help ich!!
- Thread starter mdefo25
- Start date
NO!!!
Cleaner shrimp / cleaner wrasses are not a solution for marine ich. They pick at the surface scarring where the Marine Ich parasite has burrowed. The parasite is sub-cutaneous, therefore they can't / do not remove the parasite.
Your optioins are limited to removal of ALL FISHES to a hospital tank, and treatment with a copper based product (Cupramine style preferred), OR hyposalinity treatment. Since you have a "REEF" tank, there are NO treatments that are appropriate to treat in your main DT. Stay clear of anything that states, "Reef Safe", as they either are not reef safe, or they will not treat the parasite.
If you need information on how to treat with copper, or hyposalinity, please re-post, and I or others can give you more information.
Good luck. Marine ich, if treated promptly and correctly is a very treatable disease.
SV
Cleaner shrimp / cleaner wrasses are not a solution for marine ich. They pick at the surface scarring where the Marine Ich parasite has burrowed. The parasite is sub-cutaneous, therefore they can't / do not remove the parasite.
Your optioins are limited to removal of ALL FISHES to a hospital tank, and treatment with a copper based product (Cupramine style preferred), OR hyposalinity treatment. Since you have a "REEF" tank, there are NO treatments that are appropriate to treat in your main DT. Stay clear of anything that states, "Reef Safe", as they either are not reef safe, or they will not treat the parasite.
If you need information on how to treat with copper, or hyposalinity, please re-post, and I or others can give you more information.
Good luck. Marine ich, if treated promptly and correctly is a very treatable disease.
SV
TampaReefer79
Premium Member
Please stop passing this info on when it is incorrect. The only proper thing to do at this point is remove all fish from the display, treat in a quarantined enviroment, leave display fishless for 8 weeks or more, and THEN reintroduce fish. There is no 'in tank' cure, no magic juice, or magic critter that will eat the parasite.
Good luck OP!
henrystyle
Member
I'm where you are bro. Just started this stuff yesterday.. Says it herbal and reef safe for inverts and corals. We shall see.
http://www.novalek.com/kordon/ich_attack/index.htm
If it doesn't work I'm gonna just freshwater everything and start from scratch.....Ich sucks...!!
TampaReefer79
Premium Member
Sorry henrystyle, but that stuff isn't going to work. I almost want to call it a scam, none of those 'ich cure in a bottle' work.
I guess this was missed so I'll repost it: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1846124#3
I guess this was missed so I'll repost it: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1846124#3
skibum9884
Active member
As I see it there are 2 options. Removing all fish and leaving the tank fallow for a period of 10 weeks (to be safe) thus breaking the life cycle of the parasite, or attempting to live with the Ich in your system and keeping fish as healthy as possible.
Many people have Ich in their system, however lots of fish with a healthy immune system can fight it off (and often times you won't even see it). Minimizing aggression, keeping water quality high, and feeding nutritious foods help. Also having a relatively high wattage UV sterilizer with slow flow can help to kill any of the parasites that are in the water column and filtered through the UV.
The most effective option is removing fish and eliminating ich from your system, but if that it's feasible, trying to create the best possible environmental conditions for your fish can certainly help.
As others have said, adding cleaner wrasses or the like certainly will not help one bit. In reality it may just stress the fish that much more.
Hope this helped.
Many people have Ich in their system, however lots of fish with a healthy immune system can fight it off (and often times you won't even see it). Minimizing aggression, keeping water quality high, and feeding nutritious foods help. Also having a relatively high wattage UV sterilizer with slow flow can help to kill any of the parasites that are in the water column and filtered through the UV.
The most effective option is removing fish and eliminating ich from your system, but if that it's feasible, trying to create the best possible environmental conditions for your fish can certainly help.
As others have said, adding cleaner wrasses or the like certainly will not help one bit. In reality it may just stress the fish that much more.
Hope this helped.
RBU1
Moving on Up
Ditto....What he said...
NarakuAulonocar
New member
Might I add that the removed fish will have to be treated in a separate quarantine tank. Usually by hypo salinity or copper. I usually go hypo which means you lower the salinity to 1.008 and should last around at least 4 weeks. Even if the fish are spotless, you need to continue the hypo for 4 weeks to break the cycle. Remember to bring up the salinity up slowly over a period of days.
Chris27
New member
As mentioned, there isn't.....
Read this, it's my favorite article on the subject.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php
sslak
New member
THEDLO
New member
this method has never failed me. imo its the best course of action for several reasons. 1 a lot less stress full for the fish. 2 no need to break down the rock to catch all ur live stock. 3 overall a much simpler method, and something we already strive to do, keep the water clean the fish fed and the tank mates peaceful.
TampaReefer79
Premium Member
Tell that to all the folks that have lost thousands of dollars in fish when every single fish in their system died because they sat back and did nothing.
Orcrone
New member
I have to agree with those that say the only sure cure is copper or hyposalinity. I recently went through this myself. Most of my fish were sick. Some did die. But I placed all the fish in a QT, treated with Cupramine for two weeks and kept the DT without fish for nine weeks. It's been four months since the fish have returned to the DT. All are very healthy, eating well and showing no signs of ich. But the easiest way to avoid ich (and other diseases/parasites) is through the use of a QT for all new additions. It's easier to keep disease out than to cure it. Had to learn that lesson the hard way. :thumbdown
Here's a link to an excellent write up on another webboard.
Here's a link to an excellent write up on another webboard.
Chris27
New member
I have yet to have a fish die, simply because I chased it around a tank for an hour trying to catch it. I have however, had fish die because I was too stupid and lazy to properly remove it and treat it in a hospital tank.
The whole stressing the fish out excuse is the lazy man's way of making themselves feel better about not treating the fish properly in a QT. Every time I hear that line, I feel the person should take the livestock back to the LFS, and then dunk their head in the tank and inhale deeply...
As for the UV sterilizer, that is as much snake oil as the rest of the stuff. One simply can not ensure that every bit of water from the tank will make it's way through it slow enough to kill the parasite. After that, one also can not ensure that they can get all the aquarium water through it during the free swimming stage of the parasite.....it only takes a few little swimmers finding the fish to start the cycle all over again. If you run a UV sterilized for filtering purposes that's fine, but counting on it for a Crypt treatment just isn't worthwhile.
Quarantine and active treatment are tried and true concepts, backed up by millions of reputable scientists and educational/research/industry activities. Why go against the grain? Why spend $75 on a fish that arrived at the LFS after a boat ride, plane ride and truck ride only to subject it to a parasite infested tank.
QT is cheap and easy....why bypass it?
I'll admit that when I started, I didn't QT, I sat back and waited, then I watched fish after fish perish. I made excuses, blamed the LFS for selling me bum fish, even went to the internet and found goofy excuses to why my fish died. In the end, it was my fault simply because I didn't take the advice that was given to me. Now I keep a QT running year round, and I have a tank full of disease free fish, at times I've even QT'd fish for fellow reefers. Nothing but good can come from adopting a good QT regimen....there is no arguing about it.
The whole stressing the fish out excuse is the lazy man's way of making themselves feel better about not treating the fish properly in a QT. Every time I hear that line, I feel the person should take the livestock back to the LFS, and then dunk their head in the tank and inhale deeply...
As for the UV sterilizer, that is as much snake oil as the rest of the stuff. One simply can not ensure that every bit of water from the tank will make it's way through it slow enough to kill the parasite. After that, one also can not ensure that they can get all the aquarium water through it during the free swimming stage of the parasite.....it only takes a few little swimmers finding the fish to start the cycle all over again. If you run a UV sterilized for filtering purposes that's fine, but counting on it for a Crypt treatment just isn't worthwhile.
Quarantine and active treatment are tried and true concepts, backed up by millions of reputable scientists and educational/research/industry activities. Why go against the grain? Why spend $75 on a fish that arrived at the LFS after a boat ride, plane ride and truck ride only to subject it to a parasite infested tank.
QT is cheap and easy....why bypass it?
I'll admit that when I started, I didn't QT, I sat back and waited, then I watched fish after fish perish. I made excuses, blamed the LFS for selling me bum fish, even went to the internet and found goofy excuses to why my fish died. In the end, it was my fault simply because I didn't take the advice that was given to me. Now I keep a QT running year round, and I have a tank full of disease free fish, at times I've even QT'd fish for fellow reefers. Nothing but good can come from adopting a good QT regimen....there is no arguing about it.
THEDLO
New member
Chris27 said:
what i said was not a guide for what other ppl should do, its just what i do and why i do it, its not that im lazy its just that in the past i have never had a fish die on me due to ich, i give them a good home, great food and clean water, and their immune system takes care of the rest.
idk reef tanks are odd like that, what works for some spells disaster for others.
reefing is like religion, everyone has their opinion and way of practicing it, and because the way they feel that their way is the right way they insist on force their beliefs and practices on others.
Mandragen
New member
The only problem with letting your tank sit with ich is that you know it is there and everytime you put a fish in you are subjecting a new fish to a known disease out of your laziness. If you swap frags or anything else you can spread it on, yes they should QT but you also should be a responsible reefer.
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