Dealing with ick

[cotter4601]

I just found ick on my coral beauty. I have a 10g hospital tank setup. I currently have 2 firefish, 2 true percs, yellow watchman, blenny. Will these guys be ok in a 10gallon for 6 weeks? I have a couple teracotta pots and PVC pipe in there. What are my chances?

 

[billsreef]

Be better off with at least a 20 gallon for that fish load. Lots of water changes, use of an ammonia detoxifier such as amquell, and lots of circulation/aeration will give you the best chances.

 

[cotter4601]

Thanks for the help. I was able to get a 15 gallon long setup to use for the QT process, which should help with the 10. What fish should I put in each?

 

[billsreef]

If you split them up roughly 50/50 with the larger ones in the 15 you'll be in good shape.

 

[cotter4601]

Cool thanks. I have the clowns and the goby in the 10. Then the coral beauty, firefish, and blenny in the 15l. I have been getting some feed back on using formalin 3. Should I use this? Or should I take the copper or hypo route?

 

[ACBlinky]

I'm treating my clown, two damsels and flame angel for ich right now. I chose to use hypo and it's working well. I didn't take the salinity down fast enough (I lowered from a SG of 1.026 to 1.009 over ~72h) so the parasite had a chance to multiply more than it should have, and I initially feared that the hypo wasn't working. Now after more than a week the fish are active, spot-free, breathing normally and eating well. I will keep the SG at 1.009 for another five or six weeks, then raise it slowly over a week and hopefully these fish will be ich-free for the rest of their lives.

I don't know much about using copper, and haven't heard of using formalin for ich. I chose hypo because it's hard to mess up - patience and a refractometer are the only tools you need.

 

[cotter4601]

Well, i might just take that approach. Does hypo only treak ick?

 

[billsreef]

Hypo will treat ick and flukes very well. With the use of a lab grade hydrometer or a refractometer, it is my method of choice for treating ick. Copper is my second choice for ick, with Cupramine from Sea Chem being my favoured copper. Formalin can work, but needs to be dosed daily shortly before sunrise (lights on) to be effective.

 

[cotter4601]

Just ordered a refractometer. The only fish that is effected with ick is my coral beauty. It's on the purple part of his head along the top part of his sides. My blenny has something but I don't know what it is. I seen him scratching on the sand bed before I QTed them all.

 

[cotter4601]

Should I use hypo and copper together?

 

[billsreef]

There is no need to use both. If you do, make sure to keep the alkalinity up, as hypo tends to lower the alkalinity and lowered alkalinity makes the copper more toxic.

 

[cotter4601]

Is there a chance that this couldn't be ick? If it's not ick and some other parasite will hypo or copper cure it? I still do not know which method I want to use. I've read all the main treatment threads and I am still having mixed thoughts. Are my fish good canidates for each of these methods or is one better than the other for my fish?