Need Help A.S.A.P. with ich - Aquarium Advice

robertx859 · 01-19-2008, 11:19 PM

Hi all, I just purchased a false percula clown three days ago and today I've noticed that he has ich. The fish is in my ten gallon quarenteen tank. Here's the question. Since I haven't yet treated him with anything, should I use Cupramine or Ich Attack? I really want to use Ich Attack because I've read on the internet that it was a much more gentle product that's copper-free. I've heard about hypo treatment, but I don't want to subject the poor little percula to such a large salinity change and worry about having to slowly raise it back up to 1.023. I would love to know whether or not anyone has used Ich Attack and has had success with it and how they used it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Kurt_Nelson · 01-20-2008, 01:19 AM

Hypo would be my choice. I just got done doing on my tiny yellow clown goby. It's really not that big of a deal to the fish... in fact, the lower salinity decreases the stress on it from regulating its internal salinity to the external salinity, and allows it to devote more energy to getting better. In addition, the lower salinity kills off the ich parasite. Except for a lack of coloration for a couple days, the goby couldn't seem happier in SG 1.009 for 5 weeks!

The "kinder gentler" copper-free medications, in my opinion, are just snake oil... they don't do anything to rid yourself of the ich. At best, they just interfere with the life cycle of the parasite, but they don't rid you of it. The copper-free/reef-safe products are around because they play on people's need for a quick fix that doesn't require taking the fish out of the main tank, and the fact that ich "comes and goes" as part of it's natural life cycle. People will use the stuff, see the ich go away, and say "Oh... it worked! Hurray!" And then the ich will come back. Folks will then say "Oh... I guess I didn't use it long enough", and start down the same road again. But the fact is that even if they used nothing, ich will appear to go away after a few days, only to reappear after 7-10 days, but this time even worse.

Obviously I don't have any experience with the copper-free ich medications, but figured I'd chime in with my nickel's worth of advice. Perhaps someone else here has had first hand experience with the stuff.

[Edit: Here's a good article on hypo... http://www.petsforum.com/personal/tr...osalinity.html ]

cmor1701d · 01-20-2008, 02:05 PM

I agree with Kurt. There are new medications out claiming to be gentler but I have not heard of any great success using them. I too beleive they are just snake oil. I have used hypo in the past. It takes work but it is effective.

**melosu58** · 01-21-2008, 08:12 AM

I agree Hypo would be best but here are some good reading on ick.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

robertx859 · 01-21-2008, 08:36 PM

Thanks, for the great advice concerning those "fake" copper-free ich medications. I just won't use them and put my fishes lives in danger! BTW, I treated my percula with cupramine just because he really had ich and I didn't want to stress him any further with changing the salinity to hypo conditions. Again, thanks for your advice and input.

ryshark · 01-21-2008, 10:01 PM

You mentioned in the original post if anybody had tried Ick Attack. I have tried it and put it this way. I now have a hospital tank set up doing hyposalinity treatment. Looking for the quick fix was a waste of time and money. I would probably be done with hypo by now if I would have started it first and skipped Ick Attack.

**melosu58** · 01-21-2008, 10:07 PM

Thanks RYshark for sharing that. So many folks waste time on these so called miracle cures when they could go straight to something that actually works.

Kurt_Nelson · 01-22-2008, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robertx859

Thanks, for the great advice concerning those "fake" copper-free ich medications. I just won't use them and put my fishes lives in danger! BTW, I treated my percula with cupramine just because he really had ich and I didn't want to stress him any further with changing the salinity to hypo conditions. Again, thanks for your advice and input.

Glad to hear you stayed away from the herbal methods. Just FYI though, don't think that copper-based meds are not stressful on fish. They are basically poison... it's just that it kills parasites quicker than it kills fish.

cmor1701d · 01-22-2008, 02:25 PM

Did you do the treatment in your tank or in a QT tank?

Kurt_Nelson · 01-22-2008, 04:18 PM

The original poster mentions that the fish was in a 10g QT. Hopefully it still is.

01-19-2008, 11:19 PM	#1
robertx859 Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 14	Need Help A.S.A.P. with ich Hi all, I just purchased a false percula clown three days ago and today I've noticed that he has ich. The fish is in my ten gallon quarenteen tank. Here's the question. Since I haven't yet treated him with anything, should I use Cupramine or Ich Attack? I really want to use Ich Attack because I've read on the internet that it was a much more gentle product that's copper-free. I've heard about hypo treatment, but I don't want to subject the poor little percula to such a large salinity change and worry about having to slowly raise it back up to 1.023. I would love to know whether or not anyone has used Ich Attack and has had success with it and how they used it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

01-20-2008, 02:05 PM	#3
cmor1701d Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Belle Mead, NJ Posts: 3,927 Images: 43	I agree with Kurt. There are new medications out claiming to be gentler but I have not heard of any great success using them. I too beleive they are just snake oil. I have used hypo in the past. It takes work but it is effective. __________________ Click here to Vote for Aquarium Advice on AquaRank . Vote EVERY day! Click Here for a list of commonly used acronyms and abbreviations. ____ Cmor

01-21-2008, 08:36 PM	#5
robertx859 Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 14	Now I know better! Thanks, for the great advice concerning those "fake" copper-free ich medications. I just won't use them and put my fishes lives in danger! BTW, I treated my percula with cupramine just because he really had ich and I didn't want to stress him any further with changing the salinity to hypo conditions. Again, thanks for your advice and input.

01-22-2008, 02:25 PM	#9
cmor1701d Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Belle Mead, NJ Posts: 3,927 Images: 43	Did you do the treatment in your tank or in a QT tank? __________________ Click here to Vote for Aquarium Advice on AquaRank . Vote EVERY day! Click Here for a list of commonly used acronyms and abbreviations. ____ Cmor

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01-21-2008, 10:01 PM	#6
ryshark Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Southern California Posts: 567	You mentioned in the original post if anybody had tried Ick Attack. I have tried it and put it this way. I now have a hospital tank set up doing hyposalinity treatment. Looking for the quick fix was a waste of time and money. I would probably be done with hypo by now if I would have started it first and skipped Ick Attack.