It happened....help!

[FishHead1]

I have a fish with ich! I added a 2" Purple Tang to my 180 lps/softie reef last weekend. I have a 4" Powder Blue Tang that is harassing him.
I didn't quarantine, but it was in the lfs reef system for three weeks.
I have a 12" Sohal, 4" Yellow Tang, 2" Regal/Hippo Tang, 4" Powder Blue Tang, two clowns, Mandarin and (I hate to say - cleaner wrasse), blue damsel and two cleaner ship. LPS, softies, 20 snails and 20 hermits.
All water parameters are perfect except my nitrates run around 15 to 20. I added a SouthDown sand bed about 1 1/2 months ago.
They've all thrived for almost two years. I should have left well enough alone!
I've had some "Reef Safe No-Ich" made by Fish-Vet, Inc. I got from Petwharehouse about 1 1/2 years ago.
I tossed in a dose, but I don't have much faith in this stuff.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[danmhippo]

Guys, I will leave this thread alone.........I feel I might offend fishHead by accident.....

 

[FishHead1]

Too many fish? I know the Sohal should go. In fact, I tried for about an hour last weekend.
You won't offend me - fire away!
I figured my parameters were stable and the Tangs all had a peaceful pecking order - so adding one more...
What are you thinking danmhippo?

 

[tazdevil]

Here's the problem: <blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>I didn't quarantine, but it was in the lfs reef system for three weeks.
<hr></blockquote>

and got the flaming done for jimmy to!
1: never trust a fish to your tank directly from the LFS, no matter what they say about quarintining. These fish are in tanks with others that are constantly added/removed. You may do OK for a while, but eventually, like russian roulette, the bullet is hit.
2: I think having this many of this species, even in this large tank, is too many. Tangs/surgeons are notorius for disliking each other. You really need to be careful about adding any to an already "stable" population.
3: Tangs/surgeons are also notorius for ich. Just taking the one from your LFS to your tank could've induced the ich.
4: Usually drugs made "reef safe" are, well, "ich safe" as well.
I do believe this would've been starters for jimmy.
Now for the possible solution (which I will get flamed for!)
You need to treat all fish, and BTW, leave the tank fish free for a period of time to ensure the ich has been depleted.
You need to get or setup a Q-Tank, now.
You need to grab your lower lip, pull it up and over your head, and repeat the following phrase: "I messed up" 500,000,000 times.
and by the way, GOOD LUCK!

 

[danmhippo]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by FishHead:
<strong>I should have left well enough alone!
</strong><hr></blockquote>

You said it yourself already!

Anyhow, what's done has already been done. So here goes. If I were you, I would leave the tangs alone. Let them settle out their pecking order. In a healthy system (as you stated), ick even developed, should go away soon as the new fish's immune system starts to kick in. I would suppose you had your current configuration for a while and everything was going fine.

Yes, I agree with you, some of your fish should go to a better home, and you probably knows which ones too, so I am not going to fire away now. I have a fully stocked 150G and you have 180. I do not believe the extra 30G will yield too much free spaces in a fully stocked reef. I already felt guilty to have 3 tangs in my tank (all under 3") and you have how many???

BTW, I would not use ANY medication in the reef regardless of what the package label claims.

If the purple tang does not rid itself of ich in 48 hours, you may have to give it a freshwater bath and give it a hospital tank for it to regain its immune system. That would also be the indication there are imbalances in your tank that you have to figure out on your own.

 

[nuff40]

Try using garlic with each feeding. Had an outbreak of ich and started unsing garlic and no more ich. The fish loved it after getting used to it, and refused any foods later that were not soaked in garlic. I used Nature's Resource garlic tablets, crushed one tablet, soaked the foods in the garlic and tank water for 20 minutes or so and fed three times a day.

good luck and let us know how it turns out...btw, i had a sailfin tang who fought off an attack within one day using garlic soaked foods. I also agree that you have too many tangs in the tank...but..........hehehe

david

 

[Mouse]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr> I also agree that you have too many tangs in the tank...but..........hehehe
<hr></blockquote>

Yea, laugh it up fuzz ball. Karma's going to get you and your little freind. hehehe

 

[FishHead1]

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to try to catch the Sohal again this weekend. My lfs said they'd give me $120 store credit.
What is this "Nature's Resource garlic tablets"? Is something from a health food store? Or lfs?
This morning I can't see any white spots on him, but I can't believe that "No-Ich" did it.
Thanks again!

 

[Ben1]

The white spots on your fish are the cysts of the fish. Once they fall off the lay in the sand or rocks to hatch into free swimming parasites, they then reattach to the host and start over and over multiplying each time. So just because you cant see the spots doesnt mean you cured the problem.

FWIW I cured a bad ick outbreak in my SPS reef using Ruby Reefs Kick Ich.

HTH Ben

 

[danmhippo]

Next time (knock on wood, twice), don't do anything, no kick ich whatever. If your tank is healthy otherwise, you will see the same thing. Even if ich restarts its cycle, as long as your fishes are healthy and immune system working, they will be able to ward off the ich without you even noticing.