Ich treatment

Discussion in 'Diseases' started by JoeyBagOfDonuts, Sep 28, 2008.

to remove this notice and enjoy 3reef content with less ads. 3reef membership is free.

  1. JoeyBagOfDonuts

    JoeyBagOfDonuts Plankton

    Joined:
    May 25, 2008
    Messages:
    15
    A couple of days ago I noticed that my powder brown tang has white spots. Then later I noticed about 3 white spots on my clown fish, so I figured they have ich. I set up a 30 gallon QT with a canister filter.
    I just want to know whats the best treatment for ich, would it be better to treat them with medicine or hyposalinity. I want to do hyposalinity but I dont have a refractometer just a swing arm hydrometer. I have 4 bluegreen chromis, 2 small clowns, a mandarin, a diamond goby, a lawnmower blenny, and a powder brown tang. Also how should I keep the mandarin and the lawnmower blenny fed. The lawnmower blenny wont even look at any of the food I feed my other fish (my buddy's eats meat:loco:), and how can I keep the mandarin fed if treatments for ich will also kill copepods?
    Thanks
     
  2. Click Here!

  3. BluePhish

    BluePhish Teardrop Maxima Clam

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2007
    Messages:
    821
    Location:
    Buffalo N.Y.
    you could try to use fresh garlic juice , just crush up fresh cloves , sqeeze just the juice onto some food let it sit for a lil and feed this for a week or two, and see how they do. this will also inhance your other fishes immune system to protect them from getting it. and you wont have to remove the fish , alot of time removing a fish will stress it even further causing more problems. if its affecting the fishes gills then i would remove for further treatment. the ich is already in your system so removing the fish for treatment and putting it back in again will really do nothing.


    marine ick is not as serious a killer as fw ich. healthy marine fish will often kick it on there own.

    dont use those "reef safe" treatments.in your display please
     
  4. JoeyBagOfDonuts

    JoeyBagOfDonuts Plankton

    Joined:
    May 25, 2008
    Messages:
    15
    I already removed all the fish, and put them in the QT. I dont plan on putting the fish back in the display for at least a month. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I understand is that ich needs fish to stay alive, so with no fish in the display tank the ich will die, but it takes 4 weeks to treat the fish because of the different stages.
     
  5. Phayes

    Phayes Aiptasia Anemone

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2008
    Messages:
    584
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    its technically supposed to die off without fish after 6-8 weeks. But thats 2 months of having no fish in your display. Than you go ahead and put them all back in... a week later you decide to add a new fish, and BAM, back to having ich in your tank.
    Ich is to fish as the common cold is to humans. Healthy eating habbits and a good environment are all that either us or fish need to prevent ich, and/or aid in the treatment of it.
     
  6. Powerman

    Powerman Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2008
    Messages:
    3,460
    Location:
    Colorado
    I've read other threads about Ich Attack. So why not use the reef safe treatments?


    Also, when is it time to freak out with Ich? I moved my tank a couple of months ago. Water is great. Put in a Hippo and it has Ick. Sort of went away and now it is worse. Howerver, I don't know it it will kick it. I also have a Coral Beauty thet seemed to have fin rot when I got the tank. I have a cleaner shrimp and 6-line, but don't know it they are helping it. Just bummed about the Hippo and don't know how agressive to get. Thanks.
     
  7. sostoudt

    sostoudt Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2008
    Messages:
    5,958
    Location:
    Chesterfield, VA
    reef safe ich treatments are like flipping a coin may work may not, in my expierence not is more common. i don't think a 6 line wrasse helps with anything.
     
  8. Click Here!

  9. Powerman

    Powerman Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2008
    Messages:
    3,460
    Location:
    Colorado
    OK. I know 6-lines are not cleaners, just that sometimes they do. I got the shrimp to help the Coral Beauty. I thought at first he was just getting nipped. I have never seen the shrimp do any cleaning, but it seems maybe the Coral is offering up sometimes. Now it may be Ick on his fins???

    So then when is it time to start worrying??? So far just the Hippo is definite. He still seems happy and healthy, although you can tell he is scratching himself. I'm not sure I can remove him, but I don't have a QT right now anyway.
     
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2008
  10. sostoudt

    sostoudt Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2008
    Messages:
    5,958
    Location:
    Chesterfield, VA
    you need to set up a qt, i know from expirence if you don't you will lose some livestock.

    i think the 6 lines would do more damage then good, i had a damsel once do that exact same thing with a tang, the tang would always end up with a good size wound, but the it was happy to get the ich off
     
  11. phoenixhieghts

    phoenixhieghts Panda Puffer

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2007
    Messages:
    2,121
    Location:
    Manchester UK
    Good diet and water quality along with a cleaner shrimp is all that is eneded to beat Ich, well IMO.........
     
  12. dimweb

    dimweb 3reef Sponsor

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2008
    Messages:
    92
    Location:
    Cortland, Illinois
    I agree with Phoenix