Check this thread out...
Check this thread out...
Hey! Check out this older thread... Inconclusive but interesting:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=4002176
I am fighting an outbreak right now and using Kordon Ich Attack. It seems to be fine on my reef tank, my infected six line wrasse recovered fast, but my clown is still struggling (it's been a week for the poor guy!). Most distressing is that the poor guy is getting dark in color and his fins are looking a little frayed. :-(
Digging around tonight I found this:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2004/mini4.htm
Of most interest to me was the section on anti-malarial drugs to fight ich. If you look at the active ingredient on Ich Attack is seems like it could be from the anti-malaria family of drugs. Per the above link, these drugs can cause the symptoms I am seeing on my clown (dark, frayed fins).
At the end of the day, short of a quarantine tank (I don't have one) and leaving your display tank fishless for six weeks, I don't think you can guarantee you've ditched it. However, it also seems that while Ich is scary most fish will fight it off on their own if they are healthy and not stressed. Supplimenting their diet with food soaked with anti-biotics is probably a good idea too since it will help them deal with and secondary infections (which many believe are the true causes of death from ich).
I feel like I am slow torturing my poor clown and he looks like crap. Luckily he is still vigorous and eating, so I think I am about to discontinue my Ich Attack treatment and let him fight it off himself. If the forums are to be believed, I will probably experience future outbreaks if my guys get stressed (and simply weakened and vulnerable), but they will probably survive those too.
Lots of luck!!
~Oyinbo