powder blue tang

[thejeweler]

I have a powder blue tang for three weeks. Yesterday he started to show signs of ick on his fins. He was qt for 3 weeks at the pet store. He is eatting good [veggie on a clip]Im using galic extreme on there food. I have a 265 reef for 4years water quality is all good.Any advice out there for me.

 

[puffer32]

Same thing happened to my PB. My QT was to small and he was in QT at the lfs so i put him right in my 150 DT when I got him. Afew weeks later he got ich and died. You can try hypo if you have a QT tank, by the time I put mine in and started hypo it was to late, hope you have better luck. Mine ate well, i used garlic and vitamins in all his food, but to no avail, as soon as I QT him he stopped eating, died before salinty was low enough to help him, not sure if it was stress from chasing him and then putting him in to small a tank, I don't think it was the ich that killed him though. Good luck.

 

[hdspringer]

I would bye some cleaner, blood shrimp. I had ick on a gobie and a seabae. Cleaner shrimp took care of both of them. I've also heard to let your temp up to about 82, this will spead up the cycle of the ICK. Also this site has some GREAT info on the Disease and Treatment forum.

 

[sebae09]

be carefull with the 82 degrees it will lower your tanks carrying compacity.

 

[murph]

If the LFS had the fish QTed in copper treated tanks and most do, then it is probably safe to assume there is a low level of parasites present in your DT and the stress of transport and acclimation left the tang susceptible to infection. A common problem with tangs.
Your other fish being established and well nourished are able to ward off these parasites for the most part but low level, non lethal, unnoticeable infections continue so the parasites do not completely die off in your system. This is undoubtedly the condition that occurs in the wild or the various parasites would quickly become extinct. IMO low level parasitic infection is present in most of our system but like in the wild are non lethal to otherwise healthy, well nourished, unstressed specimens.
All of this is why IMO for tanks where tangs are an intended addition that they should be introduced first to new tanks that by all logic should be free of parasites due to the length of the cycling period. This also assumes that the tangs were bought at a reputable LFS that runs carefully monitored copper levels in there holding tanks and that copper exposure has not been to lengthy.
After the tang(s) have become established and well fed in your care the addition of other carefully QTed fish can commence. This assuming that no evidence of parasitic infection has been noticed in the previously introduced tangs. Only draw back here is if the tangs are infected you are back to a month of fish less tank to guarantee the die off of those parasites before other additions can be made.
All of this is in the hope that if at a later date parasites are inadvertently introduced to the system and there are umpteen ways they can be. The established tangs will be able to ward off those parasites. Other specimens that are not so naturally prone to infection most certainly will be able to deal with it.
Bottom line is you may have a difficult time introducing any new tang to this system even after a QT period for the tang especially now that the parasite population in your tank has grown due to there ability to lethally infect a compromised specimen.
But then again, that's just me. I could be wrong

Call me crazy but the presence of low level population of parasites is a natural condition, it certainly is in the wild and could actually have some unknown benefits even in the enclosed system.

 

[dbgator1]

I had a similar problem with a powder blue after a few weeks in my 150 he got ich. It has come and gone on him and i think my neon gobies have helped but the fish eats like a pig and right now looks really healthy i have had him now going on 11 weeks. I hope it is gone but i can't tell yet i put selcon on the dried macroalgae and both my tangs love it. Keep feeding him and i hope everything works out for you. Powder blues are a tough fish in an aquarium but it is also a beautiful fish.

 

[promisetbg]

Originally Posted by Murph
All of this is why IMO for tanks where tangs are an intended addition that they should be introduced first to new tanks .
Tangs should never be placed in a new unstable system.

 

[murph]

That is the second time you have stated that with absolutely no elaboration as to why. Tangs are not particularly delicate fish other than high susceptibility to parasite infection.
There should be no problems with tangs as a first introduction to a well cycled tank or just about any other species for that matter other than ones dependant on established microfauna for diet or ones apt to become aggressive toward new comers when established first.
Most tangs qualify as neither

 

[promisetbg]

Ok..let me elaborate. A new tank does'nt have sufficient algae growth..needed for their health IE: grazing the rocks. A new tank is'nt stable, and tangs need a stable system with high oxygen content. This is mostly geared towards newcomers in the hobby. There is a learning curve for the new hobbyist to get a feel for keeping the parameters of a new system, as well as a stabilization period of parameters within the tank itself. Making a blanket statement that it is fine to start out with tangs is going to kill alot of tangs. Besides that, it sometimes takes people awhile to understand the importance of QT'ing fish..and all tangs should be QT'd before being added. We disagree Murph,it's cool.

 

[puffer32]

I don't believe in putting tankgs in a small QT tank at all. I get to know any lfs in my area and let them know i want them to QT my fish if they want me to buy, and they have never denied me, I simply pay up front, and he puts them in a low salinity tank for me until I pick it up afew weeks later. That is not always a gurantee fish won't get ich, I found that out when my QT'd PB got ich after being in my 150 DT tank 2 weeks. I fed him vitamins and garlic and he had tons of algae. I then put him in my QT even though he was eating and acting fine, more to protect my other fish then anything. The 10 gal tank stressed him out so bad he stopped eating and his ich got so bad he died before hypo was completed. Should I have left him in the DT? not if I wanted my other fish to be exposed, but I guess I need a larger QT, or stop buying large fish :notsure: I really think he would have survived if i left him in the DT, but wonder if thats chancing a full blown ich outbreak in my tank :notsure:

 

[promisetbg]

A 29 is a good size QT tank. Keeping a couple pieces of PVC in there helps the fish to have a place to hide and feel secure.

 

[murph]

Yes we do disagree promise and my tang theory is just that, a theory. In practice it has worked for me. Others mileage may vary.
A few things to consider though. Newly cycled tanks rarely have a lack of algae growth and no matter the age of the tank tangs will burn through it quickly and supplementation of its diet is necessary.
Bio load is bio load. The addition of any species can tip the balance of a new tank. The goal here is to get a parasite prone fish established and well nourished in as parasite free an environment as possible before other stress factors are added to the equation and where tangs are considered, cramped QT quarters can be considered a stress factor.
There is not much reason why high oxygen content cant be maintained no mater the age of the tank.
I will agree some of these factors can be missed by the new hobbyist and despite wondering quite a way from the original posters topic, jewel hardly sounds like a rookie. Sorry about that jewel. AT least we did not get even further off topic and start debating tank size as it relates to tangs