Should I "Ignore" Ich?

[Spieg]

Update: 90% of the ich spots are gone the very next morning! Didn't take any action.

This is a normal part of the Ich life cycle. They will probably come back worse than before. Tangs are Ich magnets. I don't really believe in Ich management. It always seemed to bite me in the butt at some point. I've had too many otherwise very healthy fish die in the past. I eradicate it from my system and QT all new fish anymore because disease is so common in the fish supply chain.

 

[RedReefer]

This is a normal part of the Ich life cycle. They will probably come back worse than before. Tangs are Ich magnets. I don't really believe in Ich management. It always seemed to bite me in the butt at some point. I've had too many otherwise very healthy fish die in the past. I eradicate it from my system and QT all new fish anymore because disease is so common in the fish supply chain.

The correct way^^^

 

[LIreefguy]

Ich spots come and goes Ich have 3 life stages and the white dots are just one of the stages. Like others said before. Fish can live years in a tank with ich

the only way to get rid of it once in a tank is to go fallow for 72 days and then make sure ever fish you put in are ich free. In your case with no qt tank that’s not possible. So let’s move on it ich management.
Like someone suggest I would get a uv light because it will help kill the free swimming stage of ich

also make sure you keep your water quality very good and your fish a quality diet and feed often. Which will make it harder to keep water quality good. But fat well feed fish do better at fighting off ich.
also when ever you add a new fish to your tank , especially if the fish is an ich magnet like tangs it probably will have a ich If heathy and not too stress it should make it

 

[IKD]

Update: 90% of the ich spots are gone the very next morning! Didn't take any action.

Get ready for a rough ride in 1-2 weeks. Any way you can at least add a UV sterilizer to reduce some of the upcoming wave?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Never ignore ich and allow it to spread to tank and others. Ich only grows stronger in number until the host succumbs to it. A QT is a must and in the hobby, every reaction requires action. Coppersafe in QT is best bet and once youve set up this QT system, you can utilize it for all future fish. Its a small investment for big results.

 

[jeffchapok]

Never ignore ich and allow it to spread to tank and others. Ich only grows stronger in number until the host succumbs to it. A QT is a must and in the hobby, every reaction requires action. Coppersafe in QT is best bet and once youve set up this QT system, you can utilize it for all future fish. Its a small investment for big results.

That's not really true. While I do agree that the best plan is to quarantine and to completely eradicate ich by going fallow if you do get it, it is possible to manage ich effectively.

About 18 months ago I had an ich outbreak and one of my clowns was in sorry shape. I knew I had ich at the time - it had been introduced by a tang months earlier. I had been managing it with UV up to this point. Unbeknownst to me, my UV bulb had burned out. It was completely encased with no indication if it was working or not.

I replaced the UV light with a larger one with a way to see if it was lit. The clown recovered within days and since then I've seen maybe one or two single spots on a tang that always disappear within a day or less. The clown has never had any sign of ich again.

If ich was a death sentence, then there'd be no fish in the ocean as they would have all succumbed to it by now. Their natural immune systems are built to handle it as long as we maintain sufficient water quality to give them a fighting chance.

 

[Tnops]

Get ready for a rough ride in 1-2 weeks. Any way you can at least add a UV sterilizer to reduce some of the upcoming wave?

Afraid that I don't have a planned budget for that. Or are they cheaper than I have thought? Tank is 75 gallons and the sump is pretty full

 

[blaxsun]

You could try Polyb Lab Medic. When I had a case of velvet it was the only option available for my mixed reef, (since catching the affected fish was out of the question). Probably saved half my fish. And a UV (even if a temporary measure - sometimes you can rent them) helped as well. Long-term a UV is a good investment (while it won’t entirely rid your system of parasites, often it’s enough to keep them at bay and prevent future outbreaks).

 

[Tnops]

Oh wait did I forget to mention that my tank doesn't have any corals in it at the moment and the only inverts are a cleaner shrimp and 5 snails? Can I just set up a small like 5 gallon temporary for the inverts and treat the tank with strong meds that would otherwise kill the inverts?

 

[vetteguy53081]

That's not really true. While I do agree that the best plan is to quarantine and to completely eradicate ich by going fallow if you do get it, it is possible to manage ich effectively.

About 18 months ago I had an ich outbreak and one of my clowns was in sorry shape. I knew I had ich at the time - it had been introduced by a tang months earlier. I had been managing it with UV up to this point. Unbeknownst to me, my UV bulb had burned out. It was completely encased with no indication if it was working or not.

I replaced the UV light with a larger one with a way to see if it was lit. The clown recovered within days and since then I've seen maybe one or two single spots on a tang that always disappear within a day or less. The clown has never had any sign of ich again.

If ich was a death sentence, then there'd be no fish in the ocean as they would have all succumbed to it by now. Their natural immune systems are built to handle it as long as we maintain sufficient water quality to give them a fighting chance.

Fallow works when the tank is empty and steps are taken such as raising temperature to kill trophants and speed the cycle. Just because dots vanish does not notate the parasite is idle. Doing this 35+ years, ive rarely seen a fish survive ich Untreated. The ocean (open environment) is no comparison to a fish aquarium in which we lack the natural diets and antibodies that disallow this condition in the wild. The cycle of ich first needs to be understood.
Marine ich has a complex multi-step life cycle.

- The feeding or trophont stage is where the parasites are swimming around under the skin and gills of the fish. The parasites eat cells and fluids, damaging tissues and leaving the fish in a weakened state. Here is where you may see the white spots and other outward symptoms. Ich treatments generally do not affect the trophonts because they are protected under the skin of the fish.

- Once the Marine Ich Trophonts are fattened up, they leave the fish as a protomont. Protomonts lose their ability to swim, fall to the bottom of the tank and in a few hours become a tomont. The parasite becomes a hardened cyst, like an ich egg, waiting to hatch. The tomont is a ticking time bomb full of nasty little parasites. What was once a single ich parasite, now divides, again and again, storing up hundreds of new parasites called tomites.

- After a number of days or even weeks, the cyst opens up and the infective parasites are released as free-swimming theronts, seeking to attack your fish. This is really the primary stage that these medications are effective against the parasites. The theronts have about six hours to find a fish and burrow into the skin, becoming a trophont. Then the cycle begins again. Depending on the severity of the outbreak, an aquarium or shop full of marine fish can be wiped out due to the reoccurring nature of the parasite life cycle.

The theory goes that if you can avoid affecting any fish (eg. leave your fish in quarantine, under treatment for that period of time), you can add them to your tank relatively risk-free.
The best way to protect your saltwater fish tank or reef aquarium is prevention. Prevention means keeping ich-infested fish out of the aquarium. This is done with a quarantine tank. The idea behind quarantine is to isolate a new fish, observe it for several weeks, ideally one month to make sure the fish is healthy. A quarantine aquarium can be as simple as a ten, or twenty-gallon tank with a heater and filter. If it is carrying saltwater ick, a fish will likely show signs during the quarantine. If it does, your quarantine tank helps you keep from infesting your main aquarium and also provides you with a small, safe location to treat your sick fish.

@Jay Hemdal works at public aquarium and can touch further on this

 

[Tnops]

Fallow works when the tank is empty and steps are taken such as raising temperature to kill trophants and speed the cycle. Just because dots vanish does not notate the parasite is idle. Doing this 35+ years, ive rarely seen a fish survive ich Untreated. The ocean (open environment) is no comparison to a fish aquarium in which we lack the natural diets and antibodies that disallow this condition in the wild. The cycle of ich first needs to be understood.
Marine ich has a complex multi-step life cycle.

- The feeding or trophont stage is where the parasites are swimming around under the skin and gills of the fish. The parasites eat cells and fluids, damaging tissues and leaving the fish in a weakened state. Here is where you may see the white spots and other outward symptoms. Ich treatments generally do not affect the trophonts because they are protected under the skin of the fish.

- Once the Marine Ich Trophonts are fattened up, they leave the fish as a protomont. Protomonts lose their ability to swim, fall to the bottom of the tank and in a few hours become a tomont. The parasite becomes a hardened cyst, like an ich egg, waiting to hatch. The tomont is a ticking time bomb full of nasty little parasites. What was once a single ich parasite, now divides, again and again, storing up hundreds of new parasites called tomites.

- After a number of days or even weeks, the cyst opens up and the infective parasites are released as free-swimming theronts, seeking to attack your fish. This is really the primary stage that these medications are effective against the parasites. The theronts have about six hours to find a fish and burrow into the skin, becoming a trophont. Then the cycle begins again. Depending on the severity of the outbreak, an aquarium or shop full of marine fish can be wiped out due to the reoccurring nature of the parasite life cycle.

The theory goes that if you can avoid affecting any fish (eg. leave your fish in quarantine, under treatment for that period of time), you can add them to your tank relatively risk-free.
The best way to protect your saltwater fish tank or reef aquarium is prevention. Prevention means keeping ich-infested fish out of the aquarium. This is done with a quarantine tank. The idea behind quarantine is to isolate a new fish, observe it for several weeks, ideally one month to make sure the fish is healthy. A quarantine aquarium can be as simple as a ten, or twenty-gallon tank with a heater and filter. If it is carrying saltwater ick, a fish will likely show signs during the quarantine. If it does, your quarantine tank helps you keep from infesting your main aquarium and also provides you with a small, safe location to treat your sick fish.

@Jay Hemdal works at public aquarium and can touch further on this

Can I treat the tank with meds instead of fallow if there are only fish?

 

[Spieg]

You can use copper (most of the other treatments don't work very well) in a FOWLER tank, but be aware the rock/sand will absorb copper and it makes it more difficult to maintain therapeutic levels of copper. You will also have problems getting the copper our if you decide to add coral or invertebrates later they may die. Once a rock or sand has been in tank with copper I never use them in a reef tank.

 

[Tnops]

You can use copper (most of the other treatments don't work very well) in a FOWLER tank, but be aware the rock/sand will absorb copper and it makes it more difficult to maintain therapeutic levels of copper. You will also have problems getting the copper our if you decide to add coral or invertebrates later they may die. Once a rock or sand has been in tank with copper I never use them in a reef tank.

Well that sucks...

 

[vetteguy53081]

Can I treat the tank with meds instead of fallow if there are only fish?

Only if you have NO intention of having any coral. One safe method instead of copper is slowly lowering salinity to 1.014 and adding/using ruby rally pro as a form of formalin for 28 days, but I still suggest Quarantine. You can set one up for $100 or under with a 20 gallon tank.
If using copper, a reliable test kit is a must and always increase oxygen when treating fish.

 

[Tnops]

Only if you have NO intention of having any coral. One safe method instead of copper is slowly lowering salinity to 1.014 and adding/using ruby rally pro as a form of formalin for 28 days, but I still suggest Quarantine. You can set one up for $100 or under with a 20 gallon tank.
If using copper, a reliable test kit is a must and always increase oxygen when treating fish.

At this point I might do fallow as I have all the equipment needed because I used to keep freshwater. My only concern is the tank size. I only have room for a 20 gallon but my current stock may be too much for a 20 gallon to handle.
2 clowns
1 firefish
1 longnose hawkfish
1 fairy wrasse
2 pajama cardinals
1 bristletooth tang

 

[Jimmyneptune]

Is the tang eating? A fish not eating, with ich, and no qt is a problem. There are two general ideas about dealing with disease.
1. strict protocol of medication and qt to stay or achieve 100% disease free.
2. great biodiversity of established tank with great feeding plan to ward off disease.

If you are not going to qt then get him to eat frozen Mysis or other quality frozen food and or vitamin enriched food. With robust eating he may be all right and then you can research and decide what you want to do next.

 

[Taff]

Hello, I've just noticed that my new tang has some ich on it. Non of the other fish in the tank seem to have ich. The tang is behaving normally, swimming and picking algae off rocks although not eating nori or frozen foods at the moment. Doing a fallow period is not possible at the moment. Some posts from forums have said that the tang will naturally fight it off as it is behaving normally. Should I leave it as be unless it worsens or take action immediately (and how)?

Hi, I had same prob with my new Regal Tang. Spread quickly to my other fish.
Polyp Lab Medic, gets rid of the ich, plus keep dosing to instructions, kills every stage of it.
Completely reef safe.

 

[vetteguy53081]

At this point I might do fallow as I have all the equipment needed because I used to keep freshwater. My only concern is the tank size. I only have room for a 20 gallon but my current stock may be too much for a 20 gallon to handle.
2 clowns
1 firefish
1 longnose hawkfish
1 fairy wrasse
2 pajama cardinals
1 bristletooth tang

Tight but should work as long as you keep up with water quality (mainly ammonia ( and provide adequate oxygen (pump and air stone)

 

[Tnops]

Tight but should work as long as you keep up with water quality (mainly ammonia ( and provide adequate oxygen (pump and air stone)

So do I have to cycle that tank? I have a large piece of rock in my sump if that helps

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

That's not really true. While I do agree that the best plan is to quarantine and to completely eradicate ich by going fallow if you do get it, it is possible to manage ich effectively.

About 18 months ago I had an ich outbreak and one of my clowns was in sorry shape. I knew I had ich at the time - it had been introduced by a tang months earlier. I had been managing it with UV up to this point. Unbeknownst to me, my UV bulb had burned out. It was completely encased with no indication if it was working or not.

I replaced the UV light with a larger one with a way to see if it was lit. The clown recovered within days and since then I've seen maybe one or two single spots on a tang that always disappear within a day or less. The clown has never had any sign of ich again.

If ich was a death sentence, then there'd be no fish in the ocean as they would have all succumbed to it by now. Their natural immune systems are built to handle it as long as we maintain sufficient water quality to give them a fighting chance.

@vetteguy53081 is accurate in his statement. It has has to do with propagule pressure - the amount of ich tomites in a tank. When they reach a certain tipping point, ich management is simply not possible. I typically avoid giving people hope that they can "manage ich". Too many times they try it, (because it is the easiest way out) but hang on too long to the losing battle, and end up losing fish.

UV sterilizers, on a side stream, do not control moderate ich infections, the dwell time just isn't right. They DO work well in sterilizing water than moves from one chamber to another.

Mature tanks are key to ich management - an established microbiome helps reduce the number of tomites in the water. UV sterilizers don't hurt, and can play a minor role in lesser infections.

Jay