Ich, what do i do..
- Thread starter Necsones
- Start date
- Location
- Long Island
I found that garlic extreme works very well for me.
If you are running a reef vs a fowlr there are NO meds that you can add to your DT!!!!!!
The only reported way to rid a reef or any other tank of ich is to allow it to run for atleast 2 months, or longer if possible with no fish to host the darn little buggers, and then on qt ALL new fish for observation before placing in your tank.
There is TONS of information on ICH on this site as well as on the net.
The only reported way to rid a reef or any other tank of ich is to allow it to run for atleast 2 months, or longer if possible with no fish to host the darn little buggers, and then on qt ALL new fish for observation before placing in your tank.
There is TONS of information on ICH on this site as well as on the net.
Ich...Cryptocaryon irritans...in a reef tank shouldn't be deadly. I can't say why, but I've maintained my reef for over six-years now and even on those occasions when it shows up it abates withing days and isn't at all serious. The only time I've seen it is following the introduction of a fish that wasn't quarantined. But, as I said, in my reef it simply passes. So, necsones...the first thing I'd do is check all your reef's water readings to be sure that there isn't something that isn't at proper levels that's stressing the fish in that reef.
On the other hand, I set up a FOWLR about two-ears ago and I'd had continuous problems with both Ich and with Velvet with the consequent loss of many beautiful and expensive specimens. Why these diseases are so virulent in a tank without coral is a mystery to me.
I'd tried everything from "reef-safe Ich remedies" to garlic without any success. The only thing that has brought success is quarantining with a copper-based medication. Just recently, I had transferred all of the fish in my FOWLR to my quarantine tank where they were brought back to health with cpper-based meds. I left them in there for seven-weeks and left the FOWLR completely free of fish for that same period of time. Within two-days after I put them back into the FOWLR, the velvet re-appeared...causing me to return them all to the QT. Ich and Velvet were so stubborn in my FOWLR that I just very recently gave up the battle against them in that tank and put a copper-based medication...which of course, you can't do in a reef.....into the FO...so now it's I can no longer keep any inverts like conches and starfish in there with the fish, and everything like pods and bristle worms have all died too. But, the fish are fine, which was my ultimate goal.
What I'm getting at is that I suspect that your water conditions may be off in some respect and you should do what you can to figure that out and correct it and that should address the Ich issue adequately in your reef. In the meanwhile, the best thing to do is to do your best to get all of the fish out of your reef and into a QT where they could be treated.
Take a look, here for some more info on Ich...
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php
On the other hand, I set up a FOWLR about two-ears ago and I'd had continuous problems with both Ich and with Velvet with the consequent loss of many beautiful and expensive specimens. Why these diseases are so virulent in a tank without coral is a mystery to me.
I'd tried everything from "reef-safe Ich remedies" to garlic without any success. The only thing that has brought success is quarantining with a copper-based medication. Just recently, I had transferred all of the fish in my FOWLR to my quarantine tank where they were brought back to health with cpper-based meds. I left them in there for seven-weeks and left the FOWLR completely free of fish for that same period of time. Within two-days after I put them back into the FOWLR, the velvet re-appeared...causing me to return them all to the QT. Ich and Velvet were so stubborn in my FOWLR that I just very recently gave up the battle against them in that tank and put a copper-based medication...which of course, you can't do in a reef.....into the FO...so now it's I can no longer keep any inverts like conches and starfish in there with the fish, and everything like pods and bristle worms have all died too. But, the fish are fine, which was my ultimate goal.
What I'm getting at is that I suspect that your water conditions may be off in some respect and you should do what you can to figure that out and correct it and that should address the Ich issue adequately in your reef. In the meanwhile, the best thing to do is to do your best to get all of the fish out of your reef and into a QT where they could be treated.
Take a look, here for some more info on Ich...
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php
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After , my cleaner shrimp died my clown fish and rusty angle came down with ich
What is left in the tank? Anything at all?
Also agree with Awilda post.
- Location
- yonkers ny
there is a reef safe medication called "prevent ich" it is made of all organics. i have had luck with this
I have heard this so many times over the years!!! I don't trust any of them anymore.:tongue1:
My feeling is that when they discover the cure for the common cold, they just might discover the cure for ich in a reef. Especially full blown reefs..........
JMO
- Location
- Howard Beach NY
I agree... currently I am battling ICK.. I used to believe on those "reef-safe medication" until I lost almost all my corals cuz of that.. what it seems to work for me is garlic extreme.. garlic improves their immune system ..
Well my Royal Gramma was next on the Ich hit list I have a yellow tang and a blue chromis left. Today i started to see some small white spots on my Tangs fins.. so i said F it and went to the store and bought some API super Ich Cure. I dosed it to my tank and it made my skimmer go absolutly bonkers. Had to turn it off. So if these two last fish die im just going to break down the system and concentrate getting my 180 gallon project off the ground.
I have a yellow tang and a blue chromis left. Today i started to see some small white spots on my Tangs fins.. so i said F it and went to the store and bought some API super Ich Cure. I dosed it to my tank and it made my skimmer go absolutly bonkers. Had to turn it off. So if these two last fish die im just going to break down the system and concentrate getting my 180 gallon project off the ground.
- Location
- Port Jefferson station
As stated by many ich is like the common cold or flu. If you are in bad shape already (stressed, bad water quality...) a simple case of ick can kill you. However if you are in good shape its just annoying.
30 yrs of experience and I can tell you the only fish I ever had die from ich was one that I just purchased.
Here is what I do if I feel the ich numbers are getting high becuase of a new stressed fish.
1. Cut my light cycle in half maybe 4 to 5 hours of light (corals will be fine)
2. add an air pump to my sump to get as much O2 into the water.
3. Increase flow if possible again helps keep more O2 in the water.
4. Obviously check water parameters.
5. Add an inline UV sterilizer for about 2 months the more watts the better. This will keep the ich populstion in check until your fish are healthy again.
6. The best diet money can buy. If this is a Tang feed lots of dried seaweed from Oriental grocery store. This alone usually cures the Tangs.
7. Make sure there are planty of places to hide (rocks...)
IMO a fish with a healthy slime coat will not have to worry about ich. This is why Tangs(thin slime coat) are usually the first to get it and Gobi's( thick slime coat) are usually last.
NOTE: What ever you do do NOT give your fish a fresh water dip or further stress them. IMO this is why most fish die from ich. Meaning what we think is a cure is really worse than the disease.
30 yrs of experience and I can tell you the only fish I ever had die from ich was one that I just purchased.
Here is what I do if I feel the ich numbers are getting high becuase of a new stressed fish.
1. Cut my light cycle in half maybe 4 to 5 hours of light (corals will be fine)
2. add an air pump to my sump to get as much O2 into the water.
3. Increase flow if possible again helps keep more O2 in the water.
4. Obviously check water parameters.
5. Add an inline UV sterilizer for about 2 months the more watts the better. This will keep the ich populstion in check until your fish are healthy again.
6. The best diet money can buy. If this is a Tang feed lots of dried seaweed from Oriental grocery store. This alone usually cures the Tangs.
7. Make sure there are planty of places to hide (rocks...)
IMO a fish with a healthy slime coat will not have to worry about ich. This is why Tangs(thin slime coat) are usually the first to get it and Gobi's( thick slime coat) are usually last.
NOTE: What ever you do do NOT give your fish a fresh water dip or further stress them. IMO this is why most fish die from ich. Meaning what we think is a cure is really worse than the disease.
- Location
- Lindenhurst,NY
I soaked my food in vitamin c and garlic and it seemed to work for me.
- Location
- Queens, NY
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~noga/publications/JAAH_-_1998.pdf
here's an publication on fish immunity, it's kinda dense, but I read it slowly, basically, ich can kill a fish with no immunity very quickly. A fish builds immunity if it can survive 3 sub-lethal exposures to ich. Once a fish is immune, it's not affected too much by that specific ich strain. A fish which is immune to one ich strain, is still suseptable to a new strain. A fish which is not exposed to ich anymore looses it's immunity after 3 months.
if you can't read the scientific journal, heres something simplier and more straight foward
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23132-marine-ich-myths-facts.html
here's an publication on fish immunity, it's kinda dense, but I read it slowly, basically, ich can kill a fish with no immunity very quickly. A fish builds immunity if it can survive 3 sub-lethal exposures to ich. Once a fish is immune, it's not affected too much by that specific ich strain. A fish which is immune to one ich strain, is still suseptable to a new strain. A fish which is not exposed to ich anymore looses it's immunity after 3 months.
if you can't read the scientific journal, heres something simplier and more straight foward
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23132-marine-ich-myths-facts.html
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