Ick

[Davidd2324]

So I have ICK. I just introduced a yellow tang into my DT without QT. Yes I know bad Idea.
Well, now my blue hippo, yellow tang, and probably my 3 chromis have ick. I've never treated for ick before so I don't know what to do. I don't have any inverts, but I do have 12 frags of SPS corals that I just got in & 90lbs of rock. I really would like to yank the fish and throw them in QT and treat them there. What I am asking is are my SPS frags going to be alright to stay in the DT ? What kind of treatment should I do in the Qt tank. I don't want to do Hyposalinity because I dont use a refractometer, and I would just be nervous to do it. So what are some of my other options? And how long is all this going to take ?

 

[EvMiBo]

I would pickup a refractometer and get setup for a hyposalinity process. It's much easier and better for your fish than a copper treatment. Do you have a tank ready to be a QT tank?

 

[Davidd2324]

I don't want to do the hyposalinity and no I don't have a Qt tank set up at the moment. I was thinking I could just use water from my DT.

 

[Sk8r]

Take dt water and put all fish in an adequate spare tank.
Hypo will work for ich. The alternative is copper, which does do some harm to fish, but properly administered, it works.
Do not disturb your rockwork, sand, corals, etc. Corals probably eat the stuff. Your inverts can't catch it: they're not suitable hosts for this parasite.

Your qt should be bare glass with some pvc pipe for hiding. should have NO carbon in the filter if you are running copper: carbon removes copper. You will need to test morning and evening for ph, ammonia, nitrate, salinity, you will have to top off at least daily; and you will need Amquel or its equivalent to combat ammonia since you can't use carbon.
You will need to keep this up for 6-8 weeks (opinions vary) until the ich in your display has starved out. This is longer than the treatment time with copper or hypo. So at a certain point you will run carbon and end that treatment...

 

[Davidd2324]

Thanks sk8r !

 

[otrlynn]

I strongly suggest you read the posts at the top of this forum marked with *. There is a lot of information on use of a quarantine tank. I will only add that you need to keep saltwater made-up and ready-to-go at all times because you will need to change water much more frequently than you are accustomed to doing on your display tank. Does your current tank have any type of filter or sponge that you can put in the QT? It will have beneficial bacteria in it that will help reduce the ammonia in the QT. As an aside, I'd throw the filter away after using it in the QT rather than put it back in the DT.

 

[abulgin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13301211#post13301211 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EvMiBo
I would pickup a refractometer and get setup for a hyposalinity process. It's much easier and better for your fish than a copper treatment. Do you have a tank ready to be a QT tank?

First, everyone on RC touts hypo as the best and greatest treatment. It is not. It does not always work. You must be dead on with your salinity, and even then it's not 100%. Hypo IS stressful on fish.

Second, except in very limited cases where the fish can't tolerate it, copper is by far the better/more preferred method. Short treatment and does the job every time. Yes, some tangs are sensitive to copper, but I have used it many times on tangs without ill effects. I know many others who have as well.

Alternatively, you could siphon the bottom of your HT every day and dip your fish in a freshwater/formalin dip every day. This method is just as effective, if not more, than hypo.

 

[Conesus_Kid]

If you do go the copper route, please make sure to buy a good copper test kit so that you can accurately monitor the Cu levels in the hospital tank.