Will Cleaner Shirmp help with Ick?

[JamesR]

Will Cleaner Shirmp help with Ick? (removing the white specks from the fish)

Thanks,
Jim

 

[austinsdad]

You thinking about using them as a precaution or for an already existing problem?

 

[Biggen]

Will Cleaner Shirmp help with Ick? (removing the white specks from the fish)

Nope, not at all. The only way to deal (proven way that is) with ich is either hyposalinity or copper treatment. Both need to be performed in a quarantine tank as both treatments are deadly to inverts.

 

[JamesR]

thanks! that's what i thought. i imagine they are nice to have as a preventative maint.

 

[Biggen]

thanks! that's what i thought. i imagine they are nice to have as a preventative maint.

They are great little guys. Lots of personality!

 

[JamesR]

Will fish actually swim up to them for a cleaning?

 

[austinsdad]

Yeah they will. It's fun to watch.

 

[flanque]

Will Cleaner Shirmp help with Ick? (removing the white specks from the fish)

Nope, not at all. The only way to deal (proven way that is) with ich is either hyposalinity or copper treatment. Both need to be performed in a quarantine tank as both treatments are deadly to inverts.

Is ick and itch the same? If so I guess what you mean by "proven" means, as I have used tripple sulpha to remove itch within a week with corals. In fact, whilst I was treating my golfball coral was doing a heck of a lot better.

 

[quarryshark]

Never heard of itch, but ich is a parasite. The only way to rid it from your system, it to remove all fish to a qt tank (leave inverts and corals, they are not hosts).
Treat the fish with cupramine (copper) or better yet hyposalinity and leave the main fishless for at least 6 weeks. This allow the parasites to go through their lifecycle and die off from lack of hosts.
Any med that claims to be reef safe isn't strong enough to kill the parasites and any med that is, can cause you tank to crash. Thats why we advocate the use of a hospital tank to treat. Duel purpose.

 

[Sam]

With all that said, however, the cleaners will 'clean' the fish including potentially, ich cysts. But as well covered above, they should not be considered a solution to an outbreak problem. They may just help prevent one is all. 8)