I have a couple of questions about ich. Luckily, it is currently not an issue, but I have been battling algae (diatom, hair, and red slime). I had to use chemi clean to get rid of the red slime (worked great by the way), and I am afraid that all of the efforts could cause stress resulting in an ich breakout.
What is the life cycle of ich?
My understanding is that ich does not kill fish, but that they can die because of complications resulting form ich. What things can I do or not do to promote healthy immune systems in hopes of preventing it.
I have a 75 gallon reef tank in its beginning stages. Tank has been running for almost a year now. I started adding soft corals in april. Tank inhabitant include:
about 80 lbs live rock
2 ehiem canister filters
2 clowns
2 damsels
1 engineer goby (cool fish)
1 blue tang (I know he will grow) - planning on upgrading to a 120 gallon within the next year
1 royal gramma
1 feather duster
1 cleaner shrimp
1 coral banded shrimp
1 sand sifting star
1 other star (not sure of type - its orange)
small assortment of snails
1 emerald crab
1 small bubble coral
1 small hammer coral
1 toad stool coral
small colony of zoos
I do a 20 gallon water change 1x per month. water parameters or good other than phosphate and silicate (i am currently working on that).
also, should i get ich in my aquarium, what are my best options of treating in tank? A qt is not feasible at this time.
What is the life cycle of ich?
My understanding is that ich does not kill fish, but that they can die because of complications resulting form ich. What things can I do or not do to promote healthy immune systems in hopes of preventing it.
I have a 75 gallon reef tank in its beginning stages. Tank has been running for almost a year now. I started adding soft corals in april. Tank inhabitant include:
about 80 lbs live rock
2 ehiem canister filters
2 clowns
2 damsels
1 engineer goby (cool fish)
1 blue tang (I know he will grow) - planning on upgrading to a 120 gallon within the next year
1 royal gramma
1 feather duster
1 cleaner shrimp
1 coral banded shrimp
1 sand sifting star
1 other star (not sure of type - its orange)
small assortment of snails
1 emerald crab
1 small bubble coral
1 small hammer coral
1 toad stool coral
small colony of zoos
I do a 20 gallon water change 1x per month. water parameters or good other than phosphate and silicate (i am currently working on that).
also, should i get ich in my aquarium, what are my best options of treating in tank? A qt is not feasible at this time.
