trying to get rid of Ick

[clark4feathers]

started a new tank...parameters are all within range. Other then my clown, every fish I put in there gets ick. I have treated the tank for 15 days using kick ick. Did a water change...new charcol. It is 28 gallons. Bought a chiller thinking it was the water temp. I have lost 3 dwarf angels to Ick. Is there anything else I can do before I attempt another fish?

 

[melosu58]

IMO Kick ick does not work. Read these links to determine what will and to learn a little about the parasite.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: A Quarantine Tank for Everything by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com


Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part I by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part II by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

Also moving this to the SW sick fish forum.

 

[clownfishy]

UV sterlizer works great! and they r pretty cheap

 

[clark4feathers]

Got one of thosei Io

 

[zacheyp]

How do you aclimate your fish?

 

[clark4feathers]

In a device with a drip line for about 2 or 3 hours. Could be I was not warming the water when I change it.

 

[ccCapt]

Please read the links Mike posted above.
If you want to be "ich free" you must:
1- take all fish out of your tank and treat them for ich with either a copper treatment or hypo
2- leave your tank fishless for 6-8 weeks. Ich is a parasite that needs a host (fish) to live off. It will die off if there are no fish in the tank for it to feed off.

A UV unit will only kill what passes thru it. The chances of every parasite making it to the UV is slim to none.
Temp will not bring on ich. The fish either has it or it doesn't. If you have a fish that was treated and cure of ich, it will not get it again unless it's (ich) introduced by another fish.

 

[clark4feathers]

Could it be in the water at the lfs? Seems like every fish I get from there gets ick. I bought a fish there before it was released in their tank. Any ideas on this? Could ick be in the water?..

 

[crister13]

Thats how it gets introduced into tanks. I didnt believe in QTing and lost 3 fish and now do. Always QT, I think it is one of the most important thing in a saltwater tank. And, BTW, if those 3 dwarf angels were in a 28, thats why they died. Most people would recommend keeping three dwarfs in 180+ tanks.

 

[clark4feathers]

Just one angel at a time. I bought each one of them after the other one died. Do FS usually quaratine.?

 

[Jdzadik]

Some do, but not many LFS quarantine. So its in your best interest to make sure the fish is eating and has been doing well for some time before purchasing. Another thing you can try is getting a cleaner shrimp. When first introduced to your tank they do a pretty good job of keeping parasites off your fish. However, as mentioned above, dwarf angles do better in bigger tanks because they like to to swim around a bunch. If a fish is limited in its desired space it will begin to stress the fish out making him more susceptible to parasites and sicknesses