sailfin tang with ich maybe? please help

mus1cizmythang

mus1cizmythang

Member
I think my pacific sailfin tang may have ich or something like it..
Symptoms: I started noticing this like 3-4 days ago. He had been hiding behind a rock and acting a little funny. He'd hide and then come out and eat a piece of algae or swim around and just go back in. Now he is breathing fast and he has these tiny white spots on him which I'm pretty sure is ich. He's still eating algae and taking flake if I give it or just eating random things that cross him. Then RIGHT as I was typing this he started coming out and staying out and then he like rubbed the bottom of the tank. That FREAKED me out because I knew he basically was going to die... That was the first time I had seen him do that.
i can take a video and upload it to youtube if that helps? i just am worried about him..
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Do you have any way to quarantine him?
What else is in the tank? If it is ich and there are any other fish in the tank, they will need to be treated as well.
 
mus1cizmythang

mus1cizmythang

Member
um not really. just a bucket.... i was afraid if i caught him it would just stress him out more and make his ich worse or maybe even kill him. i also have a clown, wrasse, and coral beauty. all of which are doing great.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Honestly, I can't really tell from the pictures for sure that it is ich.
IF it is, ALL fish need to be treated in their own quarantine tank with either hypo salinity, or copper. Neither can be done in the main tank, it will kill everything.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
You can use a rubbermaid tote for a qt.....BUT.....I also am not sure that is ich,.......Maybe Beth will see this in the morning
it could be black ich..BUT I am only sayin....
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Looking at the first picture, it looks like black ich to me; however, you said that the fish had white spots.
If the spots are salt like in appearance, and are in fact WHITE, then it is ich and you will need to treat all your fish. That would require quarantining and treating with hyposalinity.
Take a look at the info topics at the top of the Disease Forum. There is a topic with pictures of diseases where you can see examples of both white and black ich. Also, in the other FAQ topic you will find info on hyposalinity (white ich treatment) as well as formalin bath (black ich treatment).
 
mus1cizmythang

mus1cizmythang

Member
i think it is black ich. ill check one more time today to make sure.
wow. this is officially going to tear apart my tank :( its going to be SO hard to catch them.
so i have to treat all of them anyways, even if theyre not showing signs? it wont hurt them even if they dont have ich, right?
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
YES...You have to treat all the fish in a separate tank.....they all must go thru hyposalinity (or copper) whichever you choose, while you leave the DT empty of fish for 6 weeks
this will kill off the parasite as it needs a fish to survive
 
mus1cizmythang

mus1cizmythang

Member
What do I do with them for 6 weeks?! I dont have a large enough tank! I can't leave them in buckets, won't they die? Oh great..
I could MAYBE get a 20g tank or a 10g? But prolly too small for all except clown....
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
You can use a rubbermaid container if you have to....BUT NO....IMO a 10 or 20 will not be big enough
 
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