Beth -- Hellllppp !!

[keonia]

Hi Beth,
I have a hippo tang - about a week old and he's a 1 incher. I got him straight from the batch of tang's the LFS recieved. After checking out the pictures on your disease & treatment thread, I am convinced that my hippo has ich. When I called my lFS to check to see if their tangs had ich, it was a negative. I did not quarantine him like I should have, but the chances of him catching ich was from the stress that the damsel imposed on it. I removed the damsel the very next day --- 4 days passed and only now, I'm noticing the ich.
Now, I know I am not looking at any copper treatment and hyposalinity would be the method of choice. I have some corals in my tank and other inhabitants so I need to act quick because I don't want to contaminate my tank.
1. Should I be slowly aclimating hippo to the quarantine tank.. with the same salinity and tank water as my main tank?
1a when I do the hyposalinity -- am I going to place the hippo into the quarantine tank for a couple of weeks before returning back to the main tank?????
2. will this be causing more stress on the hippo -- acclimating it to the quarantine tank water...????

 

[beth]

I'm afraid the display is already contaminated. How many fish do you have? What size QT do you have?

 

[keonia]

I have a 37 gallon,
40 - 50 lbs LR
2 false percula
1 spotted mandarin goby
1 blue bugeon goby
2 star fishes
1 orange spotted goby
2 diamond gobies
Ps. I am getting a larger tank in 6 months
1.025 salinity
Temp: 80
PH: 8.1
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
Ammonia: .25
Tank is 6 months old -- switched from 29 to 37 about 2 weeks, same water, same LR
the other inhabitants don't look as if they have any ich or so
I've just added a bunch of zoo frags, toad stool frag - shrooms
Just got 130 pc lights -- will be hanging MH 175watts in couple of days
Protein skimmer
HOB filter
powerhead
1. I noticed some aptishia - growing on one of my coral frags
2. fishes in tank (clowns especially) don't have any signs of ich.
My Q tank is 10 gallons. I have an extra 30 gallon tank -- shall I throw 10 gallon water into 30 gallon (fill with RO/DI water) and use that as my QT?
even if the other inhabitants don't have any signs of ich?
are you saying that ich is in my main tank and I need to clean that out? as well as treat my fishes in another QT?
3. Have you heard of quinine sulfate powder? My lfs gave me some and have you had experience of this ? it's something like a powderish substance and I mix 1/4 th tsp and the lfs says it clears it up! Or should I do Hypo over 48 hours? to bring it down to 1.009?

 

[beth]

Please take a look at the FAQ Thread at the top of this forum and read the info there on ich and quarantine. Unfortuantely, there is no easy answer in your situation.

 

[keonia]

This information was gathered from another source and reinterpreted.
"WHAT IS ICH
ICH (C. irritans -Cryptocaryon irritans) is is a ciliate protozoanparasite found in sea water. Like all life forms, ICH have a number of stages inits life cycle.
Introduction Of ICH:
Stage 1 -Trophont:
Fish infected - ICH under fish skin and gills. It is said that the ICH -- parasite is in the process of feedinging on fishe's body - fluids - skin. ICH matures in to larger parasite.
Stage 2 - Tomont:
Mature parasites drops and infests the tank, then it is known to replicate on substrate and LR in tank. It then divides and replicates -- tank is infected. Divide internally into hundredsof single-celled parasites. In fact, one Tomont can hatch as many as onethousand theront
Stage 3 - Theront:
This is the Free-Swimming Microscopic Parasite Stage where theTHERONT seeks a suitable host and begins the process allover again.
The time that is takes from the time that the mature parasite detaches fromthe fish and the re-infection of fish is about 2 weeks at normal tanktemperatures. Thus, "Ich" may appear to clear up but then comes backeven stronger.
Importance:
In the Reef System the water flow will disperse the TOMONT throughout thesystem. TOMONTS may then encapsulate on any portion of the system,including glass and acrylic walls."
THese are in quotes and I have the source available.
IS THIS correct?
Now what can I do if my tank is infected????????????????????????? Help!!!
do I remove corals, anemone, frags? fishes into QT?
what do I do with LR? Live sand?

 

[keonia]

another important question:
I just returned from LFS, their tangs don't have any sign of ich 0 of 3 they still have at the store.
Does this mean that there is a very likely chance my hippo contracted ich from the stress after being in my tank? -- from the damsel..& new invironment?

 

[beth]

I can't say what is going on with the fish at the store. Likely they are using either copper or formaldehyde prophylactically [Which is why so many seemingly "perfectly fine" fish come home and bam, they get ich.].......... I don't know.
You're situation is very difficult because now you have to set up an emergency QT. You can't remove corals, because corals need your lighting that you have in your display.
You may consider setting up a Rubbermaid QT using water from your display initially. Add a few cups of sand from your display, and perhaps even some LR which you are willing to sacrifice to the hyposaliniy process. I have set up 30 gal Rubbermaid temporary QT for fish this way, with no cycle problem. I used several small PHs to keep excellent water circulation throughout the Rubbermaid with LR rubble and a bit of LS.
As you proceed with doing the hypo, you can return your salt water to the display. You will need to pay close attention to the pH during the hypo process, as FW is neutral; so, the more diluted your water becomes from hypo, the more your pH will drop. You have to keep that pH at exactly what your fish are used to.
Please read the FAQ Thread here carefully.

 

[keonia]

Hippo is in a separate QT, had some Initial PH problems got it cleared. Did a fresh water dip and placed Hippo back into QT tank. Placed an airstone in tank, replaced HOBack filter with fresh Ammonia remover, will be starting hypo reduction ...
BUT
I dont have a glass refractometer!!!

well I am going to keep my fingers crossed and keep extra PH buffers near by just in case, but now I am planning on slowly bringing down salinity within next 48 hours goal
1.026 ---- to ---- 1.009 slowly, monitoring PH & salinity the best I can. Will have to go to pet store to get PH up buffers.
:happyfish
Hippo looks tired but appears to be recouperating!!
THanks for your help Beth and your info on top is awesome.

 

[keonia]

Beth,
Its been a week and Hippo is in QT, salinity brought down and 2 FW dips (10 seconds) Well, He's laying on the bridge taking it easy. It doesn't look so happy (as he was in main tank) but he looks okay.
Do I need to keep him in there for 6 weeks?
I have a hang on back filter, heater (set on 80), and airstone. Should I change filter pad?
He's currently in there with a bristole worm (it eats up all the extra food!)
The main tank inhabitants don't look like they caught any ich -- keep my fingers crossed!
but if I keep him in the QT how do I make him more happy? should I place LR (one that I can dedicate and leave in tank)
Keonia

 

[carshark]

you probably would want to move all fish out of your main display, the point of leaving the fish in your QT for 6 weeks, is a.) it removes the ich from the fish, and leaving your main fishless for 6 weeks kills the ick, without a host it cannot survive..
ps you should really be using a refractometer...

 

[keonia]

Thanks carshark, but I am monitoring the tank very closely and so far, not one got infested Keeping my fingers crossed x 2
If I see just 1 spot on them, I will move them. I just have lots of sand dwellers
Diamond gobies, spotted gobies, blue bugeon goby and I would have to tear my whole tank down. I have a back up plan 2 tanks cycled and ready to go.
The hippo just doens look happy in QT (I guess I wouldn't be either) It seems more VERY laid back.

 

[carshark]

Originally Posted by keonia
Thanks carshark, but I am monitoring the tank very closely and so far, not one got infested Keeping my fingers crossed x 2
If I see just 1 spot on them, I will move them. I just have lots of sand dwellers
Diamond gobies, spotted gobies, blue bugeon goby and I would have to tear my whole tank down. I have a back up plan 2 tanks cycled and ready to go.
The hippo just doens look happy in QT (I guess I wouldn't be either) It seems more VERY laid back.

well sounds like you have a plan, and covered. but still it remains, the ich can not survive without a host, hopefully you didnt go through a reproductive stage, and you should be ok..