ICH or Flukes

[Fishboy9227]

I have 4 Tangs in QT (powder blue, gold rim, purple, and yellow). Day 12 of Copper Power with concentration above 2ppm the entire time, usually around 2.15ppm.

I noticed these spots on my powder blue this morning.

Seems unlikely to be ich with copper present for 12 days at therapeutic levels. I haven’t treated with GC, yet. Plan was to do that in the second QT tank at day 15.
Thoughts? No other tang is showing symptoms. Only on the face of the powder blue. Ammonia has never registered in the tank...doing 25-50% water changes every couple of days.

thanks!

 

[Fishboy9227]

Copper levels checked with Hanna HR checker

 

[Fishboy9227]

Question is: can I run GC in the water column with Copper Power? I’ve been following @HotRocks procedures, which includes GC in second tank. If I can run both, I’ll them in copper and treat with GC as well. Everyone is eating well.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Question is: can I run GC in the water column with Copper Power? I’ve been following @HotRocks procedures, which includes GC in second tank. If I can run both, I’ll them in copper and treat with GC as well. Everyone is eating well.

You can run prazi and copper together, but GC also has metronidazole in it and I've never treated those together, so can't really advise you.

Can you look really closely at the PBT and see if you can see ANY spots on the blue portions of the fish or its fins? I'm trying to rule out that the spots on this fish's head aren't just enlarged lateral line pores.

Jay

 

[Fishboy9227]

I got it out and into a specimen container. Don’t think it’s ich. Guessing flukes.

 

[AcanthurusRex]

Question is: can I run GC in the water column with Copper Power? I’ve been following @HotRocks procedures, which includes GC in second tank. If I can run both, I’ll them in copper and treat with GC as well. Everyone is eating well.

I have before, many times. Using GC while treating with CopperPower used to be in the standard procedure. I think that metro really helps and I use it for the first week while the copper levels are brought up, anecdotal.
The praziquantel in GC is weaker that PraziPro. I have used PraziPro twice and my impression is that it harder on the fish than GC, seemed more effective in this case.

 

[Fishboy9227]

Would waiting until the 15th day mark and moving them over to a tank without copper and dosing GC be adequate? Will flukes, if that is indeed what this is, kill the fish in the matter of days? If I can avoid mixing meds, despite @AcanthurusRex experience, I would like to.

I don't see how it would be possible to be anything like velvet or ich considering the fish has been at therapeutic levels for 13 days.

 

[Fishboy9227]

Also, beautiful Sohal @AcanthurusRex!

 

[RVA REEF]

how big is your quarantine and what filtration are you running? You can do a freshwater dip to confirm its flukes. My guess is the powder blue is stressed from being in quarantine with 3 other tangs.

 

[AcanthurusRex]

Stock picture. I am kinda tired of the tang violence. The White Tailed Bristle Tooth does this to the poor convict all the time.

 

[h2so4hurts]

Last pic looks like the beginning of HLLE. This happens to a lot of Tangs and Angels that I QT. How big is the QT tank? It's very challenging to QT multiple tangs together (Especially two Acanthurus). QT in itself is stressful and fighting with tank mates can exaggerate that stress.

 

[Fishboy9227]

Tangs are in a 40 breeder. Doing 50% water changes every other day. Have seen very little aggression. If anything, the PB dominates the gold rim, but it's next to nothing. I've got some liverock rubble in the tank and dosed the tank with Biospera before QT. Using a Seachem ammonia badge, ammonia has never registered. I've also checked this with a Salifert kit.

 

[Fishboy9227]

I did just read an article from @Humblefish that exposer to copper can lead to HLLE. Hopefully it'll go away after copper.

I'll look into doing a freshwater dip.

 

[AcanthurusRex]

Surprised that HLLE would start that quickly. The convict and WTB never got HLLE. Both have been through a couple 30 day treatments.

 

[RVA REEF]

what powerheads do you have in there, they need lots of flow to keep them busy/happy. That is still a small tank for 4 tangs, I would use that size for one at a time, would reduce stress a lot. Even if he is dominating he is still most likely stressed. Are these fresh in from the ocean, and are they eating? .

 

[AcanthurusRex]

Try buying your fish from @Dr. Reef, just up the road.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I did just read an article from @Humblefish that exposer to copper can lead to HLLE. Hopefully it'll go away after copper.

I'll look into doing a freshwater dip.

That’s actually a red herring, copper doesn’t cause HLLE, but copper treatments are often ended by using carbon, and that does cause HLLE.
The questions I was asking about the spots on the face was to try an rule HLLE out.

Jay

 

[Fishboy9227]

I'll proceed with a freshwater dip this afternoon and see if any flukes come off.

I ordered Kanaplex and Furan 2 that will be here tomorrow in case it's bacterial.

He is scheduled to begin GC on Sunday.

 

[Fishboy9227]

Completed a 3 minute freshwater dip. Saw some white/clearish things floating around in the water. Hope that helps him.

 

[RVA REEF]

what size tank are these going in? i usually dont like to mix tangs with the same body style like the goldrim/powder blue and the yellow/purple, not saying it cant be done but they can be difficult to mix sometimes.