Blue Tang with Cloudy Eye

[Static416]

My blue tang seems to have cloudy eye, is there a reef safe treatment for this, or will I have to setup a QT?

[steve1s]

Try a large water change first and feed for a few days with a good marine vitamin soak. If it's a mild case that will sometimes do the trick.

If you see any eye buldging or if it persists after the few days, then you will need to set up a QT and use a broad spectrum antibiotic for gram negative bacteria like Maracyn II.

Might be an idea to set up the QT now, just incase.

Cheers
Steve

[Static416]

The thing is, that I am already doing most of those things. I'm treating the tank for Ich with Greenex and also feeding vitamin and garlic soaked mysis shrimp, and thats the conditions under which the cloudy eye developed. I think I might try a major water change with RO/DI though, cause I'm a little overdue and have been using straight well water since I started the tank 3 months ago.

[steve1s]

It is most likely a secondary infection brought on by the ick. The QT with an antibiotic would be best. I would not recommend dosing it in the main aquarium.

When you do upgrade to a reef set up I would also not recommend the use of greenex in the display tank. It contains malachite green and many sensative corals could be affected. Including more sensitive inverts like cukes and stars. It will also turns all plastics and silicone blue....

Cheers
Steve

[AWestphal]

If you have LR or LS or CC in the tank no Tx will work. That stuff sucks up the copper for ick along with a protein skimmer and carbon filtration. You will also end up killing all the good stuff on the LR and in your LS or CC bed. It is also know to kill invert. IF you are dosing with a copper medicine make sure you test for proper levels because the one time I had ick it took me about 4 days to get the right level. Even if the bottle says it is reefsafe or has no copper it will not be effective. FYI copper is the only known Tx for ick, it helps if you elevate the temp. and lower salanity but if you have inverts or corals this WILL harm them.

The time I had ick...I had a powerhead and airstone and that is it...I did every 2 day water changes and checked copper levels everyday. I also started them on a ABX Macaryn (most people say this is not good for fish but I had no ill effects) I also dosed with Macaryn II (this is recommend) I now have a UV Sterilizer on the main tank that I run off and on.

How big is your Blue Tang? Could it be too big for a 90 gallo tank? What else for fish do you keep in the tank? Maybe too many.

Anyway Good Luck AJ~

[Static416]

The Blue tang is only about 1 and half inches long, I also have a 3 inch purple tang, 3 false clowns, a firefish, a mandarin goby, a cleaner wrasse, an urchin, a large arrow crab, and 2 bangii cardinals. tons of snails and hermits.

I don't think it is overstocked at the moment, but once the Purple and Blue tangs get bigger I will have to get a bigger tank.

Another problem I just noticed is that the Greenex seems to have killed off most the bacteria in the tank and my ammonia is kinda high, which what killed off my cleaner shrimp I think. Tonight I'm going to do another water change and continue doing them every other day, till the levels drop. Good idea or bad idea?

And I think I'm going to move all the fish to a QT to treat the Ich with hyposalinity and elevated temp. Nothing else seems to be working.

[AWestphal]

Include a COPPER Treatment to the QT and I think you will be doing pretty good. As for the ammonia it could be from everything that the greenex killed off. I am sure that the Shrimp died from the Greenex and not ammonia...I had an ammonia spike for about a week and none of my shrimp died (new LR).

Remeber LR and LS and CC suck up treatments that is why a QT is used. It may not be overstocked but do the fish seem stressed from each other? A purple and blue tang are very active swimmers and they may be threatened from each other.

As for the QT try to get a 29 gallon good for bigger fish and small enough for less medicine. Also get a copper tester and keep levels @ recommendation for 14 days and keep fish in the QT for AT LEAST another 14 days. It is recommended that a display tank go without fish for 4-6 weeks to kill off all ick parasites. The only thing that hyposalanity and higher temp. do is to speed up the process of ick. By using this with copper you are most likely to kill off all bugs. Still remains only a copper based medicine is effective for ick.

I also use a UV Sterilizer on my tank and feel it has been a benefit to prevent ick and other parasites. No sickness since first time and installation of UV. No apparent ill effects on corals all are thriving and growing.

How long has your tank been up and running?

Just my.02
AJ~

[steve1s]

Do not treat with both copper and hyposalinity. Choose one or the other. Hyposalinity performed correctly is just as effective as copper without the side affects.

If you wish you can also treat with Maracyn II for the cloudy eye. Any gram negative antibiotic will do. Try to get one that has added vitamins though.

Cheers
Steve

[AWestphal]

Steve1,

I treated with hyposalanity and copper and elevated temp. and an ABX and it was very effective for my fish. No deaths and the spots were gone in 3 days.

Interesting enough, most people say copper is the only effective treatment for ick, have you treated with just hyposalanity and found it to be effective?

AJ~

[steve1s]

Hyposalinity is 100% effective when performed properly. The only danger is the alk/Ph has a tendancey to fall off when the salinity is lowered and must be monitored and corrected. If the salinity is not lowered to the proper 14ppt, the treatment will not work.

Treating with copper and hypo is not recommended as it puts too much stress on the fishs' system. Glad you had no deaths, but it is not something I would recommend. Raising the temp is just a way of speeding up the life cycle of C irritans. It has absolutely no affect on it's demise. In fact C irritans optimum reproductive temp is 86 degrees.

Copper has a habit of retarding the appetite of some fish or more serious cases. Hypo will not do that, in fact it should help keep the fish less stressed.

Cheers
Steve

[AWestphal]

Thanks for the infor Steve1 if I ever have ick again I will have to try that. Wow that is low I didn't lower mine that much. Would you treat fish in a reef tank with hypo or would it do alot of harm to the corals?

AJ~

[steve1s]

Hypo should not be treated in the main display tank. Any invert and/or organisms in the live rock would perish. About the only thing that will survive hyposalinity is the fish (vertebrates only) and any established bacteria.

Hyposalinity can also be used against parasitic isopods, flukes and other non vertebrate problems...

Cheers
Steve

[AWestphal]

Thanks a bunch for the new info.

AJ~