RBU1
Moving on Up
Thats interesting. I was always told never to mix hypo and copper.
So there is really nothing you can do as a quick relief for a fish with ick. I was told FW dips do nothing either...
Who has had ich and........
- Thread starter RBU1
- Start date
Thats interesting. I was always told never to mix hypo and copper.
So there is really nothing you can do as a quick relief for a fish with ick. I was told FW dips do nothing either...
WDLV
Skunk Hybrid Freak
Haha. I didn't talk to the people who said not to do hypo with copper.
The other thing I think is important to do is to switch tanks every day and re-dose. That way the "spores" are removed along with the water that you change out.
Just make sure it's ick and not amyloodinium they look similar. Amyloo is like ick on steroids.
The other thing I think is important to do is to switch tanks every day and re-dose. That way the "spores" are removed along with the water that you change out.
Just make sure it's ick and not amyloodinium they look similar. Amyloo is like ick on steroids.
RBU1
Moving on Up
The quick research I just did tells me Formalin will work for ich. HUM!!!!
Formaldehype is most effective at ridding fish of common parasitic protozoan Black Spot, Clownfish, and White Spot marine ich infestations, as well as flukes, lice, and fungal diseases that both fresh and saltwater fishes can contract. Although a toxic chemical that is hazardous in its pure form, by purchasing and using a standard over-the-counter "formalin" product, typically a 37% solution of formaldehype diluted with water (compare prices), it's rather easy to treat ich diseased fish
Formaldehype is most effective at ridding fish of common parasitic protozoan Black Spot, Clownfish, and White Spot marine ich infestations, as well as flukes, lice, and fungal diseases that both fresh and saltwater fishes can contract. Although a toxic chemical that is hazardous in its pure form, by purchasing and using a standard over-the-counter "formalin" product, typically a 37% solution of formaldehype diluted with water (compare prices), it's rather easy to treat ich diseased fish
WDLV
Skunk Hybrid Freak
Thinking I could treat ick with formalin cost me a ~$1000 pair of latezonatus clowns.
If that's the route you want to go, I wish you the best of luck.
Try reading this. It's from a relatively well known and trusted source.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichartmar.htm
If that's the route you want to go, I wish you the best of luck.
Try reading this. It's from a relatively well known and trusted source.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichartmar.htm
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RBU1
Moving on Up
You must have done something wrong....Just kidding..
I am not splitting hairs with you. If you read my post you understand my frustrations with the QT process....and my take on things going forward.
WDLV
Skunk Hybrid Freak
I get your frustrasion. I don't know you from Adam. So I don't know how dilligent or anal you have been. I have kept fish in quarrantine for anywhere from one to twelve months... some probably longer before adding them into a shared system. When I have laxed or did something stupid (albeit seemingly harmless) like adding reef water to my quarrantine tanks instead of newly mixed water, using the same syphon hose for cleaning multiple tanks without a thorough rinsing or moving other system components (like decor) without rinsing, I have noted problems. I have been very dilligent and anal in the last 18-24 months and have had no outbreaks in my systems... even after re-introduction of previously infected specimens.
I would like to see you succeed because you followed my advise to a T as a couple other reefers have done but I still don't know you from Adam and don't know if you have or believe you have done everything i would suggest. I don't have all the answers. This is just what has worked for me.
Equally, I do not take it personally if you decide to go a route that you deem to be a new frontier for you. I'm just advising you against those that have caused me money and grey hairs.
I would like to see you succeed because you followed my advise to a T as a couple other reefers have done but I still don't know you from Adam and don't know if you have or believe you have done everything i would suggest. I don't have all the answers. This is just what has worked for me.
Equally, I do not take it personally if you decide to go a route that you deem to be a new frontier for you. I'm just advising you against those that have caused me money and grey hairs.
RBU1
Moving on Up
I have been anal myself. I just hope the ich in my main tank works it self out somehow. I only saw about 10 spots at most on the crosshatch and none on any of the other fish......Just have to hope for the best this time....
WDLV
Skunk Hybrid Freak
Good luck!
Blitzburggirl
Member
man.. what a mess... I read not to mix copper and hypo because it's more difficult to monitort the copper and it can cause fluctuations in other parameters. I won't pretend to know anything more about it than that.
In my opinion, ich is going to exist in the average reef tank. Meaning the person that likes to pick up a coral or a fish, or a snail every so often. And doesn't thoroughly QT everything. Very few people I know QT every snail. And even fewer every coral. And the one point in which everyone thinks they do QT, and most don't effectively QT is that they QT multiple animals, from multiple sources (not just suppliers/LFS's, but collecters, and areas of the world) together. Or even more foolish... they may QT one animal for a month, then add another, and for weeks later add the initial animal to the display. Geeze. Nowhere is this more rampant than here on RC with all these elaborate builds.
That said. I built my 180 and ran for 2 months fallow with LR out of another reefers tank (that I'd known for about 2 years.) I then bought a group of fish from another reefer that had been in his 125 for 2-3 years together. He hadn't added any other fish in 2 years. They were all healthy when I got them from him. Out of the group, a 6 inch regal tang came down with what I thought was ich. In over 10 years of reef keeping I had never had a sick fish. I tried what many of you are suggesting, feeding, ride it out... etc. Well, it got to the point where the fish was suffering, and I didn't have the means to QT a 6" tang. So I found another reefer that did, and offered to give her the fish. I tore my tank down (180) to get this fish out, and still stressed him out to the point where he died in the 5 gallon bucket on the 1.5 hour drive to her house
None of the others have exhibited signs of any disease since September 2009.
I have only added 3 other fish since that group, and that was in Dec. They came, again, from a reefer I knew, with a healthy tank. I didn't QT them and added them to my display. 5 months later, no issues. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!
I have one fish in a pseudo QT right now. It is in a 12 gallon nano, that was a fully functioning reef for nearly 2 years. I remove most corals. This fish is delicate (CBB) and is being trained to eat prepared foods. I left the LR and sand in the tank, along with a few zoas and polyps. The fish has been in QT 3 weeks now, and will likely stay there for another 2-3 months. Why? I wanted the benefit of the biological filtration of the LR and LS. Given that the fish is undergoing food training, I needed a robust system that is stable as much food is being added. Also, I can do fairly large frequent water changes without shocking the system. I wanted to provide a lower stress environment than a stark QT tank. I think fish can discern plastic rocks from real rocks LOL The tank is small enough that I can catch the fish easily if it needs to be medicated. I can observe proclivity to eat polyps easily.
All this, and I'm obviously in this subforum for a reason right LOL
The tail of my copperband looks a bit odd to me. It's not ich, but I can't identify it as anything else. Kind of like a mother of pearl look on his white. For all I know, it's normal. Anyway, just thought I'd share my opinion of QT. Faced with my regal's case of ich again, I think I'll let him fight it out in the tank. Not stress the sick fish and all others by attempting to catch him. But I do QT all incoming animals for which I don't know their history.
In my opinion, ich is going to exist in the average reef tank. Meaning the person that likes to pick up a coral or a fish, or a snail every so often. And doesn't thoroughly QT everything. Very few people I know QT every snail. And even fewer every coral. And the one point in which everyone thinks they do QT, and most don't effectively QT is that they QT multiple animals, from multiple sources (not just suppliers/LFS's, but collecters, and areas of the world) together. Or even more foolish... they may QT one animal for a month, then add another, and for weeks later add the initial animal to the display. Geeze. Nowhere is this more rampant than here on RC with all these elaborate builds.
That said. I built my 180 and ran for 2 months fallow with LR out of another reefers tank (that I'd known for about 2 years.) I then bought a group of fish from another reefer that had been in his 125 for 2-3 years together. He hadn't added any other fish in 2 years. They were all healthy when I got them from him. Out of the group, a 6 inch regal tang came down with what I thought was ich. In over 10 years of reef keeping I had never had a sick fish. I tried what many of you are suggesting, feeding, ride it out... etc. Well, it got to the point where the fish was suffering, and I didn't have the means to QT a 6" tang. So I found another reefer that did, and offered to give her the fish. I tore my tank down (180) to get this fish out, and still stressed him out to the point where he died in the 5 gallon bucket on the 1.5 hour drive to her house
None of the others have exhibited signs of any disease since September 2009.I have only added 3 other fish since that group, and that was in Dec. They came, again, from a reefer I knew, with a healthy tank. I didn't QT them and added them to my display. 5 months later, no issues. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!
I have one fish in a pseudo QT right now. It is in a 12 gallon nano, that was a fully functioning reef for nearly 2 years. I remove most corals. This fish is delicate (CBB) and is being trained to eat prepared foods. I left the LR and sand in the tank, along with a few zoas and polyps. The fish has been in QT 3 weeks now, and will likely stay there for another 2-3 months. Why? I wanted the benefit of the biological filtration of the LR and LS. Given that the fish is undergoing food training, I needed a robust system that is stable as much food is being added. Also, I can do fairly large frequent water changes without shocking the system. I wanted to provide a lower stress environment than a stark QT tank. I think fish can discern plastic rocks from real rocks LOL The tank is small enough that I can catch the fish easily if it needs to be medicated. I can observe proclivity to eat polyps easily.
All this, and I'm obviously in this subforum for a reason right LOL
The tail of my copperband looks a bit odd to me. It's not ich, but I can't identify it as anything else. Kind of like a mother of pearl look on his white. For all I know, it's normal. Anyway, just thought I'd share my opinion of QT. Faced with my regal's case of ich again, I think I'll let him fight it out in the tank. Not stress the sick fish and all others by attempting to catch him. But I do QT all incoming animals for which I don't know their history.
Gogandantess
New member
^ I think they help assist the infected fish in cleaning them but not necessarily getting rid of the ich. It's more of a quick relief to the fish IMO.
aquaph8
Love The Fish
When I first started the hobby I knew nothing of QT. All I knew was that I couldn't treat my fish cause of my corals so I didn't. Let just say the hardy survived, at least until something else went wrong that stressed em. I tried cleaner shrimp, wrasses and every miracle reef safe crap on the market. I lost most fish in the first month and had a few fish that seemed to fight it off with just being fed well. 10 years later, I now QT everything, fish and corals and very rarely lose anything unless I get big headed and try something I know I shouldn't. Me and Powder blue's dont get along.
Aqua Commander
New member
ich sucks.
formalin dips tend to work, but i've found that the infected fish need to be removed from the main tank to a tank with no substrate and treated there.
in a reef that is super difficult...when i see ich in a reef i'll feed them rinsed pe mysis, cilantro, turn on the uv, and pray!!
formalin dips tend to work, but i've found that the infected fish need to be removed from the main tank to a tank with no substrate and treated there.
in a reef that is super difficult...when i see ich in a reef i'll feed them rinsed pe mysis, cilantro, turn on the uv, and pray!!
aquaph8
Love The Fish
The doing nothing thing may seem to work for some but it always comes back to haunt you later. No one's tank is perfect forever. All it takes is one stressful event or one wrong fish addition to cause problems and/or fish loss. IMO you should be feed garlic and selcon to keep your fish healthy but its not an ich cure.
JSeymour
New member
I was just logging on to start a post about how I'm about to up my quaranteen procedure, and saw this post. Thought I'd just add my newest experience.
My yellow longnose, a fish I was able to keep and watch at my work for over a month, brought him home, and has been in the tank for about a month. Not one spot of ich this entire time. A few days ago, I decided I needed a couple more snails. Went to the store, grabbed a couple snails from one of our coral display tanks(no fish, and I personally quaranteened and treated every coral that went into this tank, no rb, nudis, etc.) and just threw them in my tank. Now my butterfly is in a hospital tank, starting hypo treatment. I'm almost baffled. My guess is that the small amount of water on the end of the hose used to refill the tanks after water changes, had ich in it from one of the fish tanks. Now it's in my tank. Quaranteen EVERYTHING, even if it seems you shouldn't have to.
So my question to other quaranteeners, how long do nonfish introductions need to be quaranteened for ich? I know for fish, 8 weeks, but a snail, cucumber, shrimp, etc? How do you quaranteen organisms that need an established liverock system to feed like linka stars? I don't plan on getting one, but 8 weeks in a sterile environment, I would think they would starve.
My yellow longnose, a fish I was able to keep and watch at my work for over a month, brought him home, and has been in the tank for about a month. Not one spot of ich this entire time. A few days ago, I decided I needed a couple more snails. Went to the store, grabbed a couple snails from one of our coral display tanks(no fish, and I personally quaranteened and treated every coral that went into this tank, no rb, nudis, etc.) and just threw them in my tank. Now my butterfly is in a hospital tank, starting hypo treatment. I'm almost baffled. My guess is that the small amount of water on the end of the hose used to refill the tanks after water changes, had ich in it from one of the fish tanks. Now it's in my tank. Quaranteen EVERYTHING, even if it seems you shouldn't have to.
So my question to other quaranteeners, how long do nonfish introductions need to be quaranteened for ich? I know for fish, 8 weeks, but a snail, cucumber, shrimp, etc? How do you quaranteen organisms that need an established liverock system to feed like linka stars? I don't plan on getting one, but 8 weeks in a sterile environment, I would think they would starve.
aquaph8
Love The Fish
Jason, I know what you mean. I don't qt snails, etc...... I think its good practice if you have the means cause anything wet can bring Ich but I just don't have the space or an understanding enough wife to take it that far. Its really hard not to think the fish was carrying it along but you never know.
