Ginger works with ich... Every time I use it

[billsreef]

Hope of managing the infection is fine. False hope about curing it is the problem a lot of people get upset over.

How about false hope of "managing" the infection? So far the anecdotal success rate for things like ginger, etc. are on par with playing Russian Roulette. Sooner or later your going pull the trigger on that loaded chamber. In the case of Ich (Cryptocaryon), the parasite and successful treatment methods are so well understood and known that I can't see even taken the risk of not going for a known cure.

 

[tang named junkyard]

The form of ginger I used was the powder form found at your local Albertsons. I took frozen mysis blocks and let them thaw on the counter. Once thawed I sprinkled the powder on top then mixed it in. Then I put it back on the freezer. You can't really over dose or under dose. When feeding the fish I took the frozen block in my fingers to the tank and waved it around until it thawed in the tank. It will look a little cloudy around the food. A coluple times I put a little directly into the tank and the fish actually ate some clumps directly. I did this for about 4-6 days.

Observation: At the time all fish were infected. One fish took longer than all to recover. A yellow eye tang who only eats algae on rocks. I believe the ginger works by just bring in the water but works faster when eaten. Ginger has proven to work on human parasites. Google it.

Cure: call it hidden, call it cured. My fish have no signs of ich since I posted this threw a few months back. I tried this a few years ago with the same results. I've tried all other methods including extraction and copper and failed in years past. I would use this way before pulling a fish out now.

 

[sirreal63]

I knew I had seen the Ginger stuff before, here is an amusing article on the subject that pretty much nails it.

http://packedhead.net/2010/skeptica...e-or-did-someone-just-tell-it-to-you/#more-85

 

[Crimson]

I would defrost in the fridge then fortify the defrosted food last refreeze if you must or just do what I do and portion size the food for the next day or two and leave in fridge.

Defrosting food, any food for human or otherwise on the counter in air is not safe. The only other way to safely defrost food is running it under cold water. My classically trained culinary arts background is kicking in.

 

[vitz]

i knew i had seen the ginger stuff before, here is an amusing article on the subject that pretty much nails it.

http://packedhead.net/2010/skeptica...e-or-did-someone-just-tell-it-to-you/#more-85

 

[tang named junkyard]

The only evidence I have is it has worked better than every other method I've tried out there repeatedly. Have I lost anything else during the process? No. Am I going to take apart an entire reef to get one fish? No thanks. Everyone should do what they feel works for them. Nobody, even skeptics will convince me it has no value when I've seen the results repeat.

 

[reeferstace]

If the results "worked" there would have to be no repeat.

 

[immortl]

I knew I had seen the Ginger stuff before, here is an amusing article on the subject that pretty much nails it.

http://packedhead.net/2010/skeptica...e-or-did-someone-just-tell-it-to-you/#more-85

In my opinion, the above linked article should be REQUIRED reading before anybody is allowed on the internet for any purpose. Even if you don't care about the ginger specific aspect of this particular discussion, that article summarizes nicely the need for actual critical thinking and evaluation of anecdotes. The concepts of skepticism and critical thinking are ones that everyone can benefit from.

 

[Khemul]

The only evidence I have is it has worked better than every other method I've tried out there repeatedly. Have I lost anything else during the process? No. Am I going to take apart an entire reef to get one fish? No thanks. Everyone should do what they feel works for them. Nobody, even skeptics will convince me it has no value when I've seen the results repeat.

Would be pointless anyways to take apart an entire reef to get one fish. No sense in treating one fish. Ich treatments are an all or nothing proposition to begin with.

But either way, technically ginger didn't work better then every other method. You did a tank transfer when you acquired the fish. Tank transfer is an effective treatment (usually multiple transfers are done... but seeing as how your fish had the symptoms of a fish that had been through the full cycle of the parasite, one transfer would show results).

 

[Sk8r]

First, anything that increases slime coat can help healthy fish stave it off. Getting your water quality up can do the same thing, which is why experts rarely see ich (and have the good habit of buying from 'clean sources', ie, shops that try to stay ich free.)

Secondly, it's fairly easy to catch one fish in a reef: get a big 32 gallon Brute trashcan, as many as you need to hold all the water in the tank, and start draining. Dig a small pit in the left front corner of the tank (assuming you're right-handed), slope the sand toward it, and have a net. As the water level lowers, all the fish will go to the deepest water. You can then pick and choose with no problem to your corals. The only fish I've had that couldn't be caught by this method is a 2' long ghost eel.

 

[Allmost]

oh Ive been trying to catch a pair of 2" yellow wrasses for a while !

 

[3S1K]

Im gonna give it a shot. Don't have the funds to buy a qt tank right now nor do I have the room for one.

I bought a coral beuty from petco and noticed a few days later the white spots. I just hoped it wasnt and go away. Week later it was gone and I know it falls into the sand and comes back with a vengeance. Well today it is back and my 6 line wrasse, coral beauty, scopas tang and chromis are showing signs. So I will give it a try and see how it works. I will try and document with pictures and keep track of dosing. Also keep record of when spots vanish and or reappear.

 

[Thales]

Seems ilke a good idea to drop this here:
http://www.reefsmagazine.com/forum/reefs-magazine/77954-skeptical-reefkeeping-richard-ross.html

For me, the important point was that the misinformation in the thread had been quickly converted to gospel. It started showing up on other forums as a proven cure. People started treating their fish with ginger. In the case of minor infections it wasn't really a problem. Many fish are able to fight off minor infections. People with heavily infected fish that tried Ginger often ended up with dead fish when they could have used one of the proven methods to cure their fish of the parasite (hyposalinity or copper). This is the real world impact of non-skeptical thinking. Ideas get accepted as truth, when they aren't. Luckily, the ginger treatment didn't gain too much traction, even though it still gets brought up from time to time.

 

[landshark777]

thanks for the great advice....I lost half my tank population to ich this week but thanks to your awesome tip about Ginger I managed to save 2 Damsels,1Green Chromis,my Yellow Tang,Foxface and Picasso!!! It looks like its actually working!!!!Thanx a million

 

[tmz]

Well, some fish do survive ich with or without ginger but it's still there. QT and treatment will minimize the unecessary carnage. Ginger, garlic et alia won't.

 

[mbingha]

My god, can we please let this thread die before more fish do? Ginger DOES NOT CURE ICH.

 

[ridetheducati]

Keep it going, I enjoy reading Sci-fi.

 

[landshark777]

well the rest of my fish survived with Ginger treatment,even my Foxface which was starting to die on me......thats all I got to say about that......

 

[tmz]

Glad some survived the ich infestattion ;ginger is not a treatment though and some ich is very likely surviving as well even with fish with partial immunity developed from exposure to the strain in the tank.

 

[DasCamel]

Did you know that Flouride is horrible for you and that everyone should be on a gluten free diet?

This thread is hilarious.