White spots on Powder Tang

[Brooks Ross]

anyone know what this is? What to do?

 

[Brooks Ross]

Another

 

[ohiojeffsreef]

It is Ick. The whole tank is contaminated at this point, and it gets very involved to solve it. When the parasites get in the gills they will kill the fish. There are a few options to treat, but all involved in getting the fish into a QT tank. Another approach is to feed good foods and improve your water quality. In that approach you do not actually treat the parasite, and it may kill one or more of your fish. There is so much out there on this that I won't go into detail. You can read the various thoughts here and other places for yourself and decide. For me I chose long ago to QT all new fish and treat right off with copper. I lose some in QT, but better there than in my main system.

 

[Brooks Ross]

Any luck on ick treatment solution products?

 

[CarrieB]

Any luck on ick treatment solution products?

If there was a way to cure ich in a DT, everyone would be doing it. Your choices are 1) live with it (also known as ich management) or 2) put your fish in a QT tank and treat (TTM, hypo or some sort of copper product). And leave the tank fishless for 76 days.

 

[Brooks Ross]

Thanks for this .

Could you explain TTM and hypo?

 

[ngoodermuth]

Read this:
Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans)

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/Ich-(Cryptocaryon-irritans).191226/

 

[ngoodermuth]

Fwiw, ich management does not usually work out well for acanthurus tangs...especially the powder blue :/

 

[ohiojeffsreef]

I wish I had better prospects to share, but honestly, if you do not catch him and get him into copper I don't hold out much hope. hypo works, but he is too advanced to wait as you slowly lower the salinity. same with the transfer method. both take time. copper will act now and may save him. you have to test and keep the levels up. if you don't use correctly, copper will drive the parasite into the gills and kill him. get a test kit, and use copper correctly and it will save him.

 

[CarrieB]

Fortunately, you came to the right place to ask for advice. Good luck!

 

[melypr1985]

Unfortunately that looks more like velvet to me. It's awfully small to be ich. Velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatum)

Check that link. There are pictures in there and I want you to look at them and compare them to your powder blue. Also pay attention to the behavioral symptoms.... heavy breathing, flashing/scratching, swimming into the flow of a powerhead or return, hiding excessively.

 

[4FordFamily]

Fwiw, ich management does not usually work out well for acanthurus tangs...especially the powder blue :/

This is 100% true. Your fish is doomed without treatment of all the fish and the tank being run fallow 76 days, unfortunately.

You should act quickly, that looks like a really severe infestation. There's a great chance it's actually velvet, too. That's what it looks like to me..

 

[ohiojeffsreef]

how are you coping Brooks? is he still alive? if you need any help let me know.

 

[Brooks Ross]

Still Alive. He has it very bad in the morning and then after feeding (which I am doing a lot of high protein and he is eating a lot) it all clears up and he looks like new.

I think to am going to try Ruby Reef Kick ich as my ich management solution. I dot the think I'll be able to pay for a QT and go down that path...

 

[Brooks Ross]

ALso a new strange spot on his cheek

 

[Humblefish]

ALso a new strange spot on his cheek

Probably a secondary bacterial infection forming from where the parasites have been feeding/inflicting damage.

 

[melypr1985]

Probably a secondary bacterial infection forming from where the parasites have been feeding/inflicting damage.

+1

 

[ohiojeffsreef]

as long as he is eating you are in the fight. get some fortified foods like Rod's or LRS to keep his immune system up. A QT can be as simple as a 20gal, a foam filter and some PVC fittings for cover. Keep us updated. I would be interested in what your experience is with the ruby stuff. I also agree the spot is likely a secondary infection. That is quite common in tandem with the ick.

 

[Reef Ryder]

I don't think it's ich,, velvet maybe.

 

[4FordFamily]

as long as he is eating you are in the fight. get some fortified foods like Rod's or LRS to keep his immune system up. A QT can be as simple as a 20gal, a foam filter and some PVC fittings for cover. Keep us updated. I would be interested in what your experience is with the ruby stuff. I also agree the spot is likely a secondary infection. That is quite common in tandem with the ick.

Highly disagree with the first sentence, acanthurus tangs cannot be kept in ich management situations successfully.

I do agree that a qt is a simple solution.