Kick Ick - tried it???

[cindre2000]

I have read on wetwebmedia that tags are more prone to ick; however, they are also better at shaking it off.

Is this true?



Also, everytime I buy a goby from my LFS it has ick; or comes down with it shortly. This did not matter before since it was in a tank by itself and overcame it; however, i recently bought a red-headed goby and put it in my new tank, shortly after it came down with ick and spread it to my yellow-bellied damsel. The damsel broke out for a couple of days and how has no spots. The red-headed goby died. Are gobies prone to ick?

 

[FragMaster]

More prone and WORSE at "shaking it off".
Also if they get fin rott or similair the fin grow back. Making for one UGLY tang
Black tangs and purple tangs are the worst for ick.

 

[Anonymous]

In Len's case, and other Tang cases, I'm wondering if you truly have Ich/cryptocarian or if the fish developed the "white spots" maybe from netting, or some other "skin" abrasion. Crypto makes a cyst or sore on the surface of the fish...hence the "white dot". So I'm wondering if people are diagnosing crypto, or just seeing "white spots" and saying "I have ich in my tank". I've lost tangs to this, and it wiped out my entire fish population.

I will also add that the ONLY thing that worked from me was a UV....my fish were scratching, flashing, and panting. They were turned around in about 2 days. Of course, I've been told that UVs are horrible for reef tanks. Doing a hypo treatment, copper treatment, or now a kick-ich treatment HAS side effects. UV I'm sure does too, but to get rid of the protozoan, without killing the anaerobic bacteria is a nice trick.

Oh, btw, I still have the fish to prove it too. ...and my inverts. My UV is now turned off so that the phytoplanktons of the world are now free to roam the country.

Just my experience...and I've tried everything but kick-ich before the UV installation.

 

[Rlumenator]

slapshot16- what a bummer, I'm very sorry for your loss... keep us posted on how the others fare.

I think most people should be able to tell if it is by the "raised" spots. When I took the tank out of qt- he had some small white areas- which I assumed was caused by abraisions of trying to get as far out of sight as possible, also the ammonia in the tank. Ick looks like ick!

QT seems to be a double edged sword sometimes. There are some fish I didn't qt- but the hippo was not to be one of them. In retrospect- I feel this particular individual would have done better going directly to the reef. He was absolutely petrified in there- I had a mirror aimed at the tank so I could peek around to see if he was eating-and the, if he saw my image, he bolted- that's how scared he was. As soon as I put him in the reef- he knew he was home- he is so happy (if you can give human attributes to a fish- I forgot the term for that- it's been a while since I took psych!

Manny, glad to hear that was a joke! ( I've seen some threads where people get really carried away.)

 

[Anonymous]

I forgot the term for that- it's been a while since I took psych!

Anthropomorphic?

 

[Rlumenator]

Yes, thank you Wings - that's it- anthromorphism.

 

[AF Founder]

There is one thing that has helped reef fish that are dealing with Cryptocaryon irritans: leave the bright lights on 24 hrs/day. The new parasites get on the fish at night when the fish are motionless. Leaving the lights on shifts some of the advantage to the fish.
I have never seen a medication that works in a reef tank. Keep in mind that ICK is an in vertebrate, so what will kill it will also kill other invertebrates.

 

[Rlumenator]

Yes, I have heard that the parasite often are in the place where the fish sleeps- however the hippo goes to bed whether lights are on or off, whereas the chevron is the last to sleep. Do you think I should leave on the lights anyway? For how many days, and what are the implications for the rest of the reef? I don't have MH, but (4) 10,000k 65w & (4) 65w aclinics compact fluor. lamps- with moonlights. (520w) Thank you, Dawn.

Day 6 with Kick Ick- no one else infected- I'm not sure if I see a few again on the Hippo or not.

 

[Anonymous]

There is one thing that has helped reef fish that are dealing with Cryptocaryon irritans: leave the bright lights on 24 hrs/day. The new parasites get on the fish at night when the fish are motionless. Leaving the lights on shifts some of the advantage to the fish.
I have never seen a medication that works in a reef tank. Keep in mind that ICK is an in vertebrate, so what will kill it will also kill other invertebrates.

I read just the opposite. Not that you should turn lights off for 24 hours, but that the parasites break out of the cyst and swim toward the surface, where they silhouette the fish against the sun light (tank lights) above. They swim up toward the light and zero in on a dark spot.

I also read that if medicating for the free swimming parasite with any kind of medication in a QT, you should do it just before lights on because the cysts break open at dawn so the parasite has the full day to try and find a host using the above method.

 

[Anonymous]

I also think changing the light cycle to 24 hours straight can be very stressful for any animal. Fish need a rest period just as much as we do and it cannot be good for their health to have 24 hours of light, especially if you are already trying to help them fight the onslaught of a parasite invasion.

 

[Rlumenator]

Yeah, Iam kind of hesitant about 24 hrs. on, but there are always new studies. I'm just trying to hold my own with my hippo's situation.

 

[Anonymous]

More prone and WORSE at "shaking it off".
Also if they get fin rott or similair the fin grow back. Making for one UGLY tang
Black tangs and purple tangs are the worst for ick.

Not sure I agree.

 

[Len]

wings, my fish had ich for sure. It started out as a few small white spots, then over the course of a few days, the whole body was covered in hundreds of spots. Within 48 hours, all of it suddenly went away. I've had this happen with my previous tangs too.

 

[AF Founder]

There is one thing that has helped reef fish that are dealing with Cryptocaryon irritans: leave the bright lights on 24 hrs/day. The new parasites get on the fish at night when the fish are motionless. Leaving the lights on shifts some of the advantage to the fish.
I have never seen a medication that works in a reef tank. Keep in mind that ICK is an in vertebrate, so what will kill it will also kill other invertebrates.

I read just the opposite. Not that you should turn lights off for 24 hours, but that the parasites break out of the cyst and swim toward the surface, where they silhouette the fish against the sun light (tank lights) above. They swim up toward the light and zero in on a dark spot.

I also read that if medicating for the free swimming parasite with any kind of medication in a QT, you should do it just before lights on because the cysts break open at dawn so the parasite has the full day to try and find a host using the above method.

My observation is entirely anecdotal. My experience with ick covers close to 40 years, and I always observed ick density on the fish to be the most in the AM, just as the lights go on.
Furthermore, ick in FOT was a constant problem. Fish in reef tanks appear to have less stress, which helps them fight off various deseases. There is plenty of scientific evidence that stress is a major problem, which is why most reef keepers have trouble with ick in a new tank, or when adding a new fish, or when moving fish to a new tank, etc.
I agree that fish need to rest, but I still believe that doing whatever you can to swing the balance in the fish's favor is the way to go.

 

[Rlumenator]

Len, what do you attribute this vanishing ick to?Where did the parasites go to? Thank you, Dawn.

 

[Rlumenator]

Day 7- there are definitly a few new spots of ick today.The hippo tang's appetite is great, acts normal, no one else shows signs of being infected. Dawn.

 

[FragMaster]

Not sure I agree.

Then spit it out I have been waiting for you to finish that thought for two days now LOL!!!.

 

[Rlumenator]

Three years- two regals, only ick problem I've had!

 

[FragMaster]

Sorry! I was reffereing to Righty.

 

[Anonymous]

Your statements were very broad and I don't think I agree with them.