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Help! Ich attack!! :(
- Thread starter keving
- Start date
A ten gallon tank at Petco/Petsmart cost about $10 and thats the smallest tank I would place two small fish in. Don't put two fish in a 5 gallon tank.
I don't know whether AP copper test kit works with Cupramine and I suggest you Email Seachem to find out. The three test kits I know work with Cupramine are red sea, seachem, and newer salifert.
Hypo salinity is is a good alternative to copper ... just lower the SG to around 1.009 and keep it there for at least 3 weeks.
I don't know whether AP copper test kit works with Cupramine and I suggest you Email Seachem to find out. The three test kits I know work with Cupramine are red sea, seachem, and newer salifert.
Hypo salinity is is a good alternative to copper ... just lower the SG to around 1.009 and keep it there for at least 3 weeks.
Having gone through the pain, read many articles & advice, and talked to fellow refers I've come to one conclusion: Nobody knows with absolute confidence how to deal with ich! I also learned that doing nothing (other than research and trying fresh water dips) leads to catastrophy.
It seems that copper is the most reliable method of treatment based on my own research, so you're probably off to a good start. IMO I would continue with treatment and follow the instructions exactly as written.
I bought a powder blue tang a few weeks ago (perhaps the most suseptible fish to ich) and did a 1 week QT with coppersafe for good measure. He did fine for a week in my well established 125G, then came down with signs of ich. He was being bullied by my adult domino damsel, which combined with his new environment, probably triggered the ich. I netted him out and he's been almost 2 weeks back in QT with coppersafe. All signs disappeared after a few days, so it seems to work well. I'll keep him in for another week before I get him back into my show tank.
At any rate, IMO I would continue with cupramine as directed and not get caught up in measuring the amount of copper in your QT. It has been tested at the amounts indicated so I can't imagine it would create too much copper if administered as indicated.
I would however make sure you are checking your pH, nitrites/nitrates and amonia levels in your QT! Assuming it's not an established system so you will get serious spikes (especially with that much of a bio-load. Best of luck to you!
It seems that copper is the most reliable method of treatment based on my own research, so you're probably off to a good start. IMO I would continue with treatment and follow the instructions exactly as written.
I bought a powder blue tang a few weeks ago (perhaps the most suseptible fish to ich) and did a 1 week QT with coppersafe for good measure. He did fine for a week in my well established 125G, then came down with signs of ich. He was being bullied by my adult domino damsel, which combined with his new environment, probably triggered the ich. I netted him out and he's been almost 2 weeks back in QT with coppersafe. All signs disappeared after a few days, so it seems to work well. I'll keep him in for another week before I get him back into my show tank.
At any rate, IMO I would continue with cupramine as directed and not get caught up in measuring the amount of copper in your QT. It has been tested at the amounts indicated so I can't imagine it would create too much copper if administered as indicated.
I would however make sure you are checking your pH, nitrites/nitrates and amonia levels in your QT! Assuming it's not an established system so you will get serious spikes (especially with that much of a bio-load. Best of luck to you!
Ich is probably the best understood marine disease ... the only big gap in knowledge is how to safely kill it within a reef tank because the aquaculture industry that funds the research doesn't care.
Qting a fish for one week is just about useless .. that includes qting in a copper tank. Many aquarist who use copper don't keep the fish in Qt long enough to insure it works .. and many don't understand that if you don't keep the copper in the correct concentration for the entire treatment period all that work may be for naught. Some coppers just don't stay in solution and twice daily testing is often required.
Neither copper or hypo salinity kills ich on the fish ... the std qt period for either treatment should be at least 3 weeks and many would argue for 4 weeks.
Tangs are more sensitive to ich because they lack the scales of other fish ... they are also more sensitive to copper problems for the same reason.
Hypo salinity is the treatment of choice because its easier on the fish and far easier to administer.
Qting a fish for one week is just about useless .. that includes qting in a copper tank. Many aquarist who use copper don't keep the fish in Qt long enough to insure it works .. and many don't understand that if you don't keep the copper in the correct concentration for the entire treatment period all that work may be for naught. Some coppers just don't stay in solution and twice daily testing is often required.
Neither copper or hypo salinity kills ich on the fish ... the std qt period for either treatment should be at least 3 weeks and many would argue for 4 weeks.
Tangs are more sensitive to ich because they lack the scales of other fish ... they are also more sensitive to copper problems for the same reason.
Hypo salinity is the treatment of choice because its easier on the fish and far easier to administer.
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