Help ick
- Thread starter Akakta
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mavsfan214
Community Member
You should set up a qt tank and dose it with some copper or you can try dipping the fish in some freshwater
If this a reef you would have to remove fish and quaratine in order to medicate fish. If that is not a option you will have to hope that he will continue eating and is strong enough to overcome this.
Mrfresh
Valuable Member
Try and catch the fish, put him in fresh rodi water that's around the same temp as the tank.
You can leave him in there for 5 mins. Sme say 10 but I only do 5 if need be.
You can go to ur local pet store and buy either a cleaner wrasse or a cleaner shrimp and they might be able to help by picking off the parasites....
You can leave him in there for 5 mins. Sme say 10 but I only do 5 if need be.
You can go to ur local pet store and buy either a cleaner wrasse or a cleaner shrimp and they might be able to help by picking off the parasites....
ohio reefer
Valuable Member
The pH would also need to be the same. And 10 mins is long for a fw dip. Also a cleaner wrasse would only get the external parasites. And even with that not all cleaner wrasse clean fish. It would be best to quarantine and properly treat it.
DSP
Valuable Member
Just feed the fish good foods with some garlic.And try to keep your hands out of the tank until the ich is gone.hands in the tank will stress the fish more,taking the fish out of the tank to treat will just stress the fish more as well.And as soon as u put it back in your tank it will most likely just get ich again so that's a total waste of time imo does more harm then good.ich will always be in your tank it's realy no big deal.healthy fish fight it off easily.
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DSP
Valuable Member
Ick attacks stressed fish..So why would you want to take the fish out of the tank and stress it more then put in back in the tank where the ich is lol.I don't understand how some can say to remove the fish and do freshwater dips and all that.Its realy the worse thing someone can do to the fish.I promise if you research deep enough into this subject you will see that you should never remove a fish from its home to treat ick.And @ akakta keep us updated how things go
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Totally agree! Better to give no advice then give bad advice. Or worse, advice that's hear say
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Thereeferboss
Active Member
Depends on how bad the ick and how many fish you have in the tank?? You should read a bit about the ick life cycle and do what you think is best for you and your tank/fish there is many different methods on how to treat ick a tank that has had ick would take as long as 8 weeks for the parasite to be completely gone from your tank and die off with out any other fish in it, because the other fish can hold the parasite and not show any types of symptoms, but like I said there's different types of ways to treat a fish with ick but I would highly suggest you should read about what ick is before you make up your mind on how to treat your fish. Patience is just best friend here and good luck with your fish.
Akakta
Community Member
Ok so is what is going on. I had five fish but they all ave been dying slowly. I started taking care of this tank in March before I started taking care of it. It had not been cleaned in a year and a half and all the fishermen were still alive. since ive been cleaning it I have been doing water changes every week 30 to 40 gallons I have lost a damsel two clownfish and a tang I added a neso tang it died with in two days and my blue regal tang covered in ick and breathing hard and she stopped eatingtwo days ago. I have some yellow bacteria growing on my gravel. The set up is over ten years old and its my friends tank. She doesn't know what to do she always had a fish guy come take care for tank and then she couldn't afford it so she stopped having him come and I don't know anything I just started in March doing all the stuff and learning whatever I can say any suggestions or help id be very thankful!! And thank you for the info above. And I have been ready about ick and its cycles. But as I watched the others die. I feel I'm going to loss her. And I'd really hate that. She six years old and full grown.
rworegon
Active Member
When did you add the Naso Tang? was it before or after other fish began to die? If it was before, you most likely introduces the ich with the new tang.
Unfortunately you will get so much conflicting advice when asking about ich that its really hard to know what to do. I would suggest that you do a lot of research on the paracite and its lifecycle.
Personally I don't believe that Ich is always in your tank. I also don't believe that garlic is anything but an appetite stimulant and should not be used as marine fish food. They don't eat garlic in the wild, why would you feed it to your fish in captivity? Fresh water dips will cause the parasites to drop off the fish, but only in one part of its life cycle. If you do a freshwater dip, be sure to temp and PH match the freshwater you are dipping the fish in.
I would suggest quarantine for the fish. I would also keep the tank fallow for a minumum of six weeks, preferable is 8 to 12 weeks. Without a fish host the parasites will die. Hense, no Ich in your tank. Never introduce new fish into a display tank without a quarantine period, ever!
What ever you decide to do, do it because you have done your own research, and made an informed decision, but do it quickly for the dake of the fish.
Unfortunately you will get so much conflicting advice when asking about ich that its really hard to know what to do. I would suggest that you do a lot of research on the paracite and its lifecycle.
Personally I don't believe that Ich is always in your tank. I also don't believe that garlic is anything but an appetite stimulant and should not be used as marine fish food. They don't eat garlic in the wild, why would you feed it to your fish in captivity? Fresh water dips will cause the parasites to drop off the fish, but only in one part of its life cycle. If you do a freshwater dip, be sure to temp and PH match the freshwater you are dipping the fish in.
I would suggest quarantine for the fish. I would also keep the tank fallow for a minumum of six weeks, preferable is 8 to 12 weeks. Without a fish host the parasites will die. Hense, no Ich in your tank. Never introduce new fish into a display tank without a quarantine period, ever!
What ever you decide to do, do it because you have done your own research, and made an informed decision, but do it quickly for the dake of the fish.
rworegon
Active Member
This was posted in another forum by a Seachem rep re: Paraguard and the treatment of Maring Crypt (Ich):
Paraguard is a broad spectrum aldehyde based medication that incorporates the same mechanism as formalin, in order to kill parasites. This still makes the Paraguard somewhat of a harsh medication, but not quite as harsh as copper. It has been proven/shown in studies that formalin and malachite green do eradicate parasites commonly found in the aquarium. Though we have not performed studies or have written documents regarding this with Paraguard, we have however, tested the product in depth with positive results. We have seen it first hand in our tanks here at Seachem, that Paraguard can eradicate the mentioned parasites. We certainly do not guarantee that any medication will cure a disease or parasite in every situation, because as we all know, every tank is different with differing variables in each.
Copper is a more harsh treatment, however, it is the most effective treatment for the eradication of parasites. One of the reasons for this is because with copper, you get it to a certain concentration, and leave it there for the entire treatment period. Obviously it is a concentration that is known to kill the parasite but still safe for the fish and it will not degrade over time. Paraguard on the other hand dissipates after 24 hours and has to be re-dosed. So technically it degrades over a 24 hour period. So depending on how severe the infestation may be in your tank, this may not be strong enough to fully eradicate the parasites.
If you are prophylactically treating new livestock before putting them into a main display tank, then I would recommend using the Paraguard. Since it is a broad spectrum medication that treats for parasitic, bacterial, fungal, and viral infections, you will be able to ensure that you are not transporting any type of infection into your main tank with the new fish. It is also a great medication if you are unsure of what you may be treating.
If you get a severe outbreak of parasites, then I would recommend going with a copper treatment to ensure that you eradicate them fully. With both medications, we recommend using a quarantine system.
Paraguard is a broad spectrum aldehyde based medication that incorporates the same mechanism as formalin, in order to kill parasites. This still makes the Paraguard somewhat of a harsh medication, but not quite as harsh as copper. It has been proven/shown in studies that formalin and malachite green do eradicate parasites commonly found in the aquarium. Though we have not performed studies or have written documents regarding this with Paraguard, we have however, tested the product in depth with positive results. We have seen it first hand in our tanks here at Seachem, that Paraguard can eradicate the mentioned parasites. We certainly do not guarantee that any medication will cure a disease or parasite in every situation, because as we all know, every tank is different with differing variables in each.
Copper is a more harsh treatment, however, it is the most effective treatment for the eradication of parasites. One of the reasons for this is because with copper, you get it to a certain concentration, and leave it there for the entire treatment period. Obviously it is a concentration that is known to kill the parasite but still safe for the fish and it will not degrade over time. Paraguard on the other hand dissipates after 24 hours and has to be re-dosed. So technically it degrades over a 24 hour period. So depending on how severe the infestation may be in your tank, this may not be strong enough to fully eradicate the parasites.
If you are prophylactically treating new livestock before putting them into a main display tank, then I would recommend using the Paraguard. Since it is a broad spectrum medication that treats for parasitic, bacterial, fungal, and viral infections, you will be able to ensure that you are not transporting any type of infection into your main tank with the new fish. It is also a great medication if you are unsure of what you may be treating.
If you get a severe outbreak of parasites, then I would recommend going with a copper treatment to ensure that you eradicate them fully. With both medications, we recommend using a quarantine system.
MadBrad527
Community Member
Just a quick question, but with some info first.
I had a few fish die recently from ich, and there are now no fish at all in my reef. I have several shrimp, crabs, hermit crabs, and snails in my tank. I read about the ich life cycle, and I believe I'm just going to let the ich die off since there are no fish in there. I just want a clarification; the ich only feeds off of actual FISH, and not off my CUC as well, correct? I am going to wait around 90 days before adding fish again.
Just a quick question, because some people associate "fish" to be shrimp as well. Thanks all, I just want a clear answer.
Brad
I had a few fish die recently from ich, and there are now no fish at all in my reef. I have several shrimp, crabs, hermit crabs, and snails in my tank. I read about the ich life cycle, and I believe I'm just going to let the ich die off since there are no fish in there. I just want a clarification; the ich only feeds off of actual FISH, and not off my CUC as well, correct? I am going to wait around 90 days before adding fish again.
Just a quick question, because some people associate "fish" to be shrimp as well. Thanks all, I just want a clear answer.
Brad
rworegon
Active Member
Shrimp are a crustation not a fish, and you are correct. I just went through the same thing. My reef went fallow for 10 weeks. Treated the fish I had left in Coppersafe for 6 weeks and clean saltwater for the last 4. Everybody went back into the reef and all are doing great except my little blue green chromis. He is acting like he's late for an appointment, swimming full speed back and forth across the tank for the first couple of days. Then its rest at the top of the tank for another couple of days. Fish are weird.
rworegon
Active Member
Coppersafe by Mardel and Cupramine by Seachem are probably the most popular. Coppersafe is a chelated (sp?) meaning its bound by another ion and easier to use and Cupramine is a free copper and requires you to constantly test and redose to maintain a therapeutic dose while being careful not to overdose. Either way you should use a QT tank unless you never plan to use your existing tank to house any kind of invertebrates or corals.
