PLEASE HELP!!!

The tang isn't in the QT just the other fish. The tang is in the DT. I didn't mention anything about there eyes????? there is nothing wrong with any of the fish's eyes I am confused where you think there might be a secondary infection?

 

Sorry I misread, it still sounds like secondary bacterial infection if the fish is sloughing tissue. Why did you not QT the tang? You're just prolonging the parasites life cycle by not dealing with the ich, I would have put the tang into QT and left the other fish, maybe move the potters over since they are sensitive to parasites.

 

Raising temp does not speed the lifecycle for SW ich. That's only for FW ich. Lower SG to 1.008 make sure you have a well calibrated refractometer. You can bring SG down in 3 days. Also have some SW ready at that SG for WC. Keep it there at least for 4 weeks. The counter begins when you see no more ich spots. I think I mentioned this earlier but keeping the pH is a PITA. Cook some baking soda in the oven and mix with RODI water. Drip line it in. I used a 2 liter bottle and had a very slow constant drip. I used 2 tsp baking soda for 2 liter bottle for a 30 gallon QT. I dripped 1 drip every 15 seconds. Check twice a day (in the morning before work and after work). If you have good biological filtration you can get away with less WC. Check your ammonia or get a seachem ammonia alert badge. If it gets high all you need is prime or amquel +. That's about all you need for hypo. Keep on feeding your fish with garlic and selcon/zoecon and fatten them up. Take longer to bring SG up after 4 weeks.

For my blue hippo the skin was also peeling just as you describe. You might see blotches where the cysts where. It should heal up during treatment. Good Luck!

EDIT: Since you have fish in your QT I'd put ALL of them in there.

 

Last night I thought the move would be too stressful for it. It looked to be on deaths door las night (much different this morning) Maybe I should consider moving it later today???? if he continues to improve???? Also I only have a 20 gallon tank for QT and with 6 fish and a 4" tang its a little tight. I was also thinking (incomplete thought though) if the tang recovers wont it be more immune to it a second time? Or is that not true?

 

So it seems the tang will make it, but it looks like HELL!!! his eyes are cloudy and he still has a ton of cysts on him. He spends a lot of time letting my shrimp clean him but he looks horrible still eating fine. All other traits are fine as well. Do I continue to push food of is there anything else I can do for it. It has been about two weeks since the outbreak. Will the fish ever clear up or just always have cysts on it?

 

It will clear up, patience is key right now.

 

Looking at the future and trying to prevent this for the third time..... would investing in a UV sterilizer help me? And if I leave the Tang in the tank I assume I will never be rid of the ICH correct? I have to remove it to kill off the Ich or will the UV help prevent it?

I understand that time is the only cure right now but it looks as if the fish starts to look better and then all of a sudden there are a ton of cysts on it? Dose it happen like that? As soon as the cysts fall off it seem like a new bunch appear? Can this happen that quickly over night? If I pull the tang, would it be advised to let my LFS hold it for the 6 weeks since I dont really have the abilities to house this large fish in a QT for that long? Or would the move be too stressfull for it. It is feeding fine and is active, but looks like hell.

Lastly why how ammune are maroon clowns to the parasite. My clown looks GREAT and dosn't seem to be effected at all. Are they pretty resistant to ICH?

 

UVs really don't do much to in regards to killing parasites, at least on the hobbyists level.

Stress is really the culprit when it comes to ich, and as you know tangs stress out as well as they are parasite magnets. Like I said earlier in this thread, if I see one fish in a central system with ich, I do not buy from that system, period. When I get the fish to its location, I acclimate then dip in formalin, that usually does the trick.

AFA the clowns, they aren't immune, if you were to place them in a stressful environment with the parasite present they would get it, they just happen to be tougher then the tang.

 

Something weird is happening. I am having a HUGE amonia increase. Last night it was approching +2.0 I had done a large WC (30 gallons) on Tuesday to reduce it but it went right back up last night. Any thoughts? Is this in correlation with the ICH outbreak? Currently I treated the tank with "Prime" and will continue till I can make some more water. Any thoughts?

 

Is this in your QT or DT? Are you doing hypo? What type of medium are you using for nitrification bacteria? Sounds like you don't have enough nitrification bacteria. 2.0PPM ammonia can kill a fish.