Why No Reef-Safe Ich treatment?

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Some say its always in the system. I just added 3 cleaner shrimp and am dripping in a cleaner wrasse now. Thinking of picking up a bottle of Herbtana and reading up on it now.

The scientific proof refutes the idea that anything can simply "always exist" in any closed system. Ich has to be introduced at some point, which also means it is possible for it to be eradicated and absent from a system.

 

[scardall]

It came in at some point but your livestock had been resistant to it building up a population large enough to see. So it took 4 months for it to show up on a fish whose resistance was low enough for them to thrive, but they were either introduced with the last fish or were present even before that.

Thanks for the data. Kinda makes QT-ing not so much , in preventing ICH at times. 4 months = 120 days. I do feel a little vindicated in this case. Cool

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Thanks for the data. Kinda makes QT-ing not so much , in preventing ICH at times. 4 months = 120 days. I do feel a little vindicated in this case. Cool

Qt should always include a treatment to kill ich IMHO. Otherwise, you may just be watching a fish who carries the parasite without showing signs of it. So, QT should always include hypo, copper, tank transfer, or some method known to eradicate ich.

 

[40B Knasty]

I used Medic for my 40B. My flame angel was showing signs of ich. It was gone for a month after the 20 day treatment. Then my tank cracked. Everything is now in a 65g. Everything was good for a month+. I bought a tail spotted blenny, few snails, frogspawn, and a blueberry gorgonian. Ich is back! Just started treatment today and he has it worse this time around. 20 more days of early wake ups before the moonlight LEDs come on and make sure I am home for the moonlight LEDs to go off at night for the 2 treatment times ;Sorry

 

[Sam Ho]

How does it work?

Regardless all some people have negative opinion
on PolyLab Medic
it sure work for me and save my Archilis after one plus bottle of the Medic as he is in a 230 gallon tank

 

[Sam Ho]

Regardless all some people have negative opinion
on PolyLab Medic
it sure work for me and save my Archilis after one plus bottle of the Medic as he is in a 230 gallon tank

And the instruction on the bottle explain how it works

 

[Brew12]

Regardless all some people have negative opinion
on PolyLab Medic
it sure work for me and save my Archilis after one plus bottle of the Medic as he is in a 230 gallon tank

I think there is a role for PolyLab Medic, but it will not clear ich from a system if used as directed. Where it may have some real value is for people who know they have ich in their system and rely on the fish immune system to handle it. If something happens, such as a stressor event, there is reason to think that PolyLab may be able to keep parasite numbers low enough to allow the fish to regain health and fight it off on its own again.

For PolyLab to "cure" ich it would have to be dosed for 60+ days to be reliable. People just need to understand how the product can help and have reasonable expectations.

 

[Sam Ho]

I think there is a role for PolyLab Medic, but it will not clear ich from a system if used as directed. Where it may have some real value is for people who know they have ich in their system and rely on the fish immune system to handle it. If something happens, such as a stressor event, there is reason to think that PolyLab may be able to keep parasite numbers low enough to allow the fish to regain health and fight it off on its own again.

For PolyLab to "cure" ich it would have to be dosed for 60+ days to be reliable. People just need to understand how the product can help and have reasonable expectations.

 

[Sam Ho]

Totally agreed
Only sure way to have a tank ich free is have no host

 

[Brew12]

Totally agreed
Only sure way to have a tank ich free is have no host

I don't agree with that. If you properly treat and QT everything before it goes into your tank there will be no ich inside it. Many of us have ich free systems. There is an easy way to verify a system is ich free. Get a black fresh water molly and drop it in your tank. If it has spots in 2 weeks your tank has ich. If it doesn't, your tank is free of ich.

 

[Sophisticated Reefer]

Put one or more neon gobies in the tank. They are cleaners and will literally eat the parasites right from the infected fish. I have always added one at the first signs and have never lost a fish to it.

Biggest bs ever ich is under the fish skin. The gobies wont reach that

 

[Paul B]

Wow, two year old thread resurrected. I have always found this and most threads about ich silly as our fish should never be bothered by such things. We can of course eradicate ich and all parasites, but as we have found out, that is difficult and most people can't seem to do it long term.

I personally feel that ich and all parasites are a normal part of a functional fish and fish need ich just as we need bacteria and can't live with out it.

Healthy fish are perfectly able to live with ich as they have been doing since way before Bernie Sanders started looking for a comb.

Parasites were in the sea long before fish and Jacques Cousteau was there and the fish never minded.

It is also of no concern that most of our tanks are smaller than the sea so the parasites are concentrated and have nothing to do but infect our fish. The more parasites, the stronger the fishes immunity.

I don't consider parasites as pests and neither do the fish. They are just there trying to complete their life cycle and have babies. If they were cute, and they may be, we would be keeping them instead of copper band butterflies.

If they have not bothered my fish in 40 years, you can get your fish to the point where they are of no concern. I have written about this so many times that I am getting Nauseous so I don't want to do it again and no one wants to hear it or believe it. But if our fish are dying from ich, it is our fault, not the fish, the LFS, the wholesaler or Bernie Sanders. (although he may have had a hand in it)

 

[Elitecorals]

let's say you have ich in your tank, and you try to managing ich. So if you don't see ich on your fish, does it mean ich will died if they don't host your fish.

 

[Lorenzo Angotti]

Hi, you may think I’m barking up the wrong tree, now I’ve been in this hobby just over three years, and so far I have never lost a fish to ich I have always every week used natural ginger and garlic wether it be powder or raw, mixed with fish food, and for my tangs I spread it on a piece of nori seaweed sheet. If you think I’ve just been lucky just take a look at this video, I’m not saying that lt kills ich but it strengthens the fish immune system and the fish can fight ich off. Check the link and hope it helps.

 

[Squidward]

Parasites were in the sea long before fish and Jacques Cousteau was there and the fish never minded.

It is also of no concern that most of our tanks are smaller than the sea so the parasites are concentrated and have nothing to do but infect our fish. The more parasites, the stronger the fishes immunity.

And in the sea, fish are able to swim away and not get re-infected with ich unlike our little glass cubes which ich mulitplies over and over. No ich in the tank, no sick fish, the better. Bernie is cool.

 

[Paul B]

I have no sick fish and never do. My fish scare away ich as does Bernie.

 

[schooncw]

Hi, you may think I’m barking up the wrong tree, now I’ve been in this hobby just over three years, and so far I have never lost a fish to ich I have always every week used natural ginger and garlic wether it be powder or raw, mixed with fish food, and for my tangs I spread it on a piece of nori seaweed sheet. If you think I’ve just been lucky just take a look at this video, I’m not saying that lt kills ich but it strengthens the fish immune system and the fish can fight ich off. Check the link and hope it helps.

Garlic only works on vampires and ginger, seriously? Waay too much anecdotal information and solutions in this hobby! http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2352039&highlight=garlic

 

[Lorenzo Angotti]

Garlic only works on vampires and ginger, seriously? Waay too much anecdotal information and solutions in this hobby! http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2352039&highlight=garlic

Yes this link is based on garlic and ok the scientific testing is probably right but we talking ginger here as the video shows, you don’t have to carry on dosing ginger if you feel that in the long term it could affect the fish, you would only have to use as and when ich arises. I would certainly use natural products then what’s on the market these days claiming that they are Reef safe, Not! Unless some company out there can definitely say it’s a 100% Reef safe. Which I have yet to see!

 

[ScottB]

I am in the @Paul B ich management camp too.

(Probably about to curse myself here, but...)

I am certain all my tanks have ich, because when disruptive stuff happens (tank move, a big rescape, something stupid when I am away) a few fish get ich. It has been a 3-4 years thankfully (double cursed myself now) and I only ever lost a flame to ich and that was more of an angel overstock mistake honestly.

Corals come in/out of my tanks every week. Corals get QT'd.

Most of my fish are working fish that have lived with me for years. They get fed the broadest sushi grade concoction of chopped seafood I can conjure. Plus soaked nori every day.

I admire those who adhere to the rigors required of properly QTing fish and respect their decision. I enjoy learning their methods (TTM has the most appeal to me) that I may someday use myself.

ps I have used Polyp Lab Medic recently on some ich infested customer tanks with good success -- at least when addressed early. It is a pain to dose as instructed, but it does arrest the situation. I know the ich is still lurking in there, but the fish distress is over in 2-3 weeks IME.

 

[schooncw]

Yes this link is based on garlic and ok the scientific testing is probably right but we talking ginger here as the video shows, you don’t have to carry on dosing ginger if you feel that in the long term it could affect the fish, you would only have to use as and when ich arises. I would certainly use natural products then what’s on the market these days claiming that they are Reef safe, Not! Unless some company out there can definitely say it’s a 100% Reef safe. Which I have yet to see!

I mean no disrespect but that vid is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. Amongst other things, he states that if it's good for humans, its good for fish.....Try giving aspirin to cats or chocolate to dogs and see what happens. Also, his "evidence" that ginger cures ich, is because after two days, he does not see ich on his fish. Someone should research the life cycle of the parasite.....