick is with treatment. Some fish can beat it without treatment but it's a risk.

I have a FOWLR so I just treat my display with Cupramine. With a reef, it may be time to set up a QT tank. I use live rock and sand in my QT. Some say to run no sand or rock but it's too hard to control the ammonia in the in the QT. I always use Cupramine for Ick. I have run it at half strength with good results with copper sensitive fish.




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[larangcon]

How old is your tank, there is always ick in the tank, most mature tank rarely gets ick the bacteria process has already taken place. New tank especially with the urges of buying more fish and corals are unable to handle the biological process. An old saltwater reefer once told me to wait a whole year before I buy any fish or corals, but who can wait, I bought and bought more fish but I end up paying more and more because I could not wait... Let it be, if the tang is strong he will get by, if you try to remedy with chemicals it will only get worse. Been There, don't make the same mistake...