seanh287
Member
i dont have the money for a qt, and i cant catch my bicolor angelfish. i need to cure him of ich. can someone help? you can email me at seanh287@aol.com or write on here. thanks in advance
cure ich w/o qt
- Thread starter seanh287
- Start date
itom37
Member
You could set up a QT for like... 30 bucks. That's probably your cheapest method. You can take your LR and inverts out, put them in a tub with a heater and powerhead and do hypo on your DT, if you have a refractometer that is (like 40 bucks). I don't recommend trying reef safe treatments to try to save money. It will just cost you more in the end, since they don't usually work.
Buy a 10 gallon tank, heater, and small filter and do a QT. If you can't buy a refractometer, copper works but has it's drawbacks, which you can learn about on Beth's ich forum.
Bottom line... you're going to have to spend a little money now to treat your fish or later to replace them. A QT is a good thing to have on hand anyway for future additions, so you won't have to do this again.
Buy a 10 gallon tank, heater, and small filter and do a QT. If you can't buy a refractometer, copper works but has it's drawbacks, which you can learn about on Beth's ich forum.
Bottom line... you're going to have to spend a little money now to treat your fish or later to replace them. A QT is a good thing to have on hand anyway for future additions, so you won't have to do this again.
sepulatian
Moderator
Originally Posted by seanh287
i dont have the money for a qt, and i cant catch my bicolor angelfish. i need to cure him of ich. can someone help? you can email me at seanh287@aol.com or write on here. thanks in advance
Ich can be held off in the display but unless you get the parasite out of there you will end up spending way more on meds and replacement fish than a qt will cost you.
i dont have the money for a qt, and i cant catch my bicolor angelfish. i need to cure him of ich. can someone help? you can email me at seanh287@aol.com or write on here. thanks in advance
Ich can be held off in the display but unless you get the parasite out of there you will end up spending way more on meds and replacement fish than a qt will cost you.
1boatnut
Member
Originally Posted by itom37
Bottom line... you're going to have to spend a little money now to treat your fish or later to replace them. A QT is a good thing to have on hand anyway for future additions, so you won't have to do this again.
As stated,good advice.
No matter what, if you treat the DT your inverts will have to be moved,along with the rock.
I DID perform hyposalinity in my DT tank,and did not remove the rock(not saying I would reccomend that)
I got lucky ,but leaving the rock in not only kills off alot of the stuff,but can cause a spike in your system.
I now have a QT tank for the future.
Good luck with whatever you decide
Bottom line... you're going to have to spend a little money now to treat your fish or later to replace them. A QT is a good thing to have on hand anyway for future additions, so you won't have to do this again.
As stated,good advice.
No matter what, if you treat the DT your inverts will have to be moved,along with the rock.
I DID perform hyposalinity in my DT tank,and did not remove the rock(not saying I would reccomend that)
I got lucky ,but leaving the rock in not only kills off alot of the stuff,but can cause a spike in your system.
I now have a QT tank for the future.
Good luck with whatever you decide
monkdaily
Member
i just had to set up a QT i just got a 10g goldfish kit bought at a local pet store for like 50$ hood light filter everything. got some clear tubes for them to hide in sucked out 10g's from the DT put the fish in and also i ordered a refractometer. did a water change to the DT to replace the water i took out. cheaper than replacing fish over and over plus you can use the QT/hospital tank over and over. its pretty much the onlything to do if u have inverts L/R L/S, because copper will kill thim and u will never b abel to get it completly out of ur tank.
sepulatian
Moderator
Originally Posted by seanh287
nevermind i see it. do i need a light?
You do not need a light if you cannot afford one. For the first week or so you will keep the light off anyway. You will need to look at your fish to be certain that the spots are gone before you can count down the three weeks. If your room lighting is good then that will suffice. You can use other meens of light to look at your fish.
nevermind i see it. do i need a light?
You do not need a light if you cannot afford one. For the first week or so you will keep the light off anyway. You will need to look at your fish to be certain that the spots are gone before you can count down the three weeks. If your room lighting is good then that will suffice. You can use other meens of light to look at your fish.
1boatnut
Member
Not sure where your located but I got lucky and got a 20 gal acrylic tank FREE at a garage sale
It had a light and hood too.It is now my QT tank
2 weeks later my wife found a 29 gal,stand,heater,hood,light and Whisper 40 filter at another garage sale. She paid $23.00
Think she got ripped off?
It had a light and hood too.It is now my QT tank
2 weeks later my wife found a 29 gal,stand,heater,hood,light and Whisper 40 filter at another garage sale. She paid $23.00
Think she got ripped off?
rudedog40
Member
My blue hippo tang had ich. Used the Ich Attack as instructed. After the treatment, started adding Seachem Garlic Guard and Metronidazole to the food. It's been over 5 weeks, and no sign of ich in my tank. My puffer and green chromis never got it. My tang hasn't looked any better, and eats like a pig. $30 for a 10 gallon QT? Try at least $50. You're supposed to QT for at least three weeks. What kind of stress does taking 7 fish out of a larger tank (doesn't list his tank size, I'm assuming at least a 55), and putting them in a bare tank a fifth of the size do to the fish? I know everyone here jumps in an says QT, QT. But there are alternatives. It just depends how soon you start treatment, and what stage the ich is in.
1boatnut
Member
Originally Posted by seanh287
haha yea yea, rub it in. im living the life in myrtle beach going to school with no bills except a 25 gallon aquarium
Myrtle Beach,talk about rubbing it in
Garage sales & flea markets all year round
I live in the Midwest,got to do my looking in the summer.
Truthfully I even found a good deal on a 75 gal,stand,filter ,glass tops and lights, on E----Y. Got lucky as it was only about 10 miles from me.When I went to pick it up he threw in about 75lbs of live rock,some of what you see pictured in the 29. If time is on your side,look around. Many deals to be found
haha yea yea, rub it in. im living the life in myrtle beach going to school with no bills except a 25 gallon aquarium
Myrtle Beach,talk about rubbing it in
Garage sales & flea markets all year round
I live in the Midwest,got to do my looking in the summer.
Truthfully I even found a good deal on a 75 gal,stand,filter ,glass tops and lights, on E----Y. Got lucky as it was only about 10 miles from me.When I went to pick it up he threw in about 75lbs of live rock,some of what you see pictured in the 29. If time is on your side,look around. Many deals to be found
rudedog40
Member
How long have you had the bicolor and the other fish in the tank? Is the bicolor the only fish with ich so far? Is the bicolor a new fish? Seven fish that size in a 25 must put a big bioload on the tank. How often do you have to change water? If the bicolor is new, the ich could be caused by stress. I'm pretty sure that's what happened to my tang. He got it the first few days he was in my tank. I started the Ich Attack treatment the next day. Like I said, I never saw one spot on my puffer or chromis. If no other fish is exhibiting ich, you could put the bicolor in a 10 gallon as suggested and start treating him. Do the hypo treatment on him alone. Of course the ich experts will say you have to treat your DT, because once ich is present, you have to go 'fishless' in the DT for SIX weeks.
I've talked to several individuals who have been in this hobby for 10 to 20 years, and every one of them say ich is always present in a tank (I'm sure that will start another debate). If you keep your fish healthy and stress-free, it's unlikely they'll ever have an ich breakout.
You just need to decide what's best for your situation. I have read the posts here of people who got ich on one of their fish, and in a few days, all their fish had it. Many lost every fish they had to ich because they didn't treat it fast enough. The big debate is how to effectively treat each case of ich. Yes, hypo is the defacto method that has shown the most success. But is it absolutely necessary in every case of ich? As in my case, no. I had one fish get it (Mr. Tang the Ich Magnet), and decided to try the alternative methods. For me, it worked just fine. That may not be true for you. Again, you have to access how bad the ich is, and whether it's spreading to your other fish. Treat apprpriately.
Just remember, if you decide to go the QT route, you also have to deal with cycling this new tank. You can't just fill it up with water, put a heater in it, and move your 7 fish into it. Like any other new tank, it has to go through the cycling process. You can try seeding it with bacteria from your DT (a used filter out of your main pump, if you have one), but you will have to deal with the nitrate and ammonia spikes. Don't monitor the levels closely, and that alone can kill all your fish. Also be prepared do do ALOT of water changes. You think you have a bioload problem in your 25, wait until you put the same amount of fish into a tank less than half the size. And you have to do all these water changes while maintaing a perfect 1.009 salinity level for three weeks. Oh yeah, rememeber you have to fork out at least another $40 for a refractometer to accurately monitor your SG levels while in hypo. That plastic hydrometer won't cut it. Isn't QT and hypo fun!!!
I've talked to several individuals who have been in this hobby for 10 to 20 years, and every one of them say ich is always present in a tank (I'm sure that will start another debate). If you keep your fish healthy and stress-free, it's unlikely they'll ever have an ich breakout.
You just need to decide what's best for your situation. I have read the posts here of people who got ich on one of their fish, and in a few days, all their fish had it. Many lost every fish they had to ich because they didn't treat it fast enough. The big debate is how to effectively treat each case of ich. Yes, hypo is the defacto method that has shown the most success. But is it absolutely necessary in every case of ich? As in my case, no. I had one fish get it (Mr. Tang the Ich Magnet), and decided to try the alternative methods. For me, it worked just fine. That may not be true for you. Again, you have to access how bad the ich is, and whether it's spreading to your other fish. Treat apprpriately.
Just remember, if you decide to go the QT route, you also have to deal with cycling this new tank. You can't just fill it up with water, put a heater in it, and move your 7 fish into it. Like any other new tank, it has to go through the cycling process. You can try seeding it with bacteria from your DT (a used filter out of your main pump, if you have one), but you will have to deal with the nitrate and ammonia spikes. Don't monitor the levels closely, and that alone can kill all your fish. Also be prepared do do ALOT of water changes. You think you have a bioload problem in your 25, wait until you put the same amount of fish into a tank less than half the size. And you have to do all these water changes while maintaing a perfect 1.009 salinity level for three weeks. Oh yeah, rememeber you have to fork out at least another $40 for a refractometer to accurately monitor your SG levels while in hypo. That plastic hydrometer won't cut it. Isn't QT and hypo fun!!!
1boatnut
Member
Originally Posted by rudedog40
I've talked to several individuals who have been in this hobby for 10 to 20 years, and every one of them say ich is always present in a tank (I'm sure that will start another debate). If you keep your fish healthy and stress-free, it's unlikely they'll ever have an ich breakout.
Well your right. That debate I don't think will ever end. The owner of a local LFS told me the same thing.
also
Chromis's seem to be a little more Ich resistant than alot of fish. When my tank showed signs of Ich it was only on my Hippo Tang and my purple pseudochromis. My Clown and 2 Chromis never showed a spot either.
I think a refractometer is something needed anyway,hypo or not.
Also you can start a QT without cycling,but as you stated,be ready for alot of water changes.
anyway,not to stray off his post,there are numerous options. Pick what you feel comfortable with.For me that was hypo,as I believe it to be the safest..
god luck
I've talked to several individuals who have been in this hobby for 10 to 20 years, and every one of them say ich is always present in a tank (I'm sure that will start another debate). If you keep your fish healthy and stress-free, it's unlikely they'll ever have an ich breakout.
Well your right. That debate I don't think will ever end. The owner of a local LFS told me the same thing.
also
Chromis's seem to be a little more Ich resistant than alot of fish. When my tank showed signs of Ich it was only on my Hippo Tang and my purple pseudochromis. My Clown and 2 Chromis never showed a spot either.
I think a refractometer is something needed anyway,hypo or not.
Also you can start a QT without cycling,but as you stated,be ready for alot of water changes.
anyway,not to stray off his post,there are numerous options. Pick what you feel comfortable with.For me that was hypo,as I believe it to be the safest..
god luck