Duke Posted July 1, 2006 Report Share Posted July 1, 2006 My blue tang has a dusting of salt (white spot) what is recommended? I know this has been discussed 1000 times but the search does not work and I need help. Have not purchased a new heater (lazy) and the tank is having 3deg temp swings 22-25deg C. A real cold day and the tank could hit 21C. Now options. 1) Fresh water dip for 8min 2) set up a hostipital tank and copper treat them 3) Feed garlic - currenlty doing. 4) Buy another 300w heater to make 900w 5) Pray 6) low salt level but not good for my shrimps. 7) add copper to my reef tank... please no. I am getting a heater tomorrow and soaking all food in garlic, I have my old tank I can set up as a hosiptal tank but don't have a skimmer (sold to tel). Do I need a skimmer? I have spare rock in my sumo which I can add to the old tank. Blue tang looks OK and no other fish has it but 1 x spot on powder blue tang and we all now they love white spot. Does everyone agree that it is the temp swings that has caused this? Never had an issuie until this temp problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted July 1, 2006 Report Share Posted July 1, 2006 My advise.......Stress seems to be the main cause of w/s outbreaks, get your tank stable, add a cleaner shrimp if you don't have one. And leave the tang alone, unless it is so sick that you have to do something anything else will just cause more stress and make it worse. Others may have different advise, but I have never lost a fish to w/s and have some show up every time I do something major to the tank and stress my fish. It is aways gone with-in a week of the stress being removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted July 1, 2006 Report Share Posted July 1, 2006 Leave it alone and DONT add anything for 3 months. Buy a heater too to stabilise temp. This will assist immunity for the fish. forget garlic. QT if he looks like hes going to die. The fish will come through over a few weeks. Blue tangs are tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted July 1, 2006 Report Share Posted July 1, 2006 To sort out your temp problem I would suggest you buy a temp controller like the ones Jetskisteve sells. I could never get mine stable until I got one (and has the bonus of turning on fans or chiller during summer) now I have just two smallish heaters, I think they are 100w each but might be 150w heating 800L (the lights do most of the work). Plus because I'm not using the temp controller in the heater I have never needed to replace any heaters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted July 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2006 Thanks for the advice... come on cracker 3months with out adding anythng! Damm I don't think I could do it. Temp controller I will be adding as my chiller tomorrow which can do this but its in the shed. So 3 x heater and temp controller will help. Oh PLUS add cleaner shrimps x2 (see 3months is not an option) and I'll tell the wife I had to add them to save my fish. What a plan. No option. Temp is up too 25C at the moment and will drop to 22-21 over night, got to cause stress. When my sump was in the house with the chiller controlling temp was never a problem, never moved more than 1deg. Cracker your sump is outside are you have any issuies? How much wattage have you got for heating and how much insulation? Oh also have a yellow tang waiting to be picked up ...... 3months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted July 1, 2006 Report Share Posted July 1, 2006 If you dont wait, you will have other probs. You will learn! Just get your yellow tang and see what happens.....It is a bit of a risk, but hey...You can always buy more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted July 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2006 Such a wise comment... but you know how it goes and yes yellow tang arrives tomorrow with a heater. Wish me luck as the tang has been waiting for pick up for a while so time is an issuie. Oh the new tang will add stress too the tank, won't help. :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted July 1, 2006 Report Share Posted July 1, 2006 I guess there might be something in getting all the stress over at once! Would be depressing to just clear up the w/s and get it back again in a months time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Well everything has been going well with no sign of WS and bingo... Powder Blue is covered. Blue Tang also has a bit, temperature is moving 3deg a day / night. I have now added temp controller so this should improve. Any advice? 1) Don't add anything for 3months. 2) Feed garlic? - any one use this method? 3) Fresh water dip - bit late I think. 4) Remove and copper dip? 5) Wait, pray and do nothing? Which is the best option? 1&5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Personally I would say just 5, if the tank is stable and not causing stress once the w/s is gone adding the odd extra coral or carefully picked fish isn't going to stress things to much. If the w/s doesn't clear up in the next couple of weeks (of leaving the tank alone as much as possible) start looking for whats not right. Maybe over night PH swings, test that isn't reading right (salinity esp). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Added Copper Band in the weekend, might have started my white spot problem. Anyway as usual the copper band is not eating. I tried a syringe cable tied on to a long piece of pipe and used a stick through another piece of pipe to push the end of the syringe and target feed the CB with Brime and bingo he's eating it.. he sits in the corner and I move the syringe close and slowly dispenece the brime. I take back what I said, you need to slow down adding stuff, this is just the sort of thing that is going to stress the rest of your fish out to the max. I'm with cracker, dont go near a fish shop for 3 months. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tel Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 well coming from someone who went low sg for 6 weeks to try and eliminate ws i'd check my water, do some decent water changes, add some shrimp if none there and wait it out....feed well and often also this is so not what i did :-? most people seem to go a mixture of these options and its seems to be only freaks go copper or hyposalinity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted July 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 WS seems to have gone, only a couple of small spots on my Powder Blue's fin but thats it. I have finally got the temp stable, 1deg is all it moves now. I think this may have helped. And Yes the wife has put her foot down and I'm not allowed to buy anything for a while.....except..... I will consider myself luckey if this is as bad as it gets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tel Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 just remember to have it come and go thru the life cycle. have you seen this? http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/marineich.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted July 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Thanks tel.... where to from here? I guess is just let it go and hope for the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tel Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-10/sp/feature/index.php some good reading on the whole subject Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Well white spot is back as per the life cycle of white spot. Do I freak and setup a Q tank? or just wait and see? If I wait then there may come a time when it is to late to treat and little fishy and he will be doomed. Powder Blue has a total dusting of small white spots and the Blue tang a couple of large spots. Both eating and swimming like nothing is going on. They had WS which disapperaed and is now back. Everything else looks fine. If I do treat in a Q tank which one? Salifert "Stop Parasite" or Seachem Copper treatment? How long do you keep them in a Q tank? Tank is nice and stable etc and everone is getting along fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tel Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Both eating and swimming like nothing is going on. Everything else looks fine. Tank is nice and stable etc and everone is getting along fine. all this sounds like a good excuse to sit on your hands and not treat drastically. there is good evidence to support the case that fish develop immunity over time. hopefully see a reduction in no's. you have got the skimmer from hell and some good w/c's wouldnt hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Yes I am due a water change and would have done it this week but high tide was at the wrong time. Might have to buy some salt.... dam I'll see how they look in the the morning. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossco Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I have tried Stop parasites. For me, it helps ease the severity in less severe cases, it is not a treatment as such. Copper can be pretty harsh on fish. Good ol hypo will control WS within a day or two of getting salinity down. Trouble is, don't leave it too late or else your fish may have been too exposed through punctures in its skin to bacteria and infection etc... There are as many views on treating (or not) WS as there are on what additives you should use for your tank. Back a horse and go with it, the worse thing we can do is change horses all the time and not know what works, or doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossco Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 How are they going Duke? :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted July 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Powder Blue has a few spots still but less than before... Blue tang has a couple. All the other fish are fine. Waiting for another cycle to see if things get worse or better. So far OK. Going to get some water tonight at 5pm to do a water change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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