Blue Powder Tangs

J

jkdv7

My sister was told by a fish store owner that blue powder tangs are not worth getting. That they are very sickly and have a 50/50 chance of surving. That they will get ich and spread it through the system. He also said that achilles tangs are not worth getting either. I'm new to this hobby and am just trying to learn.
 
Well, Powder Blue Tangs (PBTs) and Achilles tangs are two of the most prone to ich, but the solution to that is to set up a quarantine tank and subject the fish to hyposalinity for six weeks. This kills the ich parasite and lets them get used to prepared foods.
 
Thanks for the advice. Since I am new, I'd prefer to stay with the hardier fish. It's amazing about all the information you need to know to keep up a healthy tank.
I want to make sure I deal with stores that know there stuff.
 
I second what Ashlar said. I have a Powder Blue that went through a 3 1/2 week quarantine and is very healthy and one of my favorite fish. For what it's worth, I was in the hobby for 3 years before I even thought about attempting to keep one.
 
I will defintely hold off on getting one. The kids have other fish on their lists that I'll check into.
I'm trying to teach them along with myself. This is a hobby we're doing as a family.
 
A wise member once said, "slow your roll." If you're still in the "how many fish are too many" stage, then you don't need to think about powder blues. Since your family's in the hobby, take your time watching your aquarium grow and change. Besides, losing a $10 and $20 fish prepares you for the heart attack of seeing a powder blue floating around (I know this from experience). :sad:

Best of luck!
 
@Gant wrote:
A wise member once said said:
That's what I'm doing..... Takikng my time and learning before I add anything to my tank. Especially something that is hard to keep. I've learned alot since I first posted my questions. Thanks to you guys :D
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Family tanks are the best! We would also like to welcome you and your family. We work at this as a family also and it's the best way. The kids get alot of information and skills. Keep up the good work.

Cheryl
 
The kids love it. I think it's cool when we're in a store and they can name some of the fish and state some facts about them.
 
Kara: Welcome. Asking advice here BEFORE you buy is very commendable, folks often make the mistake of asking AFTER buying a fish and having a problem with hard to keep livestock. Scott makes a good point. Hypo-saline quarantine is the only way to go, especially with tangs. Unfortunately, the first two fish younger kids usually want is a "Dory and a Nemo" Of course Blue Hippo Tangs, like the PBT's are also hard to keep for beginners, but fortunately the Percs are easy, and make a good first fish. I agree family tanks are great, and it is very cool that your kids have a good grasp on which fish is which. It wouldn’t surprise me if THEY had been the first to tip you off on the "Ich Magnets” of the hobby. However, in this case it appears the LFS gave you some good advice.

Again, welcome to the obsession. . . I mean hobby.
 
@SumpDiver wrote:
Kara: Welcome. Asking advice here BEFORE you buy is very commendable said:
I did make the mistake of listening to some LFS. I ended up getting too many fish too early or the wrong kind too early. I've realized I need to do more research myself and ask tons of questions. I found a LFS that I am working with on getting more knowledge as well as asking questions here.
I told the kids once we have more experience on the tank we have, we'll get another tank to quarantine "dory".
It is an obsession :lol:
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As usual I read the posts AFTER I jump in and buy something. :oops:

I bought a blue tang from a LFS Sunday and it looked good in the store. Now it's getting white bumps on it. It's acting OK and is eating a bit (when it comes out from the rocks).

So, short of taking apart 200 pounds of live rock to catch it, what are my options for treating?

OH, and can someone please define Hyposalinity?

My specs are:
110g tank, 30g sump/refug
210 lbs live rock
TH 240; Alk 180; pH 7.5; NO2 0; NO3 0; AM 0

Livestock:
Yellow Tang; False Perc; Tomato Clown; Bi Color Blenny; Viamingi Tang; Blue Tang; 1-Emerald Crab; 4-hermits; 1-coral banded; 4-Pepermint shrimp; 2-snails; Mushrooms; kenya tree; leather; pulsing xenia; yellow polyps; pipe organ coral

Thanks!
David
 
@DJS819 wrote:
As usual I read the posts AFTER I jump in and buy something. :oops: said:
I've learned that it's important to do research before making purchases. Many people here have told me to research the LFS before buying from them. Once you find the store and/or person that has the knowledge, stick with them. I learned the hard way too about not knowing about the fish before buying. Also, I've been taken advantage of by some LFS. Not all are bad. You just need to find the right one.
I am guessing it's ich. I'm new at this hobby so I'm not completely sure. I put garlic extract in with the food. I've heard that helps with ich. I'm not sure if it can cure it or not. I would listen to the replies you recieve from here. The owner of Neptune's Cove, Bill, has plenty of experience. Maybe stop by his store or give him a call. He's located in Plano. He's helped me out tons with my tank. He's saved me from making a few mistakes as well as the people here.
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Again read the stickies for treatments! In tank the only option is to feed garlic and pray! There is nothing reef safe that works against Ich.

By the way you really shouldn't have Viamingi in a 110!
 
David: I hate to be the barer of bad news, but if you are seeing ich on one fish, you have it in your system and you are going to have to take action, or always have it. The garlic most certainly helps, but if you really want to do things right, you're looking at trapping some fish and a six week minimum hypo/fallow session.

Don't tear up your reef. It's not as hard to trap fish as you think, but you have to do it while they are still eating. If you wait till the ich gets bad enough that the infected fish lose their appetite (and they will) you'll never be able to trap them.

The club has a few nice traps for members to borrow, that make the circuit continuously, or you can make one very easy from one of those plastic jars that Activated Carbon comes in. If you only have six fish in that tank, I'd definitely get busy trapping them.

Right now you should be soaking a sponge in your sump and cycling your QT tank. Don't fall into the trap of complacency. The spots may disappear for a while, (They WILL disappear) but they will be back, probably at the addition of any new fish or any stressor presented to the tank. PM me if you have any questions about Hypo/Fallow after reading the sticky threads, or if you need help making the DIY trap. Better yet, I have several, you can have one. I also have a 20 gallon QT cycled and ready if you need help.

Here's the container you need:
DIY Trap
 
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