HELP! Royal Blue Tang has ich! What do I do?

Justin Teufel · Apr 19, 2019

Hello fellow reefers. I have a baby royal blue tang that I’m holding and it has some ich on him. I don’t know what to do. I heard some treatments with cupramine. Others have said to leave it and let the fish get a better immune system by feeding various foods and dosing stress coat. Please help!

Thanks, reply ASAP

Here are some pics. I know they aren’t good pics, but those are the best ones I could get.

TK_KW · Apr 19, 2019

Call in the experts
@HotRocks
@4FordFamily
@ngoodermuth

Justin Teufel · Apr 19, 2019

TK_KW said:
Call in the experts
@HotRocks
@4FordFamily

Please come on in! Halp!

ChiSox Rabbitfish · Apr 19, 2019

dang blue tangs to sensitive I had mine came down with ich months ago pretty bad without a QT tank I did a FW dip fed garlic pellets and added a cleaner shrimp he’s been fine since I might of just gotten lucky by letting nature do what it does

Jberge · Apr 19, 2019

This is just me but I would qt and treat all of the fish with copper and let the dt go fallow for 76 days. There’s not really any other option besides gambling that the tang will beat the ich but it will always be in the system and always an issue. I had the same thing happen 2 years ago and bit the bullet, qt and went fallow

Frtdrmrose7 · Apr 19, 2019

It depends if you want to manage ich and have to worry about it especially when adding new fish or eradicate it and not worry.
I’m in the QT, fallow for 76 days camp myself

vetteguy53081 · Apr 20, 2019

Not abnormal for these guys to have ich. Start with freshwater dip and use PraziPro as a start and see how well it recovers as they do bounce back quickly

sde1500 · Apr 20, 2019

vetteguy53081 said:
Not abnormal for these guys to have ich. Start with freshwater dip and use PraziPro as a start and see how well it recovers as they do bounce back quickly

Those aren’t really treatments for ich though.

vetteguy53081 · Apr 20, 2019

sde1500 said:
Those aren’t really treatments for ich though.

Typically not but going the basic route as they Have worked for me

Justin Teufel · Apr 22, 2019

vetteguy53081 said:
Not abnormal for these guys to have ich. Start with freshwater dip and use PraziPro as a start and see how well it recovers as they do bounce back quickly

ok, when I use prazipro, is it safe to put it in the display tank, or the quarantine? I have started a quarantine tank and have added the blue tang in it. I have been dosing cupramine solution daily every 2 days in between with some water changes as well. I am quarantining for a total of 6 weeks. Any other advice?

Justin Teufel · Apr 22, 2019

I have also done a freshwater dip.

vetteguy53081 · Apr 22, 2019

Justin Teufel said:
ok, when I use prazipro, is it safe to put it in the display tank, or the quarantine? I have started a quarantine tank and have added the blue tang in it. I have been dosing cupramine solution daily every 2 days in between with some water changes as well. I am quarantining for a total of 6 weeks. Any other advice?

It is ok to use Prazipro in display tank as it is deemed reef safe . . . . . . . . . . HOWEVER, do consider the advice of removing all fish for several weeks to assure protozoan has died off. PraziPro in QT tank also acceptable. remove any carbon while treating as carbon will remove agents in the medication

Jberge · Apr 22, 2019

vetteguy53081 said:
HOWEVER, do consider the advice of removing all fish for several weeks to assure protozoan has died off.

^^^ not easy but IMO best route

Frtdrmrose7 · Apr 22, 2019

If treating ich, you should remove all fish treat with copper at 2.0ppm (copper power) and leave the DT fallow for 76 days.

DSC reef · Apr 22, 2019

The fish looks pretty healthy to me from the pics. IMO I would not go crazy with removing fish or going fallow. Feed the fish a proper diet of varied foods and give it some time. Almost all of the blue tangs I've seen eventually get it but even the ones we've kept got better with a great diet fed often and ich never returned or spread. I'm not seeing a massive covering on your fish.

Justin Teufel · Apr 22, 2019

DSC reef said:
The fish looks pretty healthy to me from the pics. IMO I would not go crazy with removing fish or going fallow. Feed the fish a proper diet of varied foods and give it some time. Almost all of the blue tangs I've seen eventually get it but even the ones we've kept got better with a great diet fed often and ich never returned or spread. I'm not seeing a massive covering on your fish.

Yes, my blue tang doesn't have that much ich, but I wanted to make sure that I can completely get rid of it while the parasite was small and weak enough regarding the amount of ich. I will definitely add a varied diet of foods.

DSC reef · Apr 22, 2019

Justin Teufel said:
Yes, my blue tang doesn't have that much ich, but I wanted to make sure that I can completely get rid of it while the parasite was small and weak enough regarding the amount of ich. I will definitely add a varied diet of foods.

Foods I'd recommend are reef nutrition, LRS frozen, chroma boost pellets and some nori sheets.

JasonK84 · Apr 22, 2019

Frtdrmrose7 said:
It depends if you want to manage ich and have to worry about it especially when adding new fish or eradicate it and not worry.
I’m in the QT, fallow for 76 days camp myself

Oh, no! What happened? You’ve been QT’ing everything I thought.

Frtdrmrose7 · Apr 22, 2019

JasonK84 said:
Oh, no! What happened? You’ve been QT’ing everything I thought.

I do, I meant I believe in QT and if infected go fallow for 76 days to eradicate. My tank is clean (crossing fingers) lol
I don’t believe in managing parasites

JasonK84 · Apr 22, 2019

Frtdrmrose7 said:
I do, I meant I believe in QT and if infected go fallow for 76 days to eradicate. My tank is clean (crossing fingers) lol
I don’t believe in managing parasites

Gotcha! Glad to hear. I was expecting to hear you say you got bit by cross contamination or some super bug. Glad all is good in your tank.