ICk is a real problem :( hmph

[portion]

ok i have yellow tang, blue, clown, 4 chromis and a watchman
shrimp, crabs and starfish
ok i have heard that ick does not affect inverts. rite?

now since i added my last fish ( blue tang)

third day he got stressed and i saw signs of ick
then went to the LFS and bought parasite stop reef safe ick treatment
it was working until the bottle ran out on the forth day and the instructions said five althought the bottle clearly states it good up to 75 gal and my tank is 65
hmm any how although the fish looked cleared up

nex day it came back and strong
went to get Kick ick ( shouldve bought back the first treatment) and it is the 6th day and there is still alot of ick
they are scratching all over
and the instructuions say put ever other day.
what do u guys suggest
and also i dont have a QT. so thats y i am treatiin it in the big tank..
need help ppl...
today my bro gave up and he added another dose which was scheduled for tomorrow morning..
damm this ick real devastated the appearence of everything
sucks...
everything to corals dont look to good

THe water quality is normal. i have checked it by my LFS every other day and everything is perfect
hmmm
worries me
i dont want anything to die

 

[quarryshark]

If you really want to get rid of it, you need to get a qt tank and treat them in that with hypo salinity or my prefered method, cupramine with the seachem test kit. At the same time leave the main tank void of fish for 4-6 weeks will allow the parasite to go through its life cycle and die off. Any med that claim to be "reef safe" are to weak to kill it off. It may appear to go away, only to come back twofold in a few days/weeks. This just the parasite going through its life cycle.
check out these links for proof

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=24898
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=26275
We will help to guide you through the process.

 

[gefilte]

I had a very similar situation and lost all of my fish. My tank has been fallow for two months. I have now set up a QT where all fish will go in BEFORE going into the main tank. Setting up a QT isn't that bad cost-wise. I got a basic 10 gal set up from PetStupid and it only cost about $50. You could probably even do it cheaper. But, from what I understand, that is the best way to avoid your problem in the future. If you can, get a QT now, get those fish out and treat them! Funny thing is, my problems started after I put in my Blue Tang!

 

[dralarms]

PetStupid

That's about right.

 

[kalani]

Hey guys. I'm a newbie to this hobby and I still don't understand what needs to be done to rid the ick from my aquarium. Should all the fish even the ones without ick be in QT? I read different opinions that ick will always be in your aquarium. Is this true? My Clown Trigger and Blue Tang has ick. Mainly the Trigger. My damsel, Naso Tang and 2 Perculas look okay. But I would be really sad if my Trigger dies. By the way I do have a UV. Would appreciate your comments.

 

[revhtree]

Hey kalani! Ich cannot live without a fish host. It takes 4 to 6 weeks for ich to die out of the main tank completly. If your tank has fish in it, then ich will not die. Even though the other fish show no signs of ich, they will host it, and it will continue to live in the tank. Therefore the main tank must be fallow (fishless) for at least 4 to 6 weeks. The ich will die without the host, and your tank will be ichless. While ALL your fish are in qt they ALL need to be treated with a copper based medicine like cupramine. You need a copper test to make sure there is not to much copper in the qt or it will kill the fish, or if theres not enough copper in the qt it will not kill the ich. TRUST ME, you need to get rid of this, and there are no easy fixes except to bite the bullet and qt them all. The cupramine medicine is only about a 14day treatment. It will work if you will do it right. You may need to do a freshwater dip on your badly infected fish to give them some instant relief. I know this is alot, but it pays to qt your fish now, and all new fish in the future. Sorry about your problem, I feel your pain. HTH!

 

[steve-s]

Hey guys. I'm a newbie to this hobby and I still don't understand what needs to be done to rid the ick from my aquarium. Should all the fish even the ones without ick be in QT?

Yes, all fish should be removed for treatment (hyposalinity or chelated copper) and the display tank left fallow for about 6 weeks.

I read different opinions that ick will always be in your aquarium. Is this true?

Completely false. If QT'd prior to introduction of the main tank and treated if necessary, there is no reason for a parasite to ever enter the display tank. C. irritans is not an "always present" condition as many are lead to believe. The fish either have it or they don't and it must be introduced to the aquarium system.

My Clown Trigger and Blue Tang has ick. Mainly the Trigger. My damsel, Naso Tang and 2 Perculas look okay. But I would be really sad if my Trigger dies. By the way I do have a UV.

Some fish are more resistant than others and it is possible for them to aquire short term aquired immunity but no fish will remain impervious as long as the parasite remains present in the display tank. You would be best of removing all your fish to an appropriate sized quarantine tank and treating them. The UV does help limit the amount of theronts in the water that may infest the fish but is by no means an effective cure. Rather it is an aid to a proven remedy.

Cheers
Steve

 

[kalani]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I will definately take all my fish out and QT them. Does that Quick Cure or Organi Cure stuff work instead of the copper based medicines?

 

[steve-s]

I don't think either would be as good. The Quick cure is formaldehyde and malachite green (nasty stuff) but I am not sure on the organicure. If you're worried about the affects on the fish then go the hyposalinity route if you have a refractometer. Seachem's Cupramine is also one of the least harmful copper meds you could use. Just be sure you do not mix treatments.

Cheers
Steve

 

[kalani]

Thank you very much Steve for your advice . This is the best forum i've seen yet

 

[kalani]

My clown trigger died. Dammit.

 

[steve-s]

Sorry for the loss

How long has the clown been infested and have you begun treating the others yet?

Cheers
Steve

 

[kalani]

He had the first infection about 2 weeks ago. 2 Days after being treated with QuickCure It dissapeared so I put him back in the tank with the others. 3 days ago he looked as if he was getting small spots here and there. Then over night, he was covered with ick. After reading this post, I took all my fish out and began the treatment and letting my tank fallow. He looked okay at first then woke up this morning with him dead. Well it's a hard lesson learned. Thats why i'm so glad to have found the help I need here. So far all the fish iis doing okay. I have them seperated into 2 seperate buckets and doing a 100% daily water change. Thanks Steve.

Cheers
Kalani

 

[quarryshark]

Sorry for your loss, I know its painful.
Stick with the treatment you have started, I promise it works.

 

[kalani]

Thanks Shark