Kick Ick- tried it?

[Dawn II]

I'm curious if anyone has tried it as an alternative to copper or hypo in the hospital tank. What results in the reef?
Thanks, Dawn.

 

[cstamper65605]

I don't think the reports are very good, in general. Here is a really good ich thread (2nd part with link to 1st part at top)

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=774229&highlight=ich+free+tank

If you do a search "ich free tank" you will find many other ich threads, and prob. several that talk about Kick Ick. You could prob do a search for Kick Ick and get some results too.

BTW, we are treating our 240 inhabitants in hosp tanks with hypo and letting the tank lay fallow for 8 wks...a pain but after reading (lots) I think the best treatment choice.

 

[Dawn II]

This thread is on copper. Whenever I do searches- I have to wade through piles... What have you experienced with Kick Ick- I had heard it is reef safe. Thank you, Dawn.

 

[cstamper65605]

Dawn, it's actually a huge thread on ich in general and has explored about every treatment there is. But I just saw a thread today about kick-ick and "everyone" seems to say it does not work...I would not waste my time.

I just did a search and typed in kick ick and got 17 messages that talked about kick ick, so try that and you will get some opinions.

 

[74nautique]

If this is the RubyReef stuff, I bought a bottle and followed the directions and after a week I saw some improvement. I bought another bottle and doubled the dose and the ick was gone.

 

[jjmatti]

I have used the product 4 times, 3 of which were successful. It was used in a reef tank, (zoos, xenia, trumpet, torch.) And no coral or invert suffered. It is worth a try in my book but I agree with 74Nautiqe??.. I dosed a little more then suggested and went through it very fast.. (It is expensive.)

Good luck..

 

[vthondaboi]

it is reef safe

worked for me when I used it

 

[Dawn II]

This sounds good- what kinds of fish had ick, was it contained to the original- or did it spread? Thanks, Dawn.

 

[74nautique]

When I added my powder brown tang I had an ick outbreak, it spread to one of my clowns, mandarin, flame angel and of course the tang. It took 4-5 days to get the kick ick (mail order), by the time I got it I lost the angel and mandarin, everything else made it. It didn't effect any corals or invertebrates.

 

[Dawn II]

Okay- this morning the hippo tang came out with ick- I will buy some today, and keep you posted to results, or, non-results.

 

[orlenz]

I tried it, it helped some but was very costly, I had better results tossing in a couple cleaner shrimp and using a UV.

 

[Dawn II]

I have (2) very LARGE cleaner shrimp who haven' approached him, also I have UV.

 

[archie1709]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7142501#post7142501 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dawn II
I have (2) very LARGE cleaner shrimp who haven' approached him, also I have UV.

I heard that over time, cleaner shrimp become lazy and wait for hand outs instead of keeping their cleaning station. That's probably why your shrimp hasn't done anything because it's a large one now.

 

[Dawn II]

You're right- they are like hermit crabs- almost impossible to keep away from the food. They swim up in the water column to get it!

 

[jeffbrig]

Cleaner shrimp do not eat the ick parasite, the idea that they do is an oft-repeated myth. A scientific study of gut contents in cleaner shrimps found no evidence of cryptocarrion irritans in their diet.

 

[Dawn II]

I can't remember where, but in the past couple of months I have read the opposite.

 

[DaveJ]

Kick Ick does work.. have used it twice in two different tanks. Key is to find and correct the cause of the ick because all this offers is a stop gap. You also run the risk of reducing its effectiveness if you use it too often. Works well though and no harm done to any of my corals or inverts.

 

[Dawn II]

It's the Hippo tang! That is the source- never had it in tank in 3 years.

 

[DaveJ]

Ick is always present, but the health of your inhabitants keeps them from getting it. Its like the flu or a cold.. its always around but sometimes your immune system can't handle it and you get sick. UV helps considerably, but if its introduced on a fish into an existing system, it takes awhile for the UV to get it since that kills off the larval or embyroic stages and not the live ones which never make it to the uv since they are on your fish or in the rocks/sand.

good reason to have a q tank if you can do it.

 

[jeffbrig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7143884#post7143884 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dawn II
I can't remember where, but in the past couple of months I have read the opposite.

News from the Warfront with Cryptocaryon irritans
Part Four of Five
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2004/mini4.htm

Biological cleaners

Fish often succumb to cryptocaryonosis despite the presence of biological cleaners such as cleaner shrimp or cleaner wrasse. While cleaners will exhibit their instinctual "cleaning" behaviors, do not assume that they eat trophonts, or eat them in sufficient numbers to affect a cure. "Cleaner" species of fish are also subject to infection.

Alexandra Grutter studied the stomach contents of the common cleaner wrasse or Labroides dimidiatus and found that their diet consists of gnathiid isopods, scales, copepods and non-parasitic copepods (Grutter, 2000). Cryptocaryon irritans was not found in the stomach contents indicating that it is not a part of their diet.

This study they reference here actually gives data for a cleaner wrasse, not a cleaner shrimp, but I have read the same for both.

I think the misconception is repeated because it sounds so logical on the surface. But, when you think more about the nature of an ich outbreak, it doesn't hold up. When you see those white spots on your fish, the parasite is actually burrowing beneath the skin. Cleaners tend to focus on surface parasites on the skin and/or gills, not parasites buried deep in the fish's tissue. Treatments like copper don't even affect the parasites until they leave the host.