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Tangs vs Ich


J-Dog

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Well guys, I've had my Powder Brown Tang for a couple of weeks now and he is going great. I have recently noticed some Ich spots on his body, but they don't seem to be bothering him. Some days they are there and some days he has none. What is the deal with Tangs and Ich? I have heard that they all have Ich, but some never show signs of it and some die from it. Does anyone know the truth? Is my fish ok or will he be dead before I realize he has a problem?

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Powder brown and powder blue tangs are notorious for being ich magnets. It has to do with the structures of their scales being less resistant to the parasite. It honestly could go either way Rashaan. For a lot of fish it will come and go and they will fight it off. Other fish will die. Tanking the fish out and treating with cupamarine is also risky too and could kill the fish. There's no easy solution. Personally if the fish is eating and doing well I just leave it alone.

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My powder brown has had ich since I got him, 9 months ago. tangs in general are more susceptible to ich. Ich isnt something to stress about IMO. The more steps you take to treat it the more stress you put your fish through. If you are going to do anything for ich or any other diseases they should be done befor the fish ever goes into your tank, in a quarantine system.

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IMO you should make sure he/she is well fed and happy. Any big stressors could cause an outbrake. Most importantly resist the temptation to add any new fish to your system for a while, especially another tang. I say especially another tang because if they do not get along, even for only a couple of days, the stress could give the ick the upper hand.

 

Read read read, being well informed is going to be your greatest asset in the battle against ick.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just an update.....my powder brown has finally given in to his battle with ich (sad). He seemed happy, always ate like a hog, and never had a problem. I came home this morning and he was sucked against my vortech. Should I just give up on the tangs or try again? Not sure if my tank has ich or not....I read that it has a life cycle, so if my powder brown came in with it and died before the next stage, am I safe to say it's not in my tank?

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I would say it is in your tank still. If the remaining fish are able to fight it off then it may go away but it will take several weeks.

 

I read that ich has a 30 day life cycle in a fish before it drops off into the tank and starts its reproduction process. If it didn't make it to the drop off stage, wouldn't it be safe to say that my tank doesn't have ich? I wonder if there is any way to test for the parasite (scratch).....I would love some help, if anyone has experienced my same troubles

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I read that ich has a 30 day life cycle in a fish before it drops off into the tank and starts its reproduction process. If it didn't make it to the drop off stage' date=' wouldn't it be safe to say that my tank doesn't have ich? I wonder if there is any way to test for the parasite (scratch).....I would love some help, if anyone has experienced my same troubles[/quote']

 

That would only apply to your situation if you knew that a single tomite infected your fish the day it was introduced to your system. The reality is that you introduced an infected fish into your system (unless you already had ick) and it most Likly was dropping cysts from day one. It is importqnt not to forget that ick prefers the gills so you can never be sure by just looking at a fish if it has ick.

 

IMO you most Likely have fish in your system who are still infected, if you feed them well keep them happy and wait it out you will most Likely be able to beat it. Keep in mind hough that if you introduce a weak stressed out fish right now it could turn into a factory for the parasite, flooding your tank with tomites and possibly killing ALL of your fish. I am sorry for being so dramatic but ick can be a real nightmare if not properly managed.

 

My advice it to avoid any fish for a while especially another tang.

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That would only apply to your situation if you knew that a single tomite infected your fish the day it was introduced to your system. The reality is that you introduced an infected fish into your system (unless you already had ick) and it most Likly was dropping cysts from day one. It is importqnt not to forget that ick prefers the gills so you can never be sure by just looking at a fish if it has ick.

 

IMO you most Likely have fish in your system who are still infected, if you feed them well keep them happy and wait it out you will most Likely be able to beat it. Keep in mind hough that if you introduce a weak stressed out fish right now it could turn into a factory for the parasite, flooding your tank with tomites and possibly killing ALL of your fish. I am sorry for being so dramatic but ick can be a real nightmare if not properly managed.

 

My advice it to avoid any fish for a while especially another tang.

 

This is great advice.

 

Sorry to hear about your fish, been through it as well and its no fun.

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