I got ich
- Thread starter andyjd
- Start date
cainchristy
New member
You got a QT tank? Do a freshwater dip, and then treat with hyposalinity for 4 weeks at 1.009.....using a refractometer of course.
H@rry
In Memoriam
I think hyposalinity would kill a lot of the beneficial livestock on the rock. You might get a Rubbermaid tub at WallyWorld or Home Depot and transfer your rock and some of the water with a powerhead and then reduce the salinity in your main tank where the fish are. Some people claim that garlic is good for ich. I think they get garlic extract at a health food store and soak the fish food in it.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Nitroq2
New member
Andy
Before you or anyone else reads this I am not looking for an arguement on this and I am simply going to give my point of view and my experience with this.
First make sure you move the snails crabs and shrimp to the tub as well, before attempting that technique, and I think with some reading you will find that is only half of the recommended treatment . How bad is the ich? If they are covered you will most likely need to take the fish out and quarantine dip them in copper, as bad as I hate to say that. Also you will need a tank large enough to safely house the tang if you take this approach or you will not do yourself any favors and a smaller tank would only stress the tang more and futher his sickness which would worsen the other fish as well. If it is a few spots they can beat it if they are eating and you put a little garlic juice in their food along with something like selcon. The garlic has been shown to increase there appetite, and make them eat, and that is where a good diet with selcon (vitamins) will kick in and help the fish build up their immune system. Also you really should find out what is stressing the fish. Maybe water parameters? Maybe post shipment stress? Maybe one fish is stressing the other? Until you solve that issue you will not beat ich it will come back time and again. If your fish are covered act swift or lose the fish, also don't be fooled if they look all better after they have it the first time, they fall off as part of the cycle and multiply in the sandbed. You need to get a hospital tank if they are really bad and dip them with a copper base dip. If they are not covered you may only stress them worse and worsen the issue. I have tried treating them and I would say its 50/50 when you put them in a hospital tank at least it was for me. I will also say that any fish I had covered that I tried a fresh water dip on didn't make it. Also any fish I had that wasn't eating didn't make it. The copper is really the only thing that will kill the ich which is actually not ich as it is in fresh water, but cryptocaron irritans in saltwater. As for in my tank I have had every fish at one time or the other show a few specs of ich. I increased vitamins, fed mysis in the morning and a good mix of dry in the evening both are soaked in garlic and selcon, and removed any stressors that I seen. I have not lost a fish to ich in my 90 using this technique, Knock on Wood. I will get taken to the shed for this by many but I will say that I am one of the guys who believe crypto is always there its just not active until stressors show up in the tank and healthy fish beat crypto much like humans do the flu and other viruses. Good luck and I wish you the best in treating your fish.
Before you or anyone else reads this I am not looking for an arguement on this and I am simply going to give my point of view and my experience with this.
First make sure you move the snails crabs and shrimp to the tub as well, before attempting that technique, and I think with some reading you will find that is only half of the recommended treatment . How bad is the ich? If they are covered you will most likely need to take the fish out and quarantine dip them in copper, as bad as I hate to say that. Also you will need a tank large enough to safely house the tang if you take this approach or you will not do yourself any favors and a smaller tank would only stress the tang more and futher his sickness which would worsen the other fish as well. If it is a few spots they can beat it if they are eating and you put a little garlic juice in their food along with something like selcon. The garlic has been shown to increase there appetite, and make them eat, and that is where a good diet with selcon (vitamins) will kick in and help the fish build up their immune system. Also you really should find out what is stressing the fish. Maybe water parameters? Maybe post shipment stress? Maybe one fish is stressing the other? Until you solve that issue you will not beat ich it will come back time and again. If your fish are covered act swift or lose the fish, also don't be fooled if they look all better after they have it the first time, they fall off as part of the cycle and multiply in the sandbed. You need to get a hospital tank if they are really bad and dip them with a copper base dip. If they are not covered you may only stress them worse and worsen the issue. I have tried treating them and I would say its 50/50 when you put them in a hospital tank at least it was for me. I will also say that any fish I had covered that I tried a fresh water dip on didn't make it. Also any fish I had that wasn't eating didn't make it. The copper is really the only thing that will kill the ich which is actually not ich as it is in fresh water, but cryptocaron irritans in saltwater. As for in my tank I have had every fish at one time or the other show a few specs of ich. I increased vitamins, fed mysis in the morning and a good mix of dry in the evening both are soaked in garlic and selcon, and removed any stressors that I seen. I have not lost a fish to ich in my 90 using this technique, Knock on Wood. I will get taken to the shed for this by many but I will say that I am one of the guys who believe crypto is always there its just not active until stressors show up in the tank and healthy fish beat crypto much like humans do the flu and other viruses. Good luck and I wish you the best in treating your fish.
Mariner
New member
Here's the procedure I followed when I had ICH early on.
I removed the fish to a hospital/QT tank and treated them with copper for two weeks. I then left them in the QT for an additional four weeks, during which time I did nothing to the main tank (the ICH will die off by itself in a tank with no host fish in about 4-6 weeks)
IMO, this is one of only two sure fire ways to rid your tank of a fullblown ICH outbreak, the other being hyposalinity (which I personally think is trickier to pull off successfully)
Freshwater dips will often clear the fish of the ICH that's presently on them, but they'll just get reinfected if returned immediately to the same tank.
As was was said, if its a light infection, related to shipping stress, etc, the fish might be able to fight it off themselves if well fed and supplemented with vitamins and garlic.
HTH,
Mariner
I removed the fish to a hospital/QT tank and treated them with copper for two weeks. I then left them in the QT for an additional four weeks, during which time I did nothing to the main tank (the ICH will die off by itself in a tank with no host fish in about 4-6 weeks)
IMO, this is one of only two sure fire ways to rid your tank of a fullblown ICH outbreak, the other being hyposalinity (which I personally think is trickier to pull off successfully)
Freshwater dips will often clear the fish of the ICH that's presently on them, but they'll just get reinfected if returned immediately to the same tank.
As was was said, if its a light infection, related to shipping stress, etc, the fish might be able to fight it off themselves if well fed and supplemented with vitamins and garlic.
HTH,
Mariner
Nitroq2
New member
Is this your 90 how many fish have you got in it? And how many spots are you seeing on the fish? Are the fish looking healthy other than the white spots anything looking like its fighting to swim or swimming more vertically? What are your water parameters, if it is all fish in the tank you may have a water issue especially if the tank has been up a while and the fish have been healthy. Mariner hit the nail on the head with the treatment that you will need to do if you want to save your fish especially if you have that many infected. Dont put the tang in a 20 gallon tank with other sick fish and expect it to get better. If you have a 90 gallon full of fish then you are going to need a large tank to quarantine as well.
saltycreefer
New member
feed the heck out of your fish and get a few cleaner shrimp in there and cross your fingers. dont get fish that are prone to ich for a few months after setting up a new tank.
Nitroq2
New member
Ace I seen where a fellow over on the nano-reef boards did the same thing with a UV unit. I have three cleaners in my tank and sometime they work a fish over pretty good. when I only had one he didn't do much. Anyone else had good luch with a UV unit? Also what if any are the dangers in UV such as killing off the good as well as the bad? Overheating the tank? Also how is the algae in your tank did it completely wipe all the algae?
Thanks
Thanks
alafish
New member
For garlic, I use the juice from the minced/chopped garlic you can get in jars at the supermarket. It is usually in the produce department. I keep adding RO water as I remove juice and after about a month or two, I get a new jar-they only cost $2-3, much cheaper than the garlic liquid additive made for tanks.
The only other alternative I have heard of, other than those stated above, is from No Sick Fish. They claim their ich medication is reef safe. It is VERY expensive, like $50 for a little bitty bottle with dropper. I have tried this (I was completely desperate) and it did work with my tank. I saw no ill effects on my corals.
Good luck!
Marybeth
The only other alternative I have heard of, other than those stated above, is from No Sick Fish. They claim their ich medication is reef safe. It is VERY expensive, like $50 for a little bitty bottle with dropper. I have tried this (I was completely desperate) and it did work with my tank. I saw no ill effects on my corals.
Good luck!
Marybeth
Nitroq2
New member
Alafish, I keep looking at that fish in your avatar thinking that would be the coolest fish to have in a tank. (Sorry guys I should keep it on track but that fish gets me everytime I see it) As for the garlic, I use McCormicks Garlic juice you can usually find a large bottle in the spice section of the grocery and its only a couple of bucks and lasts forever. Was using Alafish's method before finding the McCormicks its in a green box.
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