Ich
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A #fishmedic should be able to help.
The only practical way to treat ich in a reef tank is to remove all of the fish into quarantine and to allow the tank to remain fallow for 7 to 8 weeks.
While the dt is fallow, treat the qt fish with the method you choose. The first recommendation would be copper as described in the link below. An alternative would be hyposalinity also described in one of the stickies in this forum.
While the dt is fallow, treat the qt fish with the method you choose. The first recommendation would be copper as described in the link below. An alternative would be hyposalinity also described in one of the stickies in this forum.
Sharkbait19
10K Club member
I agree with above. There are plenty of reef safe treatments, but the dosage at which they become safe for corals also becomes safe for ich, and suppresses it at best.
Getting all the fish out and treated really is the best option.
Getting all the fish out and treated really is the best option.
I agree that's usually the best way to eliminate ich from a display. Sometimes there are cases where other options make sense. For example, if you only have a couple corals and a few inverts, it might be easier to remove them and treat fish with hyposalinity in the display.
If you give us all the details, we can help you make a plan.
Tank size, what fish, corals, inverts, what meds you have available, how bad the infection is, etc.
If you give us all the details, we can help you make a plan.
Tank size, what fish, corals, inverts, what meds you have available, how bad the infection is, etc.
Sleepingtiger
Well-Known Member
I always believed in eradication method. However, i am at a point where I give up. My prized borbonius had ich and was removed to a 20g quarantine with an asfur angel. I went through the TTM and everything was great. I was very weary of placing the fish back in the main display. I had a vacation that was planned 6 months in advance. So I took the 20g and the fish to my brothers house to be taken cared of. Coming home to pick up my fish, he let me know that the borbonius had died. I looked at the asfur angel and it was covered in ich.
At this point, i kinda gave up hope. For me, it think its best I choose fish very wisely. I introduced a quarantined fish to my display and it was getting chased and hid most of the time. The stress caused it to have ich (this was after I had quarantined all my fish and thought my main display was ich free). The weak fish getting ich caused a massive wave of ich in my tank and killing other fish.
I will probably get flamed for this... but I give up on eradication. I will go with the ich management method. Have UV handy. Keep stress level at minimum level. Keep aggression down by keeping compatible fish. Feed heavy. Seriously consider dosing H2O2 in the main display. While I still quarantine. I no longer do TTM or copper.
This post is not meant to discourage anyone from eradication method. I am sure many have successfully eradicated ich from their tanks. Just sharing my personal experience.
At this point, i kinda gave up hope. For me, it think its best I choose fish very wisely. I introduced a quarantined fish to my display and it was getting chased and hid most of the time. The stress caused it to have ich (this was after I had quarantined all my fish and thought my main display was ich free). The weak fish getting ich caused a massive wave of ich in my tank and killing other fish.
I will probably get flamed for this... but I give up on eradication. I will go with the ich management method. Have UV handy. Keep stress level at minimum level. Keep aggression down by keeping compatible fish. Feed heavy. Seriously consider dosing H2O2 in the main display. While I still quarantine. I no longer do TTM or copper.
This post is not meant to discourage anyone from eradication method. I am sure many have successfully eradicated ich from their tanks. Just sharing my personal experience.
Spare time
10K Club member
Stress doesn't cause a fish to get ich. Its like saying you get malaria when stressed. Chronic stress may lead to inflammation and a hindered immune response, meaning the fish may struggle more with an infection if the fish is dealing with chronic stress. High levels of aggression may also so the same for the aggressor.
cdnco2004
Valuable Member
H2O2 Hybrid Tank Transfer Method https://humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/hybrid-ttm-to-treat-more-parasites.1765/
This has a lot of really good useful information on this method. People are seeing great results with this low stress treatment method.
This has a lot of really good useful information on this method. People are seeing great results with this low stress treatment method.
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Lavey29
10K Club member
There's nothing wrong with your approach. Look at PaulB and his 47 year old tank. He intentionally introduces fish covered with ich into his tank to build up the immune response from all the other fish and force the ich into a dormant state. I believe ich is in every reef tank but in dormant state until a major stresser event causes the fish immune systems to collapse making them susceptible to the disease.
There is a problem with that recommend, it does not run fish disease help forums.
What Paul does is use ocean rocks and ocean water and ocean supplies and food he makes at home, nobody is doing that in this thread.
Leaving out the ways Paul's tank differs from every tank in Jay's disease forum is a big deal
Paul runs zero disease forums, and is not tasked with fixing anyone's disease issues live time. Jay sure is tasked with that, humblefish too
The op here needs referred to Jay's disease forum, and the first response to the op pretty much summarized it. Those are the types of tanks the op has here, not Paul's type. Nobody has Paul's type.
What Paul does is use ocean rocks and ocean water and ocean supplies and food he makes at home, nobody is doing that in this thread.
Leaving out the ways Paul's tank differs from every tank in Jay's disease forum is a big deal
Paul runs zero disease forums, and is not tasked with fixing anyone's disease issues live time. Jay sure is tasked with that, humblefish too
The op here needs referred to Jay's disease forum, and the first response to the op pretty much summarized it. Those are the types of tanks the op has here, not Paul's type. Nobody has Paul's type.
Sleepingtiger
Well-Known Member
My luck, instead of ich, it would be velvet that I introduce.
that is interesting.... building up the immune system.
can you share a link? I looked up PaulB without any results.
Spare time
10K Club member
That's just not true that ich is in every tank. They don't wait around until a fish is stressed. They have a well understood life cycle. I also think PaulB's plan is not something people should try. We are far ahead in knowledge of fish disease and treatment than when his tank started, and more fish will die unnecessarily from that method that survive. It should only be used as a last resort method. However, I find that taking an animal from the wild and placing it in a box filled with disease hoping it survives to be unethical. If we are going to be responsible for a life, we shouldn't risk their health/life for our convenience of not setting up a QT tank.
Spare time
10K Club member
But does it? Where is there evidence that fish frequently are infected by asymptomatic?
cdnco2004
Valuable Member
I did not state that stress causes infections. I said an infected fish who is asymptomatic, can then display those symptoms after a heavy stressing event. Stress does not CAUSE Ich/Velvet, stress can make an infected asymptomatic fish to be symptomatic.
cdnco2004
Valuable Member
Lots of fish will develop just enough resistance to Ich that allows them to be asymptomatic. Then some stressor event occurs and the increased stress suppresses the immune system enough that they become symptomatic. This is fairly common.
Lavey29
10K Club member
I have to find it but it's hundreds of pages something like 47 year old tank for your search here
Lavey29
10K Club member
Just my speculation as yours is speculation as well. Every tank is unique. You might have asymptomatic fish in your tank right now with ich...who knows for sure. Please note I'm not saying your interpretation is wrong either I just have a different opinion. I had brook in my tank early on. It swept through fast killing fish in 24 hours but 2 fish never got it. Never showed symptoms, never treated with medication, etc... stronger immune system? Were they exposed prior and developed immunity? Who knows, they are still swimming today 1.5 years later.
Sleepingtiger
Well-Known Member
that was definitely the case with my borbonius.
davidcalgary29
2500 Club Member
I think that everyone has to do what's right for their tanks and their own husbandry practices. While I quarantine all incoming fish -- the risk of bringing in an untreatable infection into a tank in Canada is just too high, as meds are impossible to obtain for the average reefer -- I completely understand why another approach might be preferred. I'm sure people who manage their tanks with intensive feeding and monitoring, combined with extensive U/V setups and a large and impressive pharmacoepia, are going to do better than their own systems than they would if they were forced, kicking and screaming, into following a regime that they don't believe. Clearly, many people (including myself) are happy with their preferred approach, so I can't see one universal solution here.
