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Powder Blue Tang Ick, no
rdg. 4/13/12 Quarantine 5/3/10 Re: Acanthurus leucosternon
mistake... compounding... need to read... Hyaku! 11/30/08 Hi
again, I'm afraid that I improperly quarantined my tang, and he
might have marine ich. <This, and a few other species, are indeed
very hard to rid of this protozoan> cannot tell for sure if he has
it or not, but there are small white dots on his fins and maybe on his
body but they are really really small. To somebody looking at him they
would probably think it was a sort of acne; but you would have to be
closely looking at him, not just a glance. To be safe I put all the
fish in the QT tank and turned the heat gradually up to 81 days over
the course of the day. <Mmm... not high enough to be of use...> I
bought some rid-ich at the store (only ich remover they had) and read
the directions. <... and this; formalin and Malachite Green,
treatment is not generally effective... and quite toxic> It says
that it is safe to use on "scaleless" fish and some inverts (
I do not have inverts, jus thought it would be worth mentioning). The
puffer seems to be a little sick also. His right eye is a little
cloudy- greenish cloudy. And his left eye is cloudy white in one spot.
<... could be a pathogen or just exposure to the Kordon
product...> I feel like I am in way over my head with this saltwater
stuff. Do I wait 4-6 weeks from the start of treatment or the start of
seeing no cysts? <My friend... you need to read... and
quickly...> It says when treating for ich to treat for three days
after no visible signs of cysts occur- but then want? Do I wait and see
if it comes back and start over? I do not want to start treatment
before I know all of this because I don't want to injure/ kill my
fish. I hope in this hobby the beginning is the toughest place to
start, then it gets more enjoyable. I almost forgot to thank you guys
for all the info and quick responses!! Thanks, Will <Have just
skipped down. Start here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/mardisindex.htm scroll down to "Parasitic Disease",
particularly parasitic tanks... then onto Cryptocaryon... and then to Quinine
use... and quickly. Bob Fenner> Powder blue quarantine 9/20/08 Hi Crew <Wayne> Couldn't find an answer to my question on the site. Hope you can help me out. <Me too> I just bought a 4" PBTang...been at the LFS for 2 weeks and looks healthy. Have him in a 40 gal QT. My question is about feeding. I plan to feed dried Nori, red algae, and Gracilaria (all soaked in Selcon)..as well as occasional Form 1 & 2 pellets, and New life Spectrum pellets. I also have this "Jungle" anti-bacteria pellet fish food. I've read about the beneficial bacteria that reside in the guts of PBTs. Based on this....should I not feed this anti-bacterial food? <Mmm, don't think this will be an issue. The infauna of use are actually Protozoans mostly> What if the fish displays a bacterial infection...would you still not feed this food? <Such "infections" are actually exceedingly rare... How to put this a bit differently than usual... By the time such microbes "show up" it is almost always too late... they're mainly decomposers, not pathogens per se> Thanks a ton. You guys/gals are great! <Mmm, myself, fair to middling. Cheers, BobF>
Powder Blue Tang, Ich 11/8/06 I have a 155 reef with 13 fish, and assorted corals and inverts, all levels great, but while out of town for 3 days (fish watched by LFS owner) my powder blue has a light (for the time being) case of ich. I have not added anything for over a year, so my QT is gone. My other fish seem unaffected, the tang has had it for 4 days, I have been adding garlic to the food, but he isn't getting better or worse. Will kick ich help the tang, or will it prevent only further spread. < I cannot advise adding this to a tank with corals. While it may help the tang it may harm you inverts. Please research WWM for opinions on these "reef safe" products. > And do I do freshwater dips, or would it be useless without a QT. < If you can catch the tang without inducing a lot of stress then it can help. > He is still acting normal and eating great, but I want to do whatever I can. < This is one of those watch and see situations. I would suggest getting that QT up and running ASAP. If you can maintain optimal water conditions you may keep your fish healthy enough to fight off a minor outbreak, but prepare for trouble. Moving all fish to QT at the first sign of ich spreading may be your best bet. > Thanks, < You're welcome, and hope everything works out for you - Emerson > DenisePowder blue with ich... re-sent, same bat channel.. 11/14/06 I have a 155 reef with 13 fish, and assorted corals and inverts, all levels great, but while out of town for 3 days (fish watched by LFS owner) my powder blue has a light (for the time being) case of ich. <A common occurrence> I have not added anything for over a year, so my QT is gone. My other fish seem unaffected, the tang has had it for 4 days, I have been adding garlic to the food, but he isn't getting better or worse. Will kick ich help the tang, <Not in the least. This product is an outright scam> or will it prevent only further spread. <Neither, none of the above, nunc...> And do I do freshwater dips, or would it be useless without a QT. He is still acting normal and eating great, but I want to do whatever I can. Thanks, Denise <Mmm... a bunch to state, speculate... on the one proverbial hand, you could do the least/nothing... watch the Acanthurus for signs of further increasing infestation... to the other end of the scale... removing, treating all fishes... hoping that by allowing the main/display system to go fallow (sans fish hosts), the protozoan will die off or become so subsequently weakened as "not likely" to re-infest your fish livestock... All these and intermediate possibilities are posted, gone over on WWM BTW. Bob Fenner> Yes another PBT question about the FAQs 9/19/06 Dear Bob & Crew, <Adlai> After about 15 months managing my current reef system, I plan on getting a PBT (Powder Blue Tang). I have read the FAQs thoroughly and before I make this leap to purchase this very difficult and ICH prone fish I have some questions about the information I have read in the FAQs and on the site ( plus I have Bob's book) . First of all I plan to do a FW dip w/ Methylene Blue upon arrival of the PBT, followed by a QT period of 6 weeks. I plan to use Seachem's Paraguard for the first two weeks and then hypo the remaining 4 weeks as a preventative measures. I am paying extra for the fish because the source is well regarded among hobbyists i.e. Live Aquaria.com (plus they have a 2 week guarantee). I have never had Ich in my system (thanks to the crew!) <And you!> and hope by doing the above I will not be introducing it into my tank. I understand about the life cycle of the Ich parasite but I am confused about some of the reported results I have read in the FAQs about hobbyists who dipped and QT'd a PBT but still got ich almost immediately. <Yes> Assuming the QT and dip were performed correctly and the tank or its inhabitants did not have the parasite how is this possible?. <Mmm, possibly deeply embedded parasites... maybe a fault in the dipping protocol> I understand that there are no guarantees but I thought these preventative measures practically eliminated the possibility. Can a perfectly healthy fish in an ich free environment still get ich? <Mmm, nope. There are SPF (specific pathogen free) facilities... have seen, been in them... that have no Crypt...> This would mean that ICH is always somehow present in the tank and factors cause it to be appear. According to the information in Bob's book and the site this should not be the case. I am banking that good selection and good preventative measures will eliminate the potential Ich challenge. <And a note to non-and European marine aquarists... we don't have the immuno agents that are sold/available out of Germany here in the States... yet> Secondly I plan on upgrading my tank to 120 gal - 4ft X 2ft - is this big enough for the PBT- the WWM site advises 100 gal plus but some answers seem to focus on a 6ft long tank? <Mo' bigger, mo' bettah> I will have the following fish in the tank with about 40X turnover, skimmer, sump and refugium 1 coral beauty 2 Ocellaris Clown fish 1 Six Line Wrasse 1 Royal Gamma 1 Longnose Hawkfish and possibly a Yellow Watchman Goby. Is my bioload to heavy? <Mmm, no... a good mix as well> FYI All fish will go through a similar QT period Thanks again for all that you do for the hobby. <And you for sharing. Bob Fenner> Hospitalization - where did I go wrong? Hi Crew, Thanks for
the great site; it has been a tremendous reference. <Glad to find it
is of use to you> 14 days ago we noticed crypt for the first time
on A. leucosternon, an otherwise friendly, fat, and jovial tank
resident for 2+ years. I attribute the outbreak to the introduction of
two small gobies. <Rats!> I put together a 30g QT (my A.
leucosternon is on the small side) with old tank water, established a
sponge filter, increased flow above 300gph with two powerheads,
lowered SG just a pinch to 1.022, raised temp to 81 (from 79), and
NH4/NO2 was 0. I was able
to capture A. leuco in a pre-dawn raid yesterday using the flashlight
and net method. <Good descriptions> It remained docile for at
least two minutes while we coaxed him out of his resting spot - it
literally backed right into the net! Anyways, my spirits were at a high
since I was going to be able to finally treat this fish after 13
days. The main display is a 110 reef, stable, light bioload
with NH4/NO2 undetectable.
The powder blue was always a voracious feeder on mixed frozen foods and
Nori. During infection, the fish never scratched and I would describe
the overall infection as "light." It had the telltale signs
of crypt, with the trophonts falling off periodically. It showed no
additional signs of stress, discomfort, or loss of appetite. This fish
always appeared to have a quicker-than-normal gill rate, at times
around ~100 breaths per minute but this was almost always associated
with hyper activity (e.g. chattering at this reflection in the glass)
or vigorous swims. <Agreed, no problem> The fish was frightened
at first introduction to the hospital, and spent most of its time at
the bottom trying to hide behind various pieces of equipment. That
seemed normal. After 5-6 hrs it began venturing higher in the water
column although never had any of his normal vibrancy that made him so
pleasant in the main tank (the only fish I've seen who would do
Olympic-style twisting, somersaulting dives - he will be missed).
<Yikes... a bit of forecasting.> I treated a half-dose with
Cupramine, bring the Cu+ level to .25-.3. Within 4 hours, under
ambient room light, there were no visible signs of infection.
<Good> Unfortunately, I never made note of his gill rate prior to
the medication and I'm shooting myself for it now. During
observation at roughly 4 pm, 10 hours after introduction to the
hospital and ~4 hrs after medication, his gill rate was > 180 bpm
(or so it seemed, hard to count), he was still displaying his
bottom-hiding lethargy (so much so that occasionally his caudal, anal
fins would touch the bottom glass). This morning I found
him dead; rigor mortis had set in and an odor already had begun to
build, my guess is he died sometime in the PM, i.e. within 12-18 hrs of
introduction to the hospital tank His gills were thick as I removed
him. The tank was partially covered, and one of the powerheads provided
light surface agitation. I am devastated, as this is the first fish
that has survived the initial acclimation period and perished under my
watch. I know that the answer to his death will remain a mystery,
since rapid breathing can be caused by 1) stress, nervousness; 2)
parasitic infection; and 3) medication. <Well-stated. This is so>
And I had exposed him to all three. However, I have never seen
such rapid decline in any specimen and I'm convinced that had he
stayed in the main tank he'd be alive today, <Perhaps... but
likely infested as well> although this was obviously not a viable
long term option. I would like your opinion on what you think may have
served as a catalyst for such decline. Certainly the combination of all
of these factors could not have been a good thing with such a delicate
fish, but are there any factors that stand out in particular? <The
only co-factor I'd immediately add is the size (small) of the
specimen... That is to state, that smaller individuals would be even
more susceptible to the other influences> Perhaps I overestimated
the fortitude of this wonderful fish. I know that this fish has
survived light levels of Cupramine in the past since the original LFS
(which is well above average, btw) uses it during acclimation. Did I
too hastily medicate? Was the infection already too advanced?
<This last may be key> As always, thanks for your help, Peter
<I do think you did what was/is "right"... at least...
this is what I would have done as well... I would quarantine all new
livestock. Bob Fenner> Powder Blue - QT Tank Setup Hi Crew, <Hello, MikeB here.> Currently I am running a 90 gallon reef ready tank, about 80+ lbs. of live rock, 80lbs live sand. This tank has been setup for about a year. Currently, I have about 14 random soft and hard corals, 1 Orange Tail Damsel, 1 Cleaner Shrimp, a Powder Blue (4.5 inches), Serpent Star and plenty of snails and hermit crabs. The corals and the Damsel are doing great! I added my Powder Blue about two weeks ago. When I purchased him he was skinny (I could see his spine through his sides) but active. Of course within a couple of days he began to show signs of ich. I fed him a variety of veggie flakes, dried seaweed, and have added Kent's garlic and some vitamins to his Formula 1 food which has seemed to help keep it under control. Some days are better than others, one day almost no signs, then the next covered in tiny white dots and bumps. A couple of times he has even shown vertical white stripes on his sides that only last for a few seconds. He is super active and eats like crazy, I am hoping that I can get him to full health. He shows some, but limited interest in the Cleaner Shrimp. My Damsel so far shows no signs at all that he is getting sick. After much reading of your FAQ's I have decided to setup a quarantine tank (better late then never I guess). Salinity 1.025 pH - 8.2 Ammonia, Nitrite - 0 Nitrate - 15 Temp - 82 Calcium - 460ish Alkalinity - 8 (I am buffering to pick it up a little) Phosphates - Almost 0 I use the 40g trash can method for preparing new water with my RO filter. I am planning on treating them with copper. Here are my questions/plans for setting up the QT tank: - Besides the Damsel and Tang, do I need to take anything else out of my main tank? <No, the fish should be the only ones treated.> - What tank size would you recommend for these two fish? Would 20g be too small for the Tang to be in for a month? <For a month and ONLY a month a 20 gal. would suffice for a quarantine tank for the two fish.> - I have read that if I have a sponge soak in my main tanks sump to get it full of the necessary organisms I can then use this as filtration in my QT. Does this just rest at the bottom of my QT tank? <If you have a filter you can throw the sponge in that will work better, if not, the tank will work.> - Do I also need another type of biological filter? <Yes, you need some sort of filter with NO carbon or chemical filtration....It will remove the medication you are trying to use.> - If I use water and a presoaked sponge from my main tank for the initial QT setup and future water changes do I still need to cycle my QT? <No, that is the beauty of this set up.> - The room that they will be in has no windows (basement) so I was going to get a small light strip to give them some light. I don't need anything specific, do I? <A glass lid so the light doesn't fall into the water.> - If needed I need to find a sufficient external filter, any suggestions? <A Whisper power filter is good for quarantine tanks in my opinion. No protein skimmers are needed.> - As long as I am doing frequent water changes do I have to run a skimmer? <See above.> - By using water from my existing (sick) tank for water changes am I going to be continually infecting my QT tank with Ich? <No, the ich reproduces in the gravel and if you have a UV sterilizer or protein skimmer on the display tank the ich will be killed off.> - Small pump with air stone. - PVC pipe for cover. <Salt may effect the lighting. Elevate the lighting> - Heater and thermometer. - Once the signs of Ich are gone, 3-4 weeks in this tank - Small water changes, 3 times per week <Good> - Frequent water testing - Besides sifting the sand during water changes in the main tank (and using my new QT tank for new additions), any other tasks that will help remove the ich while my fish are in quarantine? <A UV if you have one. If not, time will do the job.> I know this is a lot of questions, but I really want to get this setup right the first time. Thanks for your help my friend(s).. Matt <No problem on the questions. That is what we are here for. Good Luck. MikeB.> Treating Powder Blue Tangs Dear Bob, Hi again. I have questions on Powder Blue. I understand that they are territorial fishes but one wholesaler told me that they can be put together by some means without any problem. However he never revealed how to do that. Have you heard of this before? <This is a social species in the wild. Can be kept together in aquariums, even crowded at a wholesale, transshipping facility> Common disease for Powder Blue is white spot. Currently, I'm using copper ion to treat the disease. Is there a safer way to treat Powder Blue white spot such as dipping in fresh warm water or with Methylene Blue? <Copper is not recommended... again, please read through WWM, use the search tool on the homepage re this species, Cryptocaryon> I heard that putting them in long tanks will prevent them from getting white spot comparing to isolating them in tight quarters. Is this true? <Likely will help... to reduce stress, hence likelihood of infestation> Currently I'm implementing the dip/bath fresh water system with Methylene Blue using sodium bicarbonate to control pH between 8.0 to 8.4. Is this ok? How concentrated is the Methylene Blue and how long is the dip normally? <Posted on WWM> Sorry for the long questions. <You will benefit MUCH more from a thorough understanding of these situations from reading the articles posted on WWM, and the related FAQs there. Please don't re-ask what has already been responded to. Bob Fenner> Thanks Cheers, Charles Powder Blue Blues Hi, <Scott F. at your service this
morning!> I have a powder blue tang that has been kept for two
weeks. Sorry that it hasn't been quarantined but it did
go through freshwater dip before going to the tank. <Well- I
won't scold you at this point- but please, please quarantine all
new arrivals in the future, okay? At least you did the FW dip, so you
got it 50% right!> It used to behave normally. However, today I saw
it occasionally rubbing itself against the sand bed and sometimes
dashing around the tank. <could be anything from a parasite to a
full-blown illness- hard to say from here..> Since my tank has lots
of live rock forming caves, it is very difficult to catch it for
medication. I have two cleaner shrimps but they did not seem to
help. I know you would not recommend cleaner wrasse but my
area does not have alternatives, like neon gobies. Should I buy a
cleaner wrasse to help? <Please do not purchase any cleaner wrasses,
regardless of how dire your situation might be, okay? It just sends the
wrong message to retailers, wholesalers, and collectors that there is a
demand for these fish, which absolutely should be left on the reefs>
If not, what should I do? Are there any other alternatives
to cleaner wrasse? I really love the tang and didn't want to lose
it. Thanks and regards, Manus <Well, Manus, I commend you on your
level of dedication and willingness to take decisive action to save the
fish! My best recommendation is, unfortunately, the most difficult
one-You need to remove him to a separate tank for observation and/or
treatment (once you confirm what the illness is. DO refer to the
disease FAQs on wetwebmedia.com). Assuming it is ich, you would be best
served by removing all of your fish to such a treatment tank as well,
because the illness (assuming, once again that there is one-and it
sounds like there might be one) is in your system, whether it's
obvious right now, or not. Don't take any chances- err on the side
of caution and get the fish out! Let your main system sit without fish
for about a month, which will result in the near elimination (notice I
didn't say "complete"-that's virtually impossible in
any system) of any parasites that are present in your system. After the
"fallow" period, you can more-or-less safely return the cured
fish to the tank. It's not a fun procedure, but it really can work1
You'll certainly learn the value of quarantine for new fishes-
it's a lot less painful for you (and your fishes) if you do that
first! But you seem eager and dedicated to your animals- I know that
you're going to do just fine in the future! Good luck!> Powder Blue Tang My Powder blue tang <often called an "ich magnet"> has been acting weird the last couple of days. He just came off copper about six days ago. He hasn't eaten in two days and was breathing really crazy hard. <The breathing concerns me. Something is probably wrong. Have you tested the water for ammonia, nitrite, PH, etc?> So I figured that the ich might not have been totally gone so I redosed him yesterday and today he looked much better. <Are you testing the water for copper? Too much can quite easily kill the little guy.> He ate less than what he used to during the initial copper treatment but he seems like he is coming around. <Copper will disturb the symbiotic bacteria that reside in the intestinal tract of surgeons/tangs. I would expect a loss of appetite during treatment.> I had just noticed that he seems to be breathing through his right gill only. The left one isn't moving at all. What could this mean? <His gill(s) may be burned from the copper.> It is in a quarantine tank and has been for about three weeks now. I have been changing 25% of the water every day and adding ammo lock to the water. <I assume you're adding ammo lock because you've had a problem with ammonia? Ammonia alone can burn the gills of any fish.> No matter what I do I just can't seem to get him to a 100%. Maybe I removed the copper too soon after showing no signs of ich. <Extended copper treatments (weeks instead of days) are never good. IMO, if this were my fish, I would get rid of the copper, give the fish a freshwater bath (same PH and temp as the QT), keep the tank water at a constant temperature, and optimize the overall water quality. I would also vacuum the bottom of the QT every day for at least two weeks. This will help get rid of the cysts that have fallen to the bottom of the tank.> I removed it two days after no sign of spots on his body. Does copper kill ich and make it fall off the fish? <Ich, even without the presence of copper has a life cycle that occurs on and off the host. Before adding this fish to the main tank, it needs to be ich-free for at least 3-4 weeks.> Thanks, Ian Roff <My pleasure. For more detailed information on fish disease, treatments, and thousands of other saltwater topics, check out wetwebmedia.com. Best wishes, David D.> Powder Blue Tang Ready To Move In! I have a quick question about moving a Powder Blue Tang that I am going to move to my display. What is the safest and least stressful way to move him to the display? The display systems water and quarantine are the same through water changes. <Glad to hear that you quarantined him properly! That's going to make a huge difference in his long-term health! By creating consistent, identical water conditions between your quarantine tank and main system, you will really lessen the potential stress of moving this fish to his new home.> Should there be a freshwater dip before placement and if so how long? <I would do a freshwater dip on this fish after he completes the quarantine process successfully. I do perform a freshwater dip on arrival of the fish, just before I place him in quarantine. IMO, another FW dip is not needed unless you notice some kind of parasitic condition, and, of course, in that case, you wouldn't be placing him in the main system yet! A tip in creating a stress-free move to the new tank: Don't use a net, which can damage this fish. Instead, use a plastic specimen container to "scoop up" the fish and then place him in the tank. It's much less stressful for this guy.> Thanks again for all of your awesome help in making this Tang healthy. It has been about a month and a half now and with all of your great help he is finally ready and in top notch form. Thanks, Ian Roff <Well, Ian- thanks for visiting our site, and for sharing your experience quarantining a fish that has a touchy reputation! I think you really did it right! Good luck! regards, Scott F.> Powder Blue Blues! I have had my Powder Blue Tang home for a
week now. I don't have a quarantine tank. <Gotta get one
of those!> He has been fine up until now but today he seems weird.
He is going back and forth from one end of the tank to the other really
fast. Hasn't done this before constantly. He seems to be rubbing on
the rock a lot more than he used to. My levels are PH 8.2, Ammonia 0.5
which has been like this for about 3 weeks, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20. My
Lionfish's behaviour hasn't changed at all.
<Detectible ammonia is not normal-please re-check and verify the
reading. Take appropriate action to see that you don't see any
ammonia reading in the future.> I am starting to get real concerned
and am going to get a quarantine tank tomorrow and set it up. <A
good long-term move. Keep a sharp eye on the lionfish, as well. Be sure
to quarantine all future purchases for 3 weeks before placing them in
your main system> I know this fish is hard to keep in captivity,
what should I do? <The first thing is to take a good hard look at
your tang. Are there any apparent spots, sores, parasites? At this
point, removing him to a hospital tank may be a prudent move. You
should perform a freshwater dip before placing him in the hospital tank
(see www.wetwebmedia.com/dips_baths.htm for more information). Keep a
close eye on the tang during its stay in the hospital tank, and be
prepared to take appropriate action should symptoms continue. These
fish require careful feeding (lots of algae in their diet) and above
average water quality for optimal long-term health.> I don't
want to lose it. What is the fastest way to get the quarantine tank
running with sufficient biological filtration? <Generally, you
should keep a sponge filter or media in your sump at all times for such
emergencies. At this point, you may need to rely on one of commercial
nitrifying bacterial cultures to "jump start" your filter.
Keep observing your fish carefully, use the resources on
wetwebmedia.com, and always, always quarantine! I'm sure that your
tang will do okay if you act promptly. Good luck! Scott F.> Thanks,
Ian Roff - Powder Blue Blues - Hi Crew, I know you hear this
constantly but I just want to reiterate how much I appreciate the
information you provide! Three days ago I purchased from my LFS the
(soon to be) latest additions to my 180 gal aquarium: a ~2"
Foxface Lo, a ~2" Purple Tang and a ~4" Powder Blue
Tang. Currently these three fish are in my 20 gal hospital
tank (Salinity=1.024 SG, Ammonia=0.25 PPM, Nitrite=0.25 PPM, Temp=81
°F, Mardel CopperSafe Chelated CuSO4, Whisper 30 filter + sponge
filter + ~15 lbs live rock). The problem is the Powder Blue
Tang is beginning to develop some type of wound
(lesion/abrasion/fungus?) in about three areas (photos
attached). Two spots are approximately pea-sized and one is
slightly smaller than a dime. These patches appear to be
slightly raised or to have a few bumps within a discolored area
(possibly as if a repeated abrasion). I would not describe these areas
as having a "cauliflower appearance". The Powder Blue also
occasionally shakes and swims in quick circles. <I wouldn't be
so concerned about this as much as I would be about these
'wounds'.> My LFS suggested this is not a reason to worry as
it could just be "shaking off" a parasite or minor infection
that will soon be cured by the copper. <Do believe the opposite,
that the shaking is just a natural behavior and the spots are a
reaction to the copper. If I were you, I'd discontinue the copper
treatment unless you are sure there is a good reason for it, i.e.
Cryptocaryon [ich] or similar parasitic problem. Many tangs react
poorly to copper and it should only be dosed at very low levels. I
realize the Powder Blue is a notorious ich magnet but it would be best
to observe the problem first rather than just treating the tank with
something that may do more harm than good at this
point.> Although I would not describe this fish as having
a voracious appetite, it does appear to be eating (Spectrum Thera+A
anti-parasite food, Nori and homemade food with Selcon). The
three fish do not appear to be the least bit aggressive toward each
other. I do not see a single ich spot on the Powder Blue but
the Purple Tang appears to have a substantial case of Cryptocaryon.
<I'd separate these and treat them individually - not only for
the reasons I just listed, but also because a 20 gallon tank is rather
small for these three fish.> Do you have any idea what is wrong with
my Powder Blue Tang, if this is anything I should be concerned about
and, if so, how to cure this? Could the Copper be irritating
this fish? <Possibly - would be my first guess.> I noticed my
(Red Sea) Copper test kit is not made for chelated Copper but I did add
the recommended amount of CopperSafe to previously copper-free water so
I am hoping (at least initially) the copper concentration is
correct. My Copper Test kit measures 0.3 PPM Cu (exactly
what the kit recommends as the "optimum copper level") but I
have read that the proper ionic concentration is 0.15
PPM. Can any correlation be drawn for chelated copper
concentrations when using a Copper test kit intended for measuring
ionic copper? <No - wrong test.> Thanks again for the help! Greg
Wyatt <Cheers, J -- > Powder Blue Rehabilitation First I would like to commend all
of you For the fine job you do! <That's very kind of you.>
Answering all these questions Helping everybody you can. <I know we
all try.> Even when the common Sense in a lot of persons seem to be
absent, you always Pull through. The Dedication, you all have Just
amaze Me. The Service you supply to many with no Monetary requirements
Is Unbelievable. We purchase livestock from our LFS, knowing the advice
we get from them is far from the truth, when our Systems go astray,
there is Bob Fenner and crew. I Really wish their were Strict licensing
and a test LFS should go through before they can open. <Interesting
thoughts but honestly for the most part there are caring individuals
working in them.> I Do not think I will live to see that.
I have recently Purchased Robert Fenner's Book, and found it to be
OUTSTANDING!. <One of my personal favorites and a top reference
book.> I bought at the local LFS and They Told me they herd it was a
good book. My comment was " I can see you obviously just herd
about it, If you had read it, You would keep your live Stock in much
better shape" <Perhaps they didn't see something? I know
when I worked in a store we stayed pretty busy.> Anyway I do have a
question, sorry about the length, it is easy To Email all the bad, but
I needed to say this, hoping All realize The value of what they are
getting at there disposal. I have read persons Getting mad at the crew
because they didn't like what you have said, But I wont go there!
Hats off to you crew!!!!! Here is my question. >From time to time I
go to LFS, and buy the livestock that is not doing well. I am not
trying to encourage them however, They will die either way. <Believe
me I understand why you would do this but the idea is that if they lose
enough fish of a certain type the pet store will stop ordering
them.> If they get healthy and I am satisfied, I Sell them to good
homes. I wouldn't Even ask for money However , I find when People
spend money on something They take care of it. I bought a Powder Blue
Tang, He was getting beat up Bad by some trigger fish and a Type of Sea
Bass. LFS moved him in front of me And he looked really Bad. LFS Guy
said "You Take, 20 Dollar" So I Did. I have him in a hospital
tank, He is very skinny, He does Eat. (Hosp. Tank is 30 Gal) I soak
Spirulina flakes (Soaked with Zoa« And Selcon) Some Brine &
Mysis. He barely has no color in his face Were it is suppose to be
Black. He sometimes Swims very fast but then lays down. When he lays
down sometimes his breathing is Labored, Sometimes not. He seems alert
to his surroundings. And as I said he is extremely Boney. Tank has
300gph Power Head. Added Extra Aeration, As I know Powder Blue Tangs
Need Lots of Oxygen. Readings are All ok at this time. Do you think
this is Cyanide or Just a bad Malnutrition? <Hmmm or an internal
parasite of some kind.> He Does Not have any signs of Ich at all,
which surprises me. His eyes right now are Clear but his face seems
sunk in. Can you give me advice. <You might try some Caulerpa and
just adding the Selcon or Zoa« to the tank. Vitamin C will help the
fish. You might consider adding some cleaner shrimp to the quarantine
area if safe for them. There's something irritating the fish.
Usually if its cyanide the fish is gone within a couple of weeks.>
By the way I do not make money of the fish, It either goes to the next
bad fish or as last time I donated to the Save the Reef Foundation,
Here in Florida. Its Only a little Here and there But any bit helps I
Guess. I thank you for your in put ( Other than being an Idiot for
doing this) My Success rate is about 60%. Thanks.... <Good luck,
MacL>
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