My new powder blue scratching

[sfsalty]

hi everyone,
i got a powder blue tang about a 1 1/2 weeks ago. overall, he seems to be doing very well and is in a quarantine tank right now. the only thing that bothers me is that he scratches himself usually 2-3 scratches maybe a couple of times a day since day one. there are no outward signs (e.g., spots, fast breathing, etc.) other than the scratching. i know these fish are especially prone to ich, but there are no white spots at this point. any suggestions on how to proceed?

thanks.

[billsreef]

The scratching with that frequency is likely the early sign of an infection. Considering thier propensity for ich I would begin treating with either Hyposalinity or Copper, with hypo being my first choice.

[sfsalty]

that's what i figured. am doing hypo now. thanks.

larry

[Terry B]

I kind of agree with Bill, but gill flukes is another possibility. If a fish scratches occaionally but does not develop the white salt like spots it is often another type of parasite. Hyposalinity may help with gill flukes but it is not something that has been extensively studied. It does work great for ich. The best treatment for gill flukes is a series of formalin dips, one every other day for a total of three treatments.
HTH,
Terry B

[sfsalty]

i thought gill flukes may be another possibility as i went through this with my racoon just recently. how do powder blues react to formalin? i will go through the hypo as that has begun but figured i would ask the formalin question now.

thanks.

larry