I have Ich

[lcstorc]

That would be incorrect.
Ich on a fish can be eliminated by either hyposalinity or copper treatment. Those are the only two ways I know of that have been scientifically proven. I lost all my links in a computer crash but BoomerD or someone should be along shortly with lots of links on the parasite and it's life cycle. In it's free swimming stage it can be killed by UV and fish can build up an immunity but those are two different things entirely.

 

[cheeks69]

Lynn you are correct !
Kirblit if your using the hyposalinity method then you can use some of your LR so you can have some established bacterial colonies BUT anything live in the rock will not survive so I would just use a few lbs. I also agree with Lynn that frequent water changes will still be necessary with 8 fish going in there there's just no getting around that IMHO. You can also use {ammono-lock by amquel} to detoxify ammonia.

Here's some good info on Ich:

ATJ's Marine Aquarium Site - Reference - Marine "Ich"

How to do hyposalinity treatment:

ATJ's Marine Aquarium Site - Reference - Hyposalinity Treatment

 

[Melanie]

I have ich too, but I rubbed hydrocortosone on it and it felt better. Wait, did you say "ich" or "itch"?

 

[AQTCJAK]

Here is there website you can buy direct form them. They do not have it listed on the site but it is available

:: Tropical Science Biolabs ::

 

[Kirblit]

Thanks for the input everyone I can't wait to get it all taken care of so that I can enjoy my tank again. It's hard to enjoy it while I know that the fish aren't happy.

Jack thanks for that link but I think that I'm going to go a more conventional route with the hypo treatment. I just don't like putting anything in my tank that I don't know much about. I can't find any information on it online and I don't want to put it in there if I don't trust it. I believe that it may be a great product but I can't just take one person's word for it, that usually doesn't end well in this hobby, I will stick with the tried and true. Thanks again anyway.

 

[hma]

I would like to make only few notes this topic. Since in RS with the most important questions of the sea water aquaristic more or less constantly argue very much here, a deeper discussion participation of me is not necessary.

Before I as Reefer thought around fish illnesses like e.g. Oodinium or Ichthyosporidium hoferi , I should the possibility by it to get sick to keep as small as possible. In Germany we say „Praevention kommt vor Aktion“or into english „prevention comes before action “ ! In all sea water tanks an extremely high number of bacteria and viruses is considered develops those to our animals harms adds if we it does not dam as existing fact in relatively short time, their number keep as small as possible and a spreading impossible make.

For this two simple things are necessary.

1. a sufficiently strong UV-C light

2. a sufficiently strong Ozonisator

Both provide by an optimal use for it that the bacteria and viruses in our tanks no longer further to increase to be able and/or kill themselves. If the bacteria population is small in the tank, it comes also with high security to no bacterial illness of the animals.

We must ask ourselves, why it comes in a tank that at all to a accumulation of bacteria? We do nevertheless everything around our water parameters as optimally to keep as only at all possible. Now, who thinks already of CO2, which constantly accumulates itself in the tank, who thinks of a much to low oxygen content? Both are factors in connection with the eliminations of the animals as well as fodder remainders in the aquarium in addition lead that the bacteria in our tanks feel so correctly well.

Prevention comes before action, an important factor for any reefer and his sea water display.

I have since now over 20 years sea water tanks and in this whole time only one times a fish with a bacterial illness, a Hippo tang with Oodinium. An intensified addition of Lipovit and garlic juice to the fodder have been sufficient the animal in very short time to heal.

So far my notes to this topic.

 

[AQTCJAK]

Perfectly said & I agree 110%

 

[Raf]

Tropical Science Ichtinguisher is a great product it works & it is reef safe & will not harm anything in your tank except ich

you have mentioned this product many times already. Do you use it on a regular basis? IS it truely effective? I have yet to seen a miricle reef safe ich med that works....

thx

Raf

 

[AQTCJAK]

I have used it & it works great. If a moderator feels this post is out of line because I am not a sponsor please feel free to edit it accordingly. 20+ years in the hobby when I came about to have a LFS I decided @ that time I would only stock & sell products that not only do I use in my own tanks & those tanks I service. If a product doesnt work I refuse to have it in my shop. Salesmaen & Women are constanly telling me you can make great margin on it my response it this margin does keep the hobby healthy & fun. It actually frustrates & detours from it.

To recap if I mention a product here that is because I stand behind it & have the direct support of the manufacture. If I cant get the manufacture support on a product again You will not find it in my shop.

 

[Kirblit]

I'm going to start my treatment on thurs. but I have one last question. Can you use normal PH buffer to keep the PH in check or should I use baked baking soda? I heard somewhere that you should use the baked baking soda instead of the normal PH buffer. They only reason that I can think of is that the PH buffer contains some salt and could alter the salinity of the water over time. Any ideas?

 

[bluespotjawfish]

I've used both. The pH buffer worked better for me at keeping the tank stable. I don't think it affects the salinity, but if it did you are monitoring that and could add more water if you needed to. I didn't notice an increase in salinity as a result of its use.

 

[Kirblit]

Great that's what I want to hear. I would rather use the normal buffer because I have used it and I know how it effects the water and in what amounts. I have never used the baking soda so I have no idea how much it effects the water.

 

[bluespotjawfish]

It does respond a bit different with the lower salinity, just go slow. It's best to keep it stable from the beginning with buffer, than have to respond to a low pH. I also found that more frequent WCs also helped keep the pH more stable as well (probably the buffer in the salt mix at work there).

 

[Kirblit]

There will be lots of WC because the tank they are going into is uncycled and I don't really have any sponges or anything from the 125 that I can put in there to help. Lots of Cycle, testing, and WC.

 

[Kirblit]

My battle is going very well, here is my post from my chronicle.

My battle with the Ich demon is going very well. I have been putting in many hours on my QT hypo tank however. My wife is going to kill me eventually. Trying to juggle low salinity, low PH due to salinity, ammonia because of uncycled tank, and water change after water change is taking it's tole. My fish look VERY happy now that they are in the low salinity and not working as hard to keep salt correct in their bodies, and after three days of full hypo their are only a couple of white flecks left on them, so at this point those little SOB's are dying while trying to reproduce !
The only bad part of the QT tank is that I feel like I'm starving my fish. I have been feeding them VERY minimally because of the fresh cycle of the tank, I don't really want to make it worse on them by adding more nutrients to the water, or make the tangs possibly poop any more than they need to, .
I have also been trying to keep my PH at about 8.0 because the ammonia has been staying at about .25 even with 50% water change every day so that it won't be as toxic. I still have yet to see any trites in the water however. I think that I will start making smaller water changes daily to make the tank cycle, but not too hard. I'm going to Hawaii in Oct. for two weeks and I don't have a problem with the daily H20 changes, but the person that will be watching my house won't have time to do them every day so I would like to hopefully get it under control by then.

All around I think that my fish are much happier than they were about a week ago, and I feel better that I'm able to help them. I have def. learned a valuable lesson about preventative treatment, instead of reactive treatment, I will QT everything else that goes into my tank for at least a month from now on . Nobody thinks it will happen to them until it does and then they realize how important it is!