What does this sound like?

[pokke]

I'm just over a month into cycle on my 135 FO (slow start) with the following water parameters:
SG 1.024
PH 8.1
Amm 0
Nitrite 5
Nitrate 20
The tank contains 3 Yellow Tangs, 4 Damsels, 2 Mollies and 6 very small hermit crabs. All critters are eating very well and move around alot. One of the damsels looks quite pale but otherwise, the fish look ok.
I've noticed lately that 1 Yellow Tang and 1 Blue Damsel have a very light "dusting" of white spots on the front fins. Several of the other fish are rubbing on rocks and such from the tank too.
Looks like a parasite infection of some sort and is quite likely Ick.
I'll try and take some pics and see what the community thinks, but it looks like a Hypo is in order for the tank. I don't have a hospital tank so I'll probably hypo the main tank.
Will the hermits survive a hypo or should I move them to a 10gal for a month?
Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!

 

[frozenguy]

hermits wouldn't survive it if you do it correctly
make sure you ahve an accurate hydrometer.....
also, lowere it to 1.009over the coarse of like 4/5 days....less stressfull......

 

[pokke]

Well, the light dusting has turned into the well described salt grain look. Apparently, it is indeed Ick. I've moved the crabs to a 10 gallon tank and I'm in the process of lowering the salinity of the display tank, changing out tank water for RO water about every 8 hours or so. With this size tank, I'm changing out about 20 gallons at a time. Some of the fish in the tank look stressed (pale color and breathing hard) while some look good with the exception of the white spots. It's curious though, two of the tangs looked like they'd been through a snow storm this morning when I first checked on em but after an hour or so and some moving around, they don't show nearly as much "stuff" on their bodies and fins. Does this stuff drop off with activity?
Terry is correct, I don't have a QT tank yet but intend to get one up soon. Is size a big factor with these? Would a 10 gallon QT be appropriate? If so, that'd make it easier since I already have one. I'll dig around for a FAQ on this today. BTW, the Yellow Tangs were not a planned addition to the tank and showed up in a friends hands on my doorstep one evening as a gift. *shrug*
I do plan to add fish slowly (a few weeks apart) and QT as they come in once I get a little more situated here. As it stands, I'm on hold for at least 3-4 weeks now while I deal with Ick. Any thoughts on adding new live stock to a lower salinity tank?
Starting out would have been easier if I could have found a FAQ with solid ideas, but instead I found different answers from just about everyone I've asked. Heh, my local "source" for fish info suggested that curing Ick is as simple as a freshwater dip and nothing else. I know better of course, but it's an example of the varied opinions out there.
Rather than having people look down their nose at me and laugh at my mistakes, I'd greatly appreciate their experience and advice if they choose to respond. I know they got to be tired of seeing the same old mistakes from these "newbies", but experience is earned, and our source of information is varied. I loved Beth's FAQ on the main site and wish I could have found something like that during my setup! Things would certainly have been different. Be patient with us as we learn.
I'll do my best and have fun with what I'm doing and hopefully, I'll learn enough to NOT kill everything I put into the tank.
Thanks everyone for your input, keep it coming!!!

 

[pokke]

A pic and a video.
Something I didn't expect was to see one of my Blue Devils picking the white spots off the Tangs. The Tangs seem in favor of this and actually look like they come to the Damsel for the service? This normal behavior?
Here is a pic of one of the Tangs. It isn't terribly clear, but does show some of the white stuff on the fin.
ICK
Here is a short video ( about 3.8meg ) so it may take a few to download and view. Does this fish seem to be breathing hard?
Stress?
THANKS A MILLION for feedback.

 

[pokke]

Well, still in the process of lowering the salinity, but as of last night, the signs of Ick appear to be diminished greatly. The SG at this point is 1.018 and I plan to do another water change tonight to move toward the target of 1.009.
I just found it curious that the the spots went away that quickly. I realize that the disease (if it is indeed ICK) is still in the tank and must be dealt with as described. Is it common for the apparent signs to come and go like this?
Thanks for your input!

 

[pokke]

Well, I still have some signs of ICK and I continue to slowly lower the salinity in the tank. As of this morning, I'm at 1.016.
My tangs are becoming more comfortable in the tank and as such, don't flee to the rocks when I come near. This gave me an opportunity to get a decent look up close today. I've noticed that 2 of the 3 tangs have "pits" around the back side of their eyes. Before, I thought it was something attached, but now it looks more like a series of small pits. Is this HLLE?
I've been lowering the lights earlier in the evening and leaving the metal halide off completely. This seems to have helped too.
Any advice is appreciated!

 

[beth]

You have nitrite in the tank and all your fish are sick and you want to add fish during hypo?? NOT! After this problem is under control, I would not even add a small hermit crab for at least 2 mos!
Do you have LR in this tank? Is this strictly a FO tank? Why do you have MH lighting?
Ich has a 3 stage life cycle; in only 1 of these stages is the parasite attached to fish and visible to the

[hr]
eye. Following the attachment phase, the ich falls off [and cycles thru its 2 other stages, eventually getting around to attaching to fish again]. Thus, no, not at all unusual that ich suddenly disappears from the fish. This is a good trick that ich plays on unsuspecting hobbyists. The hobbyist thinks they have gotten rid of ich by feeding the fish garlic or by using kick ich or FW dip, just to find a couple of weeks later that the parasite is back [usually even worse than before].
HLLE…sure sound like the beginning of it. Not unexpected since you added tangs to an uncycled tank. Do you have a grounding probe? Are you addressing the vegetarian and grazing needs of the tang? Do a search for HLLE, you should find a good deal of info. What are feeding these fish?
You have got to get rid of that nitrite. The constant water changes you are doing to lower salinity should help, but nitrite in the tank creates a totally unacceptable living environment for fish---and even more so for fish like tangs. Nitrite is a toxin.

 

[pokke]

Thanks for responding Beth!
No, I'm not planning to add any livestock to the tank in the near future. The question about adding in Hypo was more of a consideration to making the QT tank a hypo environment.
It is a FO tank and I like the appearance of the tank with a MH running.
Good info on Ick, thanks. I'm just about to the target level of 1.009 in the tank. Then I can start the month long wait while in hypo.
I feed the tangs a variety of foods. The like marine flake and brine shrimp as treats, but the staple is greens. I put in marine algae sheets that have soaked in garlic water for their primary diet. They eat like PIGS! They get 2 portions (2 inch by 4 inch) daily.
I understand about the Nitrites and unfortunately, the continue to rise. I just did another water change to lower the salinity and the nitrites are still way up there (15 - 20 ppm).
Should I be looking for a place to house these fish? I can't take them back to the LFS (*****) cause they don't take returns and I didn't purchase them in the first place. I could check with a small LFS and see if they'd house them for me for a month or 2.
Looking forward to hearing from ya!