Help - it looks like I have a growing ich outbreak in my 120g reef. It all stared about 4 days after adding a new kole tang to the tank - he had been quarntined for about 10 days in my dealers cooper treated tank and looked fine. About 2 days after being put in my tank (water parameters are ideal and proper acclimation techniques were followed), the kole tang broke out with ich and ultimately some body leasions. I could not catch him with all the rock work - he ultimately died (I assume since he's been missing for a week and was probably consumed by my serpent/brittle stars). In the last 2 days, my purple tang (has been in the tank for 3 years) and strawberry dottyback are showing signs of ich. There is no way to catch them in this tank to attempt to quarantine. The other fish (pecula clowns, green chromis and lawnmower blenny) appear fine, thus far. The corals are all fine. What, if anything, can I do. I have 1 cleaner shrimp in residence. I can't use copper treatments because of the inverts. Can I sit this out (I do use UV 24/7 in the tank)
ich outbreak in 120g reef
- Thread starter robbinson
- Start date
hindsight is 20/20 :wink: but for the future:
proper quarrantine treatment for ich must last for at least 3-4 wks.given the time frame of the parasites lifecycle-it can really only be killed when in the free swimming ciliate stage.in order to ensure that all the ciliates are killed by copper, you must allow for the time needed for the cysts/eggs of the parasite to also reach(hatch out) that stage-this takes about 3 wks-add a week just to be sure.
fwiw-you can try a few routes:
feed garlic and hope it works-though anecdotal evidence suggests it helps, it is not guaranteed to work.
catch the fish and treat them for 3-4 weeks in a hospital tank w/either copper, or by low salinity method.(copper is probably less stressful-if the fish are fairly well coated,i wouldn't recommend the added stress of s.g. changes).
you can catch the fish-it's a pita, but can be done.(much less of a pita than watching them die,no? :wink: )try the 'mirror in a jar' method-a search should turn up the thread.
good luck
proper quarrantine treatment for ich must last for at least 3-4 wks.given the time frame of the parasites lifecycle-it can really only be killed when in the free swimming ciliate stage.in order to ensure that all the ciliates are killed by copper, you must allow for the time needed for the cysts/eggs of the parasite to also reach(hatch out) that stage-this takes about 3 wks-add a week just to be sure.
fwiw-you can try a few routes:
feed garlic and hope it works-though anecdotal evidence suggests it helps, it is not guaranteed to work.
catch the fish and treat them for 3-4 weeks in a hospital tank w/either copper, or by low salinity method.(copper is probably less stressful-if the fish are fairly well coated,i wouldn't recommend the added stress of s.g. changes).
you can catch the fish-it's a pita, but can be done.(much less of a pita than watching them die,no? :wink: )try the 'mirror in a jar' method-a search should turn up the thread.
good luck
My Powder Blue tang just died and needed to undo 1/2 the reef to just get the body out-I ended up reaquascaping the full tank and it was a royal pia. The water was soo dirty from mixing up the sediment. The tank is a 120 and am seriously considering selling it-I really miss the conveniences of nano reefs.
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