heavymetalmullet Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Hi guys, got home from work this evening to see lots of tiny, tiny, tiny little things crawling along the glass in my 47g tank. At first I didn't think much about it because i've recently removed a lot of hair algae from the tank but then I suddenly remembered they might be a parasite like ich so quickly had a look for my little blue tang and couldn't believe it when I saw a few little specks on her! I've spent the whole evening looking at different forums and websites for the best solution for treating her and the tank and still don't really know the best solution. I have three fish in my tank at the moment, the blue tang and her two little clown fish friends that she hangs around with. They are absolutely fine from what I can see and have no visible spots on them. As I currently don't have my QT setup i'd prefer a solution that involves me getting rid of this problem whilst keeping them in the display tank if possible?? As I use natural filtration in my display tank I have no sponge filter at the moment to transfer to my QT tank so what do you guys suggest I should do? I really don't want her to die. Or the Clownfish to become infected either, although i know that blue tangs are more susceptible than them. Link to comment
matt frizz Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Is the tang still eating and behaving normally? Sometimes my blue tang has white specs on its face but they dissapear later on. This happened to my last tang occasionally as well. It wasn't ich either time. Link to comment
heavymetalmullet Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 Is the tang still eating and behaving normally? Sometimes my blue tang has white specs on its face but they dissapear later on. This happened to my last tang occasionally as well. It wasn't ich either time. i think it's definitely ich as i can see the little critters on the she side of the glass and my tang is glancing herself on the rock trying to get it off her. Other than she was still eating bits of algae last night. Link to comment
heavymetalmullet Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 Ok i've been to my LFS and they're not sure it's Ich either. They've sold me some medication to have on stand by if it is but they basically said keep giving my fish lots of food and making sure they're well fed to boost their immune system and have given me some blood shrimp covered with garlic to feed the tang with. I guess i'll just keep an eye on her and see how things go. What do you guys think?? Link to comment
Dasani Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Hi guys, got home from work this evening to see lots of tiny, tiny, tiny little things crawling along the glass in my 47g tank. At first I didn't think much about it because i've recently removed a lot of hair algae from the tank but then I suddenly remembered they might be a parasite like ich so quickly had a look for my little blue tang and couldn't believe it when I saw a few little specks on her! Link to comment
Dasani Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 I was just pointin it out....I'll let someone else start it Link to comment
heavymetalmullet Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 I was just pointin it out....I'll let someone else start it Am I missing something here?? Link to comment
Dasani Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Hi guys, got home from work this evening to see lots of tiny, tiny, tiny little things crawling along the glass in my 47g tank. At first I didn't think much about it because i've recently removed a lot of hair algae from the tank but then I suddenly remembered they might be a parasite like ich so quickly had a look for my little blue tang and couldn't believe it when I saw a few little specks on her! Am I missing something here?? Link to comment
1fishmonger Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 lol. MOST people are not too fond of tangs going into small tanks. That said, you should quarantine your fish... or feed it tons of algae/veggies and mysis. Soak all your foods in garlic/vitamin c/whatever goodluck juice you have available and hope for the best. Link to comment
ciedre Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Am I missing something here?? You shouldn't have a Tang in a tank that small, its cruel. Also you can't see the marine ich(Cryptocaryon irritans) parasite ever, what you see on the fish is actually a cyst caused by the parasite burrowing into the fishes flesh. The white things on your glass are likely pods. Tangs generally get hit really hard by Cryptocaryon irritans, so if that's what it is your fish will be dead in 48 hours without medication, depending of course on a large number of variables. Link to comment
heavymetalmullet Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 lol. MOST people are not too fond of tangs going into small tanks. That said, you should quarantine your fish... or feed it tons of algae/veggies and mysis. Soak all your foods in garlic/vitamin c/whatever goodluck juice you have available and hope for the best. A 47gallon tank is a pretty big tank for a tang that is only a baby. A number of people in the profession I have spoken to have a blue tang in a similar size tank for years and the fish has not outgrown the tank. I am well aware of the size these fish can POTENTIALLY get to and if I think she is getting too big then I can sell her on. Anyway, thanks for the advice on the feeding stuff. Link to comment
Dasani Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 A 47gallon tank is a pretty big tank for a tang that is only a baby. A number of people in the profession I have spoken to have a blue tang in a similar size tank for years and the fish has not outgrown the tank. I am well aware of the size these fish can POTENTIALLY get to and if I think she is getting too big then I can sell her on. Anyway, thanks for the advice on the feeding stuff. Blue tangs are not smaller tank tangs. Even a small blue tang needs 55g+ and the smaller ones are more capable of getting ich. I would be hesitate putting a small yellow tang in a 47g. Link to comment
ajgouty Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Blue tangs are not smaller tank tangs. Even a small blue tang needs 55g+ and the smaller ones are more capable of getting ich. I would be hesitate putting a small yellow tang in a 47g. well he already has the tang so lets move on. this is the most redundant arguement ever in saltwater. i am sure the owner is already aware of people's opinion on this. you are not going to change a thing. hope your blue tang gets better i have one currently and he gets small white spots around his mouth and belly but they just disappear in a couple days then come back sometimes. i kinda thought it might be a random hidden aptasia stinging him. Link to comment
paneubert Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 i have one currently and he gets small white spots around his mouth and belly but they just disappear in a couple days then come back sometimes. i kinda thought it might be a random hidden aptasia stinging him. I think the thing everyone keeps missing is that this is probably ich......it is just not a massive infestation and is not killing the tang. Saying that it shows up, then goes away, then comes back sounds like the textbook life cycle of ich..... Ich comes up off the sand and burrows into the fish for a while. Ich feeds and then falls off. Ich stays in the sand for a bit. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. Link to comment
ciedre Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 well he already has the tang so lets move on. this is the most redundant arguement ever in saltwater. i am sure the owner is already aware of people's opinion on this. you are not going to change a thing. hope your blue tang gets better i have one currently and he gets small white spots around his mouth and belly but they just disappear in a couple days then come back sometimes. i kinda thought it might be a random hidden aptasia stinging him. If it has Marine ich the fact that it is in far to small a tank could be the cause...stress is the number one cause for the parasite to breakout. Link to comment
ajgouty Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 If it has Marine ich the fact that it is far to small a tank could be the cause...stress is the number one cause for the parasite to breakout. yes but i dont think a small baby tang would be under that much stress in a 47. blue tang is not the best pick for a smaller tank i would have gone with a yellow eye kole tang but that is besides the point, just like argueing about the tank being too small. he already bought it and he has heard this arguement before. lets look at a solution, like dosing it with some ich relief to figure out if it is even ich. if it is and it keeps returning then maybe it is the tank, but i dont think the tank is causing it at this point. if this was the case fish stores wouldnt put them in smaller tanks when they were babies if it was just going to kill off their product. although i question some fish stores prolly would, but luckily there is some good ones in my area. Link to comment
Oceanus Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 47's are like 1 foot long and 1 foot wide and 3 feet tall. Total tang cruelty. Bad bad bad Link to comment
heavymetalmullet Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 47's are like 1 foot long and 1 foot wide and 3 feet tall. Total tang cruelty. Bad bad bad Absolute rubbish!! My tank is four foot long and 2ft high!! Link to comment
ajgouty Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Absolute rubbish!! My tank is four foot long and 2ft high!! +1 Link to comment
Deleted User 6 Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Cruelty, lol. That's all bull####. Link to comment
gutterguy Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 The fish told them that it cruel. The tang whisperer is always watching Link to comment
heavymetalmullet Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 The fish told them that it cruel. The tang whisperer is always watching lol Link to comment
MariTheNube Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 If it is ich then the only way to get rid of it is to qt and treat all of your fish, not just the tang. And, based on what I have read on here and on other sites regarding ich and its life cycle, you can't put any kind of fish in your main display for about 6 weeks, to allow the parasite to die off without introducing an new potential hosts. Tangs are also prone to getting lateral line disease too so you may want to research that. The tang in my bf's 75 gal was starting to show signs of this, and displaying some of the same symptoms you have described for yours. I fed him (the tang not my bf) garlic enhanced pellet food and we introduced a cleaner shrimp into the tank. The cleaner shrimp jumped on the tang almost immediately and began picking off the parasites. The tang has recovered completely since. Hope this helps. Link to comment
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