(HELP) I may have to give up !

[emporer]

I love this hobby so much. I have a 125 long with 70 lbs of lr and 125 lbs of ls from the bag FO system. So far iv'e had 2 complete ich wipeouts. The last 1 was 2 months ago. I waited 4 weeks before adding anything to the tank... Now the 4 fish i rescently baught are infested. (purple tang, sweetlips juvi, annularis changing, longnose butterfly) I know about garlic ... ive used kick ich.. i dont have a qt big enough to house these fish.. What can i do to get rid of those friggin parrasites. and li have a UV. My tank is too small for a shark.. i might b forced to give up ( i cant kill these beautiful fish anymore) :needhelp:

 

[parmoffitt]

It sounds like your tank was still not clear of ick. I would suck it in and treat the fish again.
Try to work through this disappointment. You'll be able to help the next person that goes through this problem. Wait longer than 4 weeks to put your fish back into the main tank.
Hope this helps and please don't give up. :happyfish

 

[fishtanknewbie]

There is a treatment called SANO it is around $40.00 dollars and I swear by it! :yes: You can find it a your local pet shop or if not they can order it for you it works in two days! :yes:

 

[emporer]

I'm really deperate. I need some ideas on strong moves rite now to save these fish. If they die ill prob quit. Im thinking of removing all my LR and treating the tank with copper. Is this good??

 

[55gsw]

I've used Kich Ich before and I will swear by the stuff!! That would be my first choice since it won't harm your inverts or anything. Even though it doesn't say so on the bottle, make sure you turn your skimmer off and remove any carbon in your filter!! Follow the directions completely. It is a good idea to write down the days you are supposed to dose and the amount you are dosing on a calender so you don't forget! Do a good water change before you start dosing then don't do another until the treatment is finished!! If you don't follow through with the complete amount it will not get rid of the parasite.
If you use copper instead, you must have a copper test kit as copper is deadly to fish too if the levels get too high. Even if you remove the LR, what will you do about your sand? Anything within the tank may take up the copper and absorb it only to have it leach out at a later date. If you do this, either you make up your mind to never have any kind of invert in this tank at all (no snails, hermits, shrimp, corals, anemones) or you will have to remove all the rocks, do a 100% water change when the treatment is done, and change out all the sand too.
That's why a QT is so important. Might be worth investing in a bare 30g or so to house the fish in while you treat them. Run a cheap filter and maybe put a piece of rock from the main tank that you won't mind using (to help with the bacteria population so this doesn't cycle), use any filter media from the main tank too for the same reason. Watch your levels on this tank - any sign of ammonia and you will need to do a water change pronto. You don't want to further stress already stressed out fish!! Keep close tabs on the copper levels and leave your main tank fish free for at least 6 weeks.
Good luck!

 

[darth tang]

Another thing to think about in the future as well. What is bringing on the ick? The fish are being stressed someway. My bet would be adding the four fish all at once or in a very small time frame.

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by Darth Tang
My bet would be adding the four fish all at once or in a very small time frame.
I was thinking that too. Good luck with the ich problem though.

 

[emporer]

Thanks for your responces.((( Are you suggesting that i remove all my sand before i start a copper treatment??

 

[tthemadd1]

I think the best idea is to go buy a thirty gallon tank. Get a tall. they take up less surface area. Although, you could get a long, and then use it for a sump later. Just remember that hypo works really well, there are many threads. Get a QT tank. Get a QT tank. Get a QT tank.
Good Luck and Good fishing
themaddhatter

 

[ophiura]

You will be constantly battling ick because you aren't QT the fish, and they are stressed in some way. So I reckon you will have to do far more than a medicine or treatment. JMO
The fish choice is not good - they are delicate fish, IMO, for an unstable tank...and there is something unstable about it. What it is is the question.
How old is your tank? What filtration do you have? What are your SPECIFIC water parameters, especially ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, alkalinity and specific gravity, temperature (range)?
Did you put all those fish in at once?

 

[emporer]

This is my 3rd ich infestation. A 30 gallon is too small for my fish. I need to get rid of the paracite from my main tank. A QT will only work shor term. When i add the fish back from QT they will be affected. The problem lies deep down in my system. My water parameters are fine ... nitrates 10- 20 Amonia -0 nitrite -0 ph 8.2 salinity 1.20
What if the parasite is on my LR and staying?? Even if i remove the lr for a copper treatment ... it will probably come back when i add the rock back

 

[tthemadd1]

OK LOOK.. Ich does not live without a host animal. How big are your fish? a thirty gallon tank will be fine for a month. The bigger fish will not live long in a thirty gallon but it will work for a short time period. A lot of people talk about patience and mine is running thin today. Get a QT and get your fish in the tank. LEAVE them in there for AT LEAST four weeks. If you have no host in your tank then you will not have any more Ich. Then figure out what is stressing your fish out and fix it. If you cannot put your fish in a QT then take them back to the LFS. THey use copper in their tanks and at least the fish will live. See if they will just hold them for you until you have figured out why your fish get stressed. Is you tank near a window? Do they fight? Is there enough swimming space? There are so many different reasons that we cannot figure this out for you . Take care of the fish and go from there.
Sorry I just lost my nerve
Good luck
Themaddhatter

 

[ophiura]

IMO, there is something that is stressing the fish to the point of getting the parasite.
In your case, something is definitely "wrong" that is causing them to stress out. IMO, if they were healthy, this should not be an issue. Sure, maybe a fish or two, but repeated wipe outs with Ick indicates to me, at least, something else is going on. If you look at an LFS, many of which have single systems...some fish may have clear signs of Ick and die, and others may be fine. Just because the disease is present, doesn't mean that every fish will come down with it. Even if you left the tank empty, or eliminated the parasite from the main tank, and then added a new fish without a stint in the QT, you would effectively reintroduce the parasite which could potentially "lay low." Do you add all the fish at once? A 30g QT wouldn't be terrible for those fish individually short term.
Have you checked for stray voltage in your tank? Do you have any temperature spikes? How soon after getting them do the fish die or show signs of Ick? Are they all from the same LFS?

 

[tthemadd1]

Your salinity is too low... You need to bring it up to 1.23.... Maybe that is your problem.

 

[ophiura]

Salinity that low is pretty standard, ironically, to fight of parasitic infections. Many LFS keep it at least that low. It is artificially low for sure, but usually not a problem for fish (it is for inverts).

 

[emporer]

The Only signs of stress the fish show.. are those evil whitespots on there pretty bodies. The fish are all compatible. before adding any fish.. i waited 4 weeks from my last wipeout. I do have an eel... and i think that can be a pottential host... and i also think that ich can lie and reside in LR and LS .
Can you please give me a guideline of steps to treat my tank with copper. Of course this will be the last scenario.

 

[tthemadd1]

If you treat your main tank with copper you will NEVER be able to have inverts/corals in that tank. With that said, just pick up a bottle of copper from the fish store it has directions on how to use the product. You might want to go pick up a 50gal trash can and pput all of your LR in there with a few airstones/powerheads. That way you will have something leftover after poisoning your tank. Maybe even dump the majority of your LS in there as well. Huge undertaking, That way you can save the huge amount of money on those ponies.
Good Luck. (still say you should do the QT thing)
themaddhatter

 

[ophiura]

It is not a question of whether they are compatible at this point...it is a question of what is the stress on them. It may be other fish, it may not be, nor may it be something obvious like ammonia or something. Personally, I would want to exhaust other options as to what is going on. I would definitely check the stray voltage issue for one. I mean, this is just not typical...to have all the Ick outbreaks and not have a stressor in the tank. If you do, you can keep adding fish, and keep adding things like copper or other medications, and still keep having the problem.
IMO, in this case, the Ick is a symptom of something.

 

[tthemadd1]

My brother has an eel in his tank and the fish dont seem to mind. I thought maybe they were getting nipped at by him. just throwing it out there. I dont think lighting would really matter, nor the filter system with levels that low. Try the voltmeter thing, see if you come up with anything. Good luck
themaddhatter

 

[itchy]

Is the tank grounded? Could there be a stray current? If so this can cause undo stress resulting in diseases.