Signs of Ich

My blue hippo tang has recently started to show signs of ich, ive been soaking their foods in garlic (brine, mysis shrimp and seaweed) but still its starting to show signs here and there. Ive read about dosing copper helps, I have some coral in the tank, would this effect them? How should I tackle this one?

 

As long as he is still eating, and your water parameters are in good shape, then he will get better eventually. I've had it take 3 weeks to see all the signs disappear. Tangs are notorious for getting ich, but as long as they are eating you have a good chance of getting his immune system up to fight it off. Get some Selcon, that really helps boost it's immune system.

 

I wouldn't dose any more copper. It is very toxic to invertebrates and if it kills one without you noticing, water quality may degrade, which could make the tang more vulnerable to the parasite.

Reducing salinity in the display tank can help fight it, without harming invertebrates. It depends on which corals/inverts you have in the tank, but I think most could tolerate a drop to 1.020. Debeek and Sprung say some can tolerate SG's down to 1.017 (The Reef Aquarium, Vol. 3).