Ich help!

[MadSneak]

Well last week my Domino Damsel started showing signs of ICH, so I went to the LFS and got a new heater cause my water temp. was fluctuating with the previous heater I had. (I thought that could of been the cause of him getting sick) Next day the fish looked a lot better, but now things has just gotten worse my female clown also has ICH. What to do now? I've never experience ICH so I don't know where to go from here... Please HELP!

 

[redsea]

Hi there,

the best way to get rid of ich is to set up a separate tank, move the fish there, and treat.

Then you must leave your display tank empty for 8 weeks.

I am currently going through ich now.

 

[tonedogz]

remove the fish to a qt tank do not treat the display. I've found the best think for me was cupramine made by seachem.Dose as directed it works great, but you'll need to get a copper test kit like (salifert) to make sure the dosage is correct. It should be able to test ionic copper if you go with a different brand. Make sure you watch the ammo. and trites. good luck

 

[melosu58]

Helpful links

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

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

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

When setting up a QT, I'm I supposed to use the same water from my DT or new water? Sorry for the silly question, this is my first time dealing with the ich situation....thank you all!

 

[MadSneak]

When setting up a QT, I'm I supposed to use the same water from my DT or new water? Sorry for the silly question, this is my first time dealing with the ich situation....thank you all!

 

[Thorn Walthall]

You can use water from your display and treat with curpamine by seachem and use seachem multi test kit use as directed the rich has a life cycle and the copper will kill the free floating stage which will in turn cure your fish make sure not to over dose also a UV sterilizer will help to kill and prevent ich in your display

 

[cmor1701d]

Hyposalinity is IMO the best treatment for Ich. It is the least stressful on the fish and runs the course of the Ich lifecycle. That way you eliminate it from both the DT and fish at the same time.

UV will not really help with Ich. There is very little time in the water column.

 

[Thorn Walthall]

You can't use hyposalinty if you have inverts and its hard to keep the level to 1.009 unless you have an auto top off due to evaporation and if it gets above that you have to start all over and since I've installed a UV I've not had one rich problem

 

[MadSneak]

Is ”coppersafe” any good?

 

[cmor1701d]

You CANNOT use Copper in the DT if you have inverts!
Hyposalinity is meant for a QT tank, not the display tank. Inverts remain in the DT while the fish are treated in the QT.
Keeping the SG at 1.009 or lower is not all that hard, certainly no harder than maintaining a therapeutic level of copper. I found it easier.

Aged tank water is just that, AGED (and depleted) tank water. Using a fresh mix at the same SG and temp as the DT is the preferred method.

UV can only affect the parasite during short (~48hour) period and then only if they pass through the UV device. At that stage the parsite goes to ground looking to attach to the substrate where they will encyst and grow.

Mike linked the articles on the life cycle; here's the article on Hyposalinity

 

[Thorn Walthall]

I've never used it I would stick with the seachem copper is like chemo to humans it can be just as hurtful as helpful curapmine is prolly the safest copper and I dose it to 0.5 it calls for 0.6 but I like to keep it a little light

 

[cmor1701d]

...copper is like chemo to humans it can be just as hurtful as helpful

Exactly why I prefer the kinder, gentler Hyposalinity treatment. Much easier on the fish and I don't need to worry about contaminating my DT with anything that was in the copper treated tank.

I keep a biowheel in my sump so I can jump start my QT when I need it. If I used copper based medication I would have needed to get a new one.

I have not had an Ich outbreak since that one and only one incident. I now QT all fish and take precautions with all corals and inverts.