Is it ICK?

[madison]

Beth ~
Since the QT in set up for one reason and one reason only to treat the sick and to QT new fish...I am ok with it looking bare and not as pretty.
Also since I already have LR/LS and the hyposalinity might kill them anyways...should I use copper instead? or is it overkill if I used both methods at the same time?...I am just not confident in my abilities since I don't have a refractometer...the powder blue looks pretty much in pain...I am just looking for the fastest way to bring it relief...
Sorry for asking so many questions...

 

[beth]

Don't be sorry about too many questions. Its trying to have a sick fish, especially one so pretty. I would not use copper on a tang. They might develop HLLE down the line.
Go ahead and use the meter. Also test it against a glass hydrometer to see if you come up with the same results.

 

[madison]

Beth~
Thank you for understanding and caring...I started the hypo last night...leaving for a 4 day business trip later today...should I raise up the salinity before I go..or should I just leave it low?
I wish I can take Big Blue with me :-( don't think he will fit in the overhead...

 

[madison]

As I am packing for the trip right now...I did another 10% water change..
I started after the advise from Beth last night...from 9:00pm last night until this morning...I did a 10% distilled water change in the QT every 3 hours...4x's so far...
The Hypo started at 33.8 ppt - 1.025 gravity. Now it's 18 ppt - 1.013 gravity
The Powder Blue is pretty aggrevated due to the water changes every 3 hours...we both are tired, and the lack of sleep is driving us both to the zombie state...at least I can sleep on the plan today.
Beth~ should I go on my 4 day business trip and leave Blue at this water reading or should I drop it all the way down to 12 ppt - 1.008 gravity? maybe start to bring up the readings a little bit now?
Once again...I kneel before your great wisdom

 

[cayman isl]

Hi Madison, I'm not Beth but will chime in anyway...
If you haven't left yet see if you can get the water down to 14 ppt. That is suffiscient to start getting rid of the ich. You will want to leave it in that salinity for awhile so leaving him there during your trip won't cause a problem.
I'm assuming you have someone watching/feeding him while you are gone so if you do not want to try and lower the salinity in too much of a rush perhaps you could mix up some lower salinity water in a couple different increments and ask your fish sitter to do a couple gradual changes. (I realize that is not an easy task to ask non-fish people to do)
It is also not a problem to leave him in the 18 ppt water during your trip either, it's just at that salinity level the ich will still be present. Hopefully the ich isn't so advanced that he succumbs to it while your away.
Where in OC are you located?

 

[ioannis]

Hi
I had big problem with ich and I have lost many fish. Now I am using a quarantine tank where the salinity slowly go to 9 or 10 ppt>I know that is very low but all the ich died and the fish can survive. I tried with butterflies Foxface, Clean wrasse Occelarus, Mandarin.Some of them I have there for two month to be sure that will die every ich..I am sharing my experience and I hope to help you.

 

[beth]

The sg should be in the 1.009 range, not lower than that, and the salinity should be 14 ppt. Probably too late to respond since you woould be on your way already. Is someone minding the fish? Make sure that the water is adequately buffered [of course].

 

[wrassecal]

I just wanted to chime in with my powder blue tang (PBT) story. I learned the hard way that when they have ich it starts with bumps and not white spots. If anyone sees that on a PBT they need to start hypo treatment in q right away. By the time mine broke out with the white spots, it was too late for him and all but 2 of my other fish. I was at an lfs a few weeks ago and saw a PBT with bumps. I told them it had ich, they didn't believe me but, sure enough it broke out with the white spots and died. I don't buy fish at that particular lfs but, I feel sorry for the PBT and all the others.
I hope yours makes it.

 

[beth]

It would be nice to have a picture of that for the forum reference. What does the "bumps" look like that is different than other fish that have ich?

 

[wrassecal]

Beth, I went back through my pics and don't have one that shows it. They are literally just small bumps, a little larger than a pin head. They are underneath and don't affect the coloring at all. They are definately larger than the "white specks" of ich which is why I think I didn't suspect ich in the first place. Then it's as if the parasites break through the skin and the white spots begin to appear. Once this starts mine was covered within 24 hours. The activity of the fish went downhill immediately. Within a few days, all of my fish except 2 were covered. I lost my 3 lyretail anthias, lawnmower blenny, and even my naso tang.
Reading Madison's story and having experienced mine, and knowing PBT's propensity for ich, I'm wondering is it possible that they can harbor the parasite somehow?

 

[madison]

Thank you all for the response while I was gone...
GREAT NEWS!!! :cheer:
Big Blue is back to normal!!!!
When I left on Tuesday afternoon, the QT was at 12ppt - 1.008 SG....and that's how it stayed until Thursday.
Thursday afternoon the QT's water level was low, so my girlfriend added 2x's 16oz cups of water from my DT.
Today when I got home the QT was at 14ppt - 1.010
All the white tips and bumps are gone...not eating as well as he was in the DT...afterall, he went from a 180 to a 10 gallon Nano.
Within 45 mins of getting home...thanked my honey! Went to the LFS and got some Catalina Sea Water and did a 60% ater change and brought the water back up to 26 ppt - 1.019.
I will do another 25% change in the morning...and bring it up just a tad more.
I think I should keep Big Blue in the QT for another week or so, feed him some fresh Nori w/ garlic juice and some Cyclop-eeze paste rolled into the Nori...just got to baby him a little longer
***Remember back to the start of my this thread...my PBT has baby acne-ish bumps...not white, actually it all had the same coloration as the fish itself...that's why it didn't show in the earlier pics***

to all of you that took your time to help me out!!!

 

[wrassecal]

Madison - I hope you read this before you start raising the salinity. You have to keep it in hypo for 3 weeks to make sure the ich is gone.
"Once the fish have been asymptotic for three weeks, the salinity is then raised back to display tank levels over the course of a week. Fish can not tolerate rapid increases in salinity. Leave the fish in quarantine at display tank levels for another week."
You can lower salinity over 48 hours but, need to raise it over a weeks time after it's been in hypo for 3 weeks. Be sure and buffer if needed. Gosh, you've done great so far! I just don't want to see it happen again since he's responded so well.
Good luck!

 

[beth]

Madison, Wrassecal is right! Please read the ich post in the FAQ Thread and it will explain the absnse of ich at the moment. You also must not bring the salinity up so fast like that! That process should take about 5 days! You need to follow the hyposalinity procedure which is listed in the FAQ Thread.

 

[beth]

Deb, the bumps you are seeing could be and is likely the parasite beneth the skin and swelling resulting from the ich feeding on the fish's tissue. The white that is commonly the first visible symptom on the fish, actually is not the parasite, but a cystic covering that the parasite encases itself in for protection. Obviously, when the parasite first lands on the fish, it does not immediately have this cyst. However, any fish can have a reaction to the parasite, even if we don't yet see the ich. Sorta like a mosquito bite. Some people who are bitten will not show any sign of having been bitten, others will develop a bump at the bite site.

 

[madison]

ooops...I raised the salinity already.
So, I am gonna ask before I do anything else...should I drop it slowly again?
Boy, I feel so bad...it seems like I am doing everything wrong...poor fish :-(

 

[beth]

Madison, yes ask first. Lower it slowly again. Please read the post on hyposalinity which is posted in the FAQ Thread. It is very detailed and helpful.

 

[madison]

I failed...he is gone. I jumped the gun in raising the salinity too quickly...I did it over 30 hours...before I read Beth's reply.
The white patched over took the entire fish...stomach looked a little swollen and his face looked sucked in...didn't eat for the last 2 days...while I was gone on the trip.

to all of you that helped out and especially to you Beth.

 

[wrassecal]

Madison, I am so sorry to hear that. I just lost a little sailfin tang myself

 

[beth]

Yes, really sorry to hear that.

 

[madison]

Wrassecal, big hugs and kisses for your loss...and thank you all for your education....I am sure if I am brave enough to get another PBT...he will do better