Ick... Suggestions?

phoenixinx

phoenixinx

Member
Tank has been running VERY stable - 110g, all specs where they need to be! :D
Red Sea Sailfin
Powder Blue Tang
Koran Angel
Porcupine Puffer
Spotted Hawkfish
Watchman Goby
Spotted Blenny
Purple Pscdo
General Star
... Everyone was great. Note I don't have HUGE specimens, my Sailfin is the largest - @ maybe 5".
I brought in a Har. Tusk & Pakistan Butteryfly - immeadiately the Tusk went to hiding as expected. Though I was shocked to watch my Tangs go after the butterfly!
Needless to say, that subsided - but either it came up, or I'm just now seeing it... but white spots are appearing on my Powder Blue. I know this species is VERY particular to stress and can develop ick easily.
As for the tank itself, I'm running a canister Eheim 2217 - UV filter - Protein Skimmer - three powerheads, the largest firing the spraybar.
Recommendations? :help:
 
phoenixinx

phoenixinx

Member

Originally posted by antkri
Do you have corals or invers in your tank?
Only the Red General Star...
Nothing else.
 
phoenixinx

phoenixinx

Member

Originally posted by beaslbob
I would try some garlic in the the food for one feeding. Has your ph dropped?
Ph could stand to be a HINT higher... sitting around 8.0 now.
How do you recommend dosing garlic?
 
nas19320

nas19320

Active Member
Put some food in a small bowl with some fresh water and put the garlic in the bowl and let it soak into the food for a few hours. You can buy garlic drops from the LFS or use chopped garlic cloves. I have heard that using cloves is the more effective of the two methods.
 
jrpage

jrpage

Member
Can really help prevent the disease. While I in no way recommend getting one for your current tank. You may consider splitting up your group someday or opting for an even bigger tank............then keeping a cleaner in with those more prone to ick.
Best wishes.............keep us posted on how the garlic works!!
Rhonda
 
lemonshark

lemonshark

Member
My Hippo tang got ick one time... he was swimming like if it was going to die. I got him out of the tank and placed him in a bucket half filled with water from the tank. I poured RO water to lower the salinity... I would pick him up and scratch the ick off of it with a plastic knife.
I then decided to lower the salinity in the main tank to 1.021. There were no more ick breakouts.
 
jrpage

jrpage

Member
...do you think cleaning him off manually helped or just lowering the salinity? Do Tangs by nature need lower salinity?
 
lemonshark

lemonshark

Member
Both of the things I did helped the fish.
Lowering your salt level makes it hard for ick to survive and to attach to fish skin. It’s safer than the dip (soconds of fresh water dip) treatment.
Removing the ick manually is a safe method and it helps, especially if you don’t have a cleaner shrimp.
I could not clean the fish inside the water, so occasionally I would take him out the water (while in the bucket) scrape the ick and put him back in. I would repeat it until I notice that I have removed enough. When you remove them by scraping them off… the skin will seam bumpy and you might think that the ick is still there. So, be careful with the fish. One thing I notice was that the fish would not even move while I was cleaning it. I don’t know how other or one of the same would behave.
 
phoenixinx

phoenixinx

Member
Good suggestions so far... not CRAZY about the "scraping" method though! :eek:
Freshwater dip?
Medication?
He's entering his third day - still LOOKS healthy, but has the spots.
I think the Tusk has just taken his spot over as the "alpha" fish - and this has stressed him.
 
125intx

125intx

Member
I think you will find by far that hypo in a QT will be the best solution. But be sure you...
Test the water daily.
Do daily water changes.
Suck up all the junk from the bottom of the QT.
Feed them garlic.
Good Luck
Chris
 
lemonshark

lemonshark

Member
I only did it as a last option and it work. It's up to you if you want to do it. My blue hippo was covered with ick... next day after I did that... he didn't have one ick on it.
I know it gives the fish stress... but it would had died if I didn't treated it.
I understand how you guys feel about what I did and you have every right to dissagree.
I'm no expert ... not at all... it is just something that worked out for me and it might not work for others.
I use to have a lot of ick breakouts, but since I lowered the salt gravety it all stop... if this is not true for other reeff kipers... I understand.
It just worked out for me. I'm happy now that I don't have ick breakouts.
 
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