How do you keep a Hippo Tang from getting ick all of the time???

[Blade_Runner]

Tangs are prone to parasitic infection. They are quite sensitive to water parameters, and movement.

In any case, make sure they get sufficient seaweed in their diet. IMO, Tangs need Nori to be healthy. Most prepaired food doesn't have it.

[MagReef]

I have been ick free for about two months, since most of my fish died off. I decided to do less fish and more corals as a result of that. I forgot to add my clean up crew as part of my tank. I have about 100+ little blue leg hermits, about 8 mexican turbo snails, a cleaner shrimp, a coral banded shrimp, and 2 peppermint shrimp. My cleaner shrimp survived the ick too and was trying his best to keep everyone clean. I think it was too much. Should I have more than one cleaner?

[RAVEN]

Mburke is right. Your Tank has ich in it forever till you either treat the tank with copper or let it go without fish for 10-12 weeks. You will also have to treat the fish while in a QT tank. All need to be treated even if you do not see any signs of it. I had the same problem and battled ich for over a year. I even let the tank go with out fish for 12 weeks and it still came back. Ich can go dormant! I ended up treating my tank with cupramine ( I can here the NaySayers Now!) which is not supposed to be as prone to be absorbed into your live rock as much as other coppers. It can also be removed with Carbon and Sea Chems cuprisorb which works great. After using these products my tank has been ich free and copper free (at least non detectable levels). I now have a Powder Blue Tang which is the worst at contracting ich, but it has remained ich free despite having to put up with my SOB Purple Tang.
Check out all those web sites Mburke listed, they are great resources.

By the way, if you decide to buy any more fish, always QT for 2-3weeks and consider FW dips and treating with low dose copper. All you need is a 10g tank.
Good Luck,
Larry

[omard]

amcarrig...you are correct. Got my characters mixed up. Sebastion was the crab in Little Mermaid.

Om

[kimmy]

I thought the cleaner shrimps' name is Pepe? Anyhow good luck with this cause I give up on the hippo tang. Until they make Prozac for fish, not in my tank! =)