ich/sterilizer thoughts..

[SDReefer44]

So i'm fairly sure i brought ich into my take via some chaeto. Thought I sanitized it thoroughly, but must have let some come thru.

The male half of my perc pair has it the worst, with his better-half and my yellow and kole tang showing signs. Tank parameters as follows:

Nitrates: 5ppm
Nitrites: 0
Salinity: 1.025
Calcium: 420
Alk: 8dkh
Magnesium: 1320
Phosphates: 0

SPS, duncans, rbta and zoas are having intense growth/success. I started a garlic dipped feeding today and will probably do a 10% water change. I'm seriously considering a UV sterilizer, but am concerned about its effect on the rest of the tank. I've run them before with success curing ich, but only as a short-term solution. Would it be the end of the world if I lost these 4 guys? No, but still stinks.

I've seen folks have their fish get thru ich with clean water parameters (which I believe I have)..but who knows. Thoughts? Suggestions? Running a sterilizer is about as controversial/debated over as carbon, vodka, kalk vs. 2-part..etc. But always helps to get input from the local brethren. Thanks!

 

[dream54ing]

The only time my fishies get ich is when theres a sudden temp change in the water (usually due to extreme weather changes) Make sure your temp stays consistent. I like to keep it warmer than usual when I see sign of ich. 80-82 (Not sure if it helps, but it worked for me)

I also drop my saltinity to 1.022-1.023. Doesn't seem to bother my corals.

If you can catch them and put them in a qt, that would be ideal. If not, I would just soak their food in garlic and ride it out. i also soak it in vitamin C as well. Don't think that helps, but I have extra, so I add it.

Again this is what I do in my system, not liable for anything you attempt to do
Hope that helps.

 

[jjk_reef00]

If it were me I'd catch the fish and qt them. Let your tank go fallow and live ich free. I tried not treating it a long time ago, and I personally can't stand watching my fish scape and twitch. Even if they look healthy I still know they have ich...

 

[briankmarsh1980]

Double post

 

[briankmarsh1980]

If you have ich ... you have it...
your fish can survive it if they are healthy.... but eventually something will happen and they will get to stressed and die... this is why all fish should be QTed first.
you need to read up on the main forum about fish disease and treatment.....
there is nothing you can do now except feed good or treat your fish. Anything wet can have ich or something bad.

 

[needmore-reef]

IME removing fish and placing in QT, hyposaline, temp around 80 and copper. I have a homemade fish trap, Reef Culture rents them I believe, or in some cases you can catch the fish by hand if you have trained them to eat from your hand ( and they are still interested in food). I have not found UV light to prevent or treat ich.

everyone should have a QT, and nows a good time to set one up because Petco is having their $/gallon sale.

 

[Weyrman]

Keep us posted on the garlic treatment. Hope you have success.

I subscribe to the "every tank has ick" theory.

I recently added a Tang to a tank with no signs of ich. The new Tang had signs of ich after 3 or 4 days. I attribute that to stress from the move lowering the fish's immune system. The fish was pretty much covered with ich after another 5 to 7 days. A couple days later the ich was gone. None of the other fish in the tank showed any sign of ich during this time.

I treat the food I feed the DT currently with garlic. I added about 9 drops of garlic to the dry nori I started feeding the new tang. I let it soak into the nori for a while before feeding it. It has been a week and all signs of ich have disappeared.

 

[SDReefer44]

Thanks guys. I'm going to swing by petco today and grab a QT and run with the hyposalinity approach. My guy is covered in spots, but doesnt seem to be itching or swimming/acting any differently.

My temp stays right at 79 all the time, however I did have a jump in salinity from 1.023 to 1.025, although im not sure what effect that has.

Will keep everyone posted. Thanks again for everyone's input.

 

[SDReefer44]

Thanks guys. I'm going to swing by petco today and grab a QT and run with the hyposalinity approach. My guy is covered in spots, but doesnt seem to be itching or swimming/acting any differently.

My temp stays right at 79 all the time, however I did have a jump in salinity from 1.023 to 1.025, although im not sure what effect that has.

Will keep everyone posted. Thanks again for everyone's input.

 

[dream54ing]

make sure you do hypo slowly.

should also consider using copper if your going with a qt. works well for me when i qt a fish before entering my system.

 

[82ndengineer]

Qt is not a fool proof or truly effective method to rid fish of any bacteria or parasite. Most organisms can go dormant just like in our body and stress can trigger a new outbreak even after qt. All of my fish have had ich at one time or another and have come through just fine. They are all fat and healthy so I'm sure that plays a big role in it but I'm not one for stressing a sick fish more than they already are. Ride the storm.

 

[SDReefer44]

thanks guys - will keep this in mind. I've done copper before, but my it def stressed out the fish and he ate way less. If my guy was already showing weakness, I might consider..but he currently looks pretty happy.

After sorting thru all of the chipped/cracked tanks at petco..Got the $10, 1/95'' glass, ten gallon tank today. All i got to do now is feed and catch the little sucker..

 

[SDReefer44]

thanks guys - will keep this in mind. I've done copper before, but my it def stressed out the fish and he ate way less. If my guy was already showing weakness, I might consider..but he currently looks pretty happy.

After sorting thru all of the chipped/cracked tanks at petco..Got the $10, 1/95'' glass, ten gallon tank today. All i got to do now is feed and catch the little sucker..

 

[keithhays]

I don't really understand some of the ideas I hear on ich. It is a parasite that is eating the fish alive.

Several years ago one of my older sons brought a blanket into the house from some else's house. It contained bed bugs. Bed bugs don't quite eat you alive until you are dead, but they do have ick factor I am looking for. Anyway, to get rid of them ultimately involved destroying every piece of furniture that could not be saturated in some extremely deadly poison. Then because we found them in the baseboards I gutted a good portion of the house. $50k and 10 years later, no bedbugs. I fully expect that most humans would do similarly to not be eaten alive every night. Btw, you have no idea they are eating you unless you happen to feel them crawling across your leg. As far as I know they cause no diseases except possible mental stress.

Ich on the other hand appears to be very painful, causes extreme breathing problems and ultimately death. Treat the fish.

 

[82ndengineer]

It only causes those types of problems in fish that are compromised it seems. My fish as I said before have had ICH numerous times and have not shown signs of heavy breathing or flashing or death. If the fish is weak just like in a human even a relatively harmless thing like ICH or the flu in people can kill someone.

 

[jjk_reef00]

It only causes those types of problems in fish that are compromised it seems. My fish as I said before have had ICH numerous times and have not shown signs of heavy breathing or flashing or death. If the fish is weak just like in a human even a relatively harmless thing like ICH or the flu in people can kill someone.

The point is not whether some fish can live extended periods of time with ICH. The point is that a proper QT can completely eradicate the paracite, so your fish will not have to live with it. ICH is not like the flu, it is a paracite that remains in your tank and attacks your fish even if you do not see visable signs.

 

[82ndengineer]

Uh no it won't completely eradicate it considering one of my fish from someone who did a 9 week qt and it is the one that has had ich the most. And even IF it did anytime you add rock,coral,chaeto or anything from someone elses system into your tank you just ruined all your time and effort to qt those fish. We should all just strive to keep our fish as healthy as possible. Qt is worthless unless done properly and I can ALMOST guarantee most people on here haven't come close to doing it right.

 

[Pyrrhus]

Uh no it won't completely eradicate it considering one of my fish from someone who did a 9 week qt and it is the one that has had ich the most. And even IF it did anytime you add rock,coral,chaeto or anything from someone elses system into your tank you just ruined all your time and effort to qt those fish. We should all just strive to keep our fish as healthy as possible. Qt is worthless unless done properly and I can ALMOST guarantee most people on here haven't come close to doing it right.

Part of keeping your fish healthy is giving them a proper amount of time to rest and recuperate after periods of stress, like moving them from one environment to another.

Even if you don't medicate your fish in qt, it does have proven benefits to the vast majority of fish.

If qt is as worthless as you insinuate then why does EVERY expert recommend it? And why does every large scale aquarium practice qt?

Proper qt can and will eradicate the vast majority of parasites that fish carry. Anyone that says otherwise has zero evidence to back it up. Please prove me wrong, show me a paper or something from any hobby expert that says otherwise.

I know my tone is harsh but I really get tired of people passing off poorly formed personal beliefs as facts. There is zero evidence to back up your position and mountains of evidence that say otherwise.

Also from a larger point of view, telling people to not qt is only going to lead to additional and unnecessary animal suffering and death.

 

[82ndengineer]

Skip, slow down. Obviously you didn't see the part were I said if you don't do it PROPERLY it is ineffective. Just like putting on a rubber with a hole in it. Be harsh I'm a big boy. Anything done properly is beneficial. But the first time you add something from another source you risk re innoculating your tank with possible bacteria,spores and fungus from said system. While I'm no expert I'm also not dumb. I actually seem to think things farther than A to B and look for Z as well. Evidence, I'm pretty sure everyone has done the study to show the benefit's of QT, but most probably don't follow long term over the course of the fishes life. I've been to public aquaria across the country and seen fish with Ich. And these are places that have marine biologists with far more knowledge than most of us. So think about it from your larger view and then tell me I'm wrong. Qt is great if done properly and continued to include all additions to said system including coral,sand,rock,equipment,algae,inverts,etc,etc. All opinions and statements in this post are my own and not backed by science , just common sense.

 

[jjk_reef00]

Uh no it won't completely eradicate it considering one of my fish from someone who did a 9 week qt and it is the one that has had ich the most.

IMO saying this is basically telling people not to QT...
As you also mention if someone has a proper QT then they can and will eradicate ICH, just as I have done from my system. I also agree you should QT coral and anything else wet but that is a completley different discussion.

A QT also lets the fish settle in and lets you train them to eat prepared foods without competition from other tankmakes (although this argument doesn't apply to the situation described in the opening post).

If you get a fish with velvet you will kill your entire tank in a matter of weeks if not days... I do not want to be a fish in your tank when that happens because it is not a pretty sight.

Also from a larger point of view, telling people to not qt is only going to lead to additional and unnecessary animal suffering and death.

I agree with Pyrrhus 100%.