tangs and ich..

Kasandra_jane · 07-31-2007, 06:54 PM

ok so i just purchased a blue hippo tang andi know that they are very susceptible to ich.. but of course really dont want it to get ich and then my other tanks inhabitants receive it..
is there any way that i can lower the risk of my tang receiving ich?
thanks

Nereaga · 07-31-2007, 07:16 PM

Do you have it in quaratine? Or in your tank?

Tbx · 07-31-2007, 07:36 PM

The only way to help it is keep a really clean tank regal tangs are vary pron to ich and will most likely get it unless you keep the parameters in check and have a lot of hiding places and non aggressive fish to prevent it from being caused by stress. This is indeed attainable tons of people keep them ich free you just have to try to make the tank as clean and as comfortable to the fish as possible.

Kasandra_jane · 08-01-2007, 07:25 AM

alright.. that doesnt seem to hard.. yeah i ordered it through the mail.. so i will be getting it sometime this morning.. im excited yet again.. i really dont want to be getting ich in my tank..
so stress can cause ich tio.. huh.. thats news to me.. and i dont have a quarantine tank// although i have a small 20 gallon that i have been really thinking hard about making it into one.. looks like i may need to..

Tbx · 08-01-2007, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kasandra_jane

alright.. that doesnt seem to hard.. yeah i ordered it through the mail.. so i will be getting it sometime this morning.. im excited yet again.. i really dont want to be getting ich in my tank..
so stress can cause ich tio.. huh.. thats news to me.. and i dont have a quarantine tank// although i have a small 20 gallon that i have been really thinking hard about making it into one.. looks like i may need to..

It sounds like he is going to have to go straight in to the tank then why don't you try to find an acclimating box to keep him away from the others until he is more comfortable.I forget what the boxes are called thought they are just plastic boxes filled with holes.

Chitown1 · 08-01-2007, 09:50 PM

ICH can not happen unless introduced into the tank. If you do not have it now, unless you bring it into the tank attached to a new introduction, you wont get it, that is why it is so important to quarintine new fish, if they have it you can aggressivly treat it in the QT tank, eliminate the parasites and then put the new fish into the display, then you will never get ICH.
Many people think it is caused by stress and that it is in every tank, however this has NEVER been proven. Stress lowers a fishes imune system so they become easy targets for the parasites, but it is not the cause, the parasites are, in and of themselves the issue.
Tangs are more likely to be affected than other species due to the fact they have a much thinner slim coating than most other species to allow them to swim 25+ miles a day looking for food, basically it has less drag without the additional slime coating.
The best way to ensure you never have a ICH issue is to QT your fish for 4-6 weeks before ading to the display. Most LFS use low levels of copper within their system to mask ICH, disease and other parasite issues but not enough to kill them, so you need to QT them to ensure you are not introducing the parasites into your display or you take the risk, plain and simple.

Kasandra_jane · 08-01-2007, 10:21 PM

alright.. well that makes me feel alot better.. i guess i will be setting up that quarantine tank quite soon then.. thanks for the advice..