ICH!!!! I'm losing my cool with it

robby2782 · Mar 25, 2012

Doesn't quick cure have methylene blue already? If you're using a treatment, I'd recommend refraining from doing too much too soon. I'd use a half dose to start with and be careful dropping your salinity too fast. If your ich is subdued and there aren't too may spots, I'd leave the salinity alone.
If it makes you feel better, I don't do anything with my fish and just feed them more, improve the water quality, and turn up the temp a couple degrees. My Butterfly and Tang had minor ich for 2 months in my SPS tank and that was 2 years ago. They're ich free today.

btkrausen · Mar 25, 2012

If you are going to do hypo, I wouldn't try to throw any other treatments in there. Just stick with hypo and it'll take care of getting rid of ich.

Saltgator · Mar 25, 2012

Good deal. Thanks Bryan and robby

fish doctor · Mar 25, 2012

how about medicated food.
i use sea chems metronolidzale ? soaked in there food with garlic its works 90% of the time or metro plus also in there food
keep in mind the parasite can live on your shrimps and hermints for a long time

returnofsid · Mar 25, 2012

I would do hyposalinity and nothing else. Also, don't make any decisions based on the amount of white spots that you see. These white spots are not the parasite but the 'scab' or wound, left behind after the parasite has burrowed into the fish. The fish can still be infested, without visible signs of white spots. Also keep in mind that even if you don't see any white spots, the gills could still be infested. Bring your salinity down, to 1.009, using a calibrated refractometer, over the next 3-5 days. It's also very important to make sure you keep it at 1.009, once you get it there. Keep up on RO/DI water top offs, so the salinity doesn't rise above 1.009.

Also keep in mind, unless ALL fish have been removed from the display tank, everything you've gone through will only be temporary. The display tank needs to be completely fishless, for 8 weeks, to be sure you've eradicated Ich from the display. Otherwise, as soon as you're done with your hyposalinity treatment, you'll place your Ich free fish back into an environment where Ich is present.

I'd also recommend doing some research before attempting to use Garlic as any type of treatment. It's effectiveness is nothing more than a myth and it's actually been show to cause liver/kidney damage, in marine fish species.

Saltgator · Mar 25, 2012

fish doctor said:
how about medicated food.
i use sea chems metronolidzale ? soaked in there food with garlic its works 90% of the time or metro plus also in there food
keep in mind the parasite can live on your shrimps and hermints for a long time

Once I get 2 of the 3 to eat, I might venture to this. Thanks

Saltgator · Mar 25, 2012

returnofsid said:
I would do hyposalinity and nothing else. Also, don't make any decisions based on the amount of white spots that you see. These white spots are not the parasite but the 'scab' or wound, left behind after the parasite has burrowed into the fish. The fish can still be infested, without visible signs of white spots. Also keep in mind that even if you don't see any white spots, the gills could still be infested. Bring your salinity down, to 1.009, using a calibrated refractometer, over the next 3-5 days. It's also very important to make sure you keep it at 1.009, once you get it there. Keep up on RO/DI water top offs, so the salinity doesn't rise above 1.009.

Also keep in mind, unless ALL fish have been removed from the display tank, everything you've gone through will only be temporary. The display tank needs to be completely fishless, for 8 weeks, to be sure you've eradicated Ich from the display. Otherwise, as soon as you're done with your hyposalinity treatment, you'll place your Ich free fish back into an environment where Ich is present.

I'd also recommend doing some research before attempting to use Garlic as any type of treatment. It's effectiveness is nothing more than a myth and it's actually been show to cause liver/kidney damage, in marine fish species.

Didn't realize that about the garlic. Maybe I should back down from it too in our meals at home (LOL). I appreciate it Sid. The clowns are coming out today, as is the wrasse. I was in a frantic to pull the tangs out ASAP and they (only for 1 night) went into a spare 10g. Each tang is around 3.5 inches (nothing too large yet for my spaller QT's). The clowns and wrasse are going in here today (10g), and the tangs are going in the spare 29g or 55g I have on hand (all depending on how fast I can get RO/DI water ready).

Brad

returnofsid · Mar 25, 2012

Sounds like a good plan. Keep in mind, you don't have to use aquariums for QT. You can use Rubbermaid totes that you can purchase very inexpensively, which will hold a lot more water than a 10 gallon aquarium. Just give them flow, heat and some PVC fittings to hide in and you're good to go. If you have a HOB filter that can help. Keep a close eye on Ammonia and do water changes regularly, keeping the salinity down where it needs to be.

Saltgator · Mar 25, 2012

returnofsid said:
Sounds like a good plan. Keep in mind, you don't have to use aquariums for QT. You can use Rubbermaid totes that you can purchase very inexpensively, which will hold a lot more water than a 10 gallon aquarium. Just give them flow, heat and some PVC fittings to hide in and you're good to go. If you have a HOB filter that can help. Keep a close eye on Ammonia and do water changes regularly, keeping the salinity down where it needs to be.

I would have used one of the 2 18g rubbermaid containers, but they were full of all my fish hoarding equipment and the 10g was empty (I was trying to hard to think on how to catch them). I had dividers ready incase they felt better and wanted too test each other, but schooling right now. Either a mag 350 canister(kept for these reasons) or a dual HOB will be used. Things I always keep on hand for different reasons (QT, pumps gone bad, ect.).

Bubbles_B · Mar 25, 2012

Water change brother always helped me. And I had my share of this problem

Molli · Mar 25, 2012

I've been reading about using the medicated food mentioned earlier in this thread, doesn't sound effective at all. It's meant for internal parasites and "Metrondiazole is also primarily active against deep tissue anaerobic flagellated protozoans, and not very effective on surface tissue aerobic protozoans such as ich, hence it's not very effective for treatment of ich." Basically you're just putting your inverts at risk using this stuff, since they're sensitive to it.

Saltgator · Mar 25, 2012

Good call Molli. Thanks

Country boy using tapatalk from Evo 4g

fish doctor · Mar 26, 2012

molli is correct .
it is not a cure but a way to help by making the fish more toxic to the parisite. just like the modern flea remedies that you feed to your pets
its been used for years with little to no side effects

Saltgator · Mar 28, 2012

Just an update guys and gals. All 3 tangs are showing great improvement and eating strongly again. The hypo treatment was started on Monday after I pulled the clowns outta the DT and added them to the QT. I'm around 1.0014 in salinity right now and will be dropping it a bit more in a few as RO/DI is filled. Slowly dropping the salinity is my plan. On a side note, I have to be honest and state that I did on Saturday night and Sunday night a chemical bath on the 3 tangs. I didn't want to rush hypo and the 3 tangs were still in ruff shape. I used a combo of methylene blue and quick cure in a slightly lower dose than recommended. Again, I only did this as a means to assist the damage that had been done and may have been still been ongoing. This was all completed in a 10g. On Monday, I did a quick dip (so no remaining bath water was entered into the new QT)of the tangs and added them to the 29g QT. They were all joined with the 2 picassos. All were drip acclimated over an hour each. All 3 tangs and picassos are eating very well and enjoying the QT (or as much as they can in what I refer to as their hospitol room). My intensions are to have the hypo at 1.009 by Thursday evening and keep it there for a week, then slowly return it to my current DT's range. Also the DT will be fishless for another 7 weeks (which is driving me mad with no greetings from the tangs that usually look for food from me), but all in time for the best. Thanks Y'all and if I need any correction on my methods, please let me know.
BTW, spelling isn't one of my best hobbies

tongue

Brad

REEFKEEPER10 · Mar 28, 2012

I'm glad everyone is doing good and no need for any corrections from me. Good job.

Saltgator · Apr 4, 2012

While during hypo, is it not unusual for another slight showing of ich? 1 of my 3 tangs looks a bit re-dusted to me. Every one else seems fine.

Country boy using tapatalk from Evo 4g

Saltgator · Apr 4, 2012

Just a pm update. My chevron and black show the lite dusty appearence. The chevron now appears to have the dust now kinda slimming off of him. Any ideas?? Fw dip??

Country boy using tapatalk from Evo 4g

Saltgator · Apr 4, 2012

Well... Things aren't looking good on the Chevy. Breathing rapidly and laying down every other minute

Country boy using tapatalk from Evo 4g

Saltgator · Apr 5, 2012

Well this morning brings bad news. Chevy died sometime between 3a-8a this morning. Losing one of my favorites (or any of my fish) really bums me a bit. The fight with ich and whatever illness ( thinking bacterial) that took my chevron have made me a bit frustrated (venting a bit, woooo saaaa) .

Country boy using tapatalk from Evo 4g