Treating ich in my reef

kilofey

kilofey

Member
So I just got done treating some unknown disease. I got 2 clowns from different tanks. Those were my only 2 fish. One of my clowns died from something other than ich but iono what it was. so after it died, I began treating with pimafix & melafix for the other fish. The remaining clown looked great up until this morning. He still eats like a pig but he now has some white spots.
I have a reef and inverts. Now that the ich is in the tank, there doesnt seem to be much of a point of putting him in qt (especially cause I dont feel comfortable enough to run a small tank yet). Id like to treat in the tank for that reason.
What would be my options? I was going to do a good sized water change, and was thinking of getting a cleaner shrimp or 2 to see if that helps. I also just got an octopus skimmer for my birthday, I will be adding that to the sump to remove all the gook in the tank. Ive read not to change the salinity or temp if im not going to be treating with meds.
What else is reccomended for a natural treatment?
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Let me tell you what I have learned....THERE is NO way to treat your DT safely and effectively....I tried in my 54G and LOST everything....
I also can tell you from experience setting up a QT is not as hard as it sounds.....I recently set up a 16G and I am currently doing hypo on the one remaining fish from the 54G...WHILE I am doing HYPO, I have left the 54G w/o fish....this will kill the ich parasite as they need a fish host to survive.
IF YOU DO NOT eradicate the parasite from your DT...It will always be there....
Sorry...this is probably not what you wanted to hear, BUT one good thing....with only one fish, you can easily set up a 10G as a qt ti perform hypo in...and then use it as a quarantine for new fish...(as long as they are small..LOL)
 
bubblegurl

bubblegurl

Member
I am by no means an expert on this, but I have just lost 4 fish out of 8 to ich in my reef tank. I tried treating with reef safe meds, feeding garlic and selcon, seemed to work for a few days, then noticed spots on fish that didn't have it previously, and one fish struggling for air. At this point I moved them to a qt, started copper treatment a couple of days ago. I had 7 when I moved them, I now have 4. I have learned that by the time you see the spots on their bodies, their gills can be so infected, I lost my baby clowns within hours of moving. I thought the stress of catching them and moving them would be too much stress for them but I firmly believe now if I had started a week ago, I may not have lost any fish.
Get your clown into a qt asap and start treatment. I can't help you with this as I am still learning and only in day 3 of the copper, but if you want your clown to make it, this is its best chance. Also, the ich is still in your tank and chances of it reinfecting your clown or any new fish is pretty much guaranteed.
Sorry for your loss!!
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///t/388325/treating-ich-in-my-reef#post_3424073
Let me tell you what I have learned....THERE is NO way to treat your DT safely and effectively....I tried in my 54G and LOST everything....
I also can tell you from experience setting up a QT is not as hard as it sounds.....I recently set up a 16G and I am currently doing hypo on the one remaining fish from the 54G...WHILE I am doing HYPO, I have left the 54G w/o fish....this will kill the ich parasite as they need a fish host to survive.
IF YOU DO NOT eradicate the parasite from your DT...It will always be there....
Sorry...this is probably not what you wanted to hear, BUT one good thing....with only one fish, you can easily set up a 10G as a qt ti perform hypo in...and then use it as a quarantine for new fish...(as long as they are small..LOL)
I 100% AGREE...the display tank must stay without any fish for 6 to 8 weeks.
 
kilofey

kilofey

Member
Well, I suppose I will try to see if he can fight it off himself & wish him the best of luch (i know, it sounds bad, but I know I cannot keep a small tank). He will die in either place. The tank will stay empty after that. In the mean time, I will be researching how to keep a 10gal. Can I take filter media from the ich tank and put it in a hospital tank? This is if I do decide to try a small tank. I know it does sound dumb, but does ich just live on the sand bed and fish or is it in the filter media too?
 
tur4k

tur4k

Member
Try soaking food in Kents Garlic Extreme. It's not a cure, but I'm a firm believer that it helps them fight it off. I have ich in my tank and there is no way I can QT all of my fish without setting up another large tank. My tangs tend to show some ich any time I add a new fish. So I soak food in garlic for a few weeks any time I see any sign of ich. I've only ever lost one fish to ich and that was a pygmy angel over a year ago.
It may help. It may not help. Who knows? It seems to work for me though. Copper, QT and hypo if you can. Soak food in garlic and pray if you can't.
 
tur4k

tur4k

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilofey http:///t/388325/treating-ich-in-my-reef#post_3424135
Well, I suppose I will try to see if he can fight it off himself & wish him the best of luch (i know, it sounds bad, but I know I cannot keep a small tank). He will die in either place. The tank will stay empty after that. In the mean time, I will be researching how to keep a 10gal. Can I take filter media from the ich tank and put it in a hospital tank? This is if I do decide to try a small tank. I know it does sound dumb, but does ich just live on the sand bed and fish or is it in the filter media too?
Ich can be on anything in the tank. It needs fish for one of the stages of it's life cycle though. So the only way to know for sure that you don't have ich in the tank is to remove all of you fish for 6 weeks.
To make sure your fish don't have ich, you need to keep them in hypo salinity for 6 to 8 weeks.
 
kilofey

kilofey

Member
I will read up on it, thanks meowzer. I really only have room for a 10gal. I guess such a small tank kindof freaks me out. But ive come to realize that it is pretty much necessary, especially with having corals and inverts in my tank. I cant just dose with whatever I want cause it will kill all my critters
 
tur4k

tur4k

Member
Oh. You only have one fish? Then catch that sucker and throw it in a small QT tank. I would QT/hypo if I didn't have 16 fish in my tank.
 
geoj

geoj

Active Member
I would just give the fish to someone that has the time to treat it. Then leave the tank void of fish till the Ich is gone... Start now to get this done quick...
 
reeferchief

reeferchief

Member
I had a tang that got a BAD case of ich. One of my clowns died a few days after the tang and the other black clown is doing just fine. I even added 2 orange spot goby's as soon as I noticed the tang had ich, to I guess, in hope's to "clean the sand".... Here we are one month later, powder brown and clown died yet the black clown and 2 orange goby's still living. I even added a lawnmower blenny and another clown about a week ago and both are doing fine along with the corals and others.
I did however soak all my food and mix it in straight garlic and refroze it, fish love the food. Have done numerous 20-33% water changes 2 times a week, now I'm down to once a week.
Not every case is the same I guess or maybe I got lucky???
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top