Hippo Sick?

[spmnarciso]

Just got a hippo tang, and he keeps rubbing across a piece of rock. Don't see any spots though. What's wrong with him? He eats fine and swimming fine. I don't have a QT. I always feed with garlic. Is there anything I can do if this is the start of ich? More garlic?

 

[leopard_babe]

Does he appear to be itchng?? My hippo threw herself at a rock, and the algea would come loose. Then she would eat the algea. Hippos are now to "play dead". What are the water parameters????

 

[usinkit]

If it is ick the best thing to do IMO is to get a qt and lower the salanity. If you do this in the main tank it will probly for sure kill off any inverts you have in their. The garlic may work though but I think qt him and lower the salanity is the best route. HTH

 

[spmnarciso]

My parameters are good. Water movement great, nitrates - 20, everything else perfect. I just notice a couple of white specks towards his face. And he seems to be itching himself on the rock. Should I take him out? Can I dilute some garlic in a baster and squirt it at him? If I take him out and do hypo, without a QT, can I just put him in a bucket with some tank water with low salinity? Or maybe a freshwater dip? If I do hypo, how long do i leave him in, and how low of salinity? Please help, I'd hate to get the others sick?

 

[spmnarciso]

My YTang keeps doing high speed laps around the tank. Is that normal?

 

[leopard_babe]

if he is not running into anything, then doing laps are fine. You could treat your hippo with greenex. I have used that. If it is ick, you have to treat the cause. What exactally is the salt. You should try to lower your nitrates a little. What are the tank mates?

 

[spmnarciso]

What do you mean "what is the salt"? I just added a fug. a couple of days ago, so my nitrates should be dropping. Doesn't greenex kill inverts and turn tank sealant blue?
I have a Y Tang, 2 perculas; 1 D&D butterfly, 2 hairy-red hermits, 2 camelback shrimp, 1 Arrow crab, 1 Emerald crab, 1 Brittle starfish, 2 blue-legged hermits, 1 scarlet hermit, 1 decorator Crab.

 

[usinkit]

If you set up a bucket to do a hypo you will need to set it up as if you were setting up a qt a filter. You would lower your salanity to 1.009 but do this in 2 to 4 day spand and I would hold it there for a good ten days and just monitor and if all seems ok raise the salanity back to normal taking 2 to 4 days and then let the fish stay in qt for 6 weeks to make sure the parasites did not live and the life cycle was stopped. The problem is if the hippo has ick theres a good chance that other fish will get it and you will have to take all of the fish out and let the tank sit with no fish in it for 6 weeks that way you are taking away what the ick parasite feeds off of and the parasites will die and not be able to reproduce. Using any chemical in your main tank IMO is not good specially copper. HTH

 

[spmnarciso]

I've been going nuts for the last couple hours. I rented a movie and can't even get into it. I've been reading all these articles on similar experiences and people mentioning that greenex doesn't work and hypo works for awhile to cure the fish, but they seem to get ich back after a couple of months. Then there are people who claim that they do nothing and let the fish fight it off, as water parameters must be at their best and that fish continuosly eat well. Also cleaner shrimp may help. I'd like to hear some other similar experiences and what you have done. My fish all eat well and parameters are good.
I just noticed that my D&D butterfly has very faint white spots on his fins. He eats constantly and no scratching.
I really want to hear what you all have to say. Please reply!!!

 

[scirdan]

Won't a cleaner shrimp help? Maybe you could get a few.

 

[jc74]

I recently bought a blue-spotted boxfish that was infected with ick. The ick spread so quickly that the other fish were itching like crazy within a couple days. Luckily I had few inverts without exoskeletons at the time so I was able to use Mardel Coppersafe to get rid of the disease. If you have few inverts aside from shrimp and crabs, which won't be harmed by the medication, I highly recommend trying Coppersafe. It works quickly and wipes the parasites out for good. I've had three major ick outbreaks over the past four years (two of which were caused by infected tangs) and it has always done the trick. I should have had a QT for new fish but have no place to put one.
Before treatment, I placed my live rock and snails in a 30 gallon container with heat and air and treated the main tank for 12 days. Everything is perfect now. I would have removed the fish but they are almost impossible to catch and I didn't want to stress them out any more than necessary. The last time I removed a fish for treatment it was never the same; it now hides at the sight of humans.
Good luck...I know how depressing ick can be.

 

[petem]

I know how discouraging this can be. I lost my BHTang and a Kole Tang. They both appeared to have Ich. They were both eating fine and swimming fine. Then they were dead the next day. The only symptoms I saw were white spots on them and also the Kole tang was sideswiping the rocks and scratching himself on the sand bed. Once dead, and then taken out, the spots were all gone. I didnt realize that the "white spots" drop off and then multiply. Now all I have left is a snowflake eel, yellow tang, and 5 damsels. I'll probably start hypo tonight.

 

[spmnarciso]

If I want to go the copper way in a seperate tank, which copper solution is best?

 

[razoreqx]

Originally posted by Leopard_babe
Does he appear to be itchng?? My hippo threw herself at a rock, and the algea would come loose. Then she would eat the algea. Hippos are now to "play dead". What are the water parameters????
Hey Leopard you're cute..
What field of nursing are you in? I started out in nursing back in the early 90's and switched careers to Engineering..
btw.. I was an ER nurse... Loved working in trauma.

 

[razoreqx]

OH and to stay on topic.. hehe.. *grin*..
My Triggers get into fights sometimes with each other and damage their mouth, fins and other parts.. When this happens I often see them scrap the bottom in an attempt to rub off the source or pain of the ouchie... When the damage heals on the fish.. the action of scrapping the bottom stops..

 

[spmnarciso]

Bump!
If I want to go the copper way in a seperate tank, which copper solution is best?
Has anyone ever tryed a crushed garlic attempt and succeeded?

 

[razoreqx]

Originally posted by spmnarciso
Bump!
If I want to go the copper way in a seperate tank, which copper solution is best?
Has anyone ever tryed a crushed garlic attempt and succeeded?
Are you sure he has ick? I wouldnt recommend doing anything unless you are sure something is wrong.

 

[spmnarciso]

I'm pretty sure. My butterfly had several white specks on his rear fin when I got him (thought is was part of his coloring) and now it seems like there are more. When I bought my hippo he had no spots and now 2 days later he has a couple and scratches constantly, while my butterfly does not scratch at all. I'm really hesitant on removing them to cure them, cause I've heard stories of fish never really being the same since.

 

[toughguy80]

spmnarciso copper is good but doing hypo IMO is the best way to kill the ich. I had a coral beauty that had a horrible case of ich, I really thought he was a goner. Put him in hypo and within 2 days all bumps were gone and within a week he looked and was acting great! If you have the spare tank and time to do it I strongly recommend it:yes: