I have ick in my reef what can I do
- Thread starter jlfnjlf
- Start date
If anything is learned by people reading this thread I hope that's it.
Been keeping fish for 7 years now and it's only been in the last 2 or so that I've had a dedicated quarantine setup. Considering the number of tanks I've set up/broken down and animals that have passed through my systems I've been extremely fortunate to not have more disease wipeouts.
My QT is an all beat to hell 40 g acrylic tank with a built in wet/dry in the back, and 3 mollies as the ammonia source. Lots of PVC pipe elbows provide cover. I got the tank free, so it cost about $20 to set up.
Two times my fish got ick, the first time very bad. I added UV and it all went away very quickly-less than 2 weeks. Another time I tried garlic and the ick didn't get worse, but after weeks it wasn't going away. I added cleaner shrimp and no improvement. Then I added UV and it cleared right up. For the last 5+ years I've run the UV occasionally, and fed Formula 2 occasionally and there's been no ick-not even on the purple tang that had it previously.
In my koi pond some fish used to get an infection almost every spring. Some fish died after it reached the surface of their skin. There used to be green water in the spring and summer. Since I began UV about 6 years ago neither of these issues have returned.
It's easy to add UV in the return line from the sump.
jlfnjlf
New member
I am running UV 24/7 on my FW tank, and I working on a solution right now to add UV to my HOB refugium. I am thinking in is going to be a power head fed setup with the reactor outside the tank. I will probably run a 24W UV setup so I can transfer it to the 80g when the time comes.
Justin74
New member
I can appreciate that Warren, but first things first. It's a parasite. What good is a UV when the damn thing is still stuck on the fish!?!?! :lol: everyone keeps missing that very crucial point. Yes, the buggers will get zapped when they try to complete there cycle, that's assuming that every spore/egg stayed within the water column and not fallen into the substrate like they do naturally. My opinion of the credit you attribute to your UV should really be given to yourself and the fish, for stayin healthy enough to overcome it itself. To believe that your UV "cured" ich is to believe that the machine somehow "sucked" the parasite off the fish which is simply just not the case.
-Justin
-Justin
jlfnjlf
New member
OK folks here is my plan,
1. Use UV on this tank
2. supplement with garlic
3. frequent water changes (20% every other day).
When I set up the 80g this 30g will become my QT tank. If I am still seeing ick symptoms I will leave all the fish in the 30g so I can treat the fish with the known medication
Thank you all,
John
1. Use UV on this tank
2. supplement with garlic
3. frequent water changes (20% every other day).
When I set up the 80g this 30g will become my QT tank. If I am still seeing ick symptoms I will leave all the fish in the 30g so I can treat the fish with the known medication
Thank you all,
John
I think we all know that the parasite on the fish lives for a brief period then falls off or is rubbed off and is "replaced" by versions that were previously free-swimming. The parasites on the fish are being "exchanged if you will, almost constantly. By killing as many as possible that are free-swimming there are fewer of them to attach to a fish or reproduce.
The mosquito spraying doesn't kill all of them, but it kills enough of them to make some difference in how many people get bit.
dots
Premium Member
MandM:
I think my point was missed......there is a lot of information/people that are contradictory and false on the web, this is no exception............being the fact that there are SO many different reef safe remedies,.......by the way.......I never had touched base on the QT fact, but that seems to be all that was comming from you guys like a broken record,........I was trying to describe MY own experiences with TREATING the ich IN a REEFTANK.......not a QT.........and finding the proper tool to do so, finding this tool is all about experimentation and trying to see if that it works for more than one person. When people try to steer others away from that......thats wrong......there are no certainties in this hobby........or in life for that matter that we are for sure 100% on.........based on the QT train of though, if we thought the same way about reproducing music, we would still be listening to record, because people tried and experimented with other ways......you have your ipods now. That is the core of what is bothering me the most about this discussion.....
Why I choose those links is for the exact reason I don't believe our "so-called" expert debunker, and generally don't care for people swooping in just to save the day on a personal crusade. After all I am sure these people who wrote the links consider themselves "experts".....from the beginning I was ONLY telling my experiences and how I got rid of the little white spots IN the tank........I am more interested in treating an infected reef tank.......and to be quite honest, if we REALLY knew how the parasite lived and what affects it then we would have an EFFECTIVE reefsafe treatment, but we don't.......so all we hear is copper,QT,copper,QT........its the fish example of shooting a horse....extreme measures.......better yet preforming brain surgery with a hatchet..........copper and having to breakdown the tank are the hatchets.......need to find a scalpel.........
When people are trying to theorize a scalpel such as using garlic, and someone tries to "debunk" that train of thought that could lead to another cure other than copper, really makes me upset because this hobby is still not an exact science and that is what I like about it........so trying to "debunk" myths that seem to be around for some reason is very closed minded.............
Hell, we don't even know what is the best salt to use and why? If we can't get that right, what makes you so sure we figured this out?..........but really......I don't have ich and don't need advice.
I think my point was missed......there is a lot of information/people that are contradictory and false on the web, this is no exception............being the fact that there are SO many different reef safe remedies,.......by the way.......I never had touched base on the QT fact, but that seems to be all that was comming from you guys like a broken record,........I was trying to describe MY own experiences with TREATING the ich IN a REEFTANK.......not a QT.........and finding the proper tool to do so, finding this tool is all about experimentation and trying to see if that it works for more than one person. When people try to steer others away from that......thats wrong......there are no certainties in this hobby........or in life for that matter that we are for sure 100% on.........based on the QT train of though, if we thought the same way about reproducing music, we would still be listening to record, because people tried and experimented with other ways......you have your ipods now. That is the core of what is bothering me the most about this discussion.....
Why I choose those links is for the exact reason I don't believe our "so-called" expert debunker, and generally don't care for people swooping in just to save the day on a personal crusade. After all I am sure these people who wrote the links consider themselves "experts".....from the beginning I was ONLY telling my experiences and how I got rid of the little white spots IN the tank........I am more interested in treating an infected reef tank.......and to be quite honest, if we REALLY knew how the parasite lived and what affects it then we would have an EFFECTIVE reefsafe treatment, but we don't.......so all we hear is copper,QT,copper,QT........its the fish example of shooting a horse....extreme measures.......better yet preforming brain surgery with a hatchet..........copper and having to breakdown the tank are the hatchets.......need to find a scalpel.........
When people are trying to theorize a scalpel such as using garlic, and someone tries to "debunk" that train of thought that could lead to another cure other than copper, really makes me upset because this hobby is still not an exact science and that is what I like about it........so trying to "debunk" myths that seem to be around for some reason is very closed minded.............
Hell, we don't even know what is the best salt to use and why? If we can't get that right, what makes you so sure we figured this out?..........but really......I don't have ich and don't need advice.
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Cryptocaryon is a dinoflagellate. Zooxanthellae is also a dinoflagellate. This is why there is no such thing as a truly reef safe treatment that kills Cryptocaryon, and never will be.
The life cycle is known quite well. If you read the links I provided the articles by Terry describe them quite clearly.
The article also describes hyposalinity as the best treatment to cure the disease--not copper. It is really not very stressful to marine fish at all. I have done it several times with delicate fish.
Fragmented
New member
I strongly believe in QT before adding anything to the main tank. If ick still happens, removing all the fish to QT to treat is the surest way to attack the problem. ( No hosts left in the system.) Doing a fresh water dip before QT will help the process.
Keep them out of the main tank for at least a month to be sure that the ick in the main tank has all died.
Here is Bob Fenner's ick info:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichart2mar.htm
Keep them out of the main tank for at least a month to be sure that the ick in the main tank has all died.
Here is Bob Fenner's ick info:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichart2mar.htm
Freed
It's what it's
Hypo is not just dunking in fresh water and then placing back in tank. Hyposalinity is placing the new fish or all of the fish in the tank that may have been affected by a new comer with ich into a QT tank and decreasing the salinity down to 1.009 instead of the normal 1.025. At 1.009 IT HAS BEEN PROVEN that the ich will die during certain stages of its life cycle. BUT you must perform the hypo for no less than 4-6 weeks after the very last sign of ich has been noticed to fully kill and/or cure the fish of the ich.
Fragmented
New member
I've seen them fall off in the fresh water dip before puttin the fish in QT.
Remember that patience is very important as has been mentioned many times here. A wait time before reintroducing the fish to the main tank is very important. (Even if the fish look and act fine before the time has passed.)
Remember that patience is very important as has been mentioned many times here. A wait time before reintroducing the fish to the main tank is very important. (Even if the fish look and act fine before the time has passed.)
robertloop
Member
I'm still back at the water chemistry. 16 kh? Stop adding b-ionic. water change till the kh is under 10. Then take another look at the ph. The minute your kh get to 1o stop adding b-ionic. If the ca is still low then put in some seachem reef advantage. (CA up)
the bottom line is.... sick fish in healthy water = fish all better now. That has been my experience for a long time. I'm assuming your nitrates are not high. Get the kh in check and the ph will follow to some degree. Try out some reef safe stuff as you have probably already read.
I have had ich at least 8 times in my reef. All the fish show some symptoms and it just goes away on its own. I also always have cleaner shrimp. I dont know if that has any effect or not though. Healthy water = happy fishies.
BTW.. the ich would always show up when a new fish was added....
the bottom line is.... sick fish in healthy water = fish all better now. That has been my experience for a long time. I'm assuming your nitrates are not high. Get the kh in check and the ph will follow to some degree. Try out some reef safe stuff as you have probably already read.
I have had ich at least 8 times in my reef. All the fish show some symptoms and it just goes away on its own. I also always have cleaner shrimp. I dont know if that has any effect or not though. Healthy water = happy fishies.
BTW.. the ich would always show up when a new fish was added....
jlfnjlf
New member
robertloop,
I have been thinking about the B-ionic all day, and trying to apply what I do understand about reef chemistry. As long as the kh is so high I am never going to get the pH to stay up. I think the B-ionic is pumping up the kh, and I like the idea of a ca only supplement. I was going to research altering the 1:1 ratio of the B-ionic in order to reduce the kh part of the supplamenting. I have not started any checking, and I think I would rather stop all B-ionic dosing, and look into a ca only supplement until I get my kh in check.
I'm still going to go with my previous plan, but I am going to further focus on my chemistry.
Thanks,
John
I have been thinking about the B-ionic all day, and trying to apply what I do understand about reef chemistry. As long as the kh is so high I am never going to get the pH to stay up. I think the B-ionic is pumping up the kh, and I like the idea of a ca only supplement. I was going to research altering the 1:1 ratio of the B-ionic in order to reduce the kh part of the supplamenting. I have not started any checking, and I think I would rather stop all B-ionic dosing, and look into a ca only supplement until I get my kh in check.
I'm still going to go with my previous plan, but I am going to further focus on my chemistry.
Thanks,
John
