Please help sick hippo tang

[cyclone21]

Please help... my hippo and sailfin tangs have white spots.. how do I save/ treat them?? I have a 220 mixed reef and seems most of my fish are showing signs of this.

 

[fishguy242]

#fishmedic

 

[Sharkbait19]

This looks to be ich - to properly treat, all fish will need to be moved into qt and treated with copper, and the tank will have to remain fallow (fishless) for at least 60 days to starve out the remaining ich in the tank.
Unfortunately, there are no treatments that are both reef safe and effective against ich.

 

[cyclone21]

Thank you... it seemed to happen fast

 

[Sharkbait19]

Thank you... it seemed to happen fast

It can, it starts as only a few spots that are easy to miss before spreading to this point.
Best future prevention is quarantining all newcomers.

 

[Dom]

If it is Ich, then you could try going with hypo salinity. It worked for me.

But that looks like it could be Marine Velvet.

@vetteguy53081

 

[Tired]

Note that quarantining to prevent disease requires quarantining nearly everything wet, not just fish. Corals, shrimp, and the like can't directly host the disease and have it feed off of them, but some diseases can encyst onto hard non-fish surfaces and hitchhike into your tank that way.

 

[cyclone21]

Ok I really appreciate that

 

[Uncle99]

Shape and volume look ick ish to me.
Or at least the blue.

 

[CO2TLEY]

If it is Ich, then you could try going with hypo salinity. It worked for me.

But that looks like it could be Marine Velvet.

@vetteguy53081

I dont think you can do hypo in a mixed reef. Only fowlr right?

 

[Sharkbait19]

I dont think you can do hypo in a mixed reef. Only fowlr right?

Correct - any inverts would be killed during treatment.
It is possible to do hypo on the dt, but that would require moving all inverts into a qt for the fallow period length. If space is an issue for a fish qt, this is possible but would only be favorable if there aren’t many inverts.

 

[cyclone21]

I have 8 urchins and 2 bta's. Also bunch of turbos

 

[vetteguy53081]

It’s mucus cones and a skin irritation often affecting hepatus blue tangs and likely has ich mixed in with it
Treatment will be same for ich using coppersafe at 2.25 and add aeration
Additionally add aeration and monitor water quality as it will reduce skin irritation
Not always is this contagious but if any signs, treat the rest of fish also in quarantine
Hypo not ideal based on outbreak

 

[cyclone21]

Thank you... I need to get busy then.. no effective way to treat the DT?

 

[Sharkbait19]

Thank you... I need to get busy then.. no effective way to treat the DT?

Unfortunately, no.
The medications marketed as reef safe are typically administered at a dose too low to kill ich. If they were used at a strong enough dose, it would also harm inverts in the tank.

 

[cyclone21]

Lol...perfect...

 

[Dom]

I dont think you can do hypo in a mixed reef. Only fowlr right?

If it is Ich, you'd have to place it in a hospital tank and slowly reduce your salinity while in there.

 

[CO2TLEY]

If it is Ich, you'd have to place it in a hospital tank and slowly reduce your salinity while in there.

Just curious, whats the point of hypo in a hospital tank? When you can just dose copper at that point

 

[Dom]

Just curious, whats the point of hypo in a hospital tank? When you can just dose copper at that point

You could; there's more than one way to skin a cat.