Regal tang, ick, rx-p?

[hippychic]

My reagal tang seems to have developed ick-white spots on her body. She eats and swims happily. I've been using garlic with her food and recently decided to treat her since I wasn't seeing a change. I started using Kent rx-p. Even though she is still happy as ever, she had developed more white spots. Any ideas? The pic is when I first got her, I can't seem to get one that shows the spots good.

[kaiser]

Check Your water parameters. My experience with them is that they like to break out even after the smallest of changes. Elevated nitrate levels do it to mine everytime. Unless one of the other tank mates starts showing white spots too I would not treat it. Continue the garlic. Check into getting some cleaner shrimp or neon gobies. My 2 cents.

[Henry]

How big is your tank? Also how big is the tang? What are your tank parameters and what are your feeding? Hopefully some greens. Give us some more info so we can help.

[hippychic]

I apologize if my reply ends up here 3 times. My computer is acting up and it doesn't seem to be posting. She eats Hikari tropical marine pellets like crazy(that's what I've been using the garlic on since she seems to love them). I have tried greens, but she ignores them. She will graze on purple seaweed-does that count? She is about 4 inch long and about 1/3 inch wide. Her home is a 100gal tank, 80lbs live snad and about 65 live rock with places to hide and room to swim. I have a couple of cleaner shrimp, but she seems to present herself to the peppermint instead. H2O from yesterday-ph 8.2, nitrites 0, ammonia 0-.25(the kit is hard to distinguish between for ammonia and nitrates) nitrates 0-5. The nitrites are very easy to read between the different levels, but my husband brought home some test strips and we got 1.0 nitrites and something that seemed between 0 and 20 for nitrates.(that's whay I don't like them much too big of a span) I had done a 10% h2o change yesterday. I'm thinking another water change today. Anyone know of a better test kit? I've been using saltwater master liquid test kit. Also, the store I got her from, their water tested through the roof high, so I have always really, really slowly acclimated fish from there. Any help would be great, she's my favorite!
Thanks-nickie

[alexwolf]

Salifert makes the best test kits around. My regal had a bad case of ick and my neon gobies cleaned her right off.

[Instar]

Weather changes will affect tangs if your temperature is swinging at night. Keep the temperature stabile and include some nori in its diet. Garlic doesn't do much for ich unless maybe there is an extract in the water and it has not been proven to help. In fact everyone who posts about ick problems on here uses garlic from occassionally to always. I'd say that speaks for itself. Garlic is thought to have some effect on viruses and the immunities to viruses and ick is not viral. Hippo tangs need lots to eat and a well rounded diet will help them produce the slime necessary to be healthy. Pellets have limited oils in them when compared to frozen foods. Include several foods and make one of them nori. Frozen foods like San Fancisco Bay Brand, Angel-Butterfly Formula is a good source of vitamin A. Add some to its diet too. The fish will love you for it. Water changes, if the temperature and salinity are not exactly the same as your tank water can spike ick. With good diet and stabile temperatures, it will go away normally. If you don't see it go away, gradually raise the temperature a little and keep it stabile day and night - a very difficult thing to do, expecially at lower temperatures like 77 to 80.

[hippychic]

Thank you for the info. I will try some of the foods and keep an eye on the temp. I think it stays pretty stable at night. I'll have to check to be sure. Wish me luck...I'll let you know how it goes.