I have ich, i need some advice please help

ok, so i have ich... i set up a QT tank with "mardel" saltwater treatment that contains copper.
Ive also treated the tank with a reef safe medicine for 3 days now. Im not sure how that thing works but if im supposed to see less spots on my fish by now i havent seen any difference.

So my question is... should i QT my clowns now? i have a goby with ich too but he is eating good and it seems he is getting better. the clowns are the ones that worry me. they eat.. but not as much.

if i do QT them, how should i take them out of the tank without stressing them so much? using a net? ( i thought maybe with a zip-lock bag since its clear) whats the best way.. if i need to, that is.

 

Ideally you want all your fish out of the main tank and treated with copper while the main tank goes fishless for 6-8 weeks to starve out the parasite.

~Will.

 

arer they eating, if so leave them alone and they should be ok. Dunk your food in some garlic guard or something. Dont cause more stress than what is needed. Personally I dont believe in QT, i follow tangsters advice on introducing stuff to the tank and have suceeded. If they are the only things in the tank let them be and make sure there eating all the time and there immune system will take care of the ich.

 

I concur with the dislike of quarantine tanks due to the addition of unnecessary stress and not to mention cost and burden on you.

In the past I have always let Crypto run its course and die off on its own – only once did the Crypto give way to a secondary infection. [ It’s the secondary infection that will wreck havoc on your pets] If this were to be case your fish would more than likely stop eating, and perhaps display any or all of the following: Labored breathing, clouded eye’s, sluggish or itching. At this point I have been successful treating my reef with Maracyn II, an antibiotic with B complex vitamins that is good for both internal and external infections and reef safe. I have been told its not good for invertebrates but I have never had an issue. I keep this medication on hand at all time’s – thankfully the past few years it has expired without use, but I still replaced it because you just never know when you will need it.

I wish you luck, the best advice I can offer is to take a deep breath and relax – do not jump off the deep end and start treating your tank or a QT with copper. In my opinion you will do more harm than good. I like the idea of dunking the food in Garlic – not just at this point but rather regularly.

Anywho, this is my opinion, doesn’t make me right or wrong – and others will agree and yet other disagree. I’ll be interested in hearing what you do and how it works for you, good luck

 

I do not like to move fish when I see Ick either. This only causes more stress on you and the fish. What I do is soak the food in a mixture of Garlic, Zoe, and a vitamin C supplement such as Kent Marine C or Brightwell aquatics C. I've also added the vitamin C directly in to the tank.. (becareful when doing this though as you can over does!! Add only as recomended.) Do this it's it real bad keep the lights off for a day. This will reduce stress.

oh and the reef safe addatives.. IMO they do not work. Remember fish are like humans. cold medicine does not cure your cold it only makes you more comfortable until your immunine system can fight it off.. Same thing with fish. the Garlic, Zoe, and vitamin C help boost the immune system to fight off the parasite.

 

I have mixed feelings about QT...but I do know it works for a fact, but your QT tank has to be a stress free environment with lots of hiding places (PVC pipe works great) Copper treatment is the best way to go if your fish cannot fight the crypto. If you do choose to QT...try not to chase the fish around with a net...1-2 tries is all your going to get before they learn to be scared of the net...when I battled black ich with my regal tang I made a fish trap out of some plexi glass that worked great...basically a cube without a top and a slide trap door in the front....I would use garlic and C for sure..but if the outbreak gets worse, I would QT....and QT all the fish not just the ones that appear sick..6-8 weeks

 

well thanks for the advice....
one of my little clowns died though . i did put them in a QT and the other clown seems to be better now. ( although im keeping him there for about a month or so)

 

Do you have any other fish left in the main tank? If so they ALL need to be moved to a QT for a minimum of 6 weeks and treated while the main tank goes fishless for the duration to starve out the parasite.

~Will.

 

sorry about your loss,

 

Sorry to hear about your loss. There are so many differing opinions about crypt treatment that it is hard to know what to do. I have posted in the past about my own battles with crypt. I lost a flame angel and my hippo tang was in bad shape too. I tried the reef safe medications, antibiotics, garlic soaks, selcon soaks, and nothing worked for me. At that point, I quarantined all my fish, treated with Seachem cupramine for 3 weeks, then changed 100% of the water and treated with Paraguard for another 3 weeks (to clear up any secondary infections). I left my DT fallow of fish for 8 weeks. Having done that, I have not had any incidence of ich since then. I highly recommend this course of treatment.

That said, what I do NOT recommend is quarantining one fish while leaving other infected fish in the DT. If you do that, your quarantined fish will just catch ich again when you put him back in the tank (since he will be stressed from the move anyway).

Bottom line: IMO, either quarantine all your fish and leave the tank fallow for 8 weeks, or else leave them all in the main tank and try treatment with nutrition.