Sick Blue Tang

[alexkr1985]

I got a healthy looking 5 inch blue tang 2 weeks, he started breaking out with icke, i did the garlic treatment, just as it was looking better it got worse, i put him in a quaranteen tank, and trating with icke plus, he doesnt want to eat, and is turning spotted white.??? IS THERE ANY HOPE? HELP?

[falesdk]

My father got two tiny little blue tangs, and within a few weeks they were both just absolutely covered in ick. with regular treatment and time in quarantine they got better. Just keep at it, they will probably get better eventually, don't give up!

[Joshua1023]

I assume you are talking about a Hippo tang or Regal tang as they are sometimes called. These fish along w/ most tangs are very susceptible to ich. Sometimes they will be the only fish in the tank w/ the malady. It seems to have a lot to do w/ the amount of stress imposed on the fish. You have it in quarantine. Thats the first best move, although this should always be done first no matter the fish being introduced. Moving the fish after it was just introduced into your tank may have made the situation worse, especially if you used a net to get it out.

All that aside now that it is in quarantine, do not rush getting it back to the general population. Make certain that the water quality in the qt tank is as good as possible. It will diminish quickly w/ such a large tang.

Add copper based medication to quickly resolve the ich issue and give the tang as much garlic soaked nori as it will eat several times daily.

Reduce the time the lights are on for several days as this should allow the fish to calm down and relax a bit.

I hope that it works out for you.

Josh

[wooden_reefer]

Classifing fish by their degree of resistance to ich makes little practical significance.

All fish of mine are treated to rid them of ich proactively. I never wait two weeks without somehow taking ich into consideration. Assume that they are all infested and will get bad if not so considered.

For fish that do not eat prepared food quickly, I postphone treatment against ich and use dilution with UV and diatom filter. For them I have to accilmate before treatment to eradicate ich.

I am trying to stay away from the trophy mentality of keeping very difficult species. I have slowly come to realise that there are so many beautiful species thet eat well quickly. The Copperbanded butterfly remains my weakness, however.

[alexkr1985]

I came home from work and he was floating upside down, looked really bad, in a panic attempt i pu hime back in the main tank.....most his color came back, and he is eating a little, (garlic soaked food)....and actually moving a litlle, though the cleaner shrimp are working on him.....????

[Victor1046]

I swear by the garlic and selcon soaked food along with a little help from the cleaner shrimp cured my tang!
Make sure he gets enough to eat!