Ich in reef tank! Help!

[John A!10]

I bought two clowns almost three weeks ago and haven’t added anything to my tank since. I also have one firefish. Last week I noticed one of my clowns has lymphocysitis. Today I noticed my other clown had around 10-15 ich dots. I didn’t notice anything yesterday, and it’s still eating really good. What can I do? I have corals so I can’t use medic. I do have polyp lab reef medic and will begin using it tonight.

 

[John A!10]

Does anyone have any experience with the polyp lab reef safe medic. I’m also buying selcom to help with my fish. They are eating mysis shrimp pellets and occasional bloodworms. Should I crush some garlic and add to their food.

 

[Cramsey]

Personally, I just focus on an enriched diet for my fish. I know that I have ich in my tank because my Blue Hippo will have a spot or 3 every so often. I had a few fish die early on in my tanks life. So I purged the system by removing all fish for 2 months and then placed them back in... lone behold a few weeks went by and I had an out break (blue hippo) so I started feeding nutrient rich food and bought a bigger UV. Now my tank runs smooth. Hope this somewhat helps

 

[John A!10]

Personally, I just focus on an enriched diet for my fish. I know that I have ich in my tank because my Blue Hippo will have a spot or 3 every so often. I had a few fish die early on in my tanks life. So I purged the system by removing all fish for 2 months and then placed them back in... lone behold a few weeks went by and I had an out break (blue hippo) so I started feeding nutrient rich food and bought a bigger UV. Now my tank runs smooth. Hope this somewhat helps

Do you think my fish will make it? My fish has like 10 spots my others have nothing.

 

[drawman]

Alternatively, you can remove all fish and treat them while doing a fallow period. That would be my choice.

 

[Cramsey]

Do you think my fish will make it? My fish has like 10 spots my others have nothing.

There are factors at play but with my experience my clowns have been some of the heartiest fish in my tank. Do you have a UV sterilizer? And I would stop with the garlic... for me it never did anything. I feed a mixed batch of mysis, krill and spirulina with selcon and vita chem. I feed this on a regular basis. There are a lot of mixed reviews about ich out there... just sharing what I do.

 

[mindme]

Does anyone have any experience with the polyp lab reef safe medic. I’m also buying selcom to help with my fish. They are eating mysis shrimp pellets and occasional bloodworms. Should I crush some garlic and add to their food.

Reef Safe Medic doesn't work. Use the money to setup a 10g QT tank. I tried it, people think it works because ich falls off as part of it's life cycle and people see that and think it worked.

Garlic doesn't do anything and selcom is good for their health, but isn't going to stop ich. What's going to happen is it's going to get worse and worse as the ich multiples.

You need to get your fish out and put them in a QT tank. I suggest a 10g because smaller tank = less meds = cheaper overall. Also 10g tanks are usually $10. I personally use a sponge filter in mine for the biofilter. Make sure the tank cycles(I use bottle bacteria to start it), because ammonia can build up quickly. I use seachem badges, but do not trust them when a bright light is over the tank, turn the tank light off and look at them with just room light. It should still be yellow and if it's not yellow with room light, there is ammonia present. Tank light can make it look yellow when it's not. Add a heater and you're all set.

Treat the fish with copper for 30 days(14 if you have an extra tank to transfer too).

Then your display tank needs to be fallow for 72 days so the ich in there can die off.

It sucks. I had to do all of this for my 180g tank because of velvet. So now I'm a part of the always QT everything before it goes into my tank club because I do NOT want to go through that fallow period again. Might as well go ahead and get some prazipro so you can treat them for other things also like flukes/worms and other parasites. Most of the experts around here seem to use copper power or some other form of copper because the levels are larger, but I personally use cupramine because I can combine with with prazipro at the same time and it doesn't hurt my bio filter.

Good luck and after you do all this, I'm betting you'll become part of the QT everything and treat for everything club.

 

[Sam816]

I have used medic. Didn't help me. Lost 5 out if 7 fish. You need to take fish out and treat them.
Post some pics so that forum members can suggest a strategy.

 

[John A!10]

There are factors at play but with my experience my clowns have been some of the heartiest fish in my tank. Do you have a UV sterilizer? And I would stop with the garlic... for me it never did anything. I feed a mixed batch of mysis, krill and spirulina with selcon and vita chem. I feed this on a regular basis. There are a lot of mixed reviews about ich out there... just sharing what I do.

I’m receiving selcon soon. I’m not using garlic I was just asking if you would recommend. The tank is a 29g should I buy a uv sterilizer.

 

[Uncle99]

Unfortunately, if your DT has ick, it will remain in the DT unless you take away is hosts for 70ish days. Fallow is the only treatment for this parasite.

Fish need to be treated separately by TTM, Hypo or Copper, that’s all that has been proven for ick.

I tank meds will not work.

 

[John A!10]

I’m afraid I can’t set up a qt at the moment. Maybe next week. Here are pics:

 

[John A!10]

My lights are out, so I can’t get pics of the fish.

 

[John A!10]

I feel like by the time I start up my qt cycle it I’ll be to late.

 

[Uncle99]

Two buckets, two heaters, two air stones for the TTM.

 

[Sam816]

I would take the fish out in the largest bucket i can get. I would also set up another bucket/QT and start bacterial cycle in both buckets/tanks. air stone can be used for gas exchange. Follow TTMregimen till meds arrive. The ich will fall off before coming back. You need to move fish to new cleaner tank/bucket and continue with TTM

 

[John A!10]

Two buckets, two heaters, two air stones for the TTM.

Would I leave them their for 72days? Won’t they die.

 

[John A!10]

I’m not really understanding the whole bucket ttm. The fish are two clowns and a firefish.

 

[Cramsey]

I’m receiving selcon soon. I’m not using garlic I was just asking if you would recommend. The tank is a 29g should I buy a uv sterilizer.

Gotcha, sorry bout that. I would avoid garlic. A UV is a great tool to have in an aquarium. It will kill parasites if properly tuned at keep algae at bay.

 

[John A!10]

If my fish survive in this tank and become immune, would I be able to add more fish? Won’t they get infected and possibly die.

 

[Sam816]

If my fish survive in this tank and become immune, would I be able to add more fish? Won’t they get infected and possibly die.

If they were immune they wouldn't have gotten infected. Read up the article about tank transfer method.
You can't add anything in your current tank without the risk of the new fish getting ich. Either leave the tank without fish(corals n invertebrates are ok) for 76 days or nuke the tank by bleaching rockwork, equipment and tank and getting new sand. Major headache but no way around it.