Ick?

geridoc

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by ldb007
I think my hippo tang has ick. Anyone know how to fix this?

Ich can be defeated, so don't lose heart! See the disease forum on this site for extensive and detailed directions on how to treat this disease. Good luck.
 

nicetry

Active Member
A QT can be set up for cheap. You say you think the fish has ich? Describe what you're seeing. Are there other fish in the tank? They have also been exposed and need to be treated. Again, the info on QT is outlined in the FAQ's in the Disease Forum.
 

ldb007

Member
Its got VERY small white spots on it. Kinda looks like bubbles. yes I have other fish in my tank. no others have the spots. Is there a medication for it?
 

nicetry

Active Member
Originally Posted by ldb007
Its got VERY small white spots on it. Kinda looks like bubbles. yes I have other fish in my tank. no others have the spots. Is there a medication for it?
Ich will look like salt sprinkles on the fish. Even if the other fish are asymptomatic (no spots), they have ben exposed and also need to be treated. There are medications but none work with enough consistancy to be called reliable. Steer clear of them, and go with hyposalinity. It's safe and it has a good track record.
 

ldb007

Member
Also....how did my fish get this? This is just crazy. I have had my tank for 4 months with nothing wrong. Now all of a sudden my fish have ick?!?! 2 weeks ago I purchased a hippo tang and a yellow tang with ZERO spotts on it as I made sure!!! I have a 210 cycling right now so I have them in my 55 reef and now I'm afraid all my corals and fish are going to die. I'm freaking out here and I dont' have a quarentine tank. Am I gonna wake up tomorrow with everything dead? I noticed the spots just this afternoon. My clowns don't have any signs of it yet. I have 3 cleaner shrimp...arn't they suppost to help with this?? What about the garlic I'm using? Arggg...I'm just confused!!!! HELP!!!!
 

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by ldb007
Is this disease going to kill all my fish?!?!!?
you can use a chemical but it isnt a good i dea.. if you have a hippo wich i thikn you said you do you need to set up a qt hen hypo... and leave the display fishless for 6 weeks
now all your system is infected so hypo is necessary. y ou cant use copper cus you have a tang and if you have inverts you cant use chemicals be cause ick is an invert believe it or not and you cant kill one invert without killing the other,
-bill109
 

ldb007

Member
would a 5 gal. be ok for a med tank? If so..pleae someone walk me through what I need to do to begin healing my fish, thanks :-(
 

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by ldb007
Also....how did my fish get this? This is just crazy. I have had my tank for 4 months with nothing wrong. Now all of a sudden my fish have ick?!?! 2 weeks ago I purchased a hippo tang and a yellow tang with ZERO spotts on it as I made sure!!! I have a 210 cycling right now so I have them in my 55 reef and now I'm afraid all my corals and fish are going to die. I'm freaking out here and I dont' have a quarentine tank. Am I gonna wake up tomorrow with everything dead? I noticed the spots just this afternoon. My clowns don't have any signs of it yet. I have 3 cleaner shrimp...arn't they suppost to help with this?? What about the garlic I'm using? Arggg...I'm just confused!!!! HELP!!!!
your hippo has ick because its not supposed to be in a tank tht small.. your tangS shoudl not be in anything less then a 125 or 6 ft tank so 2 tangs in your tank equlas stress wich leads to ick
yes cleaner shrimp will help but wont clear the tank totally of ick
the ick can live in the sand dormantly and when it is stirred it will be inthe water untill it finds a new host
lookinto the stickeys
-bill109
 

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by ldb007
would a 5 gal. be ok for a med tank? If so..pleae someone walk me through what I need to do to begin healing my fish, thanks :-(
no you need at least a 20 long or a 30.. since you have 2 tangs and other fish you cant put them all into a qt with your inverts.....
 

nicetry

Active Member
Originally Posted by ldb007
Is this disease going to kill all my fish?!?!!?
If not treated soon, it will get worse and yes, it can cause fish to die. It is very treatable as GeriDoc said.
Cleaner shrimp won't cure it, nor will garlic. Ich is an obligate paasite that needs a fish host to survive. You likely introduced the parasite on one of the new fish you added. Your corals and inverts won't be affected but all exposed fish must be treated. Again, a Q tank can be set up quickly and inexpensively. I would advise you to do this now.
Have you read through the info in the Disease forum?
Also, the fish did not contract the parasite due to stress. Stress does not cause an outbreak of ich. It also will not live dormant in your substrate. During one stage of the life cycle, it will fall of the fish and reproduce. It will be present in the substrate but as it hatches, it must find a fish host within a couple hours or it will die.
 

ldb007

Member
Originally Posted by nicetry
If not treated soon, it will get worse and yes, it can cause fish to die. It is very treatable as GeriDoc said.
Cleaner shrimp won't cure it, nor will garlic. Ich is an obligate paasite that needs a fish host to survive. You likely introduced the parasite on one of the new fish you added. Your corals and inverts won't be affected but all exposed fish must be treated. Again, a Q tank can be set up quickly and inexpensively. I would advise you to do this now.
Have you read through the info in the Disease forum?

Yeah I have....I guess I'll have to go get a small tank tomorrow and get it started. Its too late to go tonight. They arn't gonna die by tomorrow are they? I'm so sad.
 

nicetry

Active Member
Originally Posted by ldb007
Yeah I have....I guess I'll have to go get a small tank tomorrow and get it started. Its too late to go tonight. They arn't gonna die by tomorrow are they? I'm so sad.

No, they won't be dead by tomorrow. It may, however, appear that the spots are gone. Don't be fooled into thinking the parasite is gone. It is simply reproducing. If left unchecked, it will come back even worse so the quicker you act, the better chance you have of saving the fish.
 

ldb007

Member
Thanks so much. Now, do I have have to cycle this med tank? I would assume not since there wont be rock in it and stuff, right? Also, what do I do when I put the fish in the tank? Do ALL my fish go into the tank?
 

nicetry

Active Member
Originally Posted by ldb007
Thanks so much. Now, do I have have to cycle this med tank? I would assume not since there wont be rock in it and stuff, right? Also, what do I do when I put the fish in the tank? Do ALL my fish go into the tank?
The Q tank must be fully cycled just like any display tank. You can do this by adding a sponge filter which has been in your main tank for awhile, or even a small hang on filter like a Penguin, that has some cultured media in it. Fill the Q tank with water from your display. You can add some sand from your main tank if you want to help it along a bit. If you don't cycle the Q tank, the fish will be more compromised.
All fish must be treated so be sure to purcahse a Q tank that will comfortably house them all. A 20 long would be minimum.
 

ldb007

Member
Originally Posted by nicetry
The Q tank must be fully cycled just like any display tank. You can do this by adding a sponge filter which has been in your main tank for awhile, or even a small hang on filter like a Penguin, that has some cultured media in it. Fill the Q tank with water from your display. You can add some sand from your main tank if you want to help it along a bit. If you don't cycle the Q tank, the fish will be more compromised.
All fish must be treated so be sure to purcahse a Q tank that will comfortably house them all. A 20 long would be minimum.
Ok but what do I do once the fish are in the tank? Thanks for all of your help!!
 
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