I need help plz with an ich outbreak

[reefer_btw]

Hey reefers! Not too sure how this r2r thing works but ill give it a shot. So im in a bit of a pickle atm. I have this mimic tang that i bought a few days ago and looked perfectly healthy
turns out i see that my tang now has ich all over its pectoral fins and on it sides. I have copper, prazi pro, and reef safe medications too but i dont have a qt tank right now. Is there anything i can do to save this fish?

 

[Sharkbait19]

Welcome to the forum!
Post pics if able, as it will help to confirm ich.
Do you have corals or inverts in the tank?
Best course of action to treat ich is to move all fish into a separate qt tank to treat with copper and to leave the tank fishless for 45 days.
If no inverts or corals are in there, hyposalinity could work.

 

[reefer_btw]

Welcome to the forum!
Post pics if able, as it will help to confirm ich.
Do you have corals or inverts in the tank?
Best course of action to treat ich is to move all fish into a separate qt tank to treat with copper and to leave the tank fishless for 45 days.
If no inverts or corals are in there, hyposalinity could work.

I do happen to have corals and other inverts but again i dont have a qt tank heres a pic of the tang

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey reefers! Not too sure how this r2r thing works but ill give it a shot. So im in a bit of a pickle atm. I have this mimic tang that i bought a few days ago and looked perfectly healthy
turns out i see that my tang now has ich all over its pectoral fins and on it sides. I have copper, prazi pro, and reef safe medications too but i dont have a qt tank right now. Is there anything i can do to save this fish?

Great to hear that you have these meds on hand. Before recommendations, can you post a pic or two of the fish under white lighting to help verify and assess what your fish has?

 

[reefer_btw]

Great to hear that you have these meds on hand. Before recommendations, can you post a pic or two of the fish under white lighting to help verify and assess what your fish has?

You cant really see the ich on camera with white lighting so i edited the saturation on the pics and they are more visible. Also, will raising the temp of the water help at all?

Great to hear that you have these meds on hand. Before recommendations, can you post a pic or two of the fish under white lighting to help verify and assess what your fish has?

 

[reefer_btw]

Thankfully, i managed to get myself a 10g qt any ideas as to what i should medicate the water with?

 

[Sharkbait19]

Copper is the treatment of choice for ich.

 

[LAReefer4Life]

Copper is the treatment of choice for ich.

+1

What copper are you using? You'll need a reliable test kit. Hanna Checker is the best option. Treat for 30 days at therapeutic levels and observe for 2 weeks post treatment.

Run aquarium fallow for 45 days at a minimum temp of 80.6.

 

[DavidsAquariums]

The best treatment for ich is just to leave the fish alone and keep your hands out of the tank,Ich is caused mainly from stress so removing a fish to treat it will most likely make it worse,Try to keep traffic around the tank slow as possible and hands out besides feeding,If he's eating he will be just fine.I never ever ever worry about ich its so easy to manage I promise you,If he isn't stressed he will be just fine.

 

[DavidsAquariums]

Unfortunately most of the hobby will recommend getting a hospital tank setup and unfortunately that's the worst thing you can do and its what causes so many aquarist to stress and freak out over ich because doing that causes so many deaths,Hospital tanks are recommended for other illnesses but not something little like ich,It's like a basic cold to us it's nothing to worry about as long as you leave the fish alone and keep stress free.I will eve buy fish that have ich because I know once I get them in a nice display and let them be they will be fine,Hospital tanks are nothing but stress.

 

[Derrick0580]

I had great luck with metroplex mixed with focus and heavy feedings to get stress levels down. My purple tang has had several close calls where I thought he was a gonner but somehow has made it through each one!

 

[DavidsAquariums]

I had great luck with metroplex mixed with focus and heavy feedings to get stress levels down. My purple tang has had several close calls where I thought he was a gonner but somehow has made it through each one!

Exactly best thing to do is keep them well fed and stress free,Never ever remove from tank to treat for ich that will make it so much worse

 

[reefer_btw]

+1

What copper are you using? You'll need a reliable test kit. Hanna Checker is the best option. Treat for 30 days at therapeutic levels and observe for 2 weeks post treatment.

Run aquarium fallow for 45 days at a minimum temp of 80.6.

Turns out shes not doing to hot. She was eating perfectly fine yesterday. Today I noticed she was fairly lethargic and not swimming normally. The qt doesn’t have any bio filtration so i thought it was the amonia levels; therefore i did a 100% water change to clean out the tank. I slowly add he back in to the tank again and she starts having spasms? It really wierd almost as if her swim bladder was having problems. She is now currently laying on the floor (Also, the day after she was in quarantine she lost all her ich spots and had no signs of any other parasites)

 

[DavidsAquariums]

Turns out shes not doing to hot. She was eating perfectly fine yesterday. Today I noticed she was fairly lethargic and not swimming normally. The qt doesn’t have any bio filtration so i thought it was the amonia levels; therefore i did a 100% water change to clean out the tank. I slowly add he back in to the tank again and she starts having spasms? It really wierd almost as if her swim bladder was having problems. She is now currently laying on the floor (Also, the day after she was in quarantine she lost all her ich spots and had no signs of any other parasites)

Sorry to hear this,Next time try leaving the fish in the display to keep stress levels down and it should be just fine,These hospital tanks and treatments are to stressful on fish that just have ich.I know so many people recommend hospitals tanks unfortunately,Always sucks losing an awesome fish

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Unfortunately most of the hobby will recommend getting a hospital tank setup and unfortunately that's the worst thing you can do and its what causes so many aquarist to stress and freak out over ich because doing that causes so many deaths,Hospital tanks are recommended for other illnesses but not something little like ich,It's like a basic cold to us it's nothing to worry about as long as you leave the fish alone and keep stress free.I will eve buy fish that have ich because I know once I get them in a nice display and let them be they will be fine,Hospital tanks are nothing but stress.

I'm sorry, but I need to step in here.

Cryptocaryon irritans, saltwater ich is most often fatal when it infects new fish and is not properly treated. It is nothing like a cold for fish. It is a serious disease that is the cause of about 75% of the epizootics that we see here. The two best treatments are amine-complexed copper or hyposalinity. Some people use chloroquine. A lot of people use TTM, and that works o.k., but only for ich, and it is pretty rough on the fish.

Stress is only one factor with disease, and yes, an improperly run QT is stressful. However, propagule pressure is much more of a stressor.

Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Turns out shes not doing to hot. She was eating perfectly fine yesterday. Today I noticed she was fairly lethargic and not swimming normally. The qt doesn’t have any bio filtration so i thought it was the amonia levels; therefore i did a 100% water change to clean out the tank. I slowly add he back in to the tank again and she starts having spasms? It really wierd almost as if her swim bladder was having problems. She is now currently laying on the floor (Also, the day after she was in quarantine she lost all her ich spots and had no signs of any other parasites)

If the number of spots is lower, then this new development isn't due to ich. It is most likely a water quality issue. Quarantine tanks are very difficult to set up "on the fly". What ammonia test do you have and what are the readings?


Jay

 

[DavidsAquariums]

I'm sorry, but I need to step in here. Cryptocaryon irritans, saltwater ich is most often fatal when it infects new fish and is not properly treated. It is nothing like a cold for fish. It is a serious disease that is the cause of about 75% of the epizootics that we see here. The two best treatments are amine-complexed copper or hyposalinity. Some people use chloroquine. A lot of people use TTM, and that works o.k., but only for ich, and it is pretty rough on the fish.

Stress is only one factor with disease, and yes, an improperly run QT is stressful. However, propagule pressure is much more of a stressor.

Jay

Sorry incorrect it is not most often fatal,Very rarely is if left alone

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sorry incorrect it is not most often fatal,Very rarely is if left alone

Again, sorry, that is not true. Here at R2R we try to provide the best information possible. People can and do have different opinions. We welcome those, as there is often more than one way to skin a cat. Sometimes however, those opinions are not based on a sufficiently large data set, and are not correct. This is not a reflection on you, I just need to clarity those issues when they arise.

What you are describing is called "ich management". It works o.k. in established aquariums, with strong UV and really good conditions. However, as I mentioned propagule pressure itself is a stressor. If the number of trophonts reaches a certain level, they stress the fish, allowing more theronts to attach, and then the fish succumbs unless a treatment is begun.

As I mentioned to the OP, the issue here is a problem with the QT setup, not the treatment itself.


Jay

 

[DavidsAquariums]

Again, sorry, that is not true. Here at R2R we try to provide the best information possible. People can and do have different opinions. We welcome those, as there is often more than one way to skin a cat. Sometimes however, those opinions are not based on a sufficiently large data set, and are not correct. This is not a reflection on you, I just need to clarity those issues when they arise.

What you are describing is called "ich management". It works o.k. in established aquariums, with strong UV and really good conditions. However, as I mentioned propagule pressure itself is a stressor. If the number of trophonts reaches a certain level, they stress the fish, allowing more theronts to attach, and then the fish succumbs unless a treatment is begun.

As I mentioned to the OP, the issue here is a problem with the QT setup, not the treatment itself.


Jay

No harsh feelings at all here we all definitely have our own opinions,And imo it's best to leave the fish alone,Stress isn't the only factor but it is the main factor by far,If you don't stress the fish it will most likely be fine very rarely die,It's just something people have to try thereselve to see because majority will get all technical and suggest a hospital tank unfortunately,I've spent years converting people to leave the fish alone and it's worked out great,Just want people to know it's not anything to be scared of like other parasites or diseases just something you have to try yourself get experience with instead of listening to the majority on forums all the time.Much respect though man