looking to hear from people who have had sucsess with using garlic , uvs , cleaner shrimp ,and cleaner gogies for ich ? And for those who say cleaner gobies are fish keep in mind that mother nature put these fish on this earth for a reason as well as the cleaner shrimp or they wouldn't set up cleaner stations in the ocean to pick parisites off of fish and sharks !
garlic/uv sterelizer oppinions from those who have had sucsses
- Thread starter gobiefish
- Start date
happyface888
New member
Garlic is pretty good at helping the fish build up their immune system to fight off ich. You can buy garlic guard or make your own. Just crsuh or blend the garlic up and mix it in with food. Or you can go to a vitamin store and look for garlic extract. Cleaner gobies I heard arent good because they are fish and can be attacked by ich. Uv lights I read does ok since ich lives in the water columm and not enough water travels through the uv thus it doesnt kill it all off.
PhillyD123
New member
Cleaner gobies are actually less likely to get ich than just about any other fish and yep both are very good along with garlic for the allicin. I am assuming that since you are asking you have had success? Cleaner shrimp are just good all around very helpful tank additions
I probably just jinxed myself for posting this, but I haven't had a problem with ich in over a year. I run a 57 watt uv, add garlic extreme and selcon to the food, and I have 2 neon gobies in the tank. I don't know how affective they are in fighting a full blown out break, but they have to help in low to milder case of ich. Plus I keep my water pristine and regulate the temp. using a chiller. So when there is a half of degree difference the medusa temp. controller kicks on either the chiller or heaters to bring the tank back to 78. That also has to help in keeping ich out of the tank.
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Aquarist007
New member
I have too cleaner shrimp---they did eat ich off my yellow and blue tangs.
Since ich can be introduced by many forms into the tank using garlic guard is a great way of building up their immunity systems to fight it if they get it--it does not prevent ich. I soak mysis shrimp and flake food in Garlic Guard daily.
If there is an outbreak in the tank then there is a recipe on the bottle of Garlic Guard for treating it, in the main tank.
The method of curing that is quoted most is to quarantine the fish
in .012 salinity(called hyposaline)
But in most cases it is hard to get the fish out of the main reef--this is why the experienced automatically quarantine each fish they receive.
Since ich can be introduced by many forms into the tank using garlic guard is a great way of building up their immunity systems to fight it if they get it--it does not prevent ich. I soak mysis shrimp and flake food in Garlic Guard daily.
If there is an outbreak in the tank then there is a recipe on the bottle of Garlic Guard for treating it, in the main tank.
The method of curing that is quoted most is to quarantine the fish
in .012 salinity(called hyposaline)
But in most cases it is hard to get the fish out of the main reef--this is why the experienced automatically quarantine each fish they receive.
Aquarist007
New member
An excellent primer for ich---this will cover all your questions:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php
happyface888
New member
Hey capn mind posting the formula recipe XD
luke33
In Memoriam
I don't think garlic or selcon does squat imo for ick. Sure garlic makes the fish healthy and it does make them go crazy for food but thats about it.
Cleaner shrimp are great......if your fish utilize them, but i personally think the cleaner wrasse is the best. They will pick your fish clean of parasites in a low outbreak. And they are very low risk of getting ick. Although many look down on having a cleaner wrasse because of low survival rates, i wouldn't trade mine for many expensive angels, tang's etc. Its well over a yr old and eats all foods.
Cleaner shrimp are great......if your fish utilize them, but i personally think the cleaner wrasse is the best. They will pick your fish clean of parasites in a low outbreak. And they are very low risk of getting ick. Although many look down on having a cleaner wrasse because of low survival rates, i wouldn't trade mine for many expensive angels, tang's etc. Its well over a yr old and eats all foods.
Aquarist007
New member
Certainly:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/breeder.htm
The only difference is I used miracle grow liquid as a nutrient because it was more available.
Aquarist007
New member
IMO garlic plays an important role for the very reasons you stated:
making the fish healthy helps them fight off the ich and the degree that they get it---
garlic intices some fish to eat that are not eating and by doing that helps build their immune systems.
Aquarist007
New member
me too--every day----
errrrrr-thanks--got it from my son in law and adapted it to reefing
Scott
Ps I do own a small 16 foot boat but I am as far from being captn hylinur as aunt jemima (the pancake lady) was
Don't know if the garlic helps or not but I use it. The fish really seem to like it and the theory on it as a parasite avoider seems somewhat sound. Cleaner shrimp are great my fish stay really clean.
Having said that if I had to choose I'd put my money on good quarantine practices and a good sized uv sterilizer.I use a 40watt on my 120g and an 18w on my 90g. I run them at a relatively slow rate of flow to insure high radiation doses for the organisms that pass through them. They will definitely kill bacteria and algae and with a slower rate they should effect the larger protozoans including crytocaryon. It is important to note that amyloodinium is a dinoflagellate algae and this form of marine"ich" or velvet is much mre lethal in short order than is cryptocaryon. As an algae, its small and very suseptible to the lethal effects of the sterilizers radiation as are the bacteria and fungi that often follow a case of ich. I also use a small 5w sterlizer on my q tank. Aside from the rare appearance of a few spots on my Regal Tang(every 4months or so) which it overcomes in a few days without reinfection my tanks have been ich free for over a year , which is when I installed the uvs.( The last ich outbreak was over ayear ago following an 8 day power outag I have introduced a number of new specimens during the ich free year after proper quarantine.
Tom
Having said that if I had to choose I'd put my money on good quarantine practices and a good sized uv sterilizer.I use a 40watt on my 120g and an 18w on my 90g. I run them at a relatively slow rate of flow to insure high radiation doses for the organisms that pass through them. They will definitely kill bacteria and algae and with a slower rate they should effect the larger protozoans including crytocaryon. It is important to note that amyloodinium is a dinoflagellate algae and this form of marine"ich" or velvet is much mre lethal in short order than is cryptocaryon. As an algae, its small and very suseptible to the lethal effects of the sterilizers radiation as are the bacteria and fungi that often follow a case of ich. I also use a small 5w sterlizer on my q tank. Aside from the rare appearance of a few spots on my Regal Tang(every 4months or so) which it overcomes in a few days without reinfection my tanks have been ich free for over a year , which is when I installed the uvs.( The last ich outbreak was over ayear ago following an 8 day power outag I have introduced a number of new specimens during the ich free year after proper quarantine.
Tom
Aquarist007
New member
The general consensus is that a tank is never free of ich--we only see it visible when it is at that stage in its lifecycle. It can even hold up in live rock etc.
Mine blue tang like yours gets a little bit occasionaly and I have always run a uv-----however I introduced a cbb a few months ago who immediately got a bad case of ich( I know I should have quarantined it but i didn't) I nursed it for 4 weeks til I finally saw no visible signs----amazing none of the other fish showed any signs of it--including the blue tang who gets it very easily.
I can only attibute this to healthy immune systems built up by feeding both garlic soaked foods and healthy varied diets.
Mine blue tang like yours gets a little bit occasionaly and I have always run a uv-----however I introduced a cbb a few months ago who immediately got a bad case of ich( I know I should have quarantined it but i didn't) I nursed it for 4 weeks til I finally saw no visible signs----amazing none of the other fish showed any signs of it--including the blue tang who gets it very easily.
I can only attibute this to healthy immune systems built up by feeding both garlic soaked foods and healthy varied diets.
Thats an inaccurate statement - one that tends to be promoted by people who don't QT. If you have some authoritative support for your statement I would be happy to read it.
I have not had ich in any of my show tanks for over 20 yrs .. and yes, I have had power outages and all of the std "stress" events that others say will always bring on a case of ich.
Ich is just a parasite and if you have ich then you put it in your tank. Dogs aren't born with ticks and fish aren't born with ich.
Ich is easy to keep out of your aquarium .. just takes some QT. Further ... ich is easy to kill within a QT or hospital tank.
http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/marineich.html
http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/aquarium_fish_1.html
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php
Neptune777
Premium Member
WELL SAID! Garlic will not prevent, cure, or kill Ich. It will not cause fish to build up an immunity to a parasite. When was the last time you built up an immunity to ticks, mosquitos etc? Trust me I tried it before I really understood what was going on with the ich life cycle (it didn't work). Get a fish trap, do a QT with Hypo and you will be Ich free.......proven and works!
I agree Quarantine is the most important step. Once it's in the tank it's hard to eradicate. It seems to be ubiquitous because it is so persistent.
Some of the cysts to remain viable for up to 70days without a hosts. Generally ,after an outbreak most aquarist do not leave the tank fishless for the rule of thumb 28day period much less 70days. In reality not all of the fish succumb to an outbreak and some seem immune. So they stay in the tank since there may not be another suitable environment in which to keep them. Once a tank with or without specimens is free of signs of ich for several months it is probably ich free although I suppose it is still possible for a few of them to be quietly hosting undetected on a fish.
About 4 months ago I introduced a Scopas tang into my system which had been ich free for almost a year. The fish had been in a uv sterlized tank at the lfs for 2weeks before I brought him home and was very healthy. Despite my temptation to put him in the reef, I quaranteened. After 7 days not 3 he showed some ich. I went through 14 days of copper treatment and waited another 21 daysbefore finally pacing him in the reef .All is well. Patience is really needed when introducing new specimens.A reef with fish and no ich is worth protecting.
What protocols do foks recommend follow for new coral and rock? You can probably introduce new cysts this way.
tom
Some of the cysts to remain viable for up to 70days without a hosts. Generally ,after an outbreak most aquarist do not leave the tank fishless for the rule of thumb 28day period much less 70days. In reality not all of the fish succumb to an outbreak and some seem immune. So they stay in the tank since there may not be another suitable environment in which to keep them. Once a tank with or without specimens is free of signs of ich for several months it is probably ich free although I suppose it is still possible for a few of them to be quietly hosting undetected on a fish.
About 4 months ago I introduced a Scopas tang into my system which had been ich free for almost a year. The fish had been in a uv sterlized tank at the lfs for 2weeks before I brought him home and was very healthy. Despite my temptation to put him in the reef, I quaranteened. After 7 days not 3 he showed some ich. I went through 14 days of copper treatment and waited another 21 daysbefore finally pacing him in the reef .All is well. Patience is really needed when introducing new specimens.A reef with fish and no ich is worth protecting.
What protocols do foks recommend follow for new coral and rock? You can probably introduce new cysts this way.
tom
