goldmaniac
New member
Great to hear! Sounds like he'll make it.
Questions, Hippo with ich, NEED HELP PLEASE!
- Thread starter stumpovrtyme
- Start date
sjwitt
New member
I've had pretty good luck adding Herbtana to my 185 gal DT (mixed reef with anemones). If I see spots I add and watch. When spots go I stop. Just a suggestion if you're interested in intervening. I agree with NOT moving the fish at this point. The stress of catching and moving IME only results in making things worse.
It's funny, I've got a few of those miracle tanks as well
Really? I've always noted most of us claiming it's possible to maintain a tank ich free are well aware of the life cycle of ich (it can actually remain in cyst form much longer than your 45 days
), as well as vectors of infection and treatment methods. Ahh, I see now. It's not that maintaining an ich free tank is futile, just that you can't maintain a good protocol for preventing transfer.
[top] Words of wisdom.
Unfortunately it's not that easy. Cleaner shrimp, as well as cleaner gobies and wrasses, eat larger parasites such as flukes and parasitic copepods. Those little protozoans are just too small, as well as too imbedded in the fishes skin...that white bump you see is just the eruption of the skin around the parasite and not the parasite itself that your seeing
docstomper
New member
Leave it be. If it is eating your good to go. Every tang I owned had ich. not one of them died ever. I didnt do anything.
goldmaniac
New member
It's funny, I've got a few of those miracle tanks as well
Really? I've always noted most of us claiming it's possible to maintain a tank ich free are well aware of the life cycle of ich (it can actually remain in cyst form much longer than your 45 days
Ahh, I see now. It's not that maintaining an ich free tank is futile, just that you can't maintain a good protocol for preventing transfer.
<img src="http://www.reefcentral.com/images/arrow_up.gif" alt="To the top"> Words of wisdom.
Unfortunately it's not that easy. Cleaner shrimp, as well as cleaner gobies and wrasses, eat larger parasites such as flukes and parasitic copepods. Those little protozoans are just too small, as well as too imbedded in the fishes skin...that white bump you see is just the eruption of the skin around the parasite and not the parasite itself that your seeing
You really had some positive things to say here, Bill. Troll. Too bad you weren't around when the OP needed help. His Hippo is ok now, by the way.
You'll have to excuse for me for doing some traveling and having been away a few days. BTW, are you sure you want to call a moderator a troll?
goldmaniac
New member
The OP has stated that his hippo is continuing to eat and is looking better and better. I believe the crisis has passed and plenty of postings had given the OP suggestions on treatment when he asked for it.
I re-read your postings again, and read mine. I stated that everything was only in reference to my experience in the hobby, and you simply bashed it. It was condescending and insulting, and frankly I don't know how that is helping this thread.
My position that the best course of action for new fish is QT but not try to QT until ich-free is my opinion, a viewpoint, a conclusion from my 10+ years of experience. I was careful to phrase it that way. It works for me and the fish I acquire; this site is for reefers to share their experience such as this.
You're a Mod, yes, I saw that. I think that Mods should be an example of how to be a positive contributor to this site and to threads. The OP needed help on husbandry for a sick hippo tang. That's what this thread is about; not another debate on ich-free tanks.
Phishguy
New member
I am 100% with goldmaniac. I completely thought the last post was condescending and I was very surprised to find out it was from a mod.
Ive learned a lot about dealing with ich and I think everyone will find their own way. People don't typically learn by being told what to do, they learn by making mistakes. Unfortunately, talking about ich treatments and whether it is ever really eradicated is like talking politics. Everyone has opinions and they are all wrong to one group or another.
We should all be able to voice our opinions and experiences without ridicule and bashing from others. Differences of opinions should be respected. We all learn from our own experiences..
Ive learned a lot about dealing with ich and I think everyone will find their own way. People don't typically learn by being told what to do, they learn by making mistakes. Unfortunately, talking about ich treatments and whether it is ever really eradicated is like talking politics. Everyone has opinions and they are all wrong to one group or another.
We should all be able to voice our opinions and experiences without ridicule and bashing from others. Differences of opinions should be respected. We all learn from our own experiences..
I certainly hope for his fishes sake that they are some of the lucky ones that manage to kick it on their own. However, it's equally likely (if not more likely) that it is just another case of looking better due to the life cycle of ich...which means it is quite likely to simply come back in about a week times. As a result, it's good for the OP, as well as anyone else that reads this thread, to know it is indeed possible to treat ich and run an ich free display tank.
Glad it's worked for you. In my 30+ years (most of it as a profesional aquarist and aquaculturist) of experience, my viewpoint is obviously a bit different. It's also backed by a good deal of research literature on the subject of Cryptocaryon irritans
And also why I need to point out things I disagree with
The sad apart about this, ich is very well researched and understood. Unfortunately many hold opinions that ignore the research. Typically it often has to do with folks that simply don't perform adequate QT (if at all), or fail to keep wet items from one tank seperate from another. Heck, I've even had marine bio undergrads, grad students, and even full professors have difficulty with that concept and require me to beat them up a bit
jcw
Active member
I don't think he was any more condescending than your comment...
Give me a break. If you dish it out, be prepared to take it.
People defend not actively treating for ich like it's a crime. I just don't get it...
Treating fish for disease is a skill much like keeping a saltwater tank. Maybe harder. But it can be done.
And, no, i do not consider garlic and selcon active treatment. Allopathic treatment, maybe.
Any discussion about treatment of a fish for ich will invariably lead to discussions about leaving him in or taking him out for treatment. And part of that discussion is whether or not the tank will/can be ich free. In my opinion it's a natural extension of the discussion. Although a discussion that has been done to death...
And I've only been here a few months.
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goldmaniac
New member
Look everyone, I've had success and failure in this hobby, and the difficulties of reefing are a challenge that I enjoy.
If I had a full fish room dedicated to QT and growout tanks, with separate, established filter systems & proper lighting, I would probably be right on board with QT'ing for ich and any/all parasites & hitchhikers, bar none. But the fact is that this is an expensive hobby for me and I don't have the resources to dedicate what I would LOVE to put towards this hobby. I've had to try other routes and some have worked very well for me.
I am not a marine biologist, but I am knowledgeable and I do employ scientific method. I am simply stating what has worked for me, and I was attempting to help with a sick Hippo Tang and guide the OP to take it easy and not go overboard, causing more stress damage than necessary.
maybe my writing sounded too sarcastic, but I was genuinely interested in how to QT corals w/out going all-out with a full 2nd tank, complete w/ necessary lighting. Flamewars aren't something I enjoy. There's more than one way to do many things in this hobby, and I for one attempt to consider all of them.
If I had a full fish room dedicated to QT and growout tanks, with separate, established filter systems & proper lighting, I would probably be right on board with QT'ing for ich and any/all parasites & hitchhikers, bar none. But the fact is that this is an expensive hobby for me and I don't have the resources to dedicate what I would LOVE to put towards this hobby. I've had to try other routes and some have worked very well for me.
I am not a marine biologist, but I am knowledgeable and I do employ scientific method. I am simply stating what has worked for me, and I was attempting to help with a sick Hippo Tang and guide the OP to take it easy and not go overboard, causing more stress damage than necessary.
maybe my writing sounded too sarcastic, but I was genuinely interested in how to QT corals w/out going all-out with a full 2nd tank, complete w/ necessary lighting. Flamewars aren't something I enjoy. There's more than one way to do many things in this hobby, and I for one attempt to consider all of them.
One of the beauties of a QT is that is not a display tank. Depending on size of specimens being quarantined, it can be as small as a little 2.5 gallon tank. Even low cost Rubbermaid storage containers can make suitable tanks for this purpose, and have a bit of size to them. A small heater, to maintain temp. For fish, a few PVC fittings for cover (easy to clean and the fish don't care they aren't rocks), and a simple sponge filter for filtration. Room lighting is generally adequate for this as well. For corals, you'll need proper lighting, but at such a small tank size this is not a huge expense. Don't need a full blown fish room either, just a small corner or shelf somewhere Besides, ich isn't the only parasite to worry about either. There are things like Amyloodinium (velvet) and others that can be easy to miss till it's too late, and are quite devastating if not caught and treated very promptly. With corals, there's always the possibilities of red bugs, flatworms, nudi's, etc. All these fish and coral bugs are rather common, to the point I couldn't imaging not QT'ing.
Besides, ich isn't the only parasite to worry about either. There are things like Amyloodinium (velvet) and others that can be easy to miss till it's too late, and are quite devastating if not caught and treated very promptly. With corals, there's always the possibilities of red bugs, flatworms, nudi's, etc. All these fish and coral bugs are rather common, to the point I couldn't imaging not QT'ing.ColaAddict
In Memoriam
QT's are great, but for some people who don't have the room or extra money for it, garlic is also great. I know research says copper/hypo is good, but research also says that garlic is good. I've done QT before and still got ich in my system, that is when I dose the tank with a high load of garlic and all my fish recovered. whichever method you use, just do it right.
In the fish stores, corals and fish are separated because alot of fish stores dose their fish only tanks with copper or similar treatments (at low levels, low enough to hold off ich), then when you take them home, the treatments are stopped, so they show the parasites again. I've seen a few that make it look like they mix the fish and inverts, but when you observe more carefully, the tangs and other ich prone fishes are still in a fish only tank. Inverts don't get ich.
In the fish stores, corals and fish are separated because alot of fish stores dose their fish only tanks with copper or similar treatments (at low levels, low enough to hold off ich), then when you take them home, the treatments are stopped, so they show the parasites again. I've seen a few that make it look like they mix the fish and inverts, but when you observe more carefully, the tangs and other ich prone fishes are still in a fish only tank. Inverts don't get ich.
I got ich and it did not go away on it's own. I used garlic and anti-parasite food. In my case the ich would go away for a couple days then be back. Pretty much textbook. I kept hoping one time it would be gone for good but it never happened. The LFS's in town all said it would be fine and offered various reef safe treatments that cost a lot of money. It is one of the few traps that I had done my research in advance and didn't fall for. These guys will make stuff up on the fly before saying "I don't know"
I am now treating with hyposalinity and while I do have challenges, it is not that hard and I still believe it to be the best way to give my fish and future fish a chance. QT can be picked up used , does not have to be fancy in any way. I believe that for hypo, a bigger tank is better because there is more room for evaporation or slight water change salinity errors without causing it to rise or fall too much. i am using a 40g and keeping it near 1.008 has been a breeze.
Happy to hear the original poster seems to have been lucky, hopefully it will not resurface....some people seem to be so fortunate.
