Ich AGAIN blue hippo tang!

[Droberts0724]

Anyone else have a repeat offender that keeps getting ich? He (blue hippo tang) gets over it everytime but any little change in the tank causes him stress and he gets ich often. He and my angel fish (flame angel) get it and fight it off but they are big eaters too. I treat their food with Selcon and sometimes garlic. They are healthy but itchy little fish. The rest of the tank never really show signs. My yellow tang is spotless but I always see my cleaner wrasse cleaning her too. I am not gonna empty all fish from the tank so I just try to help build their immunity so they can fight it! Anyone else have this issue? What do you do to try to help with this?

 

[Zenchi]

If you don't want to remove the fish to treat, the next best step is a UV sterilizer. It wont remove ich that's held in your substrate but will kill off any free floaters and reduce the chances of them attaching to your fish.

 

[Redfoxtang]

Without the removal of fish to let the tank sit fallow for 76 days and QT all fish in tank, Ich will remain in system and fish will get reinfected. Here is some good information depending on which direction you wanna go!

Ich eradication vs. Ich management

Ich eradication vs. Ich management The purpose of this article is to discuss the pros & cons of ich eradication and ich management, and present the best methods for implementing each. Ich eradication - Simply put, this method means doing everything possible to keep ich out of your tank. That...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Droberts0724]

If you don't want to remove the fish to treat, the next best step is a UV sterilizer. It wont remove ich that's held in your substrate but will kill off any free floaters and reduce the chances of them attaching to your fish.

I have a UV sanitizer and it might help but he always still gets it. He is literally the only one I ever see spots on...besides the flame angel. Sometimes I see a spot or two in his tail but nothing major. It doesn't affect there over all health I guess he just gets itchy.

 

[proxy001]

The other option is control. Feed nori, feed heavy if your tank can tolerate it. Make sure UV flow is slow.

 

[Droberts0724]

Without the removal of fish to let the tank sit fallow for 76 days and QT all fish in tank, Ich will remain in system and fish will get reinfected. Here is some good information depending on which direction you wanna go!

Ich eradication vs. Ich management

Ich eradication vs. Ich management The purpose of this article is to discuss the pros & cons of ich eradication and ich management, and present the best methods for implementing each. Ich eradication - Simply put, this method means doing everything possible to keep ich out of your tank. That...

www.reef2reef.com

I'm definitely managing not removing...this fish has been in my tank like 7 months and he gets it like twice a month. He is a good eater so I don't worry much. I feed nori, selcon and garlic. Have a pretty decent size UV sanitizer (24 watts) and just feed a little more nori each day....as long as he is fat...I'm happy. I just hate seeing the spots

 

[Droberts0724]

The other option is control. Feed nori, feed heavy if your tank can tolerate it. Make sure UV flow is slow.

Yes I did slow it down!

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

They're not getting it again and again, your tank has the ich parasite, and unless you do something about it, it will remain that way.

Your hippo and angle are the ones that are showing physical signs but chances are all the fish will have them in the gills.

One last thing, ich has a life cycle, only one of the 4 stages is when it searches out a host, that's when you see it present on your fish. The other stages is when they're multiplying.

 

[proxy001]

Who ever is going to invent an efficient reef safe ich treatment will be rich .

 

[Albertan22]

The lifecycle of ich is roughly 14 days then it repeats. As stated above, the fish isn’t getting over it when the spots disappear, the ich is just moved on to a different part of the cycle. The fish has had ich all along and has never gotten over it, it’s not new stress bringing it back.

 

[Droberts0724]

The lifecycle of ich is roughly 14 days then it repeats. As stated above, the fish isn’t getting over it when the spots disappear, the ich is just moved on to a different part of the cycle. The fish has had ich all along and has never gotten over it, it’s not new stress bringing it back.

Yes guess all I can do is keep him healthy at this point

 

[Doctorgori]

I dunno about the theory that assumes every tank could have ich/live with it....I’m honestly on the fence...
My opinion/experience is get rid of it once and for all, then quarantine out every demonic microbial critter with extreme prejudice

They're not getting it again and again, your tank has the ich parasite, and unless you do something about it, it will remain that way...

Abridged quote
Just adding data ..

 

[ArmyReefer]

Two things I will add.

First if this is an ongoing problem and your fish are not acting like its effecting them keep doing what you are doing, you are managing it. I caution you (I learned this the hard way) that knowing its in your tank you are one destabilizing event away from everyone in your tank getting it and it could be bad.

2nd is look at what the gallons per hour going through your UV is. For ich management its ridiculously slow (79 gph or so depending on brand)

If you are not going to remove all of your fish and you are going to manage it you are doing a good job. Just keep doing what you are doing, and don't forget about it when things are good.

Good luck

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I'd say remove all the fish and QT.
Leave the tank fallow.
Otherwise any new fish you add will get ICH.

 

[Bepis]

Funny thing is your fish will develop a strong immune system to the ich and eventually just live without showing signs besides a few little white spots. I had a powder blue that no matter how long I quarantined him for he would always relapse with ich. Eventually got rid of him because that time most of my fish died

 

[Bepis]

Also had a chromis that was invincible to disease, lived threw anything literally, also i would like to mention that UV Sterilizing isn't a guaranteed cure as the disease is everywhere so some might not go threw the UV

 

[Droberts0724]

I'd say remove all the fish and QT.
Leave the tank fallow.
Otherwise any new fish you add will get ICH.

Yes...I have 11 fish and 2 of them are tangs...so the tank is full! I will not add anymore