Ich
- Thread starter Denise Nowell
- Start date
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Oldsalt01
Well-Known Member
It is definitely NOT recommended to medicate a reef tank for fish diseases. Are you sure it's Ich? How long have you had the fish and are either a new introduction? I'm assuming you did no QT before fish intro into the main tank. Any chance of pics, although the behavior definitely sounds like you have a disease. Could be Ich, Velvet or Brooklynella.
The tank has been up and running since July. Fish have been in the tank since August (long story - LFS said it would be fine, purchased all fish but two from owner's personal display tank), I am a newbie and do not have a quarantine tank. Last fish added was a sailfin, whom the LFS said had dots on it due to stress (another long story) fish died within 24 hours. That was last Sunday. This morning noticed white dots on my two-spot damsel and then watched my hippo tang scratch herself like mad person on the rocks in between eating. Clowns (2 maroon), coral beauty, rusty angel and six line wrasse all are in great shape. LFS no help, all they said was we gave you your money back on the sailfin! Oh, and every tank crashed at some point, part of the hobby. I can get pics this evening - assuming I have not lost any fish.
Oldsalt01
Well-Known Member
There’s you vector: the Sailfin. Unfortunately It sounds like the tank is infected so the only option in my opinion is to QT all ethe fish, treat with copper, and leave the main tank fishless for a minimum of 8 weeks to let the disease die off for lack of hosts. If you go that route, add an air stone, and don’t run carbon in the QT. Monitor the copper levels to maintain therapeutic levels. Ensure the copper isn’t chelated as that will effect the copper test results. Use Cupremine. It’s not chelated. Some people just st set up a couple of 5g buckets for temporary Qts but you have to monitor ammonia levels and do frequent water changes and test for copper levels to maintain the level. Not good news I know but otherwise you risk the rest of the fish. And I’d find another LFS too. They’re obviously more concerned with sales than with returning customers.
Dom
Full Time Reef Keeper
Another indictment of the local fish store. Difficult to find an ethical store.
You've learned the importance of a quarantine tank the same way that most of us have; by not having one. This being said, you can only move forward, learning from the mistakes.
You mentioned that the tank has been up and running since July, and that fish have been in the tank since August. You have added 7 fish in 6 weeks. That is more than 1 fish per week... IMO far too many in such a short period of time. Would it be correct to say that they were all added at the same time?
Adding fish too fast will cause an ammonia spike because the colony of nitrifying bacteria in the tank is too small to handle the bio load created by adding so many fish in a short period of time. This spike in ammonia will be stressful to fish at least and will cause gill burn.
The first five fish were added together - damsel, hippo tang, two maroon clowns, six line wrasse. Two more fish were added three weeks later within a week of each other, coral beauty and rusty angel. The very last fish was the sailfin who was in the tank for less than 24 hours before expiring. I am going to try to upload the video I sent the LFS the morning I found out this fish was dying. It is painful to watch, but looking back now, the dots the LFS said were from stress could have very well been ich. Which would explain why I now have ich in my tank.
40B Knasty
Valuable Member
You either pull your fish from your tank and copper treat them or.. you use Medic from Polyp Lab. You have to be 100% diligent about it. Every morning before the lights come on and at the end of the day when the fish are settled in for the night. Do it for 20 days straight with no failed attempts. Beef up your feeding, use a vitamin like VitaChem or Selcon to soak your foods, and hope for the best. I have had it twice. Worked both times. Medic didn't bother a coral or a clam. It's called living with ich. They do it in the wild. You can possibly do it in your tank.
Dom
Full Time Reef Keeper
If it is in fact Ich, you can start by putting your fish in a QT and then gradually reducing the salinity. Combine that with fresh water dips for 3-5 minutes and it may solve your problem.
But remember: it is a GRADUAL reduction in salinity. Once the Ich is gone, it is a GRADUAL increase back to the desired salinity.
This solution worked for me.
But remember: it is a GRADUAL reduction in salinity. Once the Ich is gone, it is a GRADUAL increase back to the desired salinity.
This solution worked for me.
Ubergroover
Engineer by day, Musician/golfer/reefer by night
Diatom filter.....look into it. I have eliminated ich using one.
