killing ich with high temperature
- Thread starter quinconte
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flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quinconte http:///forum/thread/386428/killing-ich-with-high-temperature#post_3394215
I've been reading about killing ich by raising the temperature over 86 degrees. Any experience about this? What about fish? Tangs, damsels, cardinals... and anemones?
Thanks!
Quinconte
You misunderstand I think. Raising the temp does not kill ich, it makes it go through it's life cycle faster. The fish (At least my Hippo Tang) liked the warmer temps, so raising the temp made the tang happier, and with garlic laced boosted food, built up his immunity system to be able to fight off the parasite....
I had a reef tank and my QT was not large enough for all my fish, so I couldn't remove them, and the corals couldn't handle the medications. The "reef safe" ich meds did not work, but stressed the coral. I had given up and decided that when all the fish die I can let the tank just sit.
However it was too much on my conscience to just let them die without a fight. So I put the temps up to 84 (not 86, it would climb to that in warm weather) where my sickest fish (Hippo Tang) is most comfortable and gave them their food after soaking it in fresh garlic juice to try and give them a fighting chance.
None of my fish died. However any stress and the ich was back big time. So I spent a year at least just babysitting the tank, even too large of a water change made the tang sick. The other fish didn't show signs of ich, just that tang. I didn't dare add another fish, since new fish are stressed to begin with.
Time passed. I had to move and that meant moving the tank as well....this was over a year later (2 years after outbreak) To my amazement, not one fish got ich. I considered the stuff I read, that without a host the parasite dies. I concluded (on my own and I'm no expert) that maybe without a host to infect over so much time, that the parasite died. And that my fish stayed healthy enough to end the cycle of the ich in my tank.
In the end it's all assumption, but its been about four years now and no ich. I have only added one fish in that time, a Lemonpeel angelfish, he is fine as well. All this could have been avoided with the use of a QT with each fish as they were added..
Keep in mind one good outbreak and the ich would win by sheer numbers and I would have lost every fish. I had a very bad situation on my hands and for over a year...I added no fish to my tank, just babysitting it.
So if you have the ability...do the hypo, and save yourself future grief and get a quarantine tank. If you are in the above situation.. Keep in mind that if you lose every fish, that's the risk, because there is nothing else to be done.
Originally Posted by Quinconte http:///forum/thread/386428/killing-ich-with-high-temperature#post_3394215
I've been reading about killing ich by raising the temperature over 86 degrees. Any experience about this? What about fish? Tangs, damsels, cardinals... and anemones?
Thanks!
Quinconte
You misunderstand I think. Raising the temp does not kill ich, it makes it go through it's life cycle faster. The fish (At least my Hippo Tang) liked the warmer temps, so raising the temp made the tang happier, and with garlic laced boosted food, built up his immunity system to be able to fight off the parasite....
I had a reef tank and my QT was not large enough for all my fish, so I couldn't remove them, and the corals couldn't handle the medications. The "reef safe" ich meds did not work, but stressed the coral. I had given up and decided that when all the fish die I can let the tank just sit.
However it was too much on my conscience to just let them die without a fight. So I put the temps up to 84 (not 86, it would climb to that in warm weather) where my sickest fish (Hippo Tang) is most comfortable and gave them their food after soaking it in fresh garlic juice to try and give them a fighting chance.
None of my fish died. However any stress and the ich was back big time. So I spent a year at least just babysitting the tank, even too large of a water change made the tang sick. The other fish didn't show signs of ich, just that tang. I didn't dare add another fish, since new fish are stressed to begin with.
Time passed. I had to move and that meant moving the tank as well....this was over a year later (2 years after outbreak) To my amazement, not one fish got ich. I considered the stuff I read, that without a host the parasite dies. I concluded (on my own and I'm no expert) that maybe without a host to infect over so much time, that the parasite died. And that my fish stayed healthy enough to end the cycle of the ich in my tank.
In the end it's all assumption, but its been about four years now and no ich. I have only added one fish in that time, a Lemonpeel angelfish, he is fine as well. All this could have been avoided with the use of a QT with each fish as they were added..
Keep in mind one good outbreak and the ich would win by sheer numbers and I would have lost every fish. I had a very bad situation on my hands and for over a year...I added no fish to my tank, just babysitting it.
So if you have the ability...do the hypo, and save yourself future grief and get a quarantine tank. If you are in the above situation.. Keep in mind that if you lose every fish, that's the risk, because there is nothing else to be done.
quinconte
New Member
Thanks Flower, I didn't realized ich could be so persistent. I run the cooper thing and seems that everything is fine. I see a fish or two (out of 15) doing the scratching thing although, nothing like before, only a yellow tang and a small blue hipo tang are doing it, very sporadically, I wander if it is some kind of playing. You recommend hipo instead of the cooper, any reason?
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quinconte http:///forum/thread/386428/killing-ich-with-high-temperature#post_3394656
Thanks Flower, I didn't realized ich could be so persistent. I run the cooper thing and seems that everything is fine. I see a fish or two (out of 15) doing the scratching thing although, nothing like before, only a yellow tang and a small blue hipo tang are doing it, very sporadically, I wander if it is some kind of playing. You recommend hipo instead of the cooper, any reason?
Well Beth is the our expert and hypo is what she says is best. Neither one can be done with inverts, rock or coral. So all fish must be removed to a hospital tank for treatment. Then they can't be returned to the main tank for 8 weeks while the parasite dies off without a host, to put them right back into the tank they would get reinfected.
If your fish are still scratching...are they still in the hospital tank?
Originally Posted by Quinconte http:///forum/thread/386428/killing-ich-with-high-temperature#post_3394656
Thanks Flower, I didn't realized ich could be so persistent. I run the cooper thing and seems that everything is fine. I see a fish or two (out of 15) doing the scratching thing although, nothing like before, only a yellow tang and a small blue hipo tang are doing it, very sporadically, I wander if it is some kind of playing. You recommend hipo instead of the cooper, any reason?
Well Beth is the our expert and hypo is what she says is best. Neither one can be done with inverts, rock or coral. So all fish must be removed to a hospital tank for treatment. Then they can't be returned to the main tank for 8 weeks while the parasite dies off without a host, to put them right back into the tank they would get reinfected.
If your fish are still scratching...are they still in the hospital tank?
quinconte
New Member
no, they're in the tank. I know what I did wrong, put them in the tank straight from the store. I guess you learn as you go. THanks again!. I am attaching a picture of damsel that has been bullied by another of its kind and disappeared for awhile and found it dead yesterday. I don't know if what it shows are injuries or is the ich. The other fish look very well, except for the occasional, very sporadic and far between, scratching of a yellow tang a and a blue tang. Well, thanks again, I've learned the formula.
flower
Well-Known Member
I hope you didn't dose your tank with medicine not labeled reef safe!!! You mentioned copper. If you put copper in your tank you have poisoned it..... all the inverts and rocks, sand everything will die except the fish.
You can't do copper or hypo in a main tank ever.
Damsels are evil mean little fish, they grow up to kill every fish not aggressive enough to stand up to them including each other. Also after they mature, they will bite your hand when you put it in the tank drawing blood.
You can't do copper or hypo in a main tank ever.
Damsels are evil mean little fish, they grow up to kill every fish not aggressive enough to stand up to them including each other. Also after they mature, they will bite your hand when you put it in the tank drawing blood.
S
siptang
Guest
I have had good experiences with quick cure. Try that if all else fails but be sure to remove carbon while applying the medication.
I dosed at night because i heard that it's best when the lights are off (messes with medication I heard.. I could be wrong) I was also advised to turned off my skimmer but I couldn't turn it off completely so I just turned off while dosing, went to sleep and turned back in the morning prior to going to work.
Haven't lost any fish in last 3 years to ick. (knocking heavily on my wooden desk) Had an outbreak and my boy went inside the qt and broke it at one time... yea.. that wasn't fun.. took a gamble and treated the DT with quick cure and none of my kenya trees died and everything returned to normal in 2 weeks of treatment.
I dosed at night because i heard that it's best when the lights are off (messes with medication I heard.. I could be wrong) I was also advised to turned off my skimmer but I couldn't turn it off completely so I just turned off while dosing, went to sleep and turned back in the morning prior to going to work.
Haven't lost any fish in last 3 years to ick. (knocking heavily on my wooden desk) Had an outbreak and my boy went inside the qt and broke it at one time... yea.. that wasn't fun.. took a gamble and treated the DT with quick cure and none of my kenya trees died and everything returned to normal in 2 weeks of treatment.
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siptang http:///forum/thread/386428/killing-ich-with-high-temperature#post_3394866
I have had good experiences with quick cure. Try that if all else fails but be sure to remove carbon while applying the medication.
I dosed at night because i heard that it's best when the lights are off (messes with medication I heard.. I could be wrong) I was also advised to turned off my skimmer but I couldn't turn it off completely so I just turned off while dosing, went to sleep and turned back in the morning prior to going to work.
Haven't lost any fish in last 3 years to ick. (knocking heavily on my wooden desk) Had an outbreak and my boy went inside the qt and broke it at one time... yea.. that wasn't fun.. took a gamble and treated the DT with quick cure and none of my kenya trees died and everything returned to normal in 2 weeks of treatment.
Quinconte said he/she used copper...but then next post said he did not remove the fish from the display...so I'm worried.
Originally Posted by Siptang http:///forum/thread/386428/killing-ich-with-high-temperature#post_3394866
I have had good experiences with quick cure. Try that if all else fails but be sure to remove carbon while applying the medication.
I dosed at night because i heard that it's best when the lights are off (messes with medication I heard.. I could be wrong) I was also advised to turned off my skimmer but I couldn't turn it off completely so I just turned off while dosing, went to sleep and turned back in the morning prior to going to work.
Haven't lost any fish in last 3 years to ick. (knocking heavily on my wooden desk) Had an outbreak and my boy went inside the qt and broke it at one time... yea.. that wasn't fun.. took a gamble and treated the DT with quick cure and none of my kenya trees died and everything returned to normal in 2 weeks of treatment.
Quinconte said he/she used copper...but then next post said he did not remove the fish from the display...so I'm worried.
tangs rule
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/386428/killing-ich-with-high-temperature#post_3394935
Quinconte said he/she used copper...but then next post said he did not remove the fish from the display...so I'm worried.
SOunds very bad - and I would think adding quickcure which contains formalin [formaldehyde] in combo with copper in ANY dt tank would be really bad. I've used copper with formalin before but ONLY in very bad ich/velvet cases - and ONLY in bare hospital tanks.
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/386428/killing-ich-with-high-temperature#post_3394935
Quinconte said he/she used copper...but then next post said he did not remove the fish from the display...so I'm worried.
SOunds very bad - and I would think adding quickcure which contains formalin [formaldehyde] in combo with copper in ANY dt tank would be really bad. I've used copper with formalin before but ONLY in very bad ich/velvet cases - and ONLY in bare hospital tanks.
jc74
Member
Luckily if he used copper there are products that remove it from the tank. When I was fish only I dosed them with Coppersafe when ich was a major problem. I had people tell me that I need to replace the entire tank and everything in it before adding inverts like snails ever again. I put some of the copper remover in my Fluval filter, and added snails a couple months later.
4 years later, at least 5 of those snails are still alive. Just got more this week. I can't remember the name of the product, but it effectively absorbed any copper in my tank and the little pellets turned a greenish color.
4 years later, at least 5 of those snails are still alive. Just got more this week. I can't remember the name of the product, but it effectively absorbed any copper in my tank and the little pellets turned a greenish color.
jc74
Member
I just found the name of the product I used to remove the copper. CupriSorb . It looks like little gold "bb's" that turn green when they've done their job.
After the snails survived I was relieved that I didn't have to replace all my rockwork. I eventually added more live rock and will never put any type of copper product in my tank again.
After the snails survived I was relieved that I didn't have to replace all my rockwork. I eventually added more live rock and will never put any type of copper product in my tank again.
tangs rule
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by jc74 http:///forum/thread/386428/killing-ich-with-high-temperature#post_3394956
I just found the name of the product I used to remove the copper. CupriSorb . It looks like little gold "bb's" that turn green when they've done their job.
After the snails survived I was relieved that I didn't have to replace all my rockwork. I eventually added more live rock and will never put any type of copper product in my tank again.
The cuprisorb will remove the copper from the water, however copper can be absorbed into the rock, and leach out later in life. Also the problem with copper or any meds in a DT is if you add somthing that starts killing off inverts, ammonia levels can skyrocket, and do the same to the fish.
Even the "reef safe" products WILL kill off a tank if overused OR mixed with another medication.
Originally Posted by jc74 http:///forum/thread/386428/killing-ich-with-high-temperature#post_3394956
I just found the name of the product I used to remove the copper. CupriSorb . It looks like little gold "bb's" that turn green when they've done their job.
After the snails survived I was relieved that I didn't have to replace all my rockwork. I eventually added more live rock and will never put any type of copper product in my tank again.
The cuprisorb will remove the copper from the water, however copper can be absorbed into the rock, and leach out later in life. Also the problem with copper or any meds in a DT is if you add somthing that starts killing off inverts, ammonia levels can skyrocket, and do the same to the fish.
Even the "reef safe" products WILL kill off a tank if overused OR mixed with another medication.
S
siptang
Guest
flower - yea..I'm concerned too.
jc74
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by tangs rule http:///forum/thread/386428/killing-ich-with-high-temperature#post_3394958
The cuprisorb will remove the copper from the water, however copper can be absorbed into the rock, and leach out later in life. Also the problem with copper or any meds in a DT is if you add somthing that starts killing off inverts, ammonia levels can skyrocket, and do the same to the fish.
Even the "reef safe" products WILL kill off a tank if overused OR mixed with another medication.
I heard tales of copper leaching out from rocks before I added my snails/anemome, but if it hasn't killed my inverts in over 4 years apparently it's not a problem. I did keep cuprisorb in the filter for a while after adding them, but haven't used it in at least 3 years. And I dosed the tank heavily with Coppersafe when it was fish only. I had people tell me I'd have to throw everything out and start from scratch. Glad I didn't take their word for it and throw out hundreds of dollars worth of rock.
Originally Posted by tangs rule http:///forum/thread/386428/killing-ich-with-high-temperature#post_3394958
The cuprisorb will remove the copper from the water, however copper can be absorbed into the rock, and leach out later in life. Also the problem with copper or any meds in a DT is if you add somthing that starts killing off inverts, ammonia levels can skyrocket, and do the same to the fish.
Even the "reef safe" products WILL kill off a tank if overused OR mixed with another medication.
I heard tales of copper leaching out from rocks before I added my snails/anemome, but if it hasn't killed my inverts in over 4 years apparently it's not a problem. I did keep cuprisorb in the filter for a while after adding them, but haven't used it in at least 3 years. And I dosed the tank heavily with Coppersafe when it was fish only. I had people tell me I'd have to throw everything out and start from scratch. Glad I didn't take their word for it and throw out hundreds of dollars worth of rock.