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Freshwater dips will not work for ich. The trophonts can burrow under the slime layer of the fish and not be affected by the lower salinity. This only puts the already ill fish under more stress. Hyposalinity and copper are the only reliable treatments for ich.

You have now discovered one of the best reasons to have a Quarantine tank! If the fish worsens, you may have no other options other than to dismantle the entire tank to catch the fish. Some fish are able to develop a limited immunity to ich but this will not eradicate the infection. However, I...

Mixed within the food is ideal. Adding garlic to the water is probably not the best option (unless the fish are not eating).

Based on the number of posts, I believe that you have a young tank. If they are what I think they are, the bubbles are oxygen from photosynthesis. If this is the case, they are probably not there when the lights come on in the morning and then show up. This is common with a new tank. Nitrogen...

Yellow tangs are quite skittish after they are moved. They usually settle down within a few days. They also sometimes will not eat well for a few days. The pale color is also quite common. It is normal in the evening to appear more pale.

Have you been feeding it any hard foods? Sometimes puffers cannot eat because their teeth have grown too long.

The tiny white things are probably pods - completely harmless and probably beneficial (and to be desired if you are trying to raise certain types of fish which feed on them). The smaller cocoon like structures are probably q-tip sponges. Do a search on these boards and you should be able to...

Fungal infections are actually quite rare in marine aquaria (the salt kills off most fungus). Bacterial infections can sometimes look this way or perhaps lympocystis. Both of these infections do not require treatment of the whole tank. Occasionally a severely infected fish can be removed to a...

I would disagree. Malachite green is a freshwater ich treatment. Formalin is not reliably effective for ich. The only reliable treatments are hyposalinity and copper. Check out the sticky at the top of this forum for more information on how to do these treatments.

Hi - the end game is here. I have hit 500 points and will trigger my countdown Friday. If any of you reefers have large fleets and are interested in helping me by playing defense against the probable incoming attacks, please message me within the game. Thanks!

The expiration dates for medication are the latest that the [hr] can sell them to you. However, they are usually still safe and effective for 6 months after that date. The medication may lose some potency but only a few medications become toxic when outdated. The other possibility for the...

IMO, hyposalinity is the best treatment for ich, from the standpoints of safety, cost, and effectiveness. The only downside of hyposalinity is its ease of use as it does require some effort (particularly the first time). Copper comes in a distant second. There are no other reliably effective...

It sounds like both of you are having an outbreak of harmless pods. In young tanks, you may get an overgrowth of these. However, after a while, the predators of these pods (which are often larger pods) will also come out of the live rock and start reproducing because of their good food supply...

If this is a new tank, I would guess that you are having an outbreak of diatoms. This is perfectly normal for a new tank. If this is an established tank, you have to figure out what has changed.

Originally posted by 805puffer I added some copper medicine in there, so if they were harmfull, then they would be gone. ...and if they were a beneficial part of your clean up crew, they are gone too. Copper based medications are not recommended to be used within your display tank.

Most fish can survive copper treatment. However, copper can cause problems for sensitive fish like angels, butterflies and tangs. This is the primary reason that hyposalinity is the preferred treatment for ich. Hyposalinity actually decreases stress for fish while copper can increase stress. Is...

One month is all that is necessary for ich to be eliminated from your display tank (if you leave it completely fishless.)

Sounds like pods (short for copepods). These are entirely beneficial.

Most cottony growths in saltwater fish are actually bacterial infections. (Fungal infections are quite rare as the salt inhibits the growth of most species of fungus). Using a product such as Maracyn 2 (at double to dose stated on the box) will usually help these infections. This can be used...

Open wounds can let a lot of salt into the fish. Putting the fish into a QT and lowering the salinity (to around 1.014 which is the internal osmotic level of most marine fish) will lower the amount of stress the fish is under. In addition, a product such as stress coat will help to regenerate...