emperor angel with ich

[les6660_5]

hi, i have a 700ltr fish only marine set up, which include a large powder blue, large regal tang, yellow tang, six banded angel, queen angel, emperor angel juv, 2 dog faced puffers and a large hairy red crab, all fish are doing fine apart from my emperor which keeps iching on a internal filter only, never on rocks, could this be a sign of change or do i need to treat, if so what with, ive looked in to copper based treatments but say i cant use with my crab, thanks les

[Semibfy]

Even though you may not see any visible spots yet, but it could mean possible infection although tang are more prone to external parasitic infection. I am talking about tangs (powder blue, hippo) being so called Ick Magnet.

As far as treating w/ copper, i would avoid w/ inverts or have LR. Once LR is exposed to Cu, CAN NOT and SHOULD NOT ever be used w/ inverts.

If possible to set up QT and catch it at night (usually easier to catch if out in open). Be careful not to remove right away. Keep him in net, better yet in large plastic container inside the tank then turn on the light so he can wake up. Move to QT after a while.

Also could keep in large plastic container which can hang over the rim inside the tank. Use hot screwdriver to punch as many holes thru out the sides of container to get water flowing. try to hang it near return water for better circulation. Try F/W dip for few minutes. Fish may lay flat on the bottom of dip container which is OK as long as you take him out after 3-4 minutes. Try couples minutes at first until you get hang of it or the fish.LOL. Repeat dip as needed.

Also can lower the SG in QT to 1.016 gradually and raise temp to higher temp gradually which will fasten parasite's life cycle hence comes off the fish faster. Cysts may not survive the low SG and keep him in QT until better. Can Cu in QT also.

Since cysts can be still in the tank, most likely it will be there always, how about running UV 24/7? It is NOT the perfect solution but helps. Hope this helped.

[leebca]

Proper diagnosis is necessary in order to determine a treatment course (if one is necessary).

Flashing (scratching) is a sign of many different conditions and pathogens. You can rule out 'change' as the cause. These Angels don't do that from going through transition.

If you don't provide for a quarantine process, the problem could be, as indicated above, any of a number of conditions or pathogens.

Try to find another or additional symptoms. Spend a lot of time looking at your fish under good lighting. Look for any spots, injuries, other features. For what to look for, I'd like you to look through this post and go through the list: Is The Fish Healthy?

Until you can help narrow down the condition, it isn't advisable to take any action at this time. Keep in mind that if it is a contagious disease of some sort, ALL fish will need treatment in a hospital tank, or multiple tanks to accommodate the fishes.

One of the most common of these diseases which cause this flashing is Marine Ich. I suggest you learn the facts about this parasite: Marine Ich - Myths and Facts

If you think you are in a position to provide additional information, please post. If you can, also post some photos (up close, clear, with high definition) of the fish.

Good luck!