Fighting ich !!! :(

[Anjos]

I'm currently fighting ich on my 90 gallon reef tank with a 20 gallon sump. I started yesterday morning using Polyp Lab Reef Safe "Medic". It's a "reef safe aquarium conditioner engineered to promote a parasite free and healthy environment for marine fish". They're crystalline peroxide salts that i put in my sump (return pump area) twice a day and gets transported to the DT. On Sunday I've noticed the blue tang acting weird with a few white spots in it's belly area and grazing against the glass and/or clam. I administered "Medic" monday morning and night as well as this morning. The tang has now a very swollen eye and my anemone is not as happy as usual. Everything else is good. Has anyone else have experience with this product or these signs of stress?
P.S. - they recommend keep using skimmer while using this product and for a period of 10 days.

 

[TheTodd]

There are no reef-safe Ich cures. It's Hyposalinity or copper in a QT plus leave your DT fallow for 6-8 weeks to let the Ich die off. It's no fun, but that is what works. The rest is snake oil "treatments". The spots will probably disappear, as that is part of the life cycle. Don't be fooled into believing that it is really cured.

Blue Tang in a 90g is going to be stressed, which is going to lead to problems like this.

 

[Anjos]

Blue tang is still 2 inches long. My LFS says they use this product on their tanks and there has been several costumers satisfied with the results. I don't have a QT. I know there will never be a cure and if i take the tang to a QT what tells me my DT and sump is still not full of these parasites?

 

[Jamroz37]

Get a uv sterlizer worked for me

 

[TheTodd]

Blue tang is still 2 inches long. My LFS says they use this product on their tanks and there has been several costumers satisfied with the results. I don't have a QT. I know there will never be a cure and if i take the tang to a QT what tells me my DT and sump is still not full of these parasites?

Present size is not what minimum tank suggestion sizes are based on. There are multiple posts, almost daily, with this same basic story. Fish in a "too small tank" with Ich, MV or some health ailment. Too small equals stress. Stress equals lowered immune system. That leads to problems most of the time.

Leaving the DT fallow lets the Ich die off. It can not live without a host. Fish treated in QT will be Ich-free and will go back into an Ich- free tank. Not killing off the problem leaves it to come back. Big bucks have gone into research about this parasite, so they know what is effective. Read about it and learn how it works and you will see.

I've heard different fish stores talk about several treatments for Ich over the years. Fresh water dips, cleaner shrimps or wrasses, various snake oils, etc...then you read and learn that those do not work, but people see the spots disappear and figure their fish somehow was cured. The Ich returns down the road and they wonder why. I used to be one of those people, which is why I try to share and help others out.

 

[Holygral]

Hypo, copper, and fallow, that's it period. Uv sterilizes also do nothing. A good uv cost $400 or more. And then they only affect the free swimming parasites, and only a small portion ever make it to the sterilizer. If you go fallow even without a sterilizer, the ick will die off without a host, same as it won't die off with a sterilizer when there is a host. Save your money, of course you lfs said it works, they are in business to sell you stuff.

 

[Minkota]

Get a uv sterlizer worked for me

UV Sterilizer is not a guaranteed cure. It will only kill what is in the water column, and passes thru the unit AT THE CORRECT SPEED, too fast and it only kills good/bad algae.

 

[jeffaquarius]

I have exactly similar problem with my 3 inch hypo, The rest of my fish are healthy. I decided not keep him or add more fish to maintain the balance on my tank without performing a fallow suggestion. I am inclined to just add more corals though,

 

[Minkota]

I have exactly similar problem with my 3 inch hypo, The rest of my fish are healthy. I decided not keep him or add more fish to maintain the balance on my tank without performing a fallow suggestion. I am inclined to just add more corals though,

The fact that the Hippo showed signs of Ich means its already in the system. The ONLY way to rid the tank of it without using Copper or Hypo-salinity is to leave the tank fallow and put the remaining fish in QT. Ignoring the problem won't make it go away.

 

[JJ-MIK]

Can you explain how to fallow a tank! I'm new to all this and would like to know Incase I ever encounter this problem. Thanks in advance!!

 

[jeffaquarius]

I agree that ich is still present in the tank but they will only prosper if fish are stressed. If one is willing to take the risk of losing the other fish in the QT for months just to totally get rid of the ich then yes fallow is the best solution. But then, why bother if the rest of the fish are happy and are not stressed? Also, down the road it is no guarantee that the ich will not return when you keep adding stock into your tank.

 

[Ella_e]

Fallow tank means that the tank has to be completely void of fish for 6-8 weeks (some has suggested 4 weeks as well). You can keep inverts in because they are not carriers of the parasite. If there are no hosts (aka fish) the parasite starves and dies. You thus have a ich-free display tank.
During the 6-8 weeks, the fish are kept in a separate tank where you can quarantine or treat the fish.

 

[Minkota]

Can you explain how to fallow a tank! I'm new to all this and would like to know Incase I ever encounter this problem. Thanks in advance!!

Fallow means no fish, Ich needs a host (the fish) to reproduce and repeat its life cycle. If you leave the tank fallow (no fish=no host) for minimum 6-8 weeks.

 

[Ingy]

Fallow = take all the fish out and put them into a seperate system/tank. A hospital tank as it were. The DT is then fallow (empty) of fish hosts for the Ick to survive on. Leav it that way for 8 weeks and they will all die.
Corals are ok tho, as are CUC

 

[JJ-MIK]

What about raising the temp to 80 83.. Will that kill of any ick? I know that works in freshwater

 

[JJ-MIK]

i just read aboutthis.. says its the best method to treating for ick and not have to remove anything from display tank... Metronidazole.. mix it in with the food and feed the fish... anyone try this? and what about gaurlic guard?? i use that daily for feeding.. but i just read on a sit that too much can cause respritory and or liver damage...

 

[Minkota]

What about raising the temp to 80 83.. Will that kill of any ick? I know that works in freshwater

No it won't kill ich, at most it can help speed up the cycle an maybe speed up the fish metabolism but it will not kill the parasite.

 

[Minkota]

i just read aboutthis.. says its the best method to treating for ick and not have to remove anything from display tank... Metronidazole.. mix it in with the food and feed the fish... anyone try this? and what about gaurlic guard?? i use that daily for feeding.. but i just read on a sit that too much can cause respritory and or liver damage...

Only known true cure is copper and hypo salinity garlic can help with the fish ammune system but that's about it as far as I am aware of...

 

[jeffaquarius]

i just read aboutthis.. says its the best method to treating for ick and not have to remove anything from display tank... Metronidazole.. mix it in with the food and feed the fish... anyone try this? and what about gaurlic guard?? i use that daily for feeding.. but i just read on a sit that too much can cause respritory and or liver damage...

Everything you mentioned are just to prevent the ich from attaching to your fish but are not intended to get rid of them. Once you have a fish that is stressed like a new addition then your ich will get him.

 

[Holygral]

Marine Ich - Myths and Facts