Achilles with Ich

[Charlie's Angel]

Well, my new achilles has ich, along with my fowleri. The achilles was not quaratined, but came from LA's divers den. Never had a problem before. I do not have the ability to pull them out and medicate, so was wondering about some other options. Currently, I am soaking the food in garlic extreme, vita chem and will be ordering some selcon today. Also, running UV. Read a little about some seachem products focus and Metronidazole that can mixed into the food. Are these reef safe and do they work? I am skeptical about both.

 

[zt444a]

It is hard to watch the fishies with Ich, but I have always been told that if the fish is healthy and eating it will beat the ich.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

That is what I am hoping. Also, hoping that garlic, selcon and vita chem help them get stronger. This has happened in the past...few years ago and all my fish were able to fight it off. They were all eating. Didn't use any garlice or vitamins that time.

 

[kyelr]

We used a product on our entire tank (with corals) that worked incredibly well, after we had a mega ich outbreak - company's name is "No Sick Fish" - they have an ich treatment that worked almost immediately. Downside - have to remove all filtration, esp. carbon and uv - You can turn on the skimmer after 5 or 6 days... Little pricey, but there's plenty of uses in the bottle, just in case it comes back... Planet Reef might carry this product, not sure, otherwise you can pick it up online.

 

[Chelsey]

Do you have a neon goby or cleaner shrimp? Those can help too.

 

[fazgood]

I am not sure if a cleaner fish/shrimp can get to the ich itself as it digs deep below the mucus and skin. Here is some good info but from my experiences more fish die from the cure than do the disease. http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic31173-10-1.aspx

I have had ich in my tank forever and the only time it pops its ugly heads is when I introduce a new fish. Most new guys get right over it but the more delicate and susceptible fish (hippo tang) got it way too bad. I believe when it gets into the gills that secondary infections are the problem more than the ich itself.

Good luck,

Faz

 

[jcjstl]

Charlie here is a study on different "reef safe" meds for ich.... it includes the kick ich i was telling you about http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/sp/index.php and as was mention have had good luck with no sick fish but for that the dosage you would need for your tank would be crazy expensive

 

[Charlie's Angel]

I did read that article. I am very skeptical about these meds that claim to be reef safe.

Faz - I am with you. I believe I have had ich in the tank. However, all my recent additions have been fine until I put the achilles in. Maybe, he was stressed from the shipping and the new environment and this allowed him to become more suseptible. At this time, I am going to keep with UV, garlic, pristine water conditions, vita chem and selcom along with lots of feedings and hope they can fight it off. However, I might try the kick ich if it gets a lot worse. One thing I thought of, is on Friday night, I added a Tunze 6201 to the tank. Already had two 6100's in the tank. Is it possible the added flow stressed everyone out? I thought these guys liked more flow, not less.

Thanks

 

[paulamrein]

Well, it has been my research that there is no reefsafe cure for ich. All in all they are either ineffective or at worst they kill inverts and coral. There are extensive threads on here. With your system however there isn't anything easy. Most fish under most circumstances can fight off the infection. It's not the intension of the parasite to kill it's host. With that, there are studies that would indicate that IF, there is no other introductions for 10 months to a year, the strain of the Ich parasite, will die off. It has also been my research that none of the before sited treatments "Cure" ich, but it does speed the cycle and keeps the fish strong. UV will keep some of the numbers in check. Gobies and shrimp will help. Vitamins and suppliments will keep the fish eating. Everything else will run it's course.
If you want a completely ich-free system it's leaving the tank fallow for a few months while treating all fish in a QT.
With that large of a system, that will be hard to come by. I do have to say that the tang may not make it with their sensitivety to ich.

 

[breutus]

when I battled it I added a cleaner shrimp and raised the tank temp just a bit, it seemed to do the job. the cleaner shrimp definitly went straight for the specs on the fish and after a few cleanings there were none present

 

[Charlie's Angel]

Yeah...I am not going to pull the tank apart. I will work on keeping the fish eating and hope for the best.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

I will try and get a few cleaner shrimp today. How high did you raise the temp?

 

[paulamrein]

I've read 81 to 82 degrees F. Barring there is nothing too sensitive to the heat ...ie inverts and coral.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

Tank is a mixed reef with the temp at 77. I might slowly raise it a degree or two over the next few days. Heading home now to see how everyone looks.

 

[opposum]

Achilles tangs are native to cooler waters like in Hawaii. So your current temps are perfect for it. It might stress the fish more to raise the temps. I have had ich in tangs at over 80 degrees. This is a very difficult tang to keep and is prone to ich like many tangs. My opinion is to leave the temp alone.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

Thanks...will do

 

[reefslugs]

ich

ich

I am a powder blue tang lover. I have battle ich for ever. Now I have a powder blue and a achilles all in one tank will no ich. Here's what I know. Raiseing the temp is going to do nothing but stress your fish out even more. Keep the temp the same and steddy. Get two cleaner shrimp right away. Ich only kills a fish when it clogs up it's gills and the cleaners will pick the ich out of it's gills. Most inportant, Keep the fish eating with the highest vitamine foods you have. This will help bust it's amune system. MKake sure no other fish is bothering him. The last thing I no is the achillies is it like alot of water flow. Soft flow, like a maxi jet mod, tunze. Hope this might help.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

Yeah...I am keeping the temp steady. One thing that changed in the system was I added a Tunze 6201 to the system Friday night. Noticed ich on the fish Sunday morning. Wondering if the sudden flow change stressed him out. I added one cleaner shrimp on Saturday before the ich breakout and haven't seen it since. I am going to get some more tomorrow. They are all eating like champs and I am soaking food in garlice, vitachem and soon selcon. Also fed them about 6 times today. Keeping my fingers crossed, however, he looks pretty bad tonight.

 

[kellyjn]

Are you following the Vitamin C thread over in the zoa forum? There was someone who said their ich went away after starting to dose VC. It boosts the immune system.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

That is why I ordered the selcon. I believe vit C is a big ingredient. It will be here tomorrow. Everyone is still eating. Have fed them eight times today. Thank goodness for big skimmers.