Help with ICK!??

kellenr

kellenr

Member
I just noticed that my big blue tang has ICK.
Yesterday he looked fine, now tonight I noticed he has a bunch of white dots on his fins and body. Probably 10 or so on each side! I'm surprised at how bad it looks so fast. The other fish (2 clowns, 1 6-line wrasse) look fine but I'm freakin out. I've only had my SW tank for about 3-4months so this is my first SW Ick experience. I need to know exactly how to treat it?!
Part of the reason I'm freakin out is because I have several pieces of coral, polyps, inverts & anemones. I've heard that a lot of products will kill these guys.

PLEASE HELP ME OUT GUYS!!!!
 
reefforbrains

reefforbrains

Active Member
I will try and answer without beating around the bush. Use the serch function and you will have oodles of reading fun. They will show you step by step with how best to plan your counter attack against your current situation.
Each tank configuration is different so do a bit of reading and see what works best for you.
Medicine vrs Hyposalinity
Removing corals and treating tank?, or removing fish into QT/Hospital tank and treating the fish there? ect.
Good luck and dont waste any time.
 
sangria

sangria

Member
I agree.
My blue hippo also got ick. I considered dozens of ways to cure him of it. Ultimately I ended up just leaving him and hoping he would be alright. It worked out, but this is the "cross your fingers" method. I didn't want to quarantine him because he loves swimming with the chromis so much I thought it would put him under more stress to be alone. Copper in the DT was not an option. From what I understand, ick is not vulnerable when it is on the fish, only in free swimming state. That being said, isolating the tang may not prevent his friends from getting ick.
You just will have to research heavily and decide what you feel will work best. I really wish there was a guarantied method.
 
canman

canman

Member
I am also fighting my first ich outbreak in my tank. I am doing hypo on my dt because i don't have a qt. I put all my live rock and inverts in a friends tank. So far so good.
 
tdog7879

tdog7879

Member
try kick ich and viti chem. Kick ich 100% organic and will not harm your inverts and viti chem is just to help boost ther inmune system. It may or may not work....It did for me.....ick free for over a month....all of my fish seem to be happy!
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
Those *cures* in the bottle only add more slime coat on the fish, but do NOT kill the parasites. They still exist in your tank and keep feeding on the fish. Even if one parasite makes into the gills of the fish, the parasite cycle keeps going and they keep multiplying. I'd say if you have been free of ANY spots for over 2-3 months, then you might have gotten lucky. You have to look at your fish very carefully and a single parasite quickly multiplies into hundreds.
 
tdog7879

tdog7879

Member
Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/2626241
Those *cures* in the bottle only add more slime coat on the fish, but do NOT kill the parasites. They still exist in your tank and keep feeding on the fish. Even if one parasite makes into the gills of the fish, the parasite cycle keeps going and they keep multiplying. I'd say if you have been free of ANY spots for over 2-3 months, then you might have gotten lucky. You have to look at your fish very carefully and a single parasite quickly multiplies into hundreds.
how come my fish would go to my cleaner shrimp when my fish had ich. Now they don't even bother so that seems to me that the ich is gone
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by sangria
http:///forum/post/2625679
I agree.
My blue hippo also got ick. I considered dozens of ways to cure him of it. Ultimately I ended up just leaving him and hoping he would be alright. It worked out, but this is the "cross your fingers" method. I didn't want to quarantine him because he loves swimming with the chromis so much I thought it would put him under more stress to be alone. Copper in the DT was not an option. From what I understand, ick is not vulnerable when it is on the fish, only in free swimming state. That being said, isolating the tang may not prevent his friends from getting ick.
You just will have to research heavily and decide what you feel will work best. I really wish there was a guarantied method.
Treating only the effected fish would be a waste IMO. Ich will live and thrive with fish still in the display. You would be treating a fish to return to a tank full of ich. Ich does not all drop off at once, or all attach at once. It is staggered out. You are right though that each case is different.
Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/2626241
Those *cures* in the bottle only add more slime coat on the fish, but do NOT kill the parasites. They still exist in your tank and keep feeding on the fish. Even if one parasite makes into the gills of the fish, the parasite cycle keeps going and they keep multiplying. I'd say if you have been free of ANY spots for over 2-3 months, then you might have gotten lucky. You have to look at your fish very carefully and a single parasite quickly multiplies into hundreds.
This is correct. You can use bottled meds that are "reef safe". They do not kill ich. They increase the slime coat of the fish. This makes it harder for ich to infest a fish. They can still attach at the gills. It will decrease the number of parasites in the tank though, being that they cannot host the body. Ich will still be in the tank.
Originally Posted by KellenR
http:///forum/post/2625188
I just noticed that my big blue tang has ICK.
Yesterday he looked fine, now tonight I noticed he has a bunch of white dots on his fins and body. Probably 10 or so on each side! I'm surprised at how bad it looks so fast. The other fish (2 clowns, 1 6-line wrasse) look fine but I'm freakin out. I've only had my SW tank for about 3-4months so this is my first SW Ick experience. I need to know exactly how to treat it?!
Part of the reason I'm freakin out is because I have several pieces of coral, polyps, inverts & anemones. I've heard that a lot of products will kill these guys.

PLEASE HELP ME OUT GUYS!!!!
My advice to you is to pick up a bottle of "reef safe" med and use it while you cycle a tank large enough for all of your fish for six weeks. If you want to remove the parasites from your system, and not have to buy bottled meds all of the time, then quarantine and treatment is the option available.
 
kellenr

kellenr

Member
Well I noticed today that the Tang definitely looks better than last night. The white dots aren't as prominant and looks like they've flattened out and gone down in size. Unfortunately there's no way I can setup a QT at this time. Have you heard of doing a freshwater dip? (i.e. dipping the fish in freshwater for a minute to 'pop' the ick?) If so does this work and what is the advantage. I'm kinda screwed I feel because setting up a QT is not an option and I don't want to treat my DT with stuff that'll harm my reef/inverts. Aaarrrgggghhhh!!!
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
Originally Posted by tdog7879
http:///forum/post/2626277
how come my fish would go to my cleaner shrimp when my fish had ich. Now they don't even bother so that seems to me that the ich is gone

The behavior of cleaner shrimp is no indicator of ick being gone or not.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by KellenR
http:///forum/post/2626316
Well I noticed today that the Tang definitely looks better than last night. The white dots aren't as prominant and looks like they've flattened out and gone down in size. Unfortunately there's no way I can setup a QT at this time. Have you heard of doing a freshwater dip? (i.e. dipping the fish in freshwater for a minute to 'pop' the ick?) If so does this work and what is the advantage. I'm kinda screwed I feel because setting up a QT is not an option and I don't want to treat my DT with stuff that'll harm my reef/inverts. Aaarrrgggghhhh!!!
FW dips release SOME of the ich from the fish. Take a look at the Common Treatments FAQ, located at the top of the Disease and Treatment board. You have to be certain that the temp and PH are exactly the same. The dip can be for five minutes. Do NOT leave the fish unattended. If the fish starts to be seriously stressed then he needs to come out. What you are witnessing now is the natural life cycle of the parasite. They have dropped off to reproduce. Each, individual parasite reproduces by the hundreds. You will have a serious situation in a week or two. You can try adding garlic to their foods. The results will be minimal. It is an added boost during other treatment. Do you intend to just let them all die? Why can't you set up a QT?
 
tdog7879

tdog7879

Member
Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/2626332
The behavior of cleaner shrimp is no indicator of ick being gone or not.
it's not the behavior of my cleaner it is the fish they would go to the cleaner when they where infected.
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
Originally Posted by tdog7879
http:///forum/post/2626353
it's not the behavior of my cleaner it is the fish they would go to the cleaner when they where infected.
Same goes for the fish. It can be many things... maybe the burn on the bite site is not severe enough and the parasites have dropped down to multiply.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Right, cleaner shrimp are harsh on the fish. Not all fish go to them to be cleaned. They go there when it is bothering them more than the shrimp would. Cleaner shrimp only pick off some of the parasites. There is only one way to ensure that your fish are ich free, and that they remain that way, that is removal of the fish and treatment.
 
kellenr

kellenr

Member
This may be a stupid question but can you see the "free floating" ick in the tank? Does it look like the 'salty sprinkles' that attach to the fish but in the water?
I can't setup a QT right now for several reasons; time, cost & space. I have no place in my condo to setup another tank. I also would pretty much have to purchase everything for a complete "second tank". I just got done selling a kidney to setup this one I have now. Plus after purchasing everything for my now 2nd tank (QT) I'd have to let it cycle etc.. That doesn't even seem like a viable option for me at this time.
Is it true as stated above that the ick can rid itself on its own, without even being treated?
Originally Posted by sangria
http:///forum/post/2625679
I agree.
My blue hippo also got ick. I considered dozens of ways to cure him of it. Ultimately I ended up just leaving him and hoping he would be alright. It worked out, but this is the "cross your fingers" method. I didn't want to quarantine him because he loves swimming with the chromis so much I thought it would put him under more stress to be alone. Copper in the DT was not an option. From what I understand, ick is not vulnerable when it is on the fish, only in free swimming state. That being said, isolating the tang may not prevent his friends from getting ick.
You just will have to research heavily and decide what you feel will work best. I really wish there was a guarantied method.
I really need to figure out something else to do here besides a QT. Perhaps some 'reef safe' additive to treat my DT. I'm soooo screwed.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by KellenR
http:///forum/post/2626397
This may be a stupid question but can you see the "free floating" ick in the tank? Does it look like the 'salty sprinkles' that attach to the fish but in the water?
I can't setup a QT right now for several reasons; time, cost & space. I have no place in my condo to setup another tank. I also would pretty much have to purchase everything for a complete "second tank". I just got done selling a kidney to setup this one I have now. Plus after purchasing everything for my now 2nd tank (QT) I'd have to let it cycle etc.. That doesn't even seem like a viable option for me at this time.
Is it true as stated above that the ick can rid itself on its own, without even being treated?
I really need to figure out something else to do here besides a QT. Perhaps some 'reef safe' additive to treat my DT. I'm soooo screwed.
Well, what did the fish cost you? It costs less than $100 for a 55 QT. If you require a smaller one then the cost is less. You cannot see ich until it is on the fish. You will spend a LOT more trying to treat this with reef safe meds. They cost $15+ each bottle. Ich will still be there.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by tdog7879
http:///forum/post/2626399
it's been over a month without any visable white spots do you think it is gone?
Not even close. Ich is alive and well in your tank. It attaches to the gills. It can be six months without an outbreak, until your fish get stressed and they no longer hang out in the gills. If you add a new fish you will see ich in action even if the new fish does not have it.
 
tdog7879

tdog7879

Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
http:///forum/post/2626427
Not even close. Ich is alive and well in your tank. It attaches to the gills. It can be six months without an outbreak, until your fish get stressed and they no longer hang out in the gills. If you add a new fish you will see ich in action even if the new fish does not have it.
I have added new fish to my tank since ick outbreak and no problems
Are you an ich expert? Not trying to be rude just curious about your exp.
 
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