powder blue tang and the final dip

Well,
I bought a 3 inch powder blue tang yesterday, and he took the big current to the sky this morning.

That was alot of money wasted that I should not have spent anyways.

I should have bought it from and I would have had a guarantee and most likely a better/healthier fish.

I even hand-picked this fish from one of the LFS and got one I thought did not have ick, but as I got it home I discovered it did, just not as bad as the other ones they had!

So I thought that maybe my cleaner goby might actually clean him, of course he did not. This morning when he came out swimming he was acting very "social" and normal, but the ick had spread alot! He was coated with it and after only a few hours of having the light on, he eventually set in one corner of the tank and would not move, he would just breath very heavily. His behaviour had drastically changed in a matter of two hours or less. During acclimation I dripped acclimated him for about an hour and a half. I would have went longer, but the store was less than thirty minutes from my house and I did not think I should go for the full two to three hours because he had not traveled that far. I also left the lights off the rest of the day and night to let him rest and acclimate properly. I though I played it pretty safe, but maybe not?
He did not even move much when I netted him and placed him in a fresh water dip. I balance the ph, temp and all that good stuff of course and added alittle stresscoat in the bucket to replace any slime he might lose or had lost, but somewhere between two and three minute he must have died. I saw him slightly flip back and forth alittle on two occasions and I was hopeful that the marine ick (******) was bursting off of him and he could breath again, but no, he was just dying I am afraid.

I just wanted to caution those new to the hobby and the fresh water dip method of treatment. I only tried it b/c the fish's health was rapidly declining and I felt it was a last "ditch effort". From what my friends and I gather, freshwater dips are very risky even when done properly and I would not do another unless I had to. Some speak as though it is a miracle cure, don't buy into it. Some have good luck is all I can gather, but with a $80 fish it is a big rish factor.
I was wondering...has anyone ever successfully gotten rid of ick on a sensitive fish such as a powder blue tang and "saved" the fish. I really want another one, but with the price of this fish I am very cautious about spending the money, if I do get another one, it will certainly be from SWF.com to get the 15 day guarantee and some piece of mind from the purchase!
 

srfisher17

Active Member
Ich is very easy to cure; in QT. I'd strongly suggest you read this thread before you buy another fish. A good understanding of the ich life-cycle is vital to success in the hobby. Never buy a fish from a tank (or, IMO, a dealer) if there is any sign of parasites. If one fish has ich, so will every fish in the tank and if the dealer uses a central system, every fish in the store. BTW, ich will seldom kill a fish overnight, stress will. This same thread has good info on Qt and acclimation. For less than the price of another decent fish, you can get a QT, try Craig's List. It will pay for itself several times over.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=127007
 
Thanks for the info, believe it or not I have cured a couple of fish of ick recently by use of hyposalinity. I am aware of the life cycle of ick also, but I greatly appreciate your link too and I realize how ignorant my first post reads. I also surprisingly have a QT, but it was too small for the tang, so I need to upgrade I think.
I agree totally that stress was the main killer I think, I know he was "dusted" very good too though, but for some reason it must have not been as visible in the store which is puzzling me. I did not see a spot on him! I think he was worse off than I thought at first and maybe his pale blue sort of masked the spots. He went straight behind some live rocks after introduction and I never saw him till this morning so he must have had it all over him last night and I never got the chance to see it. I sure do like the look of the powder blue, but I can't afford this to happen again.
I have since read ALOT more about powder blue tangs.
I hate to say it but the stories do not look very promising.

Most sources that I read state that they are nearly impossible to keep alive for over a couple of weeks. While I do not whole heartedly believe that, I do know that most consider them a very delicate species of fish. I have no experience with a powder blue or a powder brown tang, which I might get instead if it is truly more hardy. lists the brown as moderate care level and the blue as difficult, other than color they appear to be virtually the same fish, what gives?! If the same, I will get a standard Naso tang most likely, as I like the bluish color of them as well. Thanks for the help!
 

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by Saltandpepper
http:///forum/post/2947758
Thanks for the info, believe it or not I have cured a couple of fish of ick recently by use of hyposalinity. I am aware of the life cycle of ick also, but I greatly appreciate your link too and I realize how ignorant my first post reads. I also surprisingly have a QT, but it was too small for the tang, so I need to upgrade I think.
I agree totally that stress was the main killer I think, I know he was "dusted" very good too though, but for some reason it must have not been as visible in the store which is puzzling me. I did not see a spot on him! I think he was worse off than I thought at first and maybe his pale blue sort of masked the spots. He went straight behind some live rocks after introduction and I never saw him till this morning so he must have had it all over him last night and I never got the chance to see it. I sure do like the look of the powder blue, but I can't afford this to happen again.
I have since read ALOT more about powder blue tangs.
I hate to say it but the stories do not look very promising.

Most sources that I read state that they are nearly impossible to keep alive for over a couple of weeks. While I do not whole heartedly believe that, I do know that most consider them a very delicate species of fish. I have no experience with a powder blue or a powder brown tang, which I might get instead if it is truly more hardy. www.swf.com lists the brown as moderate care level and the blue as difficult, other than color they appear to be virtually the same fish, what gives?! If the same, I will get a standard Naso tang most likely, as I like the bluish color of them as well. Thanks for the help!

Very well put. IMO & IME, PBs can be difficult to acclimate; but once settled in, are hardy fish. They demand plenty of room, variety in the diet (With vitamins) and especially pristine water. If possible, I'd make a PB the last fish; after the tank has been proven to be healthy. PBs can also be much more aggressive than expected, another reason to introduce them last. PBs really demonstrate the need to QT and your experience is one of the many reasons I have bought all my fish online for years.
 
Thank you very much Mr. tuskfish. I agree that with these final fish selections I will order online too!
I am now leaning more towards a standard naso tang (not a blonde or unicorn) since I have been told they are very peaceful and pretty hardy. I think the look is close enough to satisfy me for the time being till I get the tank more matured and stocked. I am only adding two more fish and then I will wait for three to five years till I can up grade to a 180 or 200 gallon and then maybe get the PBT. Thanks for the advice and I will let it go for now and resist my temptation.
 

marcb

Member
For what its worth, I chose a powder brown over the blue for just the reasons you are discussing. The brown has been a great addition to my tank, and has been quite strong and healthy for a while now.
 
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