fresh water dip

[spongebob square pants]

I got ich in my tank about a week ago. I have two clowns and a fox face. I know the life cycles of the parasite so you don't need to explain this. I was told by a LFS owner that is an aqaintance of my sister ( never did bussiness with him so I don't know if i can trust him, but why would he lie to me?) anyway he told me the best thing to do is give the foxface a freshwater dip every day for five days. He said the clowns will probably not get the spots again. So far he is right about the clowns. The foxface has the spots again for the second time. My thinking is the ick will just come back after each time and this will just be added stress to the fish. Not to mention I don't want to handle a Venomous fish to freqeuntly. Has any one ever tried this and if so did it work? Also whats the best way to raise the ph in the fresh water for the dip? Thanks for any replys.

 

[nm reef]

I don't use freshwater dips...and personally it seems a bit radical ... just too stressful on the livestock in my opinion. For major ich problems isolation to a quarentine tank and hyposalinity is the best option...I've had success treating minor problems with garlic additives. The garlic seems to stimulate appitite and can improve the natural immune systems which helps prevent more serious problems. I'd also agree that if the ich infestation is serious enough the clowns may definitely suffer again. Very few fish are not prone to the parasite once it has established.

 

[jferrier]

I'm in agreement w/ everyone on the freshwater dips. Even if it would work, you would have to have the same temp. and ph as the saltwater. It just doesn't seem like a good idea though honestly I have never tried it. I have had good luck with cleaner shrimp with larger fish; however, the other method the previous people mentioned are good ideas as well.
The shrimp might be an easier alternative though if its not a severe case, and clowns are less susceptible to ich for some reason.
I've also tried copper in a fish only and malachite green in a reef tank. The malachite green did no good at all for me and even though it says its reef safe my xenia did show visible signs of stress. And the copper didn't work so good either. I personally have learned the hard way, and quit using any medications for ich. My former roomate used a uv sterilizer and that seemed to work fairly well. I have not had any problems with ich since installing a hang on refugium. Maybe its just coincedence, but I think that maybe the parasites are sucked into the refugium where most "cycle out" there in the sand bed without a host, and the few that get back into the tank are grabbed by the cleaner shrimp.

 

[zanemoseley]

I'm not for sure about this but when I got my perc clown and quarantined him and he came down with ich a few days later, I added the seachem copper additive and the itch seemed to disappear within two days, it may be possible you could just put them into a quarantine tank for a couple days to rid the ich, that way the foxface wouldn't be too stressed by being in a small tank too long

 

[toughguy80]

I recently had a ick out break in my tank. I quarentined and then started hyposalinity, this was the 1st time I ever tried hyposalinity and I must admit I had my doubts. That was about 2 weeks ago, my fish are still in quarentine but within 2 days all ick was gone and hasn't came back yet. The fish seem to be doing fine. They are active and eating well. I say if you have the ability to keep your fish out of the infected tank for about a month to do so. This way, you can be pretty confident that the fish AND your tank are ick free.

 

[spongebob square pants]

thanks to all for your replys. I introduced the ick by adding culupra in a newly set up refugium. I got the culupra from a freind that had the ick in his tank and i,m still kicking myself for not doing a dip with it before puting it in. Right now the foxface has just one spot and no signs of it on the clowns. I do have a cleaner shrimp that the clowns use but I havent seen him on the foxface. I think it is just a mild case so I might try the garlic and see if that works. I thout about adding a cleaner wrass but everything I've read about them is they are hard to keep and maybe won't even do the job. I've had the clowns for about a year now and the foxface for a few months. my tanks been up for over two years now and I've never had ich before. I also have never Qaurintened new fish but after this I think I will take better precations in the future as this is how my freind got the ick in the first place.