Plz Help with big problem...

[salty_0ne]

I know there are many different views on the ich problem. I consider mine a real problem also. I have a 55 gallon tank with about 5 fish. I have LS, LR, and many invertabres. I also noticed some days ago that 3 of my fish have ich. They are acting normal but I see the ich very well. I also know that as bad as it is, I dont have a QT tank and at the moment can afford it due to financial problems but I dont want that to make me stop the hobby or stop me from trying to save my fish. I guess what I am saying is that most medications and medthods of ridding ich are death sentances to LR and inverts. What I need are some known medications that I can use for my fish and wont hurt the LR. Please understand my problem and help me plz. I think I am running out of time.
Thanks,
Mark

 

[lefty]

Some people swear by a product called Melafix. But it's not a very effective medication, so I can't promise you it'll work. I don't mean to be negative, but it's not meant to cure ich, although some people say it will. All of the most effective medications have to be performed in a QT.
Are you sure you can't afford a QT? I can buy a 10g glass tank for less than 10 bucks at my LFS.
-lefty

 

[sato]

Personally I have had some luck with Melafix but im almost positive its not designed for ich(its anti-fungal isnt it?).

 

[lefty]

I don't know what it is, but like I said, some people swear it works for ich. And if this person has no way at all of getting a QT, what options are left?
-lefty

 

[elfdoctors]

Originally posted by Sato
Personally I have had some luck with Melafix but im almost positive its not designed for ich(its anti-fungal isnt it?).
Tea tree oil (melaleuca) is the active ingredient in Melafix. It does have some mild antifungal properties. However, ich is not a fungus. It is a parasite. Fungal infections are quite rare in marine aquaria as the salt kills most species of fungus.
Melaleuca may have a mild effect to support the immune system. It is not a reliable treatment for ich.

 

[jeremyglen]

Depending on what kind of fish you've got, you may be able to help get rid of it with a couple of cleaner shrimp. They tend to work well with fish that have been around them before. My tangs always love to get cleaned. A LFS here uses them to treat ich in the coral tanks.
If not that, you can try the kick ich from Ruby. Most places don't carry it anymore cause it hardly ever works. I found that it actually works if you overdose it, and it is still quite invert safe. I wouldn't recommend it, but if your desperate. I didn't have anything die on me, but I ran out of the kick ich before the treatment was done.
Also, cleaner wrasses and I think neon gobies will clean the fish up.

 

[elfdoctors]

Cleaner shrimp will almost never eradicate ich. They would have to clean up every single trophont on every fish to be successful. Most trophonts actually affect the gills (where most fish will not let clearner species act). Many fish will not take to cleaner shrimp.
I enjoy cleaner shrimp in my tank, but the three I have have rarely taken to any of my fish.
Cleaner wrasses have a specialized diet and will likely die in a small tank. They will usually die (often from starvation) in the typical hobbyists tank. I have had better success with neon gobies taking to certain of my fish. However, they are not as reliable to treat infestations.
Biological control has only limited usage within this hobby.

 

[lefty]

My cleaner shrimp follow my two clowns around, but they won't let 'em get close enough to do anything. I've even watched one of the shrimp jump attack one while he was sleeping on the sand.
-lefty