On March 14, 2020 I bought a Powder Blue Tang from my LFS. This fish has been in QT since I got it home. There was minimal color loss from being transported an hour back to my house. This fish is doing as good as you could expect. Eating NORI, eating fish food (combination of small pellets and flakes), and has been picking at the rocks in the QT tank. All color has come back, fish is eating like a pig, and showing no signs if ICH. How much longer would you all keep this fish in QT? My LFS did have the fish in QT for a month before putting the fish up for sale.
Powder Blue Tang
- Thread starter WilliG
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Scotty Buttons
Valuable Member
Unless your going to treat it prophylactically, if it appears healthy and is eating well you might as well put it in your DT
Reefpharmer
Active Member
There is a point we are probably missing. Does your DT have other fish? If so, did you prophylactically treat them all for ich with TTM or copper or hypo? If not, ich is most likely present in your DT and if it’s not showing, good, meaning the fish are healthy. That doesn’t mean there is no ich.
If all other fish haven’t been treated, make sure your PBT is eating and is healthy and you can move him in. Depending on the other fish, do so carefully, at night to avoid some aggression.
If you did treat all your other fish before, then treat the tang also.
If all other fish haven’t been treated, make sure your PBT is eating and is healthy and you can move him in. Depending on the other fish, do so carefully, at night to avoid some aggression.
If you did treat all your other fish before, then treat the tang also.
Flame2hawk
Valuable Member
(Assuming he is in Qt by himself)
In my humble opinion, PB are beautiful fish but are “ich magnets” I usually do not treat prophylacticly prefering the observation method for at least 2-3 weeks in QT. However with this beaut, I might make an exception. My humble opinion is to at least wait and observe for a total of 2-3 weeks. Get him nice and fat with high nutrition food soaked in selcon to build up his immune system before putting him in the DTwhere there will be stress introduced and he might break out. Good luck.
In my humble opinion, PB are beautiful fish but are “ich magnets” I usually do not treat prophylacticly prefering the observation method for at least 2-3 weeks in QT. However with this beaut, I might make an exception. My humble opinion is to at least wait and observe for a total of 2-3 weeks. Get him nice and fat with high nutrition food soaked in selcon to build up his immune system before putting him in the DTwhere there will be stress introduced and he might break out. Good luck.
Rmckoy
7500 Club Member
I never really understood having a qt for such fish .
they are susceptible to ich and stress being one of the contributing factors to ich .
taking it from the qt to the display ..
how does this not stress them ?
they are susceptible to ich and stress being one of the contributing factors to ich .
taking it from the qt to the display ..
how does this not stress them ?
Squidward
Valuable Member
Because properly quarantining it is needed especially for Tangs. You can have a system without ich. If your system does not have ich, ich will not appear if a fish is stressed.
Squidward
Valuable Member
How do you know for sure? Did your LFS assure you that? I would rather be safe than sorry later. Ich can easily hide inside the gills.
Reefpharmer
Active Member
Do you have other fish in the main tank and did you prophy treat them ?
JasonK84
I want more!!!
If you trust it then that’s a risk you are willing to accept. For me I can only trust myself for QT. If I miss something it’s on me. Good luck. I’ve got a PBT and it is beautiful. Over a year and a half old now.
Yes I have other fish in this tank as it has been up for quite some time now. All have been quarantined and treated.
BTW, a PBT should be the last fish you add due to the fact that they can be very aggresive towards newly added fish. That is according to literature I have read. So, I have done my homework on this fish.
sarcophytonIndy
Well-Known Member
My DT has ich and always will. I haven't seen any signs of it on my ten fish in about a year, but I would not risk another PBT, since it was the only fish to die during the outbreak more then a year ago.
None of my fish have had ich. Knowing how prevalent ich is, I do consider myself lucky up to this point in not having to deal with it. Years ago when I was a kid, I had an ich out break in a 20 gallon. Lost all of those fish, but that was when I was 8. Never had a ich problem since.
JasonK84
I want more!!!
Maybe as a general guideline an Acanthurus tang should be added last but not a hard rule that must be followed. There are certain strategies that work. Also depends on the individual specimen. The PBT was the first tang added in my tank. Now I also have 4 yellow tangs along with other fish. I added all four yellows together to spread out the aggression and the PBT hardly ever acknowledges their presence.
I wouldn't ever put a fish into my display without a minimum of 72 days in QT if you are not treating, but that's me. I don't treat my fish just observe and treat if needed so if treated you could do earlier.
3 weeks without treating? You might as well skip QT altogether if that's the case. I've got too much to lose I guess if I risked it. I might consider in a fish only system if all fish could be treated, but no way I'm breaking mine down to try and catch a fish I thought looked good.
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