[naesco]

Originally Posted by conix67

I've heard this story over and over, and the term "ick-magent" seems a little misleading.

I've had ick breakout, and read more than enough articled written about it to understand it better. What it boils down to is that if your system does not have the Marine Ick present, these ick-magnet fishes will not get icks, ever, as long as the system is kept ick-free.

UV sterilizer allows you to control icks, but not eliminate them, so the fact that your tang getting ick time to time means ick is not eliminated, and attacks the fishes when they are weak.

I don't have a UV sterilizer, and I had an ick breakout when I added my first powder brown tang. I tried known possible in-tank treatment method such as garlic extract and PolypLab Medic, but few fishes including the powder brown died.

Now I have my second powder brown in a QT, observing its health conditions. Probably not enough to prevent reoccurrence of ick, but all I can try without out-of-display-tank treatment (copper,hyposalinity) for the time being.

It's a beautiful fish, and I prefer PBT over Kole tang for the looks.

By the way, A. Japonicus is known as "White face surgeon" while A. Nigricans is known as "White cheek surgeon" or "gold rim powder brown", and the A. Nigricans is considered hardier and easier to keep than A. Japonicus.

No it is the A. Japonicus which is easy to keep. It is the A. Nigricans which is virtually impossible to keep although one reefer on canreef has kept one.

BTW one of Scott Michaels books also got it reversed.