A tang white spot headache

[BoldVoy]

I've had my fish back in the tank for a week now after that 6-week break and the s.g. drop to .009. They'd all done their copper meds treatment and were ich-free, looking great. I put them back in on Monday, added a few new ones on Tuesday, and quarantined a few others.

My problem's with my Pacific Blue Tang - it's got white spot again. I mean, what the...? After all that time and the low s.g., I thought for sure it was gone. My new mimic tang in quarantine is fine, no white spot at all.

The Blue's not acting like it's got white spot, just a few bumps on each side. Some haven't grown in 5 days, others have like before. I've been feeding it well, but that's not helping - it's just getting fat. I thought at first it was stress spots, but 7 days on, I'm not so sure. No other fish are showing anything, so I'm stuck. Do I leave it and see if it recovers, take it out and re-treat, or do I have to strip the tank down again and treat all the fish?

[fleeton]

I feel for you, BoldVoy, it's like this issue just won't quit. If this is indeed ich, you're already through one cycle. Given the tang's behavior, I'd probably give it another week. He's not showing any secondary symptoms, like lethargy or rubbing against rocks, so that's a plus. Just observe if it spreads, stays the same, or gets better. If it significantly worsens, I'd probably quarantine him, otherwise I'd leave him be. Good luck, you're gonna need it.

[flame9x]

I'm thinking the new additions might've brought it in. Sorry to hear about the hassle you're dealing with.

This is making me a bit anxious, to be honest. Still, I'm not giving up on my plans for a sw tank. Good luck with everything, really hope it works out and your tang doesn't have ich again.

[BoldVoy]

I'm not convinced it came from the new fish as the blue tang started showing spots within 12 hours of going back into the tank, and that was before I even added the new ones. None of my other fish are showing any signs, not even the Mimic tang and parrot wrasse that are in quarantine. This whole thing is a bit of a nightmare, but at least I'm more prepared this time around with the quarantine tank up and running and meds on hand.

I think I'll just leave things as they are for now and wait and see, like fleeton suggested. If it was ich, the spots should have gone by now and we should be seeing a second infection, but they're still present and only just starting to fade. I'm really hoping it's just stress spots and the tang will get over it. If it does turn out to be ich, then it must be some super strain that can survive a 2 week drop in s.g. to .009, then 6 weeks slowly going back to .024, plus 6 weeks with no fish in the tank at all. It's making me rethink how to get rid of it.

If in another week the tang does re infect but no one else does, I'll take him out and treat him separately - I'm not sure how yet, but I'll figure it out. But if others start showing symptoms too, then it's back to stripping the tank down, quarantining everything, and treating the whole lot. Then I'll just have to leave it empty for 2 months before adding the main fish stock back in, minus the blue tang, and try to find him a new home. Or I might just have a huge panic attack and sell the lot.

[rusticfox9]

Blimey, mate, it sounds like you're having a right old nightmare with your tank. I'm thinkin' your Pacific Blue tang might be showin' some stress lumps, just like my Regal tang had a few weeks back. Keep an eye on him and when he's settled back in and reclaimed his old territories, they might just disappear. On the plus side, the rest of your fish are lookin' clean and your tang isn't scratchin' much, so that's somethin' to be hopeful about. I've got my fingers crossed for you, mate.

[BoldVoy]

Cheers for the kind words, mate I'm crossing everything that it's just stress lumps and not the dreaded white spot. Fingers, toes, and everything else crossed for me, I need all the luck I can get.

Glad to hear your regal tang sorted itself out, that's giving me some hope. I'm keeping a close eye on him, and if he settles down and gets back to his old self, maybe these spots will disappear. The rest of the fish are looking good, and that's a positive, right?

Thanks for the support, it means a lot. Big C's gonna have to wait a bit longer for his frags, poor bloke's never gonna get them at this rate.

[rusticfox9]

I've just been observing my tang and he's looking top notch, feeding like a champ and no scratching whatsoever. I'm putting the lumps/spots down to the recent change of lights and the rearrangement of rocks in the tank. Had a chat with the fella at my local shop and he reckons every tank's got ich floating about, but it only becomes an issue when the fish are stressed. His advice has always been spot on, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, ski? I'm sure your lot will be alright, littleme, keep us posted.

[BoldVoy]

Just been looking at my Regal tang and he's doing great, feeding well and no more scratching. I put the lumps down to a change of lights and rearranging the rocks, seems to have done the trick. Had a chat with the gaffer at my local store and he reckons every tank's got ich floating about, but it only becomes an issue when the fish are stressed. Not sure about that, but his advice has always been spot on. What do you think, ski? Anyway, I'm sure your lot will be alright, little one, just keep us updated.

By the way, I've been doing some reading and it seems that not all ich is created equal. From what I've found out, the freshwater type is always present, but the marine kind is either in your system or it's not. My tank was fine until I brought in the Tang, and even then it was only the Tang that showed signs of ich. The new Tang I got has been in quarantine for four months and hasn't shown any signs at all. It's gone into my 25g quarantine tank, which has been treated with copper, and still no sign of ich.

Apparently, some fish are more prone to ich than others. Tangs, butterflies, and angels are the ones to watch out for, and from my own experience, I can see why. Those were the only fish in my tank that were badly affected. There's loads of info out there if you're willing to look for it, and it makes for some interesting reading.

Quick update on the fish front: still no other signs of ich in the tank, all the fish are healthy and happy, and about half the bumps on the Tang have gone down. Fingers crossed it's just stress-related and will clear up soon. The Tang's still eating like a pig and not showing any of the irritated behaviour it did before, so that's a good sign.

[flame9x]

Blimey, mate, it sounds like you're having a right old nightmare with your tank. I'm thinkin' your Pacific Blue tang might be showin' some stress lumps, just like my Regal tang had a few weeks back. Keep an eye on him and when he's settled back in and reclaimed his old territories, they might just disappear. On the plus side, the rest of your fish are lookin' clean and your tang isn't scratchin' much, so that's somethin' to be hopeful about. I've got my fingers crossed for you, mate.

Marine ich is a different beast altogether, it's not a matter of it being present in every tank just waiting to pounce when the fish get stressed. It's either in your system or it's not. I've done my research on this and it seems that certain types of fish are more prone to getting it, like tangs, butterflies, and angels. I can attest to this from my own experience, these were the only fish that got badly affected in my tank.

[flame9x]

How's it all going, littleme?