Blue Hippo tang

[pilzdad]

I just noticed this morning that my hippo tang seems to have some white spots growing on it. It looks like raised white bumps growin on the scales and on the fins. What can it be? This is obviously not a cheap fish and I don't want to lose it. I tried to take a picture but no luck. Any ideas?

[Doctor_Reef]

How long have you had this fish???...what size tank do you have it in??? What are your water parameters????

Does it look something like this???

http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/marineich.html

If so it is Ich...and this page gives you the hows to treat this...

Let me know if you think that this is the problem....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v406/RLeversee/Site%20Stuff/WelcomeDoc.png

[JmusicB]

Sounds like ich to me.....it is quite common among tangs, especially blue's...especially if they have been stressed at all. If you have cleaner shrimp, they will pick off the parasites, but it will depend on how far along the infection is as to whether or not the fish will make it. I don't know what kind of relationship you have with your LFS, but I try not to buy fish that are prone to infection unless they have been there for several days.....anyway, that's my opinion...if you could get a pic, it would be easier to tell.

[Doctor_Reef]

Cleaner shrimp can help but not cure the problem...Most fish will not endure a cleaner pulling off the ich as they parasite is embedded to deep in the flesh...but a qt tank using the methods in the post above will work... If the fish has ich and you just got him see if your LFS will take him back.... Just a thought!!!

[pilzdad]

Yeah, thats what it looks like. It doesnt look that severe though. He's in a 30 gallon tall tank. fair amount of live rock, hermits, snails etc. 2 damsels and a clown fish in there with him. The fish store I bought from had for about 2 weeks and I watched very closely for those 2 weeks before I made my purchase as I do with all my fish. I have had him for about 2 weeks so far. I already called the lfs and they are prepared for a credit of some sort.

[pilzdad]

Do you suggest that I lower the salinity in my tank now? I try to keep it at 1.02028 at all times to help prevent such a thing from happening. Or do you think it best to just quarantine and treat it. I have this stuff from Aquarium Products called Quick Cure. I had this problem once before on a porcupine puffer but it became so severe by the time I noticed it for the treatment to have any effect. Would Quick Cure help my problem in a quarantine tank or do you believe it easier just to lower salinity in my current tank to drive it away as I just noticed the problem today. I have had not so good luck with quarantine tanks in the past. Its only a 10 gallon and without hovering over it, it has always turned bad for me.

[Doctor_Reef]

I would definitely qt this fish and probably all the fish now that ich has been introduced to the display tank...Treating in a display tank would not be my recommendation....you can use different approaches in treating ich in a qt...where you can't in a display...tank...If you don't want to QT this fish take him back to the LFS...and hope that it doesn't spread in the main tank....Feed garlic and keep your water parameters where they need to be and hopefully the ich is only on the tang and hasn't gone in to the cycle yet... Keep your fingers crossed...

[pilzdad]

Sounds like a plan. Im assuming in the QT keep low light and just run water as normal? Should I transfer some water out of the display tank to start or start all new? I know it sounds stupid, but when u say feed garlic, what do you mean? In the QT little to no decorations, no gravel, pretty much just filter and heater and tank and water, right? As I said, I really don't want to lose this fish. Should I use the "quick cure" for treating the fish? Ahead of time, I would just like to say thanks for all your help! =)

[Doctor_Reef]

Yes, use the water from the display to get started...I always have a sponge filter going in a qt so I have it already colonized with bacteria...keeps it working well...I don't know how effective the quick cure is I will have to default to someone else on that...
There are other methods to treat ich...Here are some more methods to treat ich...I have always had the best result with copper...but you have to decide as tangs are a bit sensitive to copper use...check out the site and see the other alternatives...

http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/treatments.html