could this be causing ich?

[staylor21]

could my mix of fishes be causing my fish to stress out and create ich.....i have two false perculas, one porcupine puffer, one cowfish, two tangs, and a saddleback clown.....i also have two anemones and some hermit crabs and a spider crab....my two tangs, cowfish, puffer have ich and i would like to know if the mix of these fish are causing them to get ich.....if yes, then what fish should i be removing?

 

[gmann1139]

That sounds like a lot of fish for a 55 gallon.
The puffer is going to outgrow the tank severely. They get as big as your head.
Also, how big/what species are the tangs? They aren't going to be happy in a 4' tank for long.
As far as ich goes, here is Beth's thread on hyposalinity. You're going to want to read it, and prepare yourself for safely lowering the salinity on your tank.
Do you have a QT set up? Another DT?

 

[sepulatian]

First, ich is a parasite. It isn't created because of stress. If your fish have it then it was introduced. Read the link that gmann posted. There is information about ich and how to treat it.
Are all of these fish in a 55? If so then the cowfish, and tangs are not suitable for your sized tank. What kind of puffer is it? A toby would be fine, but not any of the species that grow large. Three clowns in a tank are almost never a good idea. The pair will kill of the third.