I have Ich

Kirblit

Kirblit

Active Member
I started seeing my fish "flashing" a couple of weeks ago but saw no white spots on them and I have always had good water quality so I thought that I might have a chance at them pulling through without a real "outbreak" but here I am. I saw spots on my Kole tang last night and on my Midas blenny and now I'm freaking out. The only fish that don't seem effected are my two clowns that I have had over a year. I believe that I contracted the disease from an LFS that I got coral from about three weeks ago because I returned there to see Ich on the fish in the frag tank. I have had all of the fish in the display for about two months or longer so I don't believe any of them had it to start out with. The LFS that I got all of the fish at also QT all new fish for at least four weeks prior to sale, and I trust them completely with having healthy fish so I don't believe it came in on any fish. I have learned my lesson about QT everything for the future, I just didn't think that I had anything to worry about with the coral, boy was I wrong first red bugs and then this.


Time for the questions. I have decided to use a hypo treatment in a Qt tank but I don't know the best method for making the tank "ready" for the bioload that it will be receiving. I have a 55 gal tank that I will be using for the treatment but I have 8 fish that I need to put in it (about 30in of fish). I will put them in a couple at a time but what is the best way to do the filtration? I have a hang on filter that I could use but it isn't cycled. I'm also going to add birospira to help prepare the tank, but what do I need to do to get a pretty good filter going so that I don't need to do WC every day or two for the entire period that they are in there?
 
michael_cb_125

michael_cb_125

Well-Known Member
My favorite method of combating ick is prevention. But I have had it in two of my tanks. I always use garlic and selcon. I know that it is not meant to treat ick, but it gets my fish really excited about eating, and boosts their immune system. Everytime Ive used this method the ick disappears in a few days. I have seen no ick at all since Ive been treating all foods with garlic.
I dont like putting "stuff" into my tanks unless it a dire emergency.
 
Kirblit

Kirblit

Active Member
I have been using Selcon for soaking all my Nori, and other foods and have been using garlic as well. All the fish have been fighting it off until recently when they got the spots. They have all kept their appetites and have been swimming as usual and seem happy, but they have been "flashing" more often and have now shown spots. Do you think that if I keep up the supplements they will develop an immunity? I don't plan on adding any more fish anyways so if the one's I have can fight through I wouldn't infect any more fish. I want to QT them but I don't know how I would get the blennies and watchman out without a lot of stress and destruction.

As for the UV it only kills the parasites that travel through it, not the ones that stay in the display. I know that it would keep the numbers down but I don't think that it's a very long term cure.
 
AQTCJAK

AQTCJAK

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

Kirblit

Active Member
Isn't that a preventative medication for Ich, not a treatment? Or is it a treatment as well?
 
michael_cb_125

michael_cb_125

Well-Known Member
I have always found (at least with my tanks) that if a fish maintains an appetite, and shows normal behavior, they will fight off any ick they may contract. Ick is opportunistic, it usually only shows up when fish are stressed. So you may want to look into the stress factors on your fish. Something else may be stressing your fish, which in turn weakens the immune system.
 
Kirblit

Kirblit

Active Member
Where can you find the Tropical Science Ichtinguisher? I did some searches but nothing came up but another thread you mentioned it in.
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
QT with hyposalinity or copper while leaving the display free 6 - 8 weeks is the only cure. Do you have any extra bio-media in your sump you could steal for the qt? Bio-balls, sponges, anything like that. They can help with the cycle in the qt but you are not going to be able to avoid a large number of water changes using an uncycled qt tank. Sorry, that is just something that will have to be dealt with. Test daily if not twice a day and do water changes at the first sign of amonia. If you can, keep the qt in a quiet dark spot to minimize stress and give them some pvc or something to hide in.
From what I have read hyposalinity is less stressfull than the copper plus the tank can then be re-used later for another purpose. Remember hyposalinity is 1.009. Lower the salinity in the qt slowly to further reduce the stress factor but that is where it needs to be to kill the parasite.
HTH
 
Kirblit

Kirblit

Active Member
Do you think that that many fish in a 55 will be feasible because two are tangs that are about 4 inches each? Hypo is what I want to do but I don't have any bio balls or any sponges in my sump that I can use. If I put some in there how long do you think that it will take for them to be seeded enough to be a decent filter?
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
Even if you had them they will just be a help. They won't eliminate the cycle regardless. I even went so far as to buy LR for my QT and still had amonia through the roof and was doing 2 50% water changes a day. Unfortunately it is just something that the tank has to go through.
You could start cycling the qt and hope the fish have enough of an immunity to hold on until it is ready. It would be risky IMO but if they are all eating and acting normally it is worth thinking about anyway.
They should be fine in that size tank short term.
 
Kirblit

Kirblit

Active Member
How long do fish usually survive with the Ich before they succumb to the parasite because I would like to get the QT somewhat cycled before putting them in? Should I put them in the tank in increments or just add them all at once? I obviously wouldn't start the hypo until all of them are in it however.
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
It all depends on how healthy the fish are and how bad the infection is. I have never heard a time line.
 
michael_cb_125

michael_cb_125

Well-Known Member
I am not 100% sure, but I think that once a fish gets ick, it always has it. Its just a case of whether or not the fish suffer from an outbreak. Kinda like ring worm in mammals. As long as the fish are eating well, and acting normally, the ick should dissipate. Someone correct me if I am wrong.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top