Help with possible ich?!

[Jaz]

Just when we thought our tank was on the right track, my boyfriend and I noticed that our blue hippo tang was acting funny and had spots on it. So does our purple tang. I immediately began researching ich since we have heard so much about this pesky little sickness from our other saltwater friends. After doing my reading, I have decided this is going to be a challenge to get rid of... I am dedicated to saving our fish so that's where you guys come in! I need advice!

The dilemma is that we have live rock and several corals and other invertebrates. Our main tank that we have is stocked with a blue hippo, purple tang, a tangerine albino clown, Picasso clown, yellow headed goby, and a small damsel... I know that quarantining is our main option but he only other tank that we have at the moment is a 6 gallon cube that is in the beginning stage of being set up... Not only is that going to be VERY tight quarters for them but I'm scared to put them in there in case it has t completely cycled... I don't have the bottle in front of me at the moment but some type of "bacteria" was put in to help speed up the cycle. At this point, we don't know what to do but want to get rid of those parasites ASAP! Please help save our fishies! Thanks in advance.

 

[NC2WA]

Jaz,

do you have pics?
what exactly does acting funny mean?
How big is your tank?


if spots are white as in looks like the fish has been hit by a salt shaker, then yes you most likely have Ich...if it looks like there is a white sheen to it, then it may be Marine velvet...if it is MV then copper is the ONLY method that will kill it...so identification is critical.

Tangs are more prone to have ich and IMO a QT tank should be set up in case you have to quickly move them out to treat...personally, I would use copper (Cupramine) for a minimum of 2 wks...

IF you have ich then all the other fish in the tank have been exposed and may need to be treated...to properly remove ich from the main tank you need to remove all fish from the tank and let it go fallow (ie, fishless) for 6-8 weeks.

this is what I would do, but since you don't have a QT ready, your options are limited.

the other method to treat Ich is hyposalinity, but I would not recommend doing that in a main tank as it will kill all beneficial bacteria and live rock would need to be recycled...so I am hesitant in recommending it, this should be done in QT tank

 

[Jaz]

Jaz,

do you have pics?
what exactly does acting funny mean?
How big is your tank?


if spots are white as in looks like the fish has been hit by a salt shaker, then yes you most likely have Ich...if it looks like there is a white sheen to it, then it may be Marine velvet...if it is MV then copper is the ONLY method that will kill it...so identification is critical.

Tangs are more prone to have ich and IMO a QT tank should be set up in case you have to quickly move them out to treat...personally, I would use copper (Cupramine) for a minimum of 2 wks...

IF you have ich then all the other fish in the tank have been exposed and may need to be treated...to properly remove ich from the main tank you need to remove all fish from the tank and let it go fallow (ie, fishless) for 6-8 weeks.

this is what I would do, but since you don't have a QT ready, your options are limited.

the other method to treat Ich is hyposalinity, but I would not recommend doing that in a main tank as it will kill all beneficial bacteria and live rock would need to be recycled...so I am hesitant in recommending it, this should be done in QT tank

I'll try to get pics soon and get them up. The blue hippo has been hiding in the rocks more than usual, has breathing fast, and didn't come out to eat earlier. As I read, these are all indicators of Ich. our tank is currently a 29 but we are planning to get a bigger one in the near future. Also, we will be getting a QT tank for instances like this in the future! I do not want to lose our fish or the money and time we have invested in them.

Would copper do any damage to our corals? If so, would putting them fish in the 6 gallon be an option at all? Or maybe we could move our corals?

 

[NC2WA]

yes..copper will kill all inverts, corals, etc..

it should ONLY be used in a QT tank...do NOT dose in main tank.

6 gallon is too small IMO, would cause further stress and not help them.

how big are these fish?

 

[Jaz]

Our blue hippo tang looks much better this evening! Swimming around so much more, no white spots, and ate very well when we fed! I know that this doesn't mean the tank is cured since the Protozoa goes trough multiple stages but maybe it will give us time to get a QT set up and get it all treated! Thanks for your advice!

This was her this morning.

Oh and all of our fish are in the small end. We bought them as small as possible so we had some time to get a bigger tank before they outgrew this one.

 

[NC2WA]

correct on the stages..and when it comes back it will come back harder and heavier....ich cycle is 30 days..
and will be in the tank while fish are present..

 

[DSP]

You did great! All you need to do is feed your fish well and not stress them and ich is nothing to them, if you remove your fish to treat for ich all your doing is stressing the fish more and there's a good chance it will die, I still to this day do not understand why someone would recommend removing the fish to treat, Ich attacks stressed fish so why would we wanna stress them more?Just feed the fish well and try and keep your hands out of the tank and the fish will be fine, Ich is so easy for healthy fish to fight off I never ever worry about it anymore. The only time Iv ever had a fish die from ich is when I put in another tank to treat

 

[Jaz]

Oh ok! Well then we will let them be then! Thank you so much for all of your help! One last question, since adding fish can stress them out a little would you suggest adding anything or doing anything certain to keep the stress at a minimal during that?

 

[NC2WA]

I beg to differ...stress does not cause ich.....the fish gets ich because it is infected with the parasite..

ich needs a host to reproduce..you remove the host (ie, fish) then the parasite will die...that is just a scientific fact.

moving the fish can be stressful, but if the fish are healthy they should recover...so this is your call if you want to go fallow,but if you don't Ich WILL be always present in your system...there is some readings that say ich can mutate out in 12-18 months, but this means no new fish are added in this time frame.

good luck to you.

 

[Inwall150]

I had and cured ich in my aquariums, one tank had a porcupine puffer and the other corals. There is a product called "Kick-ich" it works wonders! It's (last I checked) $35 a bottle, safe for all coral, inverts and scaleless fish.

 

[DSP]

Ich will always be in our tanks people that disagree with that just need to get over it and accept the fact lol,myself and many others have gone fallow for months and soon as we put the fish in the tank again they get ich again so my info is from personal experience not hear say,If a fish gets stressed that's when ich is worse plain and simple, Don't stress the fish and it will be fine and @jaz try not to add anything to the tank besides food until the fish recovers completely,As long as your hands stay out of the tank the fish shouldnt get stressed out and as soon as the fish realizes it's safe and accepts that the aquarium is his new home then he will never get ich again unless he is really stressed out again, good luck and keep us updated!

 

[DSP]

And I don't know how the ich gets in our tanks even after going fallow I just know it does lol and so do many others, Whether it's hitching a ride on new coral, rock or whatever else we add somehow it gets in if it was even gone in the first place lol

 

[Eienna]

And I don't know how the ich gets in our tanks even after going fallow I just know it does lol and so do many others, Whether it's hitching a ride on new coral, rock or whatever else we add somehow it gets in if it was even gone in the first place lol

That's why, I'm finding out, you want to QT EVERYTHING.

 

[DSP]

That's why, I'm finding out, you want to QT EVERYTHING.

Ya lol I think when you first start your tank up and you quarantine everything for a couple months before adding it to your tank then maybe there's some small possibility you could keep ich out, But let's be honest nobody will do that lol they might do it at first and eventually they will add a coral or something small to there tank that they don't think ich could ever be on and then it happens lol, quarantine is great for other bad parasites but ich isn't worth a quarantine setup it's way to easy to cure, Fish fight it off with ease as long as there not stressed out and there fed well

 

[DSP]

When people start trying to catch there fish to remove them and put them in a quarantine or to do the hypo salinity crap that's when the fish will most likely die

 

[Eienna]

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php


http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-10/sp/feature/index.php

 

[DSP]

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php


http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-10/sp/feature/index.php

Ya Iv read those a few times lol, People can go through all that trouble if they want and chance stressing and killing there fish, I'd rather just take the easy route and give the fish a better chance of living by feeding him well and not stressing him, Everyone has there own opinion though Iv just been through a lot of it when I started and finally started listening to some old school reefers and then I started seeing the results for myself, It's simple feed your fish and no matter what you do don't make them stress anymore and they will be good

 

[NC2WA]

DSP,

I don't agree with your logic, but as you say everyone has their opinion and that I do respect.

I have been in this hobby for 20yrs. Ich is always on a fish, it is true that fish that have a higher immunity, but not a guarantee that the parasite will not present itself.

You might want to read this article that describes facts and myths about Ich:

Marine Ich - Myths and Facts

it is written by a Lee Birch,marine biologist with over 35yrs in the hobby..he QTs all his fish and has never had an ich outbreak (or so he claims).

 

[Jaz]

Thanks for all the advice from everyone! I will be taking it all into consideration as I decide what I should do. From each of your responses, it seems that experience and trial and error to an extent is what it is going to take to figure all of this out. At the moment, the fish are doing fantastic and there are no signs of spots! If anything changes or I find something that works for me then I will update this discussion again!

 

[DSP]

Thanks for all the advice from everyone! I will be taking it all into consideration as I decide what I should do. From each of your responses, it seems that experience and trial and error to an extent is what it is going to take to figure all of this out. At the moment, the fish are doing fantastic and there are no signs of spots! If anything changes or I find something that works for me then I will update this discussion again!

Awesome good to hear! It always works for me like I said the only time Iv ever lost a fish to ich is when I removed them to treat in another tank so I learned not to do that, Iv read all the different articles and everyone does have different opinions so it's just best to find our what works for you,And I'm glad to hear this worked for you to, Hopefully others will start doing the same method