Marine Ich HELPPPPPPPP

[Noob_Sam]

My experiences with and without UV have made me a believer in UV.

My recommendation...

Add an appropriately sized UV sterilizer to your DT and it will help tremendously in reducing the spread and proliferation of parasites. Personally I recommend 18-watts / 125 gph flow rate with a targeted tank turnover rate of 2-3x/hour.
Using a 100 gallon tank as example; that means targeting a flow rate of 200-300 gph through a 36-watt UV sterilizer. You can accomplish that with a separate closed loop pumping system or as part of your return.

Using UV, you may not prevent a single fish from succumbing to parasites, but you can/will slow the propagation of the truly aggressive ones like Velvet, enough to give you time to segregate, diagnose and treat accordingly before it spreads around your tank.

wait can i put the UV light inside the tank? Because i dont have a sump. I have two fluuval fx6. i heard that putting a UV light inside the tank will kill the fish as well. I mean now my DT is fish less because they are all in a QT. Also what brand UV for a 100 gallon.

 

[Hugh Mann]

I wouldn't recommend putting a UV in your tank itself, as it would likely damage your biological filtration.

If you don't have a sump, you could probably run some plumbing with a pump specifically for a UV sterilizer, other folks more handy than myself might have ideas on how to implement it, but I am sure it would be doable.

A sterilizer as I understand it, can aid with managing ich, killing off free swimmers. However I believe you are going the 'eradication' way, so likely also not necessary. Definitely couldn't hurt though, as I have heard it can also help combat nuisance algae.

 

[Noob_Sam]

I wouldn't recommend putting a UV in your tank itself, as it would likely damage your biological filtration.

If you don't have a sump, you could probably run some plumbing with a pump specifically for a UV sterilizer, other folks more handy than myself might have ideas on how to implement it, but I am sure it would be doable.

A sterilizer as I understand it, can aid with managing ich, killing off free swimmers. However I believe you are going the 'eradication' way, so likely also not necessary. Definitely couldn't hurt though, as I have heard it can also help combat nuisance algae.

ok i see. I have a hang on the back DIY refiguium. An aqua clear 110 and inside it i have a ball of chaeto, and i have growing lights taped on. Can i put a UV light inside there? I mean do i need it? My DT will be fishless for 74 more days so. That should kill all the ick.

 

[Hugh Mann]

If you're going totally fallow for the entire period, then no, you don't need one, as ich will be all killed off.

The UV sterilizer as I understand it, kills off some of the free swimming stage, which can reduce the likelihood of an outbreak if you're managing ich, which can be done by keeping pristine water and healthy fish.
But in your case, with relatively few fish in a mid sized tank, it will save you a lot of hassle to eradicate it now by going fallow and quarantining new arrivals.

 

[Noob_Sam]

If you're going totally fallow for the entire period, then no, you don't need one, as ich will be all killed off.

The UV sterilizer as I understand it, kills off some of the free swimming stage, which can reduce the likelihood of an outbreak if you're managing ich, which can be done by keeping pristine water and healthy fish.
But in your case, with relatively few fish in a mid sized tank, it will save you a lot of hassle to eradicate it now by going fallow and quarantining new arrivals.

yup that's what i am going to do. Thanks for answering all my questions. I will update everyone in 74 days

 

[DaddyFish]

wait can i put the UV light inside the tank? Because i dont have a sump. I have two fluuval fx6. i heard that putting a UV light inside the tank will kill the fish as well. I mean now my DT is fish less because they are all in a QT. Also what brand UV for a 100 gallon.

No, absolutely do not place an exposed UV light inside the tank. The UV will kill everything!

However, you can place an in-tank UV Sterilizer inside the tank. Those units have a built-in circulating pump and the UV lamp/light is shielded so it does not irradiate its surroundings. The biggest problem with the in-tank units is that almost all of them have wattage-to-FlowRates sufficient for algae and bacteria, but nowhere near enough UV power to kill parasites.

IMHO, your QT tank housing the eel is the best use of UV right now. A cheap pump picking up tank water through course foam and pumping it through a quality UV Sterilizer will kill off any free-swimming parasites that come over with the eel. I used this method with my eel, big hermit crab and snails after Brookynella wiped out a 54-gal DT twice. It worked well for me and allowed me to "treat" the eel without using meds.

My recommendation still stands for UV in your DT. You could invest in the appropriately sized UV for your DT, but temporarily use it in your QT setup. Remember, you don't have to run the UV 24x7 if it's oversized for the tank. If you're turning over the tank 2-3 times/hour with the UV pump, running the UV about four hours per day should do the trick.

 

[Noob_Sam]

@Hugh Mann @Crabs McJones
So yesterday i feed my QT mysis, seaweed extreme pellets, and put a new sheet of nori for my yellow tang. Yellow tang ate like a pig and his colors where great. I did not see any spots of velvet and his skin is recovering. Well this morning I turned on the lights and he is acting very weird. Not swimming in balance, he is a turning white, and his mouth is stuck open as well as berthing fast. All the other fish seem fine. No one is bothering him. Treating with copper power @ 2.0 ( day 17), Temp 83 F, filtration: Two big sponge filters as well as a hang on the back with only a sponge, i did a water change last week planning to do one tomorrow. I have a saltwater API test kit so i cant test for anything because of copper. ( gives false results)

 

[Crabs McJones]

Why such a high temp? I ran my qt around 75-76 F cooler water holds oxygen better. Can you share pictures of the fish?

 

[Noob_Sam]

Also there is algae growing in my QT tank. Brown algae

 

[Noob_Sam]

Why such a high temp? I ran my qt around 75-76 F cooler water holds oxygen better. Can you share pictures of the fish?

my tank is in the garage and i live in Southern Cali. Its like 100 outside by 12 pm. I have like 10 fish tanks inside my house and my mom did not let me set in up inside. i am 15 btw. Yeah i will take pics one sec.

 

[Noob_Sam]

@Crabs McJones All the fish now have zero marine valvet spots and my yellow tang was doing great in recovery but i dont know what happened. there are two more fish but they are hidding it was hard to take a pic of them. One is a small puffer (reef safe one).

 

[Noob_Sam]

also those weird bumps on his lower body where not there before..

 

[Sleeping Giant]

The tang looks very sick, I understand increase the temp to 82 deg. But I wouldn't go any higher. The higher temp increases the cycle time of ICH, and allows the copper to work quicker.

 

[Noob_Sam]

The tang looks very sick, I understand increase the temp to 82 deg. But I wouldn't go any higher. The higher temp increases the cycle time of ICH, and allows the copper to work quicker.

Yeah its out of my hand. Outside is very hot. Few days ago when it was 105 outside my QT tank was @ 85 F. But they were all going great. Do you know why his mouth is stuck open? I posted pics above. Yesterday literally yesterday he was 100% healthy. All the other fish are doing great.

 

[Noob_Sam]

hello anyone? He getting worst now. He is not moving but still breathing. What should i do.....???????

 

[Crabs McJones]

How much have you been feeding your tang? Looks very malnourished @Jay Hemdal any help?

 

[Noob_Sam]

How much have you been feeding your tang? Looks very malnourished @Jay Hemdal any help?

i used to feed 4 sheets of nori everyday, but now in the QT i feed one sheet. Also i feed sea weed extreme pellets daily as well as mysis shrimp and ocean nutrition formula two forzen every other day. So one day mysis and the other formula two. I also got Omega one marine pellets but they did not eat them because i never offered anything other than frozen. So my plan is to start feeding them those pellets once they are back to the DT so if they dont eat them crabs snails shrimps might eat them,so my nutrients wont sky rocket. My main concern is why is his mouth stuck open. It wont close its just open the whole time!!!!

 

[Noob_Sam]

How much have you been feeding your tang? Looks very malnourished @Jay Hemdal any help?

Well like expected he died... bruh i lost like $300 in two weeks. 6 months ago i lost $3,000 when all my corals died because there was something wrong with my return pumps so water was barely going to the sump so nutrients sky rocketed and lost everything . I might just do freshwater now. I have 10 freshwater tanks with huge huge fish like 2 20 inch redtail, oscars, pacus etc and never had a problem. well anyway does anyone know that are those brown leaks on the tang i posted a pic. Thanks....

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

"brown leaks"? Do you mean the discoloration on the belly? Some of that may be after death, but also, the tang is really emaciated, and that may be bile stains from the gallbladder.

Sorry to hear of you losses. Back in the 1970s, I spent all my paper route money for years buying fish, then replacing them. Many thousands of dollars spent (north of $10k). I would periodically get frustrated and change my tanks over to FW for a time. I'd eventually get bored and go back to saltwater... now I'm an aquarium curator, and I still lose fish, but much less often.

Jay