First TIME with ICH - HELP

[Stackbundles]

I noticed a change this week. My Koran angel was losing its color. Now today I find out my favorite fish which is my yellow tang has a bad case of itch. My niger trigger has a slight case of itch and my Koran angel looks like its losing it black color. My two clowns and striped damsels are fine. What can I do.? I’m going to my LFS tomorrow to purchase anything that can help this. Can anyone advise a product or the right procedure that I should take. HELP ME! lol

 

[dynamictank]

I'll help what u can do is either use kick ich which is reef safe no copper but u can lower ur salinity to .16 that will help kill the water borne parasite n kill most of the ich but don't do that if u have inverts n corals,yes it's safe for the fish aclimate don't do it all at once, in combination u can also raise temp to 80 which I don't like.

Just do everything slow don't rush if u go fast you will stress the fish out n ultimately die

Good luck!

 

[Jkedra]

I'll help what u can do is either use kick ich which is reef safe no copper but u can lower ur salinity to .16 that will help kill the water borne parasite n kill most of the ich but don't do that if u have inverts n corals,yes it's safe for the fish aclimate don't do it all at once, in combination u can also raise temp to 80 which I don't like.

Just do everything slow don't rush if u go fast you will stress the fish out n ultimately die

Good luck!

straight up and simple...good post

 

[Aquadicted]

I say raise the temperature too it will help the ich go through it's life cycle faster.

 

[marrone]

Everything that was posted is wrong. Kick ich doesn't work, lowering the SG to 1.016 isn't going to kill the ich, nor raising the temp with kill the ich.

First, list what size tank, what type, reef, FOWLR or Fish only. Then you want to determine how to treat, either with copper or Hyposaltity. If you can't treat the main tank then it's best to setup a hospital tank, remove all the fish from the main tank, and treat with either copper or Hypo. If you're going to treat with Copper make sure you have a good copper kit. If you're going to treat with Hypo you need to follow to slowly bring the SG down to just below 1.009. When using Hypo you're need to be very sure of the SG, so you should use a Refactormeter to measure SG. Also if you can't treat your main tank, then you're going to need to leave it fallow for 6 - 8 weeks. That was the ich should die off without a host.

 

[dynamictank]

Everything that was posted is wrong. Kick ich doesn't work, lowering the SG to 1.016 isn't going to kill the ich, nor raising the temp with kill the ich.

First, list what size tank, what type, reef, FOWLR or Fish only. Then you want to determine how to treat, either with copper or Hyposaltity. If you can't treat the main tank then it's best to setup a hospital tank, remove all the fish from the main tank, and treat with either copper or Hypo. If you're going to treat with Copper make sure you have a good copper kit. If you're going to treat with Hypo you need to follow to slowly bring the SG down to just below 1.009. When using Hypo you're need to be very sure of the SG, so you should use a Refactormeter to measure SG. Also if you can't treat your main tank, then you're going to need to leave it fallow for 6 - 8 weeks. That was the ich should die off without a host.

Ok it does work I said what u kinda said where do u get ur info from that u think that's the best way I said copper wasn't good cause that will kill alot of good bacteria n inverts but yea use copper ur right if ur a lazy bum ich is water born even with no fish in a tank it is still present.

N 6-8 weeks to have fish in a separate tank which I'm sure he doesn't have would stress the fish.

 

[marrone]

Ok it does work I said what u kinda said where do u get ur info from that u think that's the best way I said copper wasn't good cause that will kill alot of good bacteria n inverts but yea use copper ur right if ur a lazy bum ich is water born even with no fish in a tank it is still present.

N 6-8 weeks to have fish in a separate tank which I'm sure he doesn't have would stress the fish.

No you didn't say what I said. What you said doesn't work, Kick Ich doesn't kill the ich. If you going to treat with Copper, and can't treat the main tank, as it's a reef, and has coral and inverts, then you need to setup a hospital tank and treat the fish in there with either copper or Hypo. Being lazy and treating copper has nothing to do with each other, I'm not even sure where you're getting that from. You want to treat and cure the problem you have.
In order to give rid of the ich from the main tank, if you can't treat it, is to leave the tank fallow for 6-8 weeks. That way without a host the ich will die. If he doesn't have a separate tank, he could get one or use a Rubbermaid container, which is something he probably wants to have, so he can QT all of his new fish, that way this wouldn't happen again.

Also, Ich isn't water born, I think you should do some research and learn about ich.

 

[Stackbundles]

I have a 75 gallon fowlr tank. Three of the six fish got itch. I prefer to keep all the fish in the tank

 

[Anthony.Luciano710]

+1 i tried everything the only true way to get rid of it is like marrone said run it fishless. but yea heres my explaination of it. decide on what you would like to do...to keep it in the tank and just keep the fish's immune system good or go the hard but better way and take out all the fish, put the into a separate tank for 3 months minimum. people say 6 weeks but no i know people that got ich back running the tank fish less for 2 1/2 months. then the fish that you took out you need to treat with copper or hyposalinity with the specific gravity at 1.009 no lower or higher. then from that point on quarantine every new fish and for like a week to make sure it doesn't have ich and if it does then treat it with copper of hypo. this way you never introduce the ich into your system and you wont have to worry about just a little stress on the fish because a tang for example. in a tank with ich it gets stressed then it gets ich. in a tank without free floating ich it gets stressed and in time it gets happy again just like more hardy fish. so yea the best way is what i said above. all reef safe medicines are just a temporary fix. and copper will just kill all ur inverts and coral and will absorb into the silicone of the tank and just leach in the tank forever.

Everything that was posted is wrong. Kick ich doesn't work, lowering the SG to 1.016 isn't going to kill the ich, nor raising the temp with kill the ich.

First, list what size tank, what type, reef, FOWLR or Fish only. Then you want to determine how to treat, either with copper or Hyposaltity. If you can't treat the main tank then it's best to setup a hospital tank, remove all the fish from the main tank, and treat with either copper or Hypo. If you're going to treat with Copper make sure you have a good copper kit. If you're going to treat with Hypo you need to follow to slowly bring the SG down to just below 1.009. When using Hypo you're need to be very sure of the SG, so you should use a Refactormeter to measure SG. Also if you can't treat your main tank, then you're going to need to leave it fallow for 6 - 8 weeks. That was the ich should die off without a host.

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

everything that was posted is wrong. Kick ich doesn't work, lowering the sg to 1.016 isn't going to kill the ich, nor raising the temp with kill the ich.

First, list what size tank, what type, reef, fowlr or fish only. Then you want to determine how to treat, either with copper or hyposaltity. If you can't treat the main tank then it's best to setup a hospital tank, remove all the fish from the main tank, and treat with either copper or hypo. If you're going to treat with copper make sure you have a good copper kit. If you're going to treat with hypo you need to follow to slowly bring the sg down to just below 1.009. When using hypo you're need to be very sure of the sg, so you should use a refactormeter to measure sg. Also if you can't treat your main tank, then you're going to need to leave it fallow for 6 - 8 weeks. That was the ich should die off without a host.

+1

 

[Jkedra]

lets try not to stir up an argument, but this is what I would do I was in your situation...Research the facts about ich and its lifecycle first and foremost...Second, there are many different pros and cons against products that treat ich. You mentioned that you have a FOWLR tank, so that eases the process a bit, in comparison if you had a reef tank, because most meds arent reef safe. People have many different opinions and experiences when it comes to treating ich. Perhaps dynamictank had positive results with that kick ich stuff, and maybe marrone did not...thats just how it is. Everyone's tanks and parameters are different and there are many things you can do to treat the ich, and the majority of people choose hyposalinity over copper treatment.

Another effective thing you can do is while treating your ich, add garlic extract to the food you feed your fish. I will give you my experience and thoughts on this. (Also a good thing to know, Garlic WILL NOT cure the ich in your tank, it just boosts your fish's immune system to the point that it can fight disease)

I soaked mysis shrimp in Kent's garlic extreme, and let it sit for a while. I then just dump the garlic soaked mysis, and the fish enjoy it alot. Plus, after your ich will be cured, continue to do this to keep boosting the fish's immune systems for the long run.
Another thing that I would say is that I would question the LFS, because the fish that
started the whole mess had to get the ich parasite from another tank. Its not like you get a healthy fish and put it in a healthy well established tank, and suddenly it gets ich.....The fish has to already be sick and have the parasite on it for something like that to happen.

Anyways, best of luck to you and your curing process, and I hoped a helped a bit.

 

[Anthony.Luciano710]

meds that are reef safe are a temperary fix just like garlic. he said its FOWLR so if it has live rock you still cant use copper so that goes back to reef safe medicines which are just a temporary fix

lets try not to stir up an argument, but this is what I would do I was in your situation...Research the facts about ich and its lifecycle first and foremost...Second, there are many different pros and cons against products that treat ich. You mentioned that you have a FOWLR tank, so that eases the process a bit, in comparison if you had a reef tank, because most meds arent reef safe. People have many different opinions and experiences when it comes to treating ich. Perhaps dynamictank had positive results with that kick ich stuff, and maybe marrone did not...thats just how it is. Everyone's tanks and parameters are different and there are many things you can do to treat the ich, and the majority of people choose hyposalinity over copper treatment.

Another effective thing you can do is while treating your ich, add garlic extract to the food you feed your fish. I will give you my experience and thoughts on this. (Also a good thing to know, Garlic WILL NOT cure the ich in your tank, it just boosts your fish's immune system to the point that it can fight disease)

I soaked mysis shrimp in Kent's garlic extreme, and let it sit for a while. I then just dump the garlic soaked mysis, and the fish enjoy it alot. Plus, after your ich will be cured, continue to do this to keep boosting the fish's immune systems for the long run.
Another thing that I would say is that I would question the LFS, because the fish that
started the whole mess had to get the ich parasite from another tank. Its not like you get a healthy fish and put it in a healthy well established tank, and suddenly it gets ich.....The fish has to already be sick and have the parasite on it for something like that to happen.

Anyways, best of luck to you and your curing process, and I hoped a helped a bit.

 

[Jkedra]

From what I heard ich medications arent reef safe...

 

[Anthony.Luciano710]

there are temporary reef safe ich medicines like kick ich. non reef safe ones have copper which kills ich very efficiently but reef safe ones just keep it from attaching on to the fish so it wont be effective unless you use it for 6 weeks to 3 months. then it will have the same efficiency as copper of hyposalinity and its reef safe. but that would be very expensive

From what I heard ich medications arent reef safe...

 

[Jkedra]

But as far as the real treatment meds (which the goal is to kill the ich)...those arent reef safe.

 

[Anthony.Luciano710]

i know i just said that like 3 times lol

But as far as the real treatment meds (which the goal is to kill the ich)...those arent reef safe.

 

[Jkedra]

I wasnt talking about temporary fixes -__-

But still treatment should be done properly and I suggest you get some good help with the treatment of your FOWLR tank especially for a first time case. Once you start treating it, you gotta stay on top of the routine things.

 

[duke62]

stackbundles you can treat your tank with copper meds as long as you never use that tank as a reef tank.the copper gets in everything including silicone of the tank and can leach out in time.as far as ich goes,i personally do not QT any of my fish.i use to, and i lost many fish QTing.i put all fish into main tank.have i got ick yes.what works for me is GX and a cleaner shrimp.i know i know many people will say it does not work but it has worked for me and im sticking to it.i dont have the time or energy for a qt.

 

[Jkedra]

stackbundles you can treat your tank with copper meds as long as you never use that tank as a reef tank.the copper gets in everything including silicone of the tank and can leach out in time.as far as ich goes,i personally do not QT any of my fish.i use to, and i lost many fish QTing.i put all fish into main tank.have i got ick yes.what works for me is GX and a cleaner shrimp.i know i know many people will say it does not work but it has worked for me and im sticking to it.i dont have the time or energy for a qt.

+1 for that...i also heard cleaner wrasses are great in a large community of fish.

 

[nittinid]

THERES A LOT OF WAYS THAT PEOPLE TOLD ME TO DO DEAL WITH THE ONE ICK ENCOUNTER I HAD...LOWERING THE S.G AND RAISING THE TEMP WORKS...BUT THAT MAY EFFECT YOUR TANKS ECO SYSTEM...AND MAY CAUSE PROBLEMS LATER DOWN THE LINE...COPPER IS JUST SOMETHING I STAY AWAY FROM...(I LOVE MY INVERTS)...BUT YOUR INVERTS AND CORALS WILL HATE YOU FOR THE REST OF THEIR SHORT LIVES IF YOU RAISE THE S.G AS WELL AS THE TEMP AND CHANCES ARE ICK WONT DIE UNTIL A WEEK OR SO... I HAVE A SAILFIN TANG THAT HAD ICK PRIOR TO ME INTRODUCING IT IN MY TANK...WHEN I SAW HIM IN MY LOCAL PET STORE I SAID TO MYSELF "IT WOULD BE A SHAME IF A FISH SUFFERED IN A ISOLATED TANK" A FISH BEING SOAKED WITH COPPER HAS A 50/50 CHANCE OF SURVIVING THE ICK CYCLE...AND THE STRESS OF BEING ISOLATED ONLY HURTS HIS CHANCES OR SURVIVING THE ORDEAL....THE WORKERS WERENT CHANGING HIS WATER EVERY 2 DAYS LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING(SOMEONE SHOULD SHOVE X-LAX DOWN THEIR THROAT AND LOCK THEM IN A BATHROOM WITH ONE ROLL OF TOILET PAPER FOR A WEEK AND SEE HOW IT FEELS)...WELL TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT,I BOUGHT HIM...I DID SOME READING ICK AND WAYS TO CURE THE FISH WITHOUT COPPER AND WITHOUT ALTERING THE LIVING INHABITANTS ON MY REEF...I READ THAT A QUICK FRESH WATER DIP WILL INSTANTLY KILL ANY PARASITE THAT COMES ALONG WITH THE SALTWATER HOBBY.FRESHWATER DIP IS NOT A 100% GUARANTEE THAT THE FISH WILL SURVIVE THE SHOCK OF A FRESHWATER DIP...AND IN MY OPINION SHOULD ONLY BE DONE TO FISH THAT ARE STILL EATING AND THAT ARE ADULT.
THE DAY AFTER I BOUGHT HIM...HE WAS INFESTED WITH ICK..I FED HIM REAL HEALTHY AND DECIDED TO DIP HIM..THE WAY I SAW IT HES EITHER GONNA GET BETTER OR HES GONNA DIE FAST AND NOT BE IN PAIN ANYMORE... I DID A 4 SECOND RO/DI WATER DIP (TEMP HAS TO BE WITHIN RANGE HES USED TO) AND ALL THE ICK DIED OFF HIM RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES...HE WAS IN A LITTLE BIT OF SHOCK..BUT QUICKLY RECOVERED PARASITE FREE.I DONT RECOMMEND IT TO SMALL FISH OR FISH THAT HAVENT BEEN EATING DUE TO THE ICK..MY SAILFIN WAS 4 INCHES AND ADULT STAGE AND STILL EATING WHEN I DIPPED HIM..AND IM NOT SAYING IT WILL WORK FOR EVERYBODY... TO THOSE WHOS FISH THAT ARE STILL EATING AND ARE HEALTHY...MEANING THE FISH IS NOT SKIN AND BONES...HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF SURVIVING THE FRESH WATER DIP ICK FREE...AND RO/DI WATER TEMP HAS TO BE PRECISE WITH THE WATER HES COMING OUT OF...IF NOT HE WILL GO INTO MORE SHOCK AND PROBABLY WONT MAKE IT.
IVE LEARNED A LOT FROM MY ONE ORDEAL WITH ICK...AND THE BEST ADVISE I CAN GIVE YOU IS...BEFORE YOU BUY...STUDY THE FISH...LOOK FOR ANY ABNORMALTIES AND IF YOU DO BUY...BE SURE TO INDRODUCE HIM IN YOUR TANK THE PROPER WAY TO PREVENT THE FISH FROM BECOMING STRESSED WHICH IN TERN CAN CAUSE THE SPAWN OF PARASITES. I HOPE YOUR FISH GETS BETTER...

iMa bE 90 YEaRs OLd DoIn a 30% wAtEr ChAnGe...cUz IMa bE rOcKiN TilL I dIe...

90 GALLON DISPLAY
IN DISPLAY;
110 LBS FIJI LIVE ROCK
90 LBS LIVE SAND
(3) 50GPH POWERHEADS
30 GALLON SUMP
IN SUMP;
40 LBS LIVE SAND
15 LBS FIJI LIVE ROCK.
PHOSBAN REACTOR
10 WATT U.V STEROLIZER (DONT HAVE AN ICK PROB)BUT JUST IN CASE
CORALIFE SUPER SKIMMER(150) IT WORKS FOR ME!
(ELITE) 200 WATT HEATER
LIGHTING;
T5 NOVAS (6 BULB FIXTURES)
48 INCH MARINLAND L.E.D REEF LIGHTING(NEW)
LIGHTING ;
IN SUMP
30-90 WATT FLOOD LAMP
L.S...SAILFIN TANG,YELLOW TANG,WATCHMAN GOBY AND A SMALL CLEAN UP CREW...4 NOW..