Marine Ich - Myths and Facts

[Ntruder]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Multiple smaller hospital tanks is one option

Yes and with one method I learned from something I read long ago in the 70's, from Amlacher's book I call the "Bounce Method'. "Ick" can not survive without a host, so multi-tanks work. You just move the infected fish from one untreated tank to the next every 2-3 days. At the end of two-weeks there can not be any ick. And at times the ick is all gone in the first couple of days, meaning only one move or maybe only 2 moves i.e., less than a wk.

I don't understand. Why wouldn't you just take them out of the main tank and treat them all in smaller tanks, while waiting for the ich in the main tank to die?

[boozeman]

the method boomer describes doesnt rely on medication. it takes advantage of the parasites life cycle and the time it remains without a host

[Boomer]

Correct booze, they are not treated by any means, par latter maybe a antibiotic for any potential bacterial infections. You set up all tanks the same, so they even look the the same. And the water in all of them comes from the same batch mix. I use to run 5 - 10 gal tanks. And before the first move make sure they are eating. You still have to wait the 4 wks for the display tank to rid itself of Ick before returning the fish. This method causes almost no stress to the fish brought about by hyposalinity, copper, FW dips, anti-malarial meds etc., or what ever. My display tanks never knew what the word "Ick" meant

[leebca]

It is a version of what is known as the "transfer method" which is one way to rid fish of Marine Ich. Few will invest in the time, effort and extra tanks. One splash over or cross contamination and you have to start over. If done properly, it is one of the three top choices for getting rid of this parasite.

See #3. under Treatment Methods in the top post.

[Rcpilot]

Great article!!

I've just been hit with an outbreak of ich. My own fault for not doing proper QT a new fish.

I plan to remove all fish from the tank and QT them for 8-10 weeks. I am going to use the hyposalinty method of curing the fish. Hope they survive the infestation.

I've been reading rumor after rumor about this parasite. I've just been having a discussion on a different board about these rumors. People are telling me to only treat the visibly infected fish. Thats totally wrong. They are also telling me it is impossible to completely get rid of Ich. That I must simply accept that it will always be present. Totally wrong again.

Common sense tells me that if I QT the fish and cure them completely--then they will certainly not be carriers of the parasite.

Common sense also tells me that if I leave the DT fallow for 8-10 weeks, I can be assured there is no more Ich alive in the DT.

No Ich in the tank. No Ich on the fish. I guess that means I have a reef with no Ich present. I can't understand why people insist that it is always present and there is nothing we can do about it.

Great article. Karma to you!!

[leebca]

Thanks for your support. I often wonder why the rumors, too. I think it is easier to believe the rumor than the truth that the hobbyists isn't doing the best job they can. The, 'blame something else' or 'it isn't my fault' type of syndrome.

I can assure you that the professional aquarists do quarantine and have public aquarium displays that are Marine Ich free.

[amc78cj7]

Would someone post pics of marine fish with ich please. I have run google image searches and they all are horrible pics and don't help me identify the disease.

Thanks.

[Woodstock]

Take a look at some of these pics: marine ICH - Google Image Search

[rlcline76]

A lot of careful thought was put into this sticky.
Which Burgess piece are you referring to, Lee? I tend to eat this kind of stuff up. And what articles on the matter would you consider to be of most use to the aquarist? Also, I have seen a raise in temperature suggested as an aid in the battle. Can you point me toward supporting literature?

I am not saying I do not believe you, but when I am helping someone else or just doing something for me I like to have something more than a forum to back up why I think this or that.

Some good stuff in here!

[naperenterprise]

Great thread! This has always been an interest of mine. And at times a nightmare.
This article will modivate me to stick to quarentine from now on...

Just a comment/question: If the DT gets MI, how the heck does one get all the fish out?

Does anyone have a good trick??

My fish hide in the rocks, and it seems impossible to get them out without removing everything from the tank...

[leebca]

There are many other threads regarding getting fishes out of the marine system. Rather than elaborate and let this thread stray, take a look at this thread, for instance: How to Catch Fish -or- Goin' Fisin'

[leebca]

There is so much literature rlcline76 that it is a project to pull it all together into a post. I will leave it to your own research. An Internet search will prove my point on the quantity. You can narrow it by including "Burgess" as a search requirement. Dr. Burgess also publishes comments, answers, and advice to aquarists in European aquarist magazines and writes articles for several periodicals. If you have a particular point in mind, please refresh my memory and let me know by PM the Burgess info you are specifically interested in. I may have that handy.

The sticky is the culmination of my own research at OSU, personal experiences, published works by others, conversations I've had with veterinarians specializing in fish disease, and continual education in fish maintenance.

Marine Ich is not as sensitive to a raise in temperature as the freshwater parasite. The conditions that affect the freshwater parasite (Ichthyophthirius multifilis) has often been mis-applied to Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans). That temperature significantly shortens the life cycle on Marine Ich is one such mis-application. Temperature does affect Marine Ich, but not of any significance so that it can be used in treatment or that would shorten a proper quarantine process. In the case of the freshwater parasite, a rise in temperature not only shortens its life-cycle, but can lead to the parasite's death.

[johnmiami]

This was all alot to digest given I'm new to all this and only 3 months into with my 90g tank. Im really trying to grasp how to hospitalize all my fish for 6+ weeks when my hospital tank is only 10g and its use I thought was to only be occasional. I don't have the means to quarantine all of them at once and let the display sit for that amount of time. And I have a few territorial fish as well.

Are there any suggestions to not have to set up another 90g tank to quarantine all my fish? If I already had a fish die before from MI then based on all this info then its still in the tank specially if I see some fish scratching.

[lcstorc]

Yes your tank is infected. Depending on the fish and size you may need a larger hospital tank but remember a larger tank will require more medication and larger water changes. When Woodstock went through it I believe she had a 29g hospital tank where she treated the fish and then once the treatment was done she added a very large sump (like 100g or so) to help keep the water quality good for that length of time.
I believe Petco is running their $1 per gallon tank sale for anything from 20-75 gallons. Not sure but worth checking.

[leebca]

You do have another option. It requires the utmost patience on your part. That option to not add any marine life to the marine system for the next 11 months. By then, the Marine Ich will have become so less infective that, for all tense and purposes, it will be gone.

After that 11 months it then is gone and you want to perform proper quarantine on all incoming marine life.

Otherwise, if you don't want to wait and want to start adding things, AND you want a Marine Ich-free marine system, then getting the fish out of the marine system for 8 weeks minimum is what needs to be done.

You can sell the fish, have a friend or club member hold the fish, or even have others help you treat the fish for Marine Ich. The bottom line is that after the time, you allow no Marine Ich into the system again.