Ich and Black Ich treatment. (HELP!)

[TheMillennialReefer]

So... In my 125 gallon I have ich and black ich. Yes I know its Crypt and the Tubeworms (or whatever they are called). Usually I just "live with ich" as they all say. But since I have had this worm infestation. My fish's Immune systems are down and the crypt has latched on.

So what I want to do is move them to a temporary Hospital tank. I just picked up a 55 gallon tank and stand. I'm going to take water directly from the DT and move it to the 55 gallon and move the fish over. Then I'm going to move my corals and anemones out and put them in my BioCube.

I know hyposalinity kills ich and the worms at 1.009 for about 30 days. Since I will basically have just rock and sand in the tank... can I just basically drop the salinity to FW? It will kill my rock and sand but at this point I just want it to be gone.

 

[DLHDesign]

I know hyposalinity kills ich and the worms at 1.009 for about 30 days.

This is not actually proven to be 100% effective against all strains of ich, unfortunately.

Best bet is to put your fish through a QT cycle (30 days in copper or - better - CP, or TTM) to get them clean. Meanwhile, leave everything else in your DT and leave it fallow for 76 days. At that point, you will (if everything was done carefully - the QT tank was more than 10ft away from the DT, etc.) have removed ich from your system.

(Note that the second link above mentions hyposalinity as a treatment option, but that is just because it's an old post; written before more studies were done and found it to not be 100% effective.)

 

[Big G]

So... In my 125 gallon I have ich and black ich. Yes I know its Crypt and the Tubeworms (or whatever they are called). Usually I just "live with ich" as they all say. But since I have had this worm infestation. My fish's Immune systems are down and the crypt has latched on.

So what I want to do is move them to a temporary Hospital tank. I just picked up a 55 gallon tank and stand. I'm going to take water directly from the DT and move it to the 55 gallon and move the fish over. Then I'm going to move my corals and anemones out and put them in my BioCube.

I know hyposalinity kills ich and the worms at 1.009 for about 30 days. Since I will basically have just rock and sand in the tank... can I just basically drop the salinity to FW? It will kill my rock and sand but at this point I just want it to be gone.

Treatment suggestions for Ich and Black Ich:

Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans):

Symptoms - Ich looks like salt or sugar-like “sprinkles” on the body or fins, usually more “here & there” as opposed to the fish being completely covered in them (see Velvet). Other symptoms include scratching on rocks/sand, head twitching and heavy breathing.

Treatment options - Copper, Chloroquine phosphate, tank transfer method, or hyposalinity.


Black Ich:

Symptoms - This looks like tiny black dots on the body or fins. Black ich is caused by an infestation of turbellarian flatworms and is mostly seen in tangs. It is “ich” in name only and requires an entirely different treatment than Cryptocaryon irritans.

Treatment options – Prazipro, or formalin bath.

 

[DLHDesign]

Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans):
...
Treatment options - Copper, Chloroquine phosphate, tank transfer method, or hyposalinity.

See link above on why this (hypo) is not really an effective treatment option.

 

[TheMillennialReefer]

Just want you guys to confirm what I think. Black ich and Ich. This is what I get for not QT corals. I just dip then add.

 

[Big G]

Have you dipped any of these fish to check for flukes? Take a look at the area between the mouth and eye.

 

[Brew12]

Just want you guys to confirm what I think. Black ich and Ich. This is what I get for not QT corals. I just dip then add.

Poor guy! It does look like Black Ich. If the fish is on the larger size I would agree with regular Ich also. If the fish is on the smaller end of the scale it could be velvet.

 

[TheMillennialReefer]

Poor guy! It does look like Black Ich. If the fish is on the larger size I would agree with regular Ich also. If the fish is on the smaller end of the scale it could be velvet.

I thought velvet at first. But he is about 3 1/2 inches. He is not swimming towards powerheads and is still eating. Very active. Usually with velvet its instant and he has been active over the past 36ish hours since I first noticed the spots.

 

[Brew12]

I thought velvet at first. But he is about 3 1/2 inches. He is not swimming towards powerheads and is still eating. Very active. Usually with velvet its instant and he has been active over the past 36ish hours since I first noticed the spots.

I could go either way with that diagnosis. But, the treatment is pretty much the same. Good luck taking care of him!

 

[TheMillennialReefer]

Prazipro won’t be here until tomorrow. Setting up QT when I get home tonight from bowling league. I was home for about 20 minutes today and the sailfin did not look good.

 

[krbnsol]

When setting up the hospital tank, you mentioned moving water from the display over to it. Any concern of bringing any nasties along with it? I would lean towards starting fresh and keep up on the water changes to avoid ammonia spikes, etc. Regardless, good luck! I know its a big headache when this occurs.

 

[Brew12]

When setting up the hospital tank, you mentioned moving water from the display over to it. Any concern of bringing any nasties along with it? I would lean towards starting fresh and keep up on the water changes to avoid ammonia spikes, etc. Regardless, good luck! I know its a big headache when this occurs.

The nasties are already on the fish. No harm using tank water to fill the QT. It actually helps acclimate the fish to the QT if done that way as opposed to fresh mixed seawater which may have different parameters than the fish is used to.

 

[TheMillennialReefer]

Update on fish. Moved to QT. I had a scopas tang, sailfin, naso, cowfish, 2 clowns, and five anthias. I moved them to QT on Friday and 4 anthias died as well as my scopas tang. Came home today and the rest are doing well. I'm almost 80% sure it was velvet. I haven't lost that many fish that fast. Lost five within a 24 hour period and right before they died the fish would swimming towards the powerhead, also acting very lethargic and "out of it."

I'm just happy the rest are doing fine! Didn't lose them all. Thank god I acted fast.