Tang Probably Has Ich

[sov82]

I have a yellow tang. Yesterday I noticed a small black spot above his eye and he was breathing a little harder...also he was more active.
Today the black spot is gone but now he has white spots on him. They are pin size so Im pretty sure its Ich. He is actually going up to my coral banded shrimp and he lets the shrimp pick at his side. So Im sure he defintely has something wrong with him.
Problem is I just started to cycle the old fashion way a QT today! UG! So I'm thinking Im going to abort that and move him to the QT by using water from my established tank.
Do you think this is a good idea? I look closely at my fish everyday and today was the first day I noticed the white spots. None of my other fish have ich. Im guessing Im in Stage 1 of Ich so its just on this individual fish. Is this what I should do?
Thanks,
Matt

 

[beth]

Matt, chances are that your water has been exposed to ich now, as well as your other fish. How long have you had the tang? How many other fish do you have?

 

[sov82]

Well it was originally my girlfriends. She had him for about a year. I've had the Tang for about 3 weeks. Over the past 3 weeks, I've added 3 new fish. None of them are showing signs of Ich and I do not see any white spots on them.
Other Fish:
Oc. Clown - 2 weeks old
Scorpion Blenny - 5 days old
Sixline Wrasse - 5 days old
None of those fish were QT'd before I added them...I inspected them at the LFS for a few weeks before I bought them and never saw any ich symptoms. They are also not "scratching" themselves on the rocks or anything. The Clown is always within a few inches of the Tang as well....what else...Oh I plan on QTing in the future and thats why I was cycling a QT tank today...only to find the Ich on the Tang! Ug!
The tank currently is only live rock with inverts and the 4 fish.
I think it would be difficult to keep the QT tank from cycling if I just added new water and put 4 fish in there...
What should I do~!
(Thanks for the help)

 

[sov82]

Oh...dont know if this has any effect on your opinion or anything....
The Tang has always be a lighter color Tang since I got him from my girlfriend. He's a "whiter" yellow Tang. Most likely because his last home was a 29 gallon tank. He is in a 90 gallon tank and my girlfriend now has a 45 gallon tank (her fish needed more room to roam!!!!)

 

[sov82]

Doh the clown has it too...I just noticed a few spots.
Is my best bet just mixing a new tank with new salt water and using mechanical filtertration and cleaning up any uneatten food/waste?
It would be 4 fish in a 29 gallon tank.

 

[sov82]

Hmmmm was thinking about it. Would it matter if I used Ich infested water from my main tank to start the QT? I mean if I put in new salt water and then put the fish in, then the water would have Ich anyways....hyposalinity would kill it either way right?
Thanks,
Matt

 

[sov82]

Update...
Ordered a refractometer and Emperor 400 today. I already have a heater, NO light, 29 gallon tank, and top.
Going to Pet Store now to buy some garlic additive. Going to feed fish food soaked in garlic until I can move them into the new tank.
Once I get everything in, Im going to put around 20 gallons of my main tank water into QT tank. I'll fill the rest during hypo with distilled water. Putting PVC pipe in there for the 4 fish.
The tang is the only fish showning any real signs of any major Ich at this time. He doesn't have any super large spots but lots of pin sized spots spreading all over his body and fins. I do see some on the clown however.
Am I proceeding in the best way?
Do you think I should move the fish to the QT tank today or tomorrow? Use 20 gallons of main tank water...and dilute it just a little? I know I wouldn't get to hypo but I would get the process started...Is that a better idea.
Thanks,
Matt

 

[beth]

Use 100% tank water if your display water is good quality. Add 4 cups of sand from your display to the QT. Add a couple of pieces of LR to the QT. Yes, your LR will take a hit and you will have die off, but the LR will supple a lot of biofilter for a newly established QT. What's more important: 2 pieces of LR or your fish? Your choice. Besides, I recently experimented with LR in hypo and the rock did not completely die off. My QT was in hypo for 3 wks. Yes there were bristleworm and brittlestar causualties, but not all died off. In fact, now, I am nuturing the rock back to life on this front and there are plenty of bristles and brittles that survived the hypo. I'm not suggesting at all that LR can adequately survive hyposaline conditions, but I am saying that it is not a killing-spree either. Do not take this to mean that it is ok to do hyposalinity in the display with LR. It is not ok. There is a lot more to LR then just bristleworms. However, I think we can make the sacrifice of a couple of pieces of rock for an uncycled QT in an emergency situation like this.

 

[sov82]

Beth or others,
Should I move the fish to the QT tank tomorrow even though I dont have a refractometer or a filter for the tank yet? I could run either a powerhead or a bubbler on the tank. I will be also moving a few pounds of live sand...I know Ill be sacrificing it...but its easier for me to sacrifice that then alot of rock. Ill probably also move some rock...also bought PVC piping for each of the fish today.
I figure I could move the fish tomorrow and start lowering the salinity a little...say 25gallons of water from my main tank and add 1 gallon of distilled water. This shouldn't bring the water down to the 1.009 but it should start the process....right? Im worried if I wait til Monday...then have to wait 2-3days to get the salinity down to the right level that it will be too late.
Again, I'm guessing the fish have had ich for a max of 4-5days...more likely 3.
I have a refractometer and a emperor 400 being delivered on Monday as I ordered them overnight delivery.
Thanks

 

[sov82]

Also, are you doing a thread on how you are nurturing your live rock back to life? I'd like to look that over.
Thanks for donating so much of your time. Its truley appreciated.

 

[beth]

Is your tank strictly FO? No live rock, inverts?

 

[sov82]

No my main tank has 100lbs of live rock, sand, inverts, and the fish. Haven't added any corals yet.
The 29 gallon tank is currently empty. I will be filling it with main tank water tomorrow. Ill be adding a piece of live rock and sand tomorrow into the tank. When I get my refractometer and filter, Ill add the filter and start lowering salinity. This is the QT that I will be using for the fish.
(I actually have 2 29 gallon tanks Im using for QT tanks. One currently has 45lbs of live rock in it that Im curing. Im going to continue to do that so I have a real cycled tank for the future. Its currently 4 days into the cycle)

 

[sov82]

Moved all fish tonite successfully. They seem to be not minding their new homes in the QT. I cant find my wrasse though...but he is a known hider and I have a few curved pieces of PVC pipe that I cant see everything in.

 

[sov82]

Can Ich cause discoloration on the fishes body? Some of my fish have spots of discoloration (light)...or is this just a side effect of lowered salinity?
-Matt