Help! Stupid rookie ich questions???

[jwb0126]

I've got an angel with tiny white spots on the fins and a few on the body. I've been doing a lot of reading and am pretty sure it's ich. I tried a cycle of the organic product called "Ich Attack" and it didn't do a thing. I'm fairly new to the hobby and don't have a quarantine tank set up yet so that's not an option right now. I do have a lot of inverts in my tank and some zoo's and corals so I need something that's reef safe. I just started a cycle of Ruby Reef's Kick Ich yesterday and have also raised my temp to about 80. I am looking for any other suggestions. Any ideas???

I saw a thread that said to set up a small quarantine and treat with copper, but if I set up the tank now won't I have to wait for a cycle or am I missing something? I do have the hardware to do this, but can't wait a month for a cycle.

Also, If I treat the food with garlic, how much and what kind do I use? Is this harmful to any of the fish that aren't sick?

Thanks guys!!!

 

[wolf pup]

I am by no means as educated as some on this forum but I can speak from my current experience with ich. Move quickly. Don't wait so long that the fish get so weak they cannot be cured. I messed around trying to "treat" my main tank and wound up loosing most of my fish. A QT tank need not cycle. Just do water changes to keep ammonia down while keeping the copper levels at the theraputic level in the directions for the type of copper you are using. I scoured the forums trying to get the answer I wanted (that you can treat ich in a reef tank) and wound up loosing fish that I did not need to. Hyposalinity and Cu+. That will work. Other "cures" only may work and it is shameful to have fish die that could have been cured. Borrow a 10-20 gal tank or use a storage bin and get your angel into isolation. Just my opinion so please don't consider it the only opinion. If I seem preachy I am sorry. It is only because I am mad at myself for not following the advice of those who said QT and Cu+.

 

[wooden_reefer]

Re: Help! Stupid rookie ich questions???

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10781988#post10781988 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jwb0126
I saw a thread that said to set up a small quarantine and treat with copper, but if I set up the tank now won't I have to wait for a cycle or am I missing something? I do have the hardware to do this, but can't wait a month for a cycle.

Yes, the QT must be thoroughly cycled. I use bacteria seed and a source of ammonia to cycle my QT a few weeks before I get new fish.

Now it is difficult. Water change in QT is always a possibility but it is a lot of work. May be this is a part of learning.

You may also consider doing hypo with Amquel in QT.

 

[Voyager1000]

yep, I was in the same situation, got a QT tank and put my fish in for treatment for ich, but I was having ammonia levels that were so high even with water changes my fish were stressing and looking really bad, like they were just about to die. didn't get a chance to start the treatement before I put them back in the main tank, and they immediatly looked better, I'm just waiting on the QT to complete the cycle before I put them back in for treatment. I used water from the main tank and wiped the new sponge media for the HOB powehead/filter to start the cycle, but it still takes time before the tank is ready. I've got a couple cleaner shrimp in the tank that are helping to delay the inevitable larger outbreak.