AHhhh its 1130 pm and I was gettin ready for bed an to turn out my lights when I noticed my new bicolor angel covered in ich! an then in a closer look all my fish have some ich! what should I do its all in my main system fish! an I have inverts, corals and anemones! advice please I know I cant treat it with anything I was thinking of lowering the salinity but will that work?
ahhh emergency
- Thread starter manutd16
- Start date
Step one, test the water and doublecheck the temperature.
Ich can appear as a result of stress, and the new arrival may have stressed other fish by its advent. It's a hard call, but if it looks as if it might go away with quiet and good water, it would be safer than dosing the whole tank---if it's really, really bad, then action is the better course.
Ich can appear as a result of stress, and the new arrival may have stressed other fish by its advent. It's a hard call, but if it looks as if it might go away with quiet and good water, it would be safer than dosing the whole tank---if it's really, really bad, then action is the better course.
acroconut
Member
How many fish do you have, and can you move the fish to a Q-tank and lower the salinity? A UV would be helpful right now if you can't move fish and have anemones. Also as in old world I have used a Vortex DE filter to help in this kind of situation,but it has been a very long time since I needed to run this. I Keep it in the closet for just in case.
Freed
It's what it's
Why do people think that stress spontaneously creates ich out of thin air? Ich is a parasite and it HAS TO BE INTRODUCED INTO THE TANK. It doesn't just spontaneously appear. If you would QT your new arrivals you wouldn't have this issue with all of your fish being affected now.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
Freed... I dunno how you found a thread in a local club thread....
In any case, there are a lot of theories on how and where ich shows up. He did state that he had a "new" fish and this may be very easy to point the finger at in this case. However, you will find that after doing some research ich can pop up in a tank that has seen no new introductions in months or years.
It is an interesting subject to say the least...
Bean
In any case, there are a lot of theories on how and where ich shows up. He did state that he had a "new" fish and this may be very easy to point the finger at in this case. However, you will find that after doing some research ich can pop up in a tank that has seen no new introductions in months or years.
It is an interesting subject to say the least...
Bean
JoshHarpst
New member
i have heard that raising the temp to 80-82 degrees helps prevent the spread of ich. Not sure if it's true, but heard it a few times. I'd do a search on Ich.
HTH
~Josh
HTH
~Josh
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
Ohh I am aware of the "get new" tab... just never used it, as it was seemed like WAY to much to sift through.
It does not matter at all. I was just curious how you stumbled on the thread.
It does not matter at all. I was just curious how you stumbled on the thread.
There was no need to QT the new Bicolor since he was in the same tank I purchased my other 4 fish from, just a day later. And besides wouldnt QT all the fish I purchased together just sped ich to each other? I only had a Falco hawkfish and a tolbot damsel in the tank but since I got rid of the damsel I had nothing to worry about, but the falco has no signs of ich. Im aware ich can last in a system forever. but is it true tho if your fish are healthy and your water is at great levels then you have nothing to worry about?
I would disagree... I had two healthy fish in different systems. Transferred a fish from one tank to another. The next day another fish in the tank (ie the previously dominant one) in the tank got ich.... Note IT WASNT THE TRANSFERRED FISH or any of the others... so adding a new fish could cause a previously healthy other fish to "spontaeously" have issues. in this case it was black ich..
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
I am not sure if "nothing to worry about" is ever the case. We just don't know enough about many fish diseases, including ich.
Steve Pro may be able to help with regards to a better answer as to why and how.
Steve Pro may be able to help with regards to a better answer as to why and how.
Steven Pro
New member
The common marine ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) and the so-called black ich (either Paravortex or Ichthyophaga species) are both parasites. While stress can certainly impact how bad the outbreak is, the parasites must be present. All the stress in the world cannot make a parasite spontaneously appear.
Those instances in which it is alleged that there were no new additions, something happens, and all the fish got ich are easy enough to explain. For one, perhaps the parasite was introduced with something other than a fish. Very few people quarantine their corals or mobile invertebrates, even though they should. Secondly, the infestation could have been there and just gone unnoticed. The bugs could have been in small numbers due to partial immunity or in the gills where they went unseen. And lastly, sometimes people just lie. Maybe they don't want to admit adding a fish recently that was infected and now all their fish are dying.
Those instances in which it is alleged that there were no new additions, something happens, and all the fish got ich are easy enough to explain. For one, perhaps the parasite was introduced with something other than a fish. Very few people quarantine their corals or mobile invertebrates, even though they should. Secondly, the infestation could have been there and just gone unnoticed. The bugs could have been in small numbers due to partial immunity or in the gills where they went unseen. And lastly, sometimes people just lie. Maybe they don't want to admit adding a fish recently that was infected and now all their fish are dying.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
I learn something new every day.
Thanks steve!
Thanks steve!
Steven Pro
New member
Ray, it depends on the fish. If you are talking about tangs for instance, I would treat them for ich anyhow just to be on the safe side. But something like a goby, I would just observe closely.
vinstr
Premium Member
There was an article writen by Bob Fenner I think a few years ago about fighting off Ich naturally. I used it a few years ago to successfully fight off a round of it ( I also used Reef Safe Kick Ich- it did not hurt my corals/inverts, etc and could have been what kicked the ich but I would try it also.) Here is what he suggested:
1- Massive water changes as much as possible (to reduce the quantity of parasites running around)
2- Slowing drop the salinity level (make each water change a little lower in salinity)
3- Add some cleaner shrimp (to help pick parasites off the fish)
4- Fire up the UV sterilizer (If you have not already)
5- add the KICK-ICH (I don't know if this was around when the article was written so he did not comment on it - I did all the above and added the KICK-ICH- what worked I don't know, but it did not hurt and my fish, corals, inversts all came out OK)
Good luck!
1- Massive water changes as much as possible (to reduce the quantity of parasites running around)
2- Slowing drop the salinity level (make each water change a little lower in salinity)
3- Add some cleaner shrimp (to help pick parasites off the fish)
4- Fire up the UV sterilizer (If you have not already)
5- add the KICK-ICH (I don't know if this was around when the article was written so he did not comment on it - I did all the above and added the KICK-ICH- what worked I don't know, but it did not hurt and my fish, corals, inversts all came out OK)
Good luck!
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