ICH problem

[JARRETT SHARK]

I bought a tang from a fellow MR member about 4 weeks ago. All my fish are looking bad since then. I see the fish covered with ich. I dont have room for a QT tank. The hardest thing is to catch the fish that have it if I was going to do it. I do have a cleaner wrasse thats been eating off of the other fish latley but the fish look very stressed and its getting worst. I have tons of corals and I know copper is the way to go in but not in my case. I read the ich forums but lost on how to treat without a QT tank. Water temp has never changed so I know it was from the other fish I bought. One fish is getting white eyes also. thanks for your input

 

[marrone]

Because you have corals in the tank you really don't have many choices. The best thing would be to remove all the fish and treat them with copper, then leave the tank empty for about 6 weeks or so. If you can get them out, but can't setup a hospital tank, then maybe you can get someone to do it for you.

There are some reef safe medicines but none have been that effective and most people that have used them have still lost fish.

If you can't get the fish out what you can do is try feeding them garlic and make sure that they're eating. Then do daily water changes, making sure to siphoning the bottom of the tank and get out as many ich tomonts as you can. If the fish are health enough they maybe able to fight off the ich and make it. This is a crap shoot and you're probably going to lose some fish.

This is a problem when you go with a reef tank and don't QT your fish, and can't get them out when they come down with something. You may need to make a decision and determine what is more important to you, the corals or the fish. If it's the corals then maybe it's best to just try and get the fish as health as possible, feeding them, and hopefully they'll fight it off. If not then you'll still have the corals.

 

[georgelc86]

Question, how big is the tank and how much rock and corals do you have?

 

[flipit13]

i am a newbie and i was told to use garlic extreme ( by kent) and after 4 days no sign of it i mixed the fishes food with it and for 4 days my place smelled like a pizzaia but worked and now every 3 days i give a dose with there food just to keep up the immune system.

 

[marrone]

i am a newbie and i was told to use garlic extreme ( by kent) and after 4 days no sign of it i mixed the fishes food with it and for 4 days my place smelled like a pizzaia but worked and now every 3 days i give a dose with there food just to keep up the immune system.

Garlic is hit or miss as there are some real question of whether it actually works or is it just the fish fighting off the disease on its own. Some people say once the fish eats it, it gets into the fish skin, which the ich doesn't like and wouldn't attach to the fish, in the end with the ich unable to find a host it just dies. Some of the stuff in garlic also gets in the water, which is suppose to kill the ich and other parasites too. What is does seem to do is build up the fish immune system, letting it fight off the diseases. Some people have also used Ginger and had similar effectives.

Most food nowadays contain garlic, so by added it to the food you're only increasing the amount. Some people even feed garlic to their fish.

As for how fast it works, which ich goes through the cycle of working it way through the fish, shows on the body, and then falls off. This can take up to 7 - 10 days.

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

i'll try the garlic. also if I lose all my fish is ich still in the tank ? does it attach to corals or hemit crabs ?

I have a 72gal filled with rock. this is why Its hard to catch them.

how do you make a Qt tank ?
does the tank have to cycle first ?
Is it to late to start ?
I have a 55 gal tank but no filter, what should I do and what cheep filter do I buy ?

 

[georgelc86]

Jarrett I sent you a pm.

 

[MikeyZO]

i'll try the garlic. also if I lose all my fish is ich still in the tank ? does it attach to corals or hemit crabs ?

No, ich is fish specific and needs the fish to survive. Without fish in the tank, the lifecycle will end with the free floating tomites as they will die with no fish to host them. Also, just as Marrone said, it will take about 6 weeks or so of no fish in the tank to ensure that all the dormant tomonts have hatched to the free swimming tomite stage and died. Then you can be pretty positive your tank is ich free.

 

[KathyC]

i'll try the garlic. also if I lose all my fish is ich still in the tank ? does it attach to corals or hemit crabs ?

I have a 72gal filled with rock. this is why Its hard to catch them.

how do you make a Qt tank ?
does the tank have to cycle first ?
Is it to late to start ?
I have a 55 gal tank but no filter, what should I do and what cheep filter do I buy ?

The 55 is fine, no it does not have to cycle first but you do have to keep a really close eye on the water parameters. A cheap HOB filter is fine (don't use the charcoal in the cartridges it will remove whatever meds you are treating with). You would need an air pump and airline (with an airstone) as ich is very rough on the gills and treating with Copper is much safer with added air. A heater and a small pump to keep water circulating.

Most importantly would be a good brand of Chleated copper and a Copper TEST KIT or you will have no idea what level of copper you have in the tank (critical for the treatment to be successful), as it will be changing as you do water changes to keep up the quality of the QT water.

You can start the tank using old tank water (if the parameters are in order),. If you are starting it using new water be sure to match the TEMPERATURE of the water before you move the fish into it.

 

[pecan2phat]

Ick will go dormant 50% of the time so going fallow does not always work. I can tell you from first hand experience with a fallow tank for 48 days.

 

[nanchil]

I have a hippo and powder brown. I had a very bad ich outbreak sometime back. I started feeding garlic by soaking there food in Kent garlic extreme and luckily I didn't loose any fish and no more ich. So I will say try garlic.

 

[ZANYMASTER]

To kill the free floating buggers,hook up a UV to prevent future out breaks.

 

[Domboski]

To kill the free floating buggers,hook up a UV to prevent future out breaks.

Ditto

 

[Bob 1000]

UV sterilizer would have kept it from spreading if tank pars were in check... And you've had enough rock...
Happy Reefing..

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

I thought uv in reef are not good or not needed?
does anyone have a cheap filter for my QT. all I have is a heater and powerhead.
does anyone know were to buy kent's garlic in south shore long island ?
thanks everyone.
I had this problem in my fish only tank and droping the sality worked great.should of been prepared for my reef tank

 

[KathyC]

Muts & Butts will have the Kent Garlic Extreme

UV's can be helpful with ich to a degree....downside is the parasites have to swim INTO (techically be sucked into the pump of..) the UV in order for it to kill them. They kill parasites & bacteria (good & bad) indiscriminately.

I can give you a power filter to use, but not until I'm home from work later today. I'll call you then.

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

Thanks

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

I just bought the garlic and trying this first.
I thought Uv kill got stuff in reefs ? thats what people told me when i started this reef tank ? Kathy when you get time let me know so I can get that filter because I will still set up a QT for the fish I can catch. Thanks