ick problem

[AquaticFuture]

I had an ick problem in my reef. it took me a few months but I finally kicked the ick so to speak with a UV light and i added garliq and liquid vitamen to my fishes diet. worked very well. i have a better description of what i was dealing with in my blog.. check it out..

The Future of Aquarium Design

comments are always welcome good or bad.
how would you try to get rid of an ick problem?

 

[ezy33]

I've had good luck using Garlic Extreme, add it to the food if I see any fish flash and to the water and food if I see any spots.

 

[AquaticFuture]

I heard that works well ao i just started using it and i think its going to become my norm.

 

[bskerrichard27]

U need to qt all fish and leave tank fishless for 8 weeks treat fish after 8 weeks no Ick put them back in dt and qt any new fish u buy befor hand u never wanna treat fish in dt

 

[AquaticFuture]

i dont know about anyone else but i hate trying to catch all my fish lol. its never easy and i destroy everything. But I was never into UV sterilizers untill now. I looked up easier methods of getting rid of ick and i seen a lot on UV sterilizers. so i went out and boutght one. within a week all my fish kicked the ick except for my 2 clown fish but then after about another week they got rid of it. now im waiting to see if it comes back because i know icks life cycle is about 4 to 6 weeks long, so well see i guess.

I wish I had a QT. but i dont as of yet so im just trying to work with what i have at the moment. Thank you very much bskerrichard27, I think my next step now is setting up a QT for any new fish. =)

 

[ezy33]

A ounce of prevention is Worth a pound of cure. It's been stated that garlic won't cure ICK but it will boost the fish's immune system letting the fish cure it's self. the trick is catching the outbreak early before it spreads from the first host. IMO moving a sick fish will cause stress compromising it's immune system even more. It seems to me leaving the DT fish less for 8 weeks would cause a cycle when they were returned. As the ICk is on the fish and in the DT it would appear that treating both at the same time would be less trouble and more effective in the long run.

 

[AquaticFuture]

That is true but you can't treat ick in a DT if you have live rock and live sand. Moat treatments kill off a lot of beneficial bacteria creating a hole new problem.

I think i want a QT tank with copper treatment for all new fish..
Once the ick is completely gone from my tank I never want it again

 

[bskerrichard27]

Well thats true as for the cycle I never had a proublem like was just stated never put meds in a display tank copper for one will kill all inverts and coral and the tank will absorb the copper in rock sand the silicone in a glass tank and then u will never be able to had inverts or coral to that tank ...as for a all natural aproach garlic and uvs some claim to have had success but these are not proven only proven way to rid Ick is copper or hypo salinity and leave dt fishless for 8 weeks

 

[bskerrichard27]

And both those methods need to be done in a qt tank

 

[AquaticFuture]

As a direct way to kill off th ick you are rght. but the garlic Is believed to raise the ammune system of the fish there for helping the fish to fight the ick off. cant be proven if the galic is the actual reason your fish got rid of ick but im sure it helps in some small way.
As for UV lights. it sterilizes the water that passes through it anywhere from algae to parasites. So if you look up the life cycle of Ick there is one stage of its life where it is free floating through the water where it bumps into the fish making it the host. but if it runs through the UV light before coming into contact with the fish then it dies off, But if th ick comes into contact with the fish then the UV ligt will have no affect on that.

I dont belive a UV light will be a cure all but in my opinion if you can stop one stage of the icks life cycle then you will ultimalty win the war so to speak.

 

[bskerrichard27]

I thought this forum was a place for helping others by sharing proven methods to cure proublems there are a million what ifs in this industry while I to have thought to had success with garlic its not proven and when dealing with exspensive fish its best to go with proven methods verse snake oils and unproven meds .I'm not gunna get in a knowledge shouting match as this forum is seeming to be full of the I know everything type...research Ick how to combat it with scientific proven methods

 

[AquaticFuture]

Just sharing knowledge is all. everyone has there own way of doing things. that's the great thing about this hobby. there are a million ways to run a system. You could be in this hobby for 10 years and learn something new every day.

 

[ezy33]

I agree you could be in this hobby for 40 years and learn something new every day.