Quarantine & Ick Question

S

Seehag

Premium Member
Ok so I am just starting with this hobby and it appears I have already made one mistake. I took the Lfs word that there fish did not have ick.....:( So now the 2 fish that came with the rock and my new tang are infected. I have in the tank some ugly fish, a Tiger goby, and a yellow Tang. I also have several cleaner shrimp, crabs, mantis shrimp, snails, anemones and all that comes with your live rock from Tbs...

I have read and read about ick, the Lfs said I will never get it out of the tank, just put in two cleaner shrimp that will keep ick under control. I liked them so no big deal that I bought them but they aren't doing the job and everything I read say's that is a wivestale. I am also feeding garlic infused flakes, the tang doesn't like them so won't eat them. So I am going to go the quarantine tank route and bite the bullet. I couldn't get a good read on what exactly you have to take out of the tank though, sounds like just the fish. But I may have misunderstood that. In the quarantine tank do I want any sand or live rock or just water and a heater with a power head? Let me know guy's and please don't bash for not doing a quarantine tank to begin with.


Art
 
Set up a QT tank with nothing in it. Anything the ICH treatment touches will never be reef safe again since ICH treatments have copper in them. The fish are the only thing you need to worry about. Treat them for 4-6 weeks in the QT tank. I have had fish come down with ICH in the tank and I let them be and they kick it themself. Key is to kep them feeding on foods, keep the water at 80 degrees and water peramiters prestine.
 
I didn't metion this but I was goign to go the route of hypersalinity, or lowering the salinity.


Art
 
Never been a fan of hyposalinity as too much can go wrong and it is stressful on a fish and it not always a sure way to get rid of ICH if not done correctly.
 
That is the best way to go in my opinion. I see you have a tiger goby, a yellow tang, and some ugly fish? :) I would recommend setting up a larger container. The best way to do it, is to buy a Rubbermaid Brute garbage can. (Janitorial style) It can be difficult to keep salinity stable and that is very important. You will be doing a lot of water changes if you don't use a filter etc. Tangs can be touchy and I think it would be better off in a larger container, rather than cramming a bunch of fish into a little qt tank. I would recommend filtration of some sort but a power head and a heater are a must. Start by matching the salinity of your display tank. Over a few days lower the salinity to 1.009 by taking out a lot of the water, and slowly adding fresh water. Maintain 1.009 with a refractometer for 6 weeks at a minimum. Then slowly increase the salinity back to your display tank over a few days. By keeping fish out of your display tank for 6 weeks ich will have no host, and the 1.009 in the qt prevents the ich parasite from reproducing.
 
If doing hypo its best to use a refractometer and keep checking the salinity to keep it stable.

Also tangs are prone to ICH so it is good to always QT them (helps keep your other fish from getting it also.)

Good luck!
 
Best wasy is to seet up a QT tank with copper. Only put the fish in it. Leave in inverts in the affected tank. They are not suseptible to ick. Keep the fish out of your display tank for at least 30 days. After 30days you can return your fish back to your dispaly tank.
 
If done correctly hypo is a sure way to rid ich and is NOT "stressful" on a fish. All you have to do with hypo is drop your sal. down to 1.009 and mark the water level on your tank. Add just enough fresh water daily to keep the level at the line and you won't have to worry about your salinity getting too high or too low. IT'S THAT EASY. Copper you have to test a couple/few times a day, add, test, add, test, buy more test kits, buy more copper, test, add, test, add, etc... I would think copper would be more "stressful" on the operator than on anything else and would be more likely to kill with an overdose or not kill the ich with an underdose. Hypo IS THE WAY TO GO AND WORKS VERY WELL. AND after hypo you can still put corals and inverts in your QT and they won't die from residuals.
 
Okay, I see no one suggested using a UV filter which is what I did when I had my first and only ich issue. It was a better choice for me vs. the QT. Here are a few reasons why I didn't go the QT route.
*It's an added expense.
*It must also be properly and routinely maintained to be of any benefit.
*The smaller the tank, (which QT's usually are) the quicker things can get out of wack.
The UV filter did the job for me. I still have it in the garage should I ever need it again. Two things you need to know about running a UV. One, it will raise the temperature by about 2 - 3 degrees so just monitor that to keep your temp. within the proper range. Two, disconnect and remove the UV from your system once the ich is gone, clean it and store it in case you ever need it again. UV filters serve one purpose only and are NOT meant to be left running
 
I agree with Freed. Hypo is effective, and a lot safer than using copper. A refractometer is mandatory though because hydrometers can't give you an accurate reading like a refractometer can. Here's a great article on hypo that gives you precised directions for lowering and raising salinity safely: Hypo article I've treated both ways and I think hypo is easiest and safest. Good luck!
 
Nothing against those suggesting additives to your water but for me, since I have a reef tank too, that whole 'chemical additive' aspect scared me big time. Good luck.
 
Hypo is not "stressful". Having Ich is stressful. Prolonged hypo will cause kidney and liver damage and will kill your fish, but that's months of exposure. A single month of hypo, done correctly, will kill the ich in your fish. For hypo, you need to keep the salinity in check at least daily... twice a day is prefered.

Copper based medication can also be done, but that too needs to be done correctly. Too much copper will damage your fish and three months later they'll die from kidney damage or liver damage. Too little, and you'll not kill the ich. You need to test for copper levels and ignore completely the "caps per gallon" that the medicine says to use. It's way to inaccurate for a successful treatment.
 
Hypo...Hypo...Hypo....If you want to do it right, and once, run hypo. You have to be careful but there are people making arguments that the lower salinity actually helps a sick fish by them not having to work as hard....there is less salt in the water. But regardless, you are going to have a tough time convincing me that dosing copper is less stressful. Garlic, UV sterilizers, etc. are preventative maintenance and will not get rid of ich. It will still be in your tank even if you don't see it on your fish. It can still be in their gills, etc. Do it right the first time and get it over with. I had a blue tang with ich that passed it along to the rest of my fish right around Christmas. I ran hypo for 6 weeks and I have been ich free ever since. If you do run hypo I would do it for 6 weeks if you can to be sure.
 
If you received my PM, then you see that I am recommending hyposalinity for marine ich treatment. The board I listed has information describing how to use hyposalinity properly. Why it works, the myths about marine ich treatment, and more. Lee Birch has outlined this procedure, and has a wealth of other information, that is very detailed, and all in one place. I have used hyposalinty on many fish over the years, and recommend it over other treatments. In my experience, if followed as per Lee's instructions, you will have good results. Also, if you follow the time requirements for QT, leaving your display fallow for the time period described, and proper QT for new additions, you can keep your display free from marine ich. This has been my experience, and supported by many marine authors. Other people may have treatments that they believe to work, and may use them with good results. That is their prerogative :)

Whatever, treatment(s) you use let us know what your results are. Best of luck to you and your fish!
 
My 02

Hypo would be my first choice especially with a tang. Copper is very effective on ich but its hard on the fish and some fish have a tough time with copper. Further .. copper is only effective if used in the proper dosage for the entire treatment period .. that requires a good test kit and constant testing.

Hypo is not stressful on fish if properly performed - std procedure used by many public aquariums. There are a number of articles on the benefits of hypo QTing .. you can google Terry Barteleme who has written a few articles on the subject.

UV lights are not considered effective at erradicating ich. Heres a good thread on the subject if your interested.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=353984
 
Hypo is the way to go. Worked for me great. Besides the refractometer, A lot of patience is also a must. good luck
 
As I said I read a lot over the last few day's and pretty much had decided that Hypo is the way to go. I have a 30 gallon acrylic hexagon tank that I plan to use for the qt tank, I think that should be ok for them. I will keep it bare except for some pvc for the fish to hide in. Timmy Tang is not going to like this tank as he is very fond of the 100 gal reef. I will follow the directions on Hypo for 6 week's and by then the ich should be through there life cycle in the main tank.

Do I need to preform up keep in the main tank feeding and such and do I need to take out any of the shrimp? I might go ahead and remove the anemone's as they have to come out before I can get into the Clown's that I want to get. ( of course they will be added after this is over.) Maybe I should get them now and run them through the Q.T. with the other fish?

Art
 
ALL of your fish need to go into QT if you want to get rid of the ich. If you don't put all fish in QT and do hypo you will still have ich in the main tank and you will have to go through all of this again in the future. You can leave all the shrimp and anything else not fish related in the main tank. The ich will die without a fish to feed off of.
 
Not sure I understood your last comment.

As Freed said .. you need to QT ALL fish (not crabs, corals, or anemones). If you were contemplating QTing the anemone for the clowns .. don't the anemone won't survive hypo.

Tank maintenance is not required during the fallow period .. but I think it would be a great time to do long overdue cleaning that you would never do with fish in the tank.
 
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