Tang with ICK

[reeferRob]

ok besides hyposalinity, how else do I cure an ICK problem, I never had a bit of ICK before but I bought a Tang yesterday that has about 8 or 10 spots on it, now what

[GaryP]

Just feed it. Tangs often get ich as the result of stress from being shipped and moved. Lots of greens like flake and nori would be helpful. What kind of tang is it? Some are worse then others. Some folks subscribe to the theory that soaking food in garlic acts as an immunity booster. My opinion is that it can't hurt but as far as I am concerned, I'm skeptical about the benefits of garlic.

Ich is the result of stress. Reducing stress is the key to allowing the fish to recover. Of course buying fish that aren't already infected helps too. If you put the fish in a tank that already has other tangs that are harrassing it, that's a source of stress. If the temp in your tank is high, that's another source of stress that has a big impact on Ich outbreaks. Poor water quality can also cause stress, especially ammonia. Even low levels of ammonia can be a chronic source of stress that may result in outbreaks.

Tangs are basically carriers of Ich. They never get rid of it totally and it's flare ups are usually an indication of some sort of stress:.behaviorial, nutritional, chemical, or physical.

[Bill S]

Hey, I'm going on like 4 weeks of it... All "cured" except the Achilles (7 tangs). And yesterday he looked BAD. But, he's still eating!! I'm feeding them every time I walk by the tank.

[Richard]

Tangs are basically carriers of Ich. They never get rid of it totally and it's flare ups are usually an indication of some sort of stress:.behaviorial, nutritional, chemical, or physical.


It's not exactly that they are carriers any more than other fish. Tangs are just more prone to outbreaks because because of their smooth skin and they are not a slimy fish. Fish with heavier slime coats like gobies, wrasses etc. don't get severe outbreaks as easily as tangs because the parasite has a harder time attaching to them but they can still carry the parasite.

What size tank do you have? It's much more difficult to get fish through an outbreak just by feeding well if you have a small tank.