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Hi all, OK I have a 75 gal reef and had a powder blue tang only he developed ich at first. I added a yellow eye tang that after two days or so started to see some ich on him so I put them both in the hospital with cooper. I used a mini heater that was supposed to heat the water to a couple degrees above room temp. Well it brought the water about 20 degrees above room temp.
Needless to say I noticed the problem too late
So I got another powder blue 5" in beautiful condition. In a few days he has white dots forming on his fins and body. All other fish and corals are doing great.
What should I do?
Thanks

Temperature: 79.0 F
Salinity: 1.0242 ppt
Nitrate: 20 ppm
pH: 8.13
Calcium: 400 mg/L
Iodine/Iodide: 0.04 mg/l

Hi,
In this case you have to treat the tank. Removing the
fish will take the embedded parasite with them to the
hospital tank, but leave the other free swimming parasites
as well as the eggs in the main tank. Copper can be/is
deadly to the inverts. The good news is that the inverts
cannot host the Ich parasite so the best thing to to would
be to remove all the fish to a holding/hospital tank, and
do nothing to the main tank except elevate its temperature
a bit (speeds up the life cycle of the parasite) and
continue to care for the inverts as per normal.
I'd wait at least two and preferably four weeks
before returning fish to the main tank. That way all of
the free swimming parasites will have died from lack of
a host, and all of the eggs will have hatched, become
free swimming and also died from lack of a host.

Healthy fish can usually stave off an infestation by the
parasite. Those weakened by stress such as poor acclimation,
or a traumatic move between tanks, will generally be the
ones to come down with Ich.

Frank


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