powder blue

[kac01]

I'm adding a powder blue to my tank from another hobbyist who has had the tang for a couple of years. No visible ick. What should I do to help make the transfer so he does not break out with ick my tank.

[HumbleFish]

I'm adding a powder blue to my tank from another hobbyist who has had the tang for a couple of years. No visible ick. What should I do to help make the transfer so he does not break out with ick my tank.

QT and prophylactically treat him. Copper or Chloroquine Phosphate for 1 month. Or running him thru tank transfer would get the job done in only 13 days.

[Dmorty217]

QT and prophylactically treat him. Copper or Chloroquine Phosphate for 1 month. Or running him thru tank transfer would get the job done in only 13 days.

^+1.... All the info you need is mentioned above

[MrTuskfish]

+2, there is no other answer.

[snorvich]

+2, there is no other answer.

+3 As he said.

[kac01]

Can you explain why I have to QT and treat him if he has been in a tank for two years without ick? Thanks for the input.

[Sanren]

you QT and treat because EVERY tank has ick and other nasty stuff. He may have been fine in the other tank, but the stress moving him could bring out the ick or any other disease. The QT will give you a chance to make sure he truly is healthy, and the treatment will also make sure you are introducing no new nasty stuff to your display. You can take the gamble and just put him directly into your display, but is it really worth the time, money, and effort to gamble starting a tank crash and have to start over from the beginning?

[HumbleFish]

Can you explain why I have to QT and treat him if he has been in a tank for two years without ick? Thanks for the input.

Three reasons:

1) Ich trophonts can live inside a fish's gills - so you may never see visible symptoms (i.e. cysts under the skin). I know with a PBT not seeing cysts is unlikely. But if the fish's previous owner was doing things like feeding lots of nori, soaking fish food in vitamins, running UV; then that would boost the fish's immune system while simultaneously keeping the overall number of parasites down. Making it certainly possible.

2) It is well documented that certain fish can develop temporary immunity to Ich. During this time they are still carriers, can still infect other fish, but they themselves somehow show no symptoms. Until the immunity wears off.

3) Are you really willing to risk your entire tank and all of the fish contained therein based on the PBT's previous owner telling you he never saw Ich on that fish? Maybe he's just not a very observant person. A lot of us (myself included) will go days without really looking at our tanks for one reason or another.

[MrTuskfish]

you QT and treat because EVERY tank has ick and other nasty stuff. He may have been fine in the other tank, but the stress moving him could bring out the ick or any other disease. The QT will give you a chance to make sure he truly is healthy, and the treatment will also make sure you are introducing no new nasty stuff to your display. You can take the gamble and just put him directly into your display, but is it really worth the time, money, and effort to gamble starting a tank crash and have to start over from the beginning?

Every tank DOES NOT have ich. But I assume, for acclimation purposes, that every fish I obtain does have it.

[sleepydoc]

Every tank DOES NOT have ich.

No - just every OTHER tank has ich, except your own!

+1, 2, 3 or whatever to what others have posted above. You hopefully have a QT setup already. A relatively small amount of work in the short term saves a lot of potential headaches in the long term.

[kac01]

Thanks for the input.

[MrTuskfish]

No - just every OTHER tank has ich, except your own!

My own and also the tanks of anyone I would go to for advice. The "all tanks have ich" myth is a favorite of LFSs. Among long-time reefers, ich-free tanks are the rule, not the exception.

[Deinonych]

Among long-time reefers, ich-free tanks are the rule, not the exception.

I hope to become part of that group. Strict quarantine practices are the only way to go.

[kv2wr1]

Also with the powder blues, be sure to feed them enough food. They are very active fish and have a high metabolism. I feed mine meaty foods soaked in selcon and vita-chem in the morning. Then I offer nori on a veggie clip. He will have it all gone by the end of the day. Mine grew from about 4.5 inches to 6 inches in a year or less. I still can't believe how much this fish eats. He grazes all day.