Yellow Tang with Ich

760mason

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Or ICH will continue its cycle. I am surprised the blue hippo tang wasn't the first to get ICH. Your tank is overstocked with fish that do no belong in a reef tank. Do some research on how far any tang swims in a given day. Yes people keep them and LFS continue to sell them but unlike most reef inhabitants the tang (any species) moves allot. They swim many miles a day. You might win this battle with ICH but it will be back. Personally I think it is cruel to keep a Tang of any species in a tank.
 

760mason

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I have no problem keeping fish in captivity. But a Great White Shark baby might fit in your tank does that mean you keep it? Tangs are so susceptible to ICH due to them being stressed out in captivity. Most reef inhabitants dont leave there home area but tangs are grazers and swim the length of the reef on a daily basis. Yes I understand you have an emotional attachment to the fish but Tangs do not do well long term in aquaria. Good luck on your ICH battle.
 

760mason

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I dont want to come off as an *** on this issue and am not trying to bash you. I have been playing with saltwater tanks for 25 years now. I have not been able to keep a tang alive for more than 3 years. I had a 200 gallon tank with many tangs. Yellow Tang, Powder Blue, Hippo, Chevron, I watched them all die of ICH. I quarantined them, I used all the fix all crap they sell at the LFS. It was just a bandaid. It came back and was worse every time. I have also seen my friends with the same problem. In my 200 gallon the only fish that died were the tangs. All from ICH. After doing some research I have come to the conclusion that tangs dont belong in a home tank. As I get older and wiser I have come to resist the temptation to put something in my tank just because its pretty. Dont pull the fish out, that will only make it worse. Dont use any of the ICH cure all chemicals. If your hippo tang is showing no signs of ICH get it out of your tank It will be next. That is the fish i would quarantine and medicate. Let the ich continue its cycle. After 12 weeks or so You might be OK to put the hippo tang back in the tank. But I have read articles that say ICH resides in the sand or rock. No one really has the answer to this. But I can tell you that I have not had ICH in any of my Tanks in 20 years. 20 years ago was when I stopped putting Tangs of any species in my tanks.
 

vlangel

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I dont want to come off as an *** on this issue and am not trying to bash you. I have been playing with saltwater tanks for 25 years now. I have not been able to keep a tang alive for more than 3 years. I had a 200 gallon tank with many tangs. Yellow Tang, Powder Blue, Hippo, Chevron, I watched them all die of ICH. I quarantined them, I used all the fix all crap they sell at the LFS. It was just a bandaid. It came back and was worse every time. I have also seen my friends with the same problem. In my 200 gallon the only fish that died were the tangs. All from ICH. After doing some research I have come to the conclusion that tangs dont belong in a home tank. As I get older and wiser I have come to resist the temptation to put something in my tank just because its pretty. Dont pull the fish out, that will only make it worse. Dont use any of the ICH cure all chemicals. If your hippo tang is showing no signs of ICH get it out of your tank It will be next. That is the fish i would quarantine and medicate. Let the ich continue its cycle. After 12 weeks or so You might be OK to put the hippo tang back in the tank. But I have read articles that say ICH resides in the sand or rock. No one really has the answer to this. But I can tell you that I have not had ICH in any of my Tanks in 20 years. 20 years ago was when I stopped putting Tangs of any species in my tanks.

Everyone's personal experience is valid and I don't want to contradict your convictions for you however that is definitely not been my experience. I serviced tanks for a LFS and many of them had tangs in them and many of them have those same tangs in them when I stopped servicing almost 4 years ago. One of my customers became a dear friend and her tank has a blue hippo, a yellow, a blond naso and a bossy powder blue. All these fish are going on 8 years or so old and showing no signs of weakening. (I get to visit her fish when I visit her). It has been my experience that with good husbandry tangs can enjoy a thriving life in a home aquarium. I use Live Aquaria's guidelines on tank size for the different tangs. They are a well respected company.
 

GoingPostal

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I would return the fish, your tank is not large enough for a tang, even a small one. Tangs almost always have ich and really should be in 5-6 foot long tanks minimum depending on species, some are really just unsuitable for home aquaria. Then you have to decide if you want to remove your fish to treat, leaving the tank fallow, or do nothing and hope they will stay healthy enough to live with it. Any new fish you add will likely spark a return of the ich, same with any unexpected stress in the tank. I would qt and treat but don't just throw the rest of your livestock in an uncycled tank and start adding meds, that will kill them just as fast. You need to be able to measure if you are going to use copper, have a refractometer if you are doing hyposalinity, test for ammonia and nitrites etc. Also shrimp can't get to ich, it's under the skin.
 

Reefing Madness

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I dont want to come off as an *** on this issue and am not trying to bash you. I have been playing with saltwater tanks for 25 years now. I have not been able to keep a tang alive for more than 3 years. I had a 200 gallon tank with many tangs. Yellow Tang, Powder Blue, Hippo, Chevron, I watched them all die of ICH. I quarantined them, I used all the fix all crap they sell at the LFS. It was just a bandaid. It came back and was worse every time. I have also seen my friends with the same problem. In my 200 gallon the only fish that died were the tangs. All from ICH. After doing some research I have come to the conclusion that tangs dont belong in a home tank. As I get older and wiser I have come to resist the temptation to put something in my tank just because its pretty. Dont pull the fish out, that will only make it worse. Dont use any of the ICH cure all chemicals. If your hippo tang is showing no signs of ICH get it out of your tank It will be next. That is the fish i would quarantine and medicate. Let the ich continue its cycle. After 12 weeks or so You might be OK to put the hippo tang back in the tank. But I have read articles that say ICH resides in the sand or rock. No one really has the answer to this. But I can tell you that I have not had ICH in any of my Tanks in 20 years. 20 years ago was when I stopped putting Tangs of any species in my tanks.
Man, I've got some old Tangs in my tank. My oldest is amlost 15 years old now.
 

760mason

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Man, I've got some old Tangs in my tank. My oldest is amlost 15 years old now.
Yes but your 240 is 120 gallons bigger than the tank this member has. I believe with good husbandry you can keep tangs in 200+ gallons. My experience was 25 years ago things have change so much since than. Although I have friends that have kept tanks as long as I have and their experiences with tangs have all been the same. Some can keep them and most cant. My only ICH outbreak was with tangs. The only fish I have lost to any illness have been tangs. My other losses have been fish suicide some like to jump. I just think tangs are not a good choice for home aquariums. That is just my opinion based on my experience you can take it or leave it. That is the beautiful thing about these forums.
 

cope413

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It didn't really sound like it's just your opinion. If you ever need to say , "i don't want to come off as an ...", then you probably need to rephrase whatever it is you're about to say.

Anecdotal evidence certainly has value, but you've got to believe that very few people value Tangs or tank life in general if you think that the only appropriate tank size is 200+. If they did, then that would be the common wisdom. Since it isn't, I'm inclined to believe that other people's experiences are different than yours and that they believe good husbandry is possible with smaller tanks.

Just my $.02
 
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760mason

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It didn't really sound like it's just your opinion. If you ever need to say , "i don't want to come off as an ...", then you probably need to rephrase whatever it is you're about to say.

Anecdotal evidence certainly has value, but you've got to believe that very few people value Tangs or tank life in general if you think that the only appropriate tank size is 200+. If they did, then that would be the common wisdom. Since it isn't, I'm inclined to believe that other people's experiences are different than yours and that they believe good husbandry is possible with smaller tanks.

Just my $.02

It is common wisdom and scientific fact. An 8 year old tang in the wild will be 10 to 12". In home aquariums 4 to 6". And they have been known to swim 30+ miles a day feeding all day. You can not reproduce that environment in a 5 foot box. Just google help my tang has ICH...876,000 results.
 
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cope413

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Right, so you're not saying it's your opinion. You're saying that everyone who keeps tangs in tanks less than 200+ gallons is irresponsible, cruel, careless or all three.

I'm guessing you'll have quite a few who will disagree with you on that.
 

rob7777

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Mason-------- everyone off don't u
 
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Mike in CT

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I won't say what fish I have in my 75 because I don't need the hassle, but it's a tang and it's going on 12 and it is like a puppy dog. If we are on the sofa next to the tank he will hang out next to us until we leave . To be honest I would not put another big tang in there bit I got this guy before I was on any forum and every LFS would tell you 75 was plenty.
When I redid my tank a year ago I purposely made a couple big caves he could swim thru so he could have a little more fun.
 

Rjramos

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ImageUploadedByREEF2REEF1399162068.245620.jpg

3 in a 120gal 4' tank. 7yrs together. I've had sporadic cases of ich, but nothing serious all over the fish. It has started with hippo and spread to others although not as bad. I don't run UV or use medications or quarantine ever. One thing I've noted throughout the years in the hobby, is that temperature fluctuations throughout the day/night makes tangs more predisposed to getting ich. If your tank temp kicks up to 81 at the end of the lighting cycle and in the morning with your a/c running it is 78, this is not good, it has everything to do with why we humans get colds when exposed to sudden temperature changes, and sometimes although we are exposed to sick people, nothing happens. My advice and what has always worked is treat it as you would your cold. Maintain stable temp by whatever means, I've always ran a chiller. And feed nori seaweed soaking .5ml of selcon vitamins and .5 ml of garlic xtreme from kent. This is your "chicken soup". Give them this every morning tight wrapped and rubberbanded to a rock and hang and let them pick at it all day for 5 days. The ich will be gone my friends! Check out "fish piñata under DIY forum on this site.
 

760mason

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Right, so you're not saying it's your opinion. You're saying that everyone who keeps tangs in tanks less than 200+ gallons is irresponsible, cruel, careless or all three.

I'm guessing you'll have quite a few who will disagree with you on that.
in a nutshell yes. Some smaller species of tangs work. Juvenile kole tangs, Chevron tangs. All juvenile tangs will do fine in aquariums short term. Like i said just my opinion take it or leave it. It may be unpopular but there is a reason most tangs get or die of ICH. My point is do your research before buying a fish. Make sure your tank size will support the fish long term. I see many people build awesome tanks and 3-5 years down the road tearing them down. Allot of people in this hobby have allot of money and just replace a fish when it dies. Some fish have lifespans of 25 to 40 years some more than that. Just keep that in mind when buying livestock. :bigsmile:

PS dont get me started on keeping a grouper in your tank
 
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cope413

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You'd probably have more authority if you could properly spell the names of fish you're claiming to be an expert on.

No one "got you started" on tangs, so I'm sure no one wants your take on groupers
 

760mason

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I would return the fish, your tank is not large enough for a tang, even a small one. Tangs almost always have ich and really should be in 5-6 foot long tanks minimum depending on species, some are really just unsuitable for home aquaria. Then you have to decide if you want to remove your fish to treat, leaving the tank fallow, or do nothing and hope they will stay healthy enough to live with it. Any new fish you add will likely spark a return of the ich, same with any unexpected stress in the tank. I would qt and treat but don't just throw the rest of your livestock in an uncycled tank and start adding meds, that will kill them just as fast. You need to be able to measure if you are going to use copper, have a refractometer if you are doing hyposalinity, test for ammonia and nitrites etc. Also shrimp can't get to ich, it's under the skin.
this is the only post in this thread with good advice
 

cope413

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Dude, let it go. Everyone knows exactly where you stand. The OP asked for help, you gave your expert opinion, now let it go.
 

760mason

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I have stayed on topic. some might label me as tang police. I am just giving my 2cents worth. I am not an expert nor do i claim to be. I reach out to the forums all the time for help with a problem. I have been in this hobby long enough to give my 2cents worth on a few topics. Keeping tangs is one of them. Like i said some have not had any problems but most have. ICH is no fun to deal with and it can kill everything in your tank. Then when you think its gone it comes bak. In almost 30 years of keeping saltwater fish the only fish that i have had to die of ICH are tangs. So I think I have a valid point. But as one said I need to move on, and I will. I am done with this thread. You can take what you want from it and hopefully make wise choices when buying livestock.
 
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