Tang Ich question

The tangs I've kept in the past weren't ich magnets anymore than any other fish. Knock on wood, but I've only had ich just once in years of keeping marine aquariums. It's basically the same as freshwater ich, but .........it seems to spread like wildfire and do more damage in a marine tank. With a carefully managed tank, and careful selection and introduction of new fish, ich is a rarity.

A common treatment for marine ich is copper and increasing the temperature of the tank. If you're keeping invertebrates, copper is out - it's lethal to inverts. You'll have to remove the affected fish to a hospital tank and treat with copper there.

Be very selective of your fish purchases. Look at every fish in the LFS display tank. If one of the tankmates shows signs of disease or parasitism, don't buy any fish from that tank. A tried and true method is to quarantine new fish for a few weeks to make sure they're healthy. Avoid rapid environment changes in the tank. Stressed fish are more susceptible to disease and parasitism. Monitor your tank closely. At the first signs of ich, be prepared to immediately swing into action. Unchecked ich in a marine tank is bad news.

Tangs tend to be ich magnets because many people don't understand what Tangs need to thrive. 1) Tangs need tons of swimming space, 100+ gallons... and at least 5 feet of horizontal swimming space. 2) Tangs need a well balanced diet, feeding them nori, having a good amount of live rock, and a food for herbivores is essential.

Water quality is always an issue for any disease, whether it be salt or freshwater, it can lower the ability for the immune system to fight disease, but yes, fish can catch ich without water quality being a factor. ANY stress can threaten your fishes immune system, and some just get it because. It is as much of a problem in marine systems as it is in freshwater systems, and it is caused by relatively the same parasite.

Ich is treated several ways, all of which have thier pros and cons... Hyposalinity, reef/safe meds are in debate whether they work or not, but a copper based med is usually the best method of curing it (In a qt none the less)
Ich cannot host a coral, it must host a fish just like in freshwater, most meds however, are not coral safe or invert safe, thus the qt.

Here is a good link
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichartmar.htm

Ich in saltwater is not the same parasite as freshwater.

>>>>Ich in saltwater is not the same parasite as freshwater.<<<<

No, it's not, but the mechanics of it are basically the same if you relate it to freshwater keepers.

obviously I wasn't clear, I meant that it wasn't technically the same parasite, but it has the exact same symptoms, both attack the gills, and is treated with similar meds... I didn't mean to miss lead that it was the same species or genera

Ich must be introduced to the system. Most frequently, this happens via a sub-clinical infection in a fish. A lot depends on your LFS--I've seen marine ich maybe once at my favorite store, and they always treat quickly, so it's never spread. I've never had marine ich in my tank--but tangs are prone to a variety of skin parasites, not just ich. Black spot is also common, and I have had that once. It didn't spread to any other fish though, and was easily treated in quarantine.