Ich!

[360º]

Added a montipora coral a couple days ago and now all my fish have ich

anything i can do other than try and catch all my fish and move them into quarantine?

 

[Ricksreef]

Where did you get the coral?

 

[360º]

local (thought to be trusted) fish store

 

[Ricksreef]

Aren't you in the Hampton Roads area.if you are I can give you the names of the best two local places to get livestock.

 

[360º]

no im in Edmonton canada. i just picked up a product called "herbana" and the people at the store swear by it, 100% natural so no risk to corals

 

[neilanh]

interesting. Did you dump the LFS water into your tank?

 

[thincat]

As neilanh stated it more then likely came in with the water because corals don't get ich.

 

[360º]

interesting. Did you dump the LFS water into your tank?

nope transfered from the bag, into a container, acclimated it and lifted it out and put it in my tank.

 

[cmor1701d]

There are no known natural cures for Ich. It takes either a Hyposalinity treatment or a copper based medication to eradicate the parasite.

ATJ's Marine Aquarium Site - Reference - Hyposalinity Treatment

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

 

[PrettyFishies]

I dip all of my corals in Luguls Solution and then Revive. I use a flashlight to look closely for flatworms or red bugs and a turkey Baster to swish the water and suck out anything I may find. Never trust anyplace - LFS or reefer. Assume every piece has something.

I was not award corals could carry ich though.

I've heard of some people using a UV at least 18w and. 100gph pump. Slower flow is more efficient. It's not 100%. But essentially, when the Ich complete the first phase and drop off you have a shot at killing the free floaters with the UV. otherwise, you're catching fish.

My recco is copper - Cupramine. Hypo messes with the bacteria and causes serious fluctuations in PH, ammonia and nitrite. It's hard to keep up and very likely you'll lose the fish due to all the changes

One thing about copper is some fish are sensitive to it

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I was not aware corals could carry ich though.

They can't.

Hypo messes with the bacteria and causes serious fluctuations in PH, ammonia and nitrite. It's hard to keep up and very likely you'll lose the fish due to all the changes

Any cure is going to mess with the bacteria, there's no easy fix. Copper is a poison to everything, and it's just that it kills parasites quicker than it kills your fish - assuming your fish is strong to start with. Hyposalinity at least is not poisonous to your fish, for the couple months we're talking. I've used it and not had a problem with my biological filtration, so I suppose different folks will have different experiences.

Seems like there's a lot of folks going through the battle with ich right now. And it's hard to see many folks going with the "reef-safe" option. Please folks... do your research on how ich works and what does and does not cure it. Curing is one thing... "controlling" (which many of these products claim) is different and doesn't get rid of the thing. You're just postponing the inevitable.

To add to the great links cmor posted... here's a good one to separate myth from fact:

http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=40916.0;wap2

 

[360º]

ok guys, im dosing this stuff. 100% natural, no copper or any chemicals, smells like citrus( my whole basement smells like citrus)

did 50mL this morning and i've already noticed a change in the behavior of my fish, they are no longer hiding and they are more active than they were last night and this morning.

its suppose to relieve the stress of the fish, build its immune system and slim coat.

so by doing this, ich is unable to attach it self to the fish after it lets go the first time so it eventually starves and is eradicated. Treatment takes 10 days

its 27 dollars a bottle so im hoping it'll help. so far the results look promising. my corals look good, shrimps look good and active. the only thing is that all of my snails have closed up ( but apparently thats normal and they'll be fine once the treatment is done)

 

[cmor1701d]

Interesting snake oil there. Read the links I posted. The lifecycle of Ich is 28 days or more. A 10 day treatment is just enough time for the infection phase to end. You may boost the immune system somewhat for a short period. The fish will still be attacked by the parasite. Possibly only in the gill area where u can't see it. One missed pwc, other delayed maintenance, fish addition, or any stressor and the parasite will take over again.

Hypo is easy if you follow the instructions. Having filter material in the dt or sump that you can move over will help cycle the qt tank faster. PWCs in the qt tank keeps the water parameters in check. I find it easier than trying to maintain the proper level of the poisonous copper med in the qt tank

 

[360º]

how can ich survive 28 days without a host?

i've always been told it hangs on to the fish for a few days and then drops down and releases thousands of new parasites..... but if those parasites cant find a host within 2 days, they starve and die?

 

[hackteck]

i think i read that somewhere too and if thats the case then why do people recommend leaving fish in a quarantine and leaving a tank fishless for 6-8 weeks is it overkill?

 

[cmor1701d]

"the normal time frame in which tomonts will hatch ranges from 3 to 28 days, a fallow (without fish) period of 30 days to 6 weeks is recommended to eliminate this parasite from an aquarium. Removing all potential hosts from a system for this period of time should eradicate the pest from the aquarium. "

Read about the lifecycle.
ICH articles
Aquarium Fish: News from the Warfront with Cryptocaryon irritans: Part One of Five — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

Aquarium Fish: News From The Warfront With Cryptocaryon Irritans, Part Two Of Five — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

Aquarium Fish: News From The Warfront With Cryptocaryon Irritans, Part Three Of Five — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

Aquarium Fish: News from the Warfront with Cryptocaryon irritans Part Four of Five — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

Aquarium Fish: News From The Warfront With Cryptocaryon irritans, Part Five Of Five — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

 

[360º]

"the normal time frame in which tomonts will hatch ranges from 3 to 28 days, a fallow (without fish) period of 30 days to 6 weeks is recommended to eliminate this parasite from an aquarium. Removing all potential hosts from a system for this period of time should eradicate the pest from the aquarium. "

Read about the lifecycle.
ICH articles
Aquarium Fish: News from the Warfront with Cryptocaryon irritans: Part One of Five — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

Aquarium Fish: News From The Warfront With Cryptocaryon Irritans, Part Two Of Five — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

Aquarium Fish: News From The Warfront With Cryptocaryon Irritans, Part Three Of Five — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

Aquarium Fish: News from the Warfront with Cryptocaryon irritans Part Four of Five — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

Aquarium Fish: News From The Warfront With Cryptocaryon irritans, Part Five Of Five — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

bought a new bulb for the UV sterilizer and ill just run the sterilizer with the treatment and then leave it on for couple months afterward

 

[melosu58]

Great links Cmor. A person could really learn alot from those links.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Agree. Unfortunately, the other way to learn is from experience.

 

[cmor1701d]

It seems a lot oh the newbies are not learning from experience. Too bad really, and somewhat frustrating.