Unconventional Ich Treatment Theory

[DontXtripNfall]

So I've been in the hobby for many years then stopped for a bit and now I started back up. My tank has just a couple of pieces of live rock, sand and 5 hermits. I recently stopped by a petco because I was in the neighborhood and I literally watched this angelfish die. There was a red fairy wrasse in the tank with it and I noticed it had some Ich but the way it was looking at me made me feel like I had an emotional connection and needed to save this fish. Stupid I know, but I bought it.

My tank has been cycled, I put the fish in it stays there overnight. After reading up on it I didn't realize how bad Ich could be so I put the fish in a hang in tank specimen container with holes drilled on the sides near the top to prevent any more cysts falling off into the substrate. Basically I plan to save as much original water as I can using buckets, heaters, pumps. The free floating form is said to only live 24-48 hours without finding a host so I thought 3-4 days later I can put everything back in the tank after its been fully dried. I'll have the fish in a QT this time. Then I can resume everything as planned.

I've heard of Herbtana having mixed reviews but a LFS said to have tested it and they don't know it was coincidental or not but it helped. Anyway thats been a big argument on my local fish forum so let's leave it there.

SO my questions are: if you think I should dry out the few pieces of rocks I currently have to be sure any traces of Ich are gone or does the cyst drop all the way to the bottom of the tank and not just stick to anything? Do you think this is a logical plan?

 

[sasquatch]

"your first loss is your least loss"

 

[DaveK]

Let me put it this way...

A simple, usable ich cure that is reef safe and effective and can be used in the main display tank has been the "elusive holy grail" of SW fish keeping for as long as I have been keeping SW tanks. That's about 45 years now. I have never seen any product withstand the test of time. I have never seen any medication that claimed to be reef safe also be effective for the treatment of a fish disease.

In the fish disease section here there are about four sticky threads on dealing with SW ich. I highly recommend reading all of them. It comes down to this. Treat the fish in a quarantine tank for 8 weeks using hyposalinity or copper, and leave the display tank empty of fish.

Since your asking for opinions, my thoughts are that what your planning is a complete waste of time and effort. At best nothing will be gained and the fish will still have the disease. At worst, you'll have major losses. As a note, the free swimming form can live for weeks, and that's why the quarantine and treatment process is 8 weeks long.

Lastly, most LFS are completely clueless when it comes to SW reef systems, or for that matter, any other advanced aquarium system. Before you follow any advice from them, post it online and see what other thing. You'll save a lot of time, effort and money.

 

[redneckgearhead]

^+10,000000000000! Dave, speaks the truth!

 

[BigAl07]

DontXtripNfall you can search just here on RS and get a multitude of people "trying" various "alternate" approaches to irdaicating their system from this nasty. Unfortunately the few who are willing to come back and post updates almost none of them report success especially long-term. More often than not they simply quit reporting because they don't want to hear "We told you so".

Keep in mind that "Ich" has survived FIRE, Flood, Drought, and ICE so you see why it's so difficult to cure the tank. Also worth noting is that anything that IS strong enough to kill Ich is also strong enough to wipe the rest of your system out. If there were a tried and trusted method that worked it would be in ALL the magazines and on all the forums and someone would be making a FORTUNE!

There a local reefer here who is now on his THIRD bought of Ich. Guess which method he's using now. . . Treating fish in Hospital Tank and Display tank Fallow for 3 more weeks (total of 8 weeks). Live and learn.

I hope you reconsider and don't keep searching for the "silver bullet" which has yet to be created for Ich.

 

[ReefAddict]

All the advice given is on point, with the exception on the time factor. Eight weeks puts you at 80% or so, where 10 weeks puts you at 99% of total eradication of ich in your system.
Since it appears that you don't have much going on in your reef just yet, I would go at least the 10 weeks of keeping your tank fallow. I would actually take it to 12 weeks.
With the anthias in the hospital tank decide which route you want to take. Hypo-salinity or copper, NOT both.. If your going hypo remember that you would have to keep the salinity at 0.009 for it to be effective. If going with copper, make sure you have a really good "Copper Test Kit". Too much copper, and you kill the fish, to little, and it is not at all ineffective.