Blue Hippo w/ Problems

My blue hippo has been going on 2 1/2 weeks now with ich.  I have followed advice from everyone here and started feeding emerald entree as recommended by Mark, as well as added a cleaner shrimp. (yet to see it clean a fish though)  Everyday I am soaking food in garlic xtreme for 10-15 minutes.  His diet consists of nori everyday, soaked mysis 3 days a week, emerald entree 3 days a week, and NLS thera A pellets twice a week.  The fish is well-fed eats like a pig and is fat.  However, its been about 18 days now since ich first appeared and he still has spots and is flashing around.  I've done the qt thing and gone fishless for 6 weeks in the past.....it stressed my fish and caused some losses....after 7 weeks I added my fish back and ich re-appeared, which was slightly annoying. (must not of waited long enough) I am now trying the theory of feeding a wide variety of food, soaking in garlic, and keeping water quality in top shape to battle ich.  Is this tang of mine going to make it?  Each day I expect to see a dead fish, but he is always swimming and eating.....just the spots!  I counted four or five white spots today....however, it appears he has 5 or 6 black spots on both sides now too!!!(sugar-like)  Are these black spots something totally different?  Or are they just where the previous ich was attached and is scarred or something?  Any input on what else I could do to get this fish past this ich?

sorry for not putting the link early here it is this help me alot

Interesting that by the date of that writing, 2007, Joe W had evidently not yet heard of using Garlic Oil. I believe he is wrong on a couple of points but I'm not here to argue, just to point out that from 2004/5 when we first heard of it, using Garlic Oil has been the best Ich prevention we hobbyists have yet found.

I guess I should also mention that the way a tank is set up also has a major influence. If another type of Garlic Oil doesn't do the trick, it's time to come here to this MB to talk about what else is going on in the tanks environment that could be enabling the parasite.

And lastly, we know that some fish are simply "Ich Magnets". The powder Tangs and Blue Tangs are, unfortunately, at the very top of the list.


Edited by Mark Peterson - August 05 2010 at 8:47am

I feel your pain.
Black ich is usually not fatal, in my experience.
Feel free to give me a call. I make house calls.
I can help set your mind at ease.

Just bought one :)......I know it won't cure fish....but if my fish makes it through it, I hope the UV helps keep the number of ich parasites to a minimum!

Still no improvement with the Black Ich, so I combined all the advice you guys gave and went with a freshwater dip, bought a UV, and did a water change.  That brings the total cost for this fish well over a 100 bucks!  Luckily, not sure how, but I netted the fish, first attempt.....anyways, had some fresh ro, airstone, and heater....dipped him for 5 minutes according to what others have done.  He seemed to do fine, but acted angry at me lol.  Usually he would swim off to his hiding spot everytime I came with 12 inches of the tank...now if I'm even 12 feet from the tank he takes off.....I can't even look at him to see if it made a difference....time will tell I guess, he ate like a pig again...

Some positive news....got an additional cleaner shrimp and he is very aggressive....he has been cleaning the hippo for the last 30 minutes, with the fish allowing it...the hippo won't even come out of their little cave/cove....also, fish is still eating like crazy, we will see what he looks like tomorrow after the nice cleaning he is getting.