yellow tang has ick

[Rhonda.J]

I have been treating the food with garlic. I bought the kyolic aged garlic. I am also using the selcon. The first fish to get ick was the scopus tang. He is seems to be better and never stopped eating. The pair of banngais, the six line wrasse, and the pshodelic mandarin never showed any signs of ick. But yesterday my tiny yellow tang stayed in hiding and wouldn't eat. I did see him out last night when the MH lights went out and the blue lights were all that was on. He didn't look as bad as even the scopus did at first. But he still won't eat. I tried to get him to eat again this morning and he ran away. He is very small. About the size of a quarter. I am also worried because my banggais just breed again and I am worried that the male will get weakened by not eating and get ick. I would be totally heartbroken if I lost him. All of my fish are small. The biggest fish in the tank are the banggais. I have a 125 gal. Is there anything else I can do to help the yellow tang? I can't get him out or I would. He is the nicest yellow tang I have ever seen and I want him to live. Does anyone has any ideas to help him if he won't eat the garlic food. The garlic food has seemed to really help the scopus and may even be helping the others from getting ick. I read somewhere about putting garlic right in the tank if the fish won't eat it but I am causious about doing that. I can't find any real proof that it works. And I have about 30 to 40 corals that I would hate to lose also. The yellow tang won't eat anything. But up until yesterday he was eating like a pig.

[ravenmore]

Well, the whole garlic thing is controversial at best. There's no scientific evidence that it works, and the only thing being offered to the contrary is anecdotal evidence from hobbiest - as least to my knowledge. Most folks considered "experts" such as Fenner, Borneman, and Dr. Shimek pooh pah the idea entirely. I wouldn't add it to the tank either, but that's just me.

I've come to regard ich as a natural part of the reef (hmmmmm, wonder if any corals would actually feed on the free floating stage of the parasite?). Filter feeding organisms such as clams, fanworms, and sponges can remove some of the free floating parasite from the water column. Your fish, if healthy and unstressed, should be able to fight off the disease. You can also add biological cleaner organisms such as cleaner shrimp and neon gobies (two of my favs).

[David]

Yea, what he said. Seriously, I agree completely with ravenmore's comments and do believe that filter feeding corals control the free swimming tomite stage of crytocaryon. I also agree that both scarlet cleaner shrimps (Lysmata amboinensis) and neon goby's are essential partners in controlling 'ick'. I have gone as far as to remove an infected fish from fo tank and put it INTO the reef, it has worked for me. Now how many people do you know who advocate putting obviously sick fish into your reef tank? I have a parasitic presence in my reef, no question. Occasionally I see a spot here or there. But I have a saifin tang in there as well as a friggin powder blue! If they can take it, I'm not worried. Ravenmore is right, "ich" is a natural part of reef ... accept it and deal with it.

[mastaJ]

Do you have any natural food such as calurpa in there, i would add some of that if he isn't eating...it should encourage him to eat. I would also add a cleaner shrimp or five HTH

[BLUESMAN]

IF youndo have calpurla availale I would ytr and soak a piece with garlic exact and hope he/she eat its.I have had very good luck curing tangs with garlic.You might want to put it in a separate tank to reduce stress and get the full effect of the garlic.I feed all my fish garlic soaked food 24/7.

[mastaJ]

Originally posted by BLUESMAN
I feed all my fish garlic soaked food 24/7.

Let me through this at you, don't take it the wrong way...

If you feed your fish garlic food 24/7 how do you know if it is working or if it is just naturally taken care of?

[organicreefer]

rhonda,ime these 'tiny ' tangs do very poorly .i doubt hes going to make it sorry jmo.im not even going to suggest my favorite parasite picker .DONT add anything directly to youre tank.adding it to food is probly( bad?) enough imo.why does everyone think its the garlic thats "saving' their fish?fish get sick.some fish die ,some get better;; .ive had two tangs fight off ich on their own.no garlic.ive had one small tang,a little bigger than a quarter,and he died of ich .ive also read more than once that these small tangs dont tend to do well at all.

[Wind]

I have a yellow tang that broke out w/ a few spots of ich after a cleaning of my tank, or a water change. It happens sometimes.

Well, anyways, I heavy feed a little bit, maybe feed an extra serving or two. It fights off naturally, and the next few day or so the ich is gone. I think diet is the number 1 thing along with not being stressed.

[Rhonda.J]

The yellow tang died last night. They had one more the same size and I thought about trying to get it but now that the scopus has been in for awhile I am afraid he would kill the yellow. What do you think? The Scopus seems to be a very calm fish. I have a sailfin that is probably even a bit smaller than a quarter and she fought the ick off nicely. Atleast she has so far. And the scopus never bothers her. But the sailfin has been in the tank a lot longer than the scopus.

[organicreefer]

rhonda ,
i suggest you bu youre tang at a minimum of 3-4 inches.they are much more hardy ime.