Ich in a 36" tall 350g tank

[Constantin]

Here is the story -
This is a newer tank, i purchased some tangs (PBT, Desjardin's Sailfin and a small hippo), have 2 clownfish, and another goby in there. I only have a small QT tank and decided i wouldnt QT them.

2 Weeks later the PB and hippo both have 2 spots of ich, the spots were gone this morning, but reappeared this noon. both fish are eating fine, and look pretty good.
However obviously i have got ich in my system now.

What do i do? this is a 350g 36 inches tall tank, in a 500g system, catching fish would be a nightmare, but there is only 6 fish to catch, do I try to catch them?
The other option is a medication like Kill Ich, while i believe it might better things for the fish, they will still always carry the parasite.

I have a couple of corals in there, and a couple of nems.

I purchased a larger 50g QT, but also have a couple of new fish arriving.

Honestly the only way i see myself catching fish is if I drained the tank, but doing that with a 350g tank is just too much, i also have some corals already attached.

What do i do? People with big tanks, please help a newbie out.
I'm desperate.

 

[yukonblizzard]

Dont try the Kill Ich, because those kind of products dont work, the only things that ever worked for me were hyposalinity and copper which obviously arent an option in a reef tank. So, maybe an option would be to take eggcrate, from Homedepot, and section off your aquarium with it to close off an area near the end of the tank with the fish in it, making it easier to catch them.

HTH

 

[Constantin]

i dont think thats possible in such a big tank with rocks in it, i would have to cast a mold, and even then, fish can get under and in between the rocks....

Also, another question - from my understanding, fish can get better on their own with ich, but my tank will never be parasite free unless it goes fishless for 8 weeks, so it seems like the only choice is getting all the fish out, even if they dont show any signs anymore?
Its either that or them just dying eventually, is that right?

I also purchased a mandarin but they arent supposed to get ich, can i add it to the display tank after a short QT? I'm afraid it would starve to death.

 

[Gwynhidwy]

Mandarins can and do get ich. They can carry it and they can die from it.

If you don't want ich in your system, you'll have to remove ALL the fish and leave the tank completely fishless for eight weeks. None of the reef safe treatments work. You will likely lose some fish if left untreated, how many depends on a lot of things. Your fish that survive may stop exhibiting visible symptoms, but it is highly likely that if left untreated there will always be low levels of the parasite that causes ich present and any time you add a new fish or have something stressful happen that your fish will get sick.

Its up to you whether or not you want to deal with it now or ust hope for the best. Most people that opt for the latter wind up dealing with it eventually anyway as it tends to be a persistent problem, particularly when you are adding new fish.

You won't have to drain the tank to catch the fish. You can usually use fishing line and a small hook with the barb crushed and a bit of your fish's favorite food to catch fish, or you could try a fish trap.

 

[Constantin]

I got all fish out but 2, I think i need a really small fishing hook to get those out.

What do i do next? treat all fish in the QT with copper? I wont be able to QT any inverts in that tank then.
I have another 10g tank, but I dont think that would be enough for the fish to be in for 14 days...
I moved the fish that i did catch to the QT for now, there is a mandarin in there, do i treat him also?

I can treat them in the 50 g and just QT any inverts in the 10g in the future...

Also, once i use copper in the 50 g, is there any way of cleaning it out(as in if i drain the tank and wash it) - i heard there is no way to get rid of copper if you add it in a tank - it gets into the silicone, is that true?

Thanks for all the advice this far!

 

[Gwynhidwy]

As far as I know, copper will not be absorbed into glass or silicone. Many people say that it can be, but I believe that it is a myth. It will likely be absorbed into any aragonite based sand or live rock that you have in the treatment tank.

You will need to treat the mandarin as well as all the other fish. Hopefully he/she eats enough prepared foods to make it through 8+ weeks. If not, you might want to consider taking the mandarin back to the LFS.

I use Cupramine for copper treatment. Most fish tolerate it well and it is fairly stable in solution. If you use Cupramine, get a copper test kit, the one made by Seachem works well, so you can monitor the copper levels. Follow the directions on the bottle.

Keep an eye on ammonia as well, I use one of the ammonia alert badges as well as daily testing to be sure. Have water ready for water changes so you can deal with any ammonia problems. Make sure to dose the new water with the appropriate amount of whichever medication you choose. Do not use water from the infected DT for water changes as you will risk reinfection if you do.