new bi color angel has ich!

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darkprincess

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Feb 8, 2012
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Ok...I got a new fish and peppermint shrimp...after 2 days I noticed he has ich. Here's the catch. My bio cube has a FF conch, the peppermint or camel shrimp? What's the best course of action? Do I treat the whole tank and take out the conch and shrimp or should I set up my 1.5 gallon nano as a hospital tank? I'm heart broken because I don't want to lose him, or hurt anything else in the tank. Also, what's the best medication to use?
 
Well I'm sure the tank is infected already. your best bet is to take out the angel and put him in your hospital tank and leave your main tank without fish for 6 to 8 weeks to kill off the ich, you can leave the inverts their not affected. you have two treatment options either hypo or copper. If you go the copper route I would recommend cuprimine cause it works great and it is less toxic to fish then other coppers. Just follow the directions and get yourself a copper test kit that tests ionic copper api is one. Good luck
 
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Right now the best thing to do IMO is yo feed food absolutly soaked in garlic. Many times this is enough to cause the ich to leave. I suggest soaking mysis tonight!
 
tonedogz said:
Well I'm sure the tank is infected already. your best bet is to take out the angel and put him in your hospital tank and leave your main tank without fish for 6 to 8 weeks to kill off the ich, you can leave the inverts their not affected. you have two treatment options either hypo or copper. If you go the copper route I would recommend cuprimine cause it works great and it is less toxic to fish then other coppers. Just follow the directions and get yourself a copper test kit that tests ionic copper api is one. Good luck

I would do this as plan B. Right now, the best thing to do is keep the fish and tank as calm as possible. Any more stress will not help, and will make things worse
 
Garlic will not cure ich or make it leave, if you wait to long to act that fish will most likely die from the infestation
 
tonedogz said:
Garlic will not cure ich or make it leave, if you wait to long to act that fish will most likely die from the infestation

It strengthens the fish's immune system and helps it fight off the ich. It is a very common way to treat, and ive seen it work many times. It wont kill the ich, but it will fish it off.

Feed garlic soaked Food for the next several days, and you will see improvment IMO.
 
I forgot to mention there are 3 assorted damsels and a maroon clown. And a neon goby. I read copper will kill the shrimp and snail. Should I try and catch the shrimp and snail and move them to my 3 gallon?
 
Yes you can not use copper with inverts but do not treat your main tank you need to move the fish to a hospital tank. If you try the garlic method I'd like you to keep me posted as to how many fish you save or lose. I want to repeat DO NOT put copper in your main tank
 
tonedogz said:
Yes you can not use copper with inverts but do not treat your main tank you need to move the fish to a hospital tank. If you try the garlic method I'd like you to keep me posted as to how many fish you save or lose.

Man I was just in another thread about ich stating what you are. Even if the immune system is strengthened, if the parasite falls off it could have reached its reproductive stage, making the situation a thousand times worse. Garlic does not kill the parasite. Anyway this is the last ill post about it because people called me out for bickering in the last thread. Good luck OP. My two cents: hyposalinity treatment. Kill the parasite, don't just hope that garlic MAY thwart off the parasite. Hypo IS a cure. Garlic IS only an urban legend supported by some cases, no scientific research.
 
Sergie said:
Man I was just in another thread about ich stating what you are. Even if the immune system is strengthened, if the parasite falls off it could have reached its reproductive stage, making the situation a thousand times worse. Garlic does not kill the parasite. Anyway this is the last ill post about it because people called me out for bickering in the last thread. Good luck OP. My two cents: hyposalinity treatment. Kill the parasite, don't just hope that garlic MAY thwart off the parasite. Hypo IS a cure. Garlic IS only an urban legend supported by some cases, no scientific research.

I agree, the garlic will only shoo the ich away. But if you keep your fish healthy and stress free, the ich shouldnt come back.

In just my opinion, hypo and copper in a qt raised the chances of death by quite a bit. The stress from having to break down the tank to get the fish out and into QT is a huge reason why the fish die.

I will have you guys know, in a thread kn a different forum, a friend said his fish had ich and asked for treatment methods. I immediately said the same as you guys, "hypo or copper in qt." Other members convinced me that garlic was a much better route for reasons i have already stated. After several days, boom the ich is gone.

I am NOT, i repeat NOT saying garlic will kill the parasite. But as long as you are a good aquarist and keep your fish happy and healthy, it shouldnt come back.
 
I'm absolutely going to treat with meds. I'm just concerened about the other unaffected fish. I will use garlic as an extra as it is beneficial. I feel powerless because I can't get meds til tomorrow. I feel bad for him, he keeps going and laying down next to the shrimp in hopes he will clean him :( poor guy! I hope I can help him. I would hate to lose him.
 
I ALSO forgot to mention I've had a UV Sterilizer on my set up since the get go. Does that change things? Freshwater ich is Sooo much simpler lol
 
The uv will slow it down alittle but it will only kill what passes through it. All of the water has to pass through it for it to be effective so it should be hooked up to your main pump not just a powerhead because then its only some of the water.
 
I agree, the garlic will only shoo the ich away. But if you keep your fish healthy and stress free, the ich shouldnt come back.

In just my opinion, hypo and copper in a qt raised the chances of death by quite a bit. The stress from having to break down the tank to get the fish out and into QT is a huge reason why the fish die.

I will have you guys know, in a thread kn a different forum, a friend said his fish had ich and asked for treatment methods. I immediately said the same as you guys, "hypo or copper in qt." Other members convinced me that garlic was a much better route for reasons i have already stated. After several days, boom the ich is gone.

I am NOT, i repeat NOT saying garlic will kill the parasite. But as long as you are a good aquarist and keep your fish happy and healthy, it shouldnt come back.

There is no scientific research that garlic does anything. No stress and your fish MAY be able to live with MI in the tank. The problem is anytime something goes array with your tank and your fish become stress, you are going to have an outbreak. Also anytime you want to add a new fish, it is going to be stressed and the other his will also be stressed from the new fish. It is best to deal with it now. Living with MI in your tank already gives you fish a strike 1.
 
Anyway...I bought garlic extreme as a supplement, and a herbal reef and inverts safe ich medication. Started treatment this morning.
 
I think the UV sterilizer will kill free swimming ich, but as far as the ich on the fish I don't think it does much. Good luck with the reef safe medication. I hope it works for you, ich sucks!
 
Anyway...I bought garlic extreme as a supplement, and a herbal reef and inverts safe ich medication. Started treatment this morning.

You should take it back and get your money back, there are no safe ick medications that do anything. Hypo or copper in a separate tank, with all the fish, leave the main tank fish less for 6-8 weeks, that is the only ways to get rid of ick. Sorry know it is not what you want to hear but it is the truth. Yes it is a lot of work to get rid of ick, thats why it is so important to quarantine all new specimens for 6 weeks to make sure that are not going to introduce anything into your main. Good luck
 
Holygral is correct those medications are not going to work. I suggest you follow his and my directions and your fish will live happily ever after
 
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