I don’t know what else to do

[alexmalam]

Hello, I am fighting an ick infection in my tank and I don’t know what to do, some of the fish are sick for 20 days and I am using polyp lab reef safe medic for 3 days now but some fish that were not sick went from fine to this almost overnight can someone understand what’s happening from the photos ?

 

[fishywishy]

They need to be in put in copper

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello, I am fighting an ick infection in my tank and I don’t know what to do, some of the fish are sick for 20 days and I am using polyp lab reef safe medic for 3 days now but some fish that were not sick went from fine to this almost overnight can someone understand what’s happening from the photos ?

Polyp Lab Medic is simply peroxide salts and rarely if ever works, and at $40 a vial is a waste of money. In a separate tank, treat with coppersafe at therapeutic level 2.25 for a FULL 30 days (do not interrupt this 30 day period) monitored by a reliable Copper Test kit such as Hanna Brand- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off and with occupants exposed, they too should go into quarantine
A quarantine tank can be as simple as a tank from a second hand store or a starter kit from Walmart which most of the needed essentials.
The tang also looks a little thin

 

[alexmalam]

Let me explain some things better, I live in Greece and unfortunately a lot of things have to come from other countries so I can’t have everything available right now. This is a 1500 liter tank even my quarantine that is 300 liters is too small for my fish to be able to go fallow in the main tank. I’m using polyp lab because it’s supposed to be safe to be used in the main tank, I can’t even get decent copper tests here. Most of my fish were bought and quarantined in 2016 and I do not have thin fish. I feed them as best as I can with lots of frozen foods, nori and vitamins. The problem is I run out of options here

 

[vetteguy53081]

Let me explain some things better, I live in Greece and unfortunately a lot of things have to come from other countries so I can’t have everything available right now. This is a 1500 liter tank even my quarantine that is 300 liters is too small for my fish to be able to go fallow in the main tank. I’m using polyp lab because it’s supposed to be safe to be used in the main tank, I can’t even get decent copper tests here. Most of my fish were bought and quarantined in 2016 and I do not have thin fish. I feed them as best as I can with lots of frozen foods, nori and vitamins. The problem is I run out of options here

A larger quarantine can be as simple as a Rubbermaid type tub and anything classified reef safe is generally ineffective and will not work, if anything with very Early stage protozoan

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Let me explain some things better, I live in Greece and unfortunately a lot of things have to come from other countries so I can’t have everything available right now. This is a 1500 liter tank even my quarantine that is 300 liters is too small for my fish to be able to go fallow in the main tank. I’m using polyp lab because it’s supposed to be safe to be used in the main tank, I can’t even get decent copper tests here. Most of my fish were bought and quarantined in 2016 and I do not have thin fish. I feed them as best as I can with lots of frozen foods, nori and vitamins. The problem is I run out of options here

One options would be hyposalinity:

Hyposalinity

Hyposalinity Jay Hemdal 2024 This term refers to a long-term bath treatment for marine fishes in which the salt content of the water is lowered and held below the point that certain parasites can survive. The salt level reached, and the time of the treatment are the two variables...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[fishywishy]

Let me explain some things better, I live in Greece and unfortunately a lot of things have to come from other countries so I can’t have everything available right now. This is a 1500 liter tank even my quarantine that is 300 liters is too small for my fish to be able to go fallow in the main tank. I’m using polyp lab because it’s supposed to be safe to be used in the main tank, I can’t even get decent copper tests here. Most of my fish were bought and quarantined in 2016 and I do not have thin fish. I feed them as best as I can with lots of frozen foods, nori and vitamins. The problem is I run out of options here

Hypo salinity should be your best option then, but if you cant do that at least do a dip so that way you can have time to get everything you need before the ick comes back.

 

[Solo McReefer]

A larger quarantine can be as simple as a Rubbermaid type tub and anything classified reef safe is generally ineffective and will not work, if anything with very Early stage protozoan

He only has fish and rock in that tank, by the picture he has provided

I don't see any coral or inverts

Couldn't he use that tank as his quarantine tank?

And just treat with your anti parasite regimen in that tank?

Just curious

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Something else that might buy you time is dosing actual 3% hydrogen peroxide. It wont eradicate the ich but can reduce the abundance of the parasites and give fish a chance to recover. If you feed them plenty of healthy, nutritious foods after beginning to dose peroxide, their immune system can be boosted which will help them fight off the parasites. Effectiveness likely depends on species though. I think the effective dose is like 1mL per gallon but thats something youd have to check beforehand. Again, it wont eradicate the ich from the tank though.

 

[alexmalam]

Something else that might buy you time is dosing actual 3% hydrogen peroxide. It wont eradicate the ich but can reduce the abundance of the parasites and give fish a chance to recover. If you feed them plenty of healthy, nutritious foods after beginning to dose peroxide, their immune system can be boosted which will help them fight off the parasites. Effectiveness likely depends on species though. I think the effective dose is like 1mL per gallon but thats something youd have to check beforehand. Again, it wont eradicate the ich from the tank though.

I do feed them plenty of nutritious food plus vitamins and im trying to get my hands on a laboratory grade hydrometer. I bought a bottle of 35 ppt solution to calibrate my refractometer and found out it was 1002 higher that it should be. I have a sera hydrometer too but in order to do hyposalinity I need to be sure. Monday night I will have access to a lab and hopefully they will have a better hydrometer than the one I have.

As for the tank I have lowered the lights and my powder blue and brown tanks seem better, my emperor angel is in really bad shape but seems steady, my Kole tank that I had for 8 years and had a lump for 7 died yesterday and ypon postmortem examination the lump was a yellow mass, maybe a tumor ?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I do feed them plenty of nutritious food plus vitamins and im trying to get my hands on a laboratory grade hydrometer. I bought a bottle of 35 ppt solution to calibrate my refractometer and found out it was 1002 higher that it should be. I have a sera hydrometer too but in order to do hyposalinity I need to be sure. Monday night I will have access to a lab and hopefully they will have a better hydrometer than the one I have.

As for the tank I have lowered the lights and my powder blue and brown tanks seem better, my emperor angel is in really bad shape but seems steady, my Kole tank that I had for 8 years and had a lump for 7 died yesterday and ypon postmortem examination the lump was a yellow mass, maybe a tumor ?

Hyposalinity would be preferable but if you have sensitive corals I wouldnt expect them to react well. The peroxide dosing is just an additional option if others arent feasible. If the fish are already in bad condition, feeding anything wont help them recover unless you kill off a large portion of the parasites first. Then feeding them like you say you do will bost their immune system and help them battle the parasites.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I actually tried that myself a long time ago when I had a case lf what I believed at the time to be velvet. It was years ago so it may or may not have just been a really bad case of ich I misdiagnosed but the peroxide dosing definitely helped to buy me time and it temporarily reduced the obvious symptoms very quickly. That gave me time to get another tank so I could treat the fish.

 

[vetteguy53081]

He only has fish and rock in that tank, by the picture he has provided

I don't see any coral or inverts

Couldn't he use that tank as his quarantine tank?

And just treat with your anti parasite regimen in that tank?

Just curious

As I told him, if he plans on maintaining a fish only system, he can. There is access to proper meds which is apparent, he doesnt want to use. Hypo is an option which again there is resistance.