Ich and Mandarin
- Thread starter xavi_west
- Start date
Tin_Whistler
Mayor of Podunk
What they said.
I'm assuming you'll be treating the other fish with either hypo, or copper... You'll want to put the Mandarin in a separate QT as they don't handle either of those treatments well.
I'm assuming you'll be treating the other fish with either hypo, or copper... You'll want to put the Mandarin in a separate QT as they don't handle either of those treatments well.
The mandarin may or may not contract ich. They are somewhat resistant but if it has just one or two parasites hosting in it's gills,mouth or notrils huindreds an hatch from a singel cyst to attack newcomers.
What treatment method are you planing to use. Not all take nine weeks. Tank transfer takes 12 days but it does take 72 days fallow for the display to be certain cysts in there have expired.
What treatment method are you planing to use. Not all take nine weeks. Tank transfer takes 12 days but it does take 72 days fallow for the display to be certain cysts in there have expired.
xdannyxrocksx
New member
From what I know mandarins can not catch ich..im going to quote melevsreef on this one..
"These fish don't get Ich as they secrete an oily substance on their bodies. Their skin type and the oils secreted make them extremely sensitive to many medications. What may heal one species will more than likely kill a mandarin. So if your other fish develop ich, the mandarin is not to be put in to quarantine. Which is fortunate because it would starve to death if you did, assuming the medication didn't kill it first."
so no, i wouldnt qt him..or her..
"These fish don't get Ich as they secrete an oily substance on their bodies. Their skin type and the oils secreted make them extremely sensitive to many medications. What may heal one species will more than likely kill a mandarin. So if your other fish develop ich, the mandarin is not to be put in to quarantine. Which is fortunate because it would starve to death if you did, assuming the medication didn't kill it first."
so no, i wouldnt qt him..or her..
+1 they have a poisonous slime coat that keeps them resistant from ich and also from being bullied to much.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
+1. Everything I've ever read says any fish can become infected with ich, it loves the gills. I think tank transfer or trying one of the quinine products may be the way to go with these fish. For what its worth, I just don't consider hypo a viable treatment anymore----way too difficult and many failures. Plus, reports from a good source that some fish just don't respond to it. Although I'm not suggesting it; we recently prophylacticly treated a pair of mandarins for a friends reef---with cupramine at .35-.40 ppm. Cu was brought up slowly over a week. Fish are thriving and never did have any problem with the Cu; they ate from day one. He's like me; if it can't handle prophylactic treatment with Cupramine, the fish doesn't go in the tank.I'd be very comfortable with tank transfer too; and I'm finally going to try one of the quinine products. Something I've put off a dozen times.
xdannyxrocksx
New member
very rarely, so problably it doesnt have ich..but treat it with cooper, and i promise you it will die. ich prefers to attack the mouth, gills, mouth or nose, and there is no slime produced in those areas, but a slime coat still covers over them. it has been proven. dragnonets are your odd ball.
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xdannyxrocksx
New member
not to say they can not, catch it, and or carry it. i have had mandarins be fine and die when an ich outbreak occured. It is just rare.
xdannyxrocksx
New member
OP, how bad is the outbreak, any losses?
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Do you have a source?
Like I said above, I don't suggest Cu for mandarins; but a low dose isn't a death sentence. many lfs, most wholesalers, most online retailers, etc., run low doses of copper in all tanks 24/7/365.
xavi_west
New member
I just saw a couple of spots* on my oscellaris and my basslet when one of my snails died and damaged the water quality...
right now everyone is doing fine, all spots are gonne, but know I know i got it in the tank and wanted to remove all the fish from the DT wait and put them back in when the life cycle passed...
But if I live the mandarin in there I think its like doing nothing.... if i take him out for 9 weeks... its killing him...
right now everyone is doing fine, all spots are gonne, but know I know i got it in the tank and wanted to remove all the fish from the DT wait and put them back in when the life cycle passed...
But if I live the mandarin in there I think its like doing nothing.... if i take him out for 9 weeks... its killing him...
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xdannyxrocksx
New member
Are you serious? you need a source?
Ok copper at low dose in a tank will not do anything for the ich I hope you know that. That is why there are copper dips. Witch are more effective than using copper dose. It doesnt take common sense to realize that copper kills inverts. What do dragonets eats?
Copepods and amphipods, yes a low dose will kill them. There for your mandarin will starve. Tell me witch lfs you shop at and who you purchase from online, because if they have copper in there tanks I will make sure not to purchase from them.
Ok copper at low dose in a tank will not do anything for the ich I hope you know that. That is why there are copper dips. Witch are more effective than using copper dose. It doesnt take common sense to realize that copper kills inverts. What do dragonets eats?
Copepods and amphipods, yes a low dose will kill them. There for your mandarin will starve. Tell me witch lfs you shop at and who you purchase from online, because if they have copper in there tanks I will make sure not to purchase from them.
xdannyxrocksx
New member
For the mandarin i recomment go the natural route. Use garlic or garlic extract. If you dont have access to garlic extract. Blend a clove of garlic and add directly to tank. once a day or so. Try to strain the bigger chunks out. Now this is not 100% but garlic is known to boost fish immune system. So maybe you can give the mandarin the fighting spirit and get him through this. But please dont put copper in with the mandarin you will kill all his food.
Tin_Whistler
Mayor of Podunk
Your best bet for him is going to be pricey.
You’ll need one hospital tank for all your other fish, and two for the Mandarin.
Using the tank transfer method (you’ll find it above stickied in this forum) you can safely get the ich off him. Meanwhile you’ll need to dose the tank with pods, and you’ll want to do so at least twice a day.
Mandarins pretty much spend all day hunting, and the pods won’t have time to reproduce since you’re not reusing any water in the transfer method.
On the bright side when you’re done you’ll have two tanks you can use to either QT inverts or Corals.
EDIT> you can also use this treatment time to see if you can get the mandarin to take prepared foods. While you can never get one off eating pods due to their day long hunting schedule, you can definitely help supplement that just in case your pod levels get low in the future.
xdannyxrocksx
New member
^+1
My personal approach is seachems paraguard as instructed or cupramine at .2ppm. I've QT'ed a dozen mandarins in the past year like this with no deaths. To be fair, I make sure they're eating live brine at the store and have been lucky with a reputable company mail order for the red finned greens). Many of them were without a doubt carrying cryptocaryon, however, (and a few had brooklynella) based on microscopic confirmation. You can also do "musical tanks" and switch them to a new tank every 2 days just twice to effectively beat the life cycle, the cycsts on teh fish fall to the bottom to grow and while they're "sleeping" you switch the fish out and clean the tank.
Also, maybe use the opportunity of no heckler fish to wean your mandarin. I've gotten more than half of the mandarins I've QTed (for myself and others) on ocean nutrition formula 1 small pellets using the strategy outlined in last november's "Coral" magazine.
Also, maybe use the opportunity of no heckler fish to wean your mandarin. I've gotten more than half of the mandarins I've QTed (for myself and others) on ocean nutrition formula 1 small pellets using the strategy outlined in last november's "Coral" magazine.
