Ich-x treatment help!!!!!

[dwebb1031]

So I'm super paranoid now. Had a fire fish come down with ich, bought ich-x which indicates is safe for marine use. Did the first treatment now some of my corals are being weird.
Sps' closed off

Anemone shut

Softies; Zoas, leathers etc seem fine
Acan sent out feeders but seem ok now
And mushrooms closed but opened back up shortly after.

Curious if anyone has exp with this product and reef tanks. I know ideally quarantine would be best treatment meant, but I would require a large qt for all my fish and I don't have that kind of spare money. I've read that once you have ich you need to treat the whole tank? Please someone more exp than me help!!!

 

[Waters]

I do not have any experience with that product but I can say that it probably will not work. You are correct in stating that the whole tank needs to be treated.....unfortunately the only way to do it is to leave the tank fishless (fallow) for an extended period of time. The fish would all have to be quarantined and treated outside of your DT using one of a few different proven methods (copper, hyposalinity, transfer method). Since you cannot set up a treatment tank, your only option is to keep them well fed and stress free and hope they fight it off. I personally wouldn't add any "reef safe" medications to try and kill the parasite. If they are strong enough to eliminate ich, they will most likely cause harm to your sensitive corals.

 

[evolved]

Ich-X is NOT coral safe.

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-discussion/154603-hikari-ich-x-=-dead-corals.html

 

[dwebb1031]

We I will definitely not continue treatment, only critter showing signs of ich is a newbie. Hopefully other are stable enough to fight it off

 

[dwebb1031]

So most of my corals seem to be recovering, one of the platting sps has lost a lot of color around the edges but seem good toward the core and is polyp'd out. Too of my branching sps are almost white but as of yet still have flesh and polyps which are not fully emerged so fingers crossed. I did loose one nass snail and one blue leg so far. I would definitely strongly advise ever using this in your main display with or with out coral. Even cc is at risk. If your like me and don't have the means for a qt, ride it out and hope the fish make it. Or weigh cost risk. Is it more expensive to def kill you inverts treating, or would you be out more money if your fish die of ich? I'll let you guys know the final death toll.

 

[joshbbert]

Problem is that the parasites live in your sand bed when you see them on the fish its just a stage in its life cycle, feeding on the fish before reproducing which is done in the sand if I remember correctly, usually a spot frequented by fish then they wait for a new host so even though your fish is spot free it doesnt mean your tank is ich free. Theres a really great article I found that ill link for ya but until then +1 on what waters said no fish, frequent water changes, make it an inhospitable environment for the parisite without fish it cant survive or at least struggles. I would stay away from meds in the dt especially copper based and thise seem to be the only kind that are effective. Good luck im gonna try and find that article for you had some really great info I think that can help you out

 

[dwebb1031]

Thank you

 

[FishGuyTy]

Ich-x is absolutely not reef safe! The best Ich treatment to use in your DT reef in my experience has been Kick Ich. It is safe for almost all corals, except star polyp and is safe for all crabs, shrimps, and snails. I have not tried this med on tanks with urchins, sea stars, or cucumbers. The best method is certainly using a QT tank. You should by quarentining fish be4 you add them to your DT. Even a little 5-10 gal tank set up next to the DT for a few weeks to a month with a small heater and HOB is going to serve the purpose and in the long run, is much less of a hassle than trying to remove sick fish from the DT or trying to treat the DT. My understanding of Ich is that almost any fish you have the ability to acquire will have been exposed to Ich. I consider all fish to have it laying dorment in their bodies, waiting for a trigger like the stress of moving to a new home for the Ich to be able to take hold and show signs. I say get a Polly pad ASAP and start pulling the Ich-x med. Good luck moving forward!

 

[dwebb1031]

Poly pad?

 

[FishGuyTy]

Yea, look them up. I forget who makes them, but they remove medications from your system. The color of the white pad changes depending on what it removes. Yours should turn a blue green color. I use them at work all of the time.

 

[FishGuyTy]

POLY-FILTER by poly bio marine. Just looked it up. Cheap and reusable. That paired with carbon and a water change should remove most of the medication.

 

[dwebb1031]

Great info thank you

 

[evolved]

The best Ich treatment to use in your DT reef in my experience has been Kick Ich.

A proven reef safe ich treatment is nearly an oxymoron, I'm afraid.

I consider all fish to have it laying dorment in their bodies, waiting for a trigger like the stress of moving to a new home for the Ich to be able to take hold and show signs.

The life cycle doesn't really work that way; it can't stay "dormant" in their system.

Yea, look them up. I forget who makes them, but they remove medications from your system. The color of the white pad changes depending on what it removes. Yours should turn a blue green color. I use them at work all of the time.

It would only turn blue if there was copper present; ich-x is not a copper based product.

 

[FishGuyTy]

I said a blue green color and that would indicate malachite green. I use them all the time. Ich-X does have malachite green in it. As for the Ich, I said I consider all fish to have it, which means that any time I'm going to add a few fish, I treat them like they have Ich. It's a precaution that has not failed me yet. Just because your new fish from the LFS does not have and never had shown any sign of Ich does not mean that it did not hitch a ride into your tank on the new healthy fish, who may never show signs of it. I'm willing to bet more people have Ich living in their tanks than any of us would fathom.

 

[FishGuyTy]

The kick Ich has proven itself to me in my and my client's tanks by not killing coral and healing Ich infected fish. I did kill back a chunk of star polyp, which was more of a blessing than a negative. I still say always use a QT and avoid dosing anything into a reef, but in my own experience, kick Ich was safe for most everything and did work.

 

[dwebb1031]

So it's been about 3 days and seems like the worst has passed. No cc casualties though I lost a couple of herms ended up being molts though. My acros bit it though stalks are ko'd bases look as though they my pull through gonna do a revive dip to see if it helps. Green platter my monti is faded on the edges but green on center mass with all polyps present. All other colors seem fine or on their way to it. Day four after break out and new fish still showing signs, all other fish seem ich free. Setting up a 5g bucket qt to continue treatment on new fish. Thanks to all for your valuable advice you've been a great help.

 

[FishGuyTy]

Glad to hear! I hope your able to salvage some of the sticks and I hope the fish pulls through! Is the fish eating? Rubbing against the rocks as if trying to scratch or rub off the parasite? New life spectrum makes a Ich-X food that you could try if it's eating. I have not used this particular food, but have used the Thera-spec anti parasitic food before, not necessarily to treat a sick fish, but I did bring an emaciated Picasso trigger back from the brink by feeding the Thera-spec food solely, which is not my normal method. It worked once for me. Might be worth buying a small thing of the food to try? Did you place a Polly-Filter in?

 

[dwebb1031]

I put my emperor 400 bio wheel back on gonna run it for a few days, I didn't realize by poly filter you were referring to just filter pads. I run nitrate reducing polys already so.

 

[FishGuyTy]

No, they are not just a filter pad. They are a resign coated pad that removes many different medications as well as heavy medals and ammonia,nitrate, etc. like I said, give them a quick google search. They are reusable as well. I use them regularly and love the product because you can see what it is removing from your water by the color change that occurs. In your situation, you should see it turn from the new white to a blue-green color indicating the removal of the malachite green that was in the medication. I believe it will also pull the formalin as well. The more meds you can remove, the better! Adding carbon to the mix will help as well.

 

[FishGuyTy]

http://www.marinedepot.com/Poly_Fil...Media-Poly_Bio_Marine-PB1111-FIFMMEPM-vi.html

Here is the link to it on Marine Depot.