Your Experience with Ich...

[njhcnwk]

Well, 3 out of 4 fish have ich. Treated for a week with Kick Ich and all the white spots disappeared...until this morning. I've spent hours researching and i thought i'd reach out here and see what people have done to cure their ich. I do not have a QT tank so I can't isolate anything. Looking for any ideas which may be helpful.
Thanks.

 

[mnat]

We had ich a while back and tried several different things. We used a reef safe treatment that was garbage (don't remember the product but I think they are all garbage from what I have heard). People think the treatment is working because the white dots you see are essentially egg sacks that drop off into the water after a while. You think your fish are fine but it just realeased a whole bunch of new parasites into your tank which will just reattach. We tried copper which worked but I would not recommend it and you don't have a QT tank to treat it in anway. The only thing that we have tried with success is just feed them well and dose their food with garlic. We also use selcon and brightwell amino to dose the food for extra health. When we added our flamback he developed ich and after a while with the feeding routine he was fine.

Ich is like the flu, if you are healthy you will survive with no problems. If you are sick/weak it can kill you.

Others have had success with lowering salinity but again it might not help you because you do not have a quarantine tank. Good luck.

Also, what size tank? What kind of fish? When were they added? Stress is a big factor in getting and dealing with ich. The less stressed the fish the better off you are going to be.

 

[Hawkeye]

fwiw make sure it is indeed ich and not velvet. In my opinion the best method is to pay the price and get a QT.

The hobby is expensive enough maintaining healthy fish let alone having to flush $50, $70, $100 down the drain because you didn't want to pay $25 for a 10 gallon tank and a sponge filter.

Maybe ask Dr. Jim for assistance.

 

[njhcnwk]

What exactly do I need to set up a QT tank. I'll go out tomorrow and get it set up, do i have to cycle a QT tank as well?

 

[mnat]

A QT tank should not have liverock or live sand so a cycle really is not necessary (we never did when we set it up). We used a simple HOB filter, some coffee cups and the like for hiding spots and just added salt water.

 

[njhcnwk]

So a 10 gallon tank, heater, and HOB filter is it? Great, going to set it up tomorrow. I've done a little reading on it and i gather hyposalinity 1.016 or so and copper based meds would be a good start to my problem. how long should i leave the affected fish in the QT tank? Since I have 3 out of 4 with ich, should i qt all of them or just the sick ones?

 

[Jcurry@wesketch]

Identifying diseases
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/10/aafeature1/view?searchterm=quarantine

Preventive Measures for Aquarists, Part One
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/1/short/view?searchterm=quarantine

From Wet Web Media.....

Setting Up and Using the Quarantine Tank

Setting up is a very simple process. Several days before the arrival of your new animals, fill the aquarium with water from your main system. Introduce the filter, plug in the heater, and you’re ready to go. (Here’s a tip: If you keep your filter sponge or other quarantine tank filter media in your main system’s sump when the quarantine tank is not running, you will always have a filter that is fully colonized by beneficial bacteria at all times.)

Following a proper dip/bath procedure (see www.wetwebmedia.com/dips_baths.htm), which is in itself a simple procedure, introduce your fishes to the quarantine aquarium. I highly recommend refraining from running the tank lights, if present, for at least the first 24 hours to give the new fishes a chance to settle in after a rough journey. In fact, ambient room light is usually fine.

It’s a good idea to wait overnight before attempting to feed your new arrivals, as they are usually not inclined to eat right off the bat. Besides, cleanliness in the quarantine tank is of utmost importance. Any uneaten food should be promptly siphoned from the tank to avoid pollution.

The quarantine tank’s water chemical parameters (pH, etc.) and temperature should approximate these found in your main system. Some hobbyists like to run their quarantine tank at a lower specific gravity (as low as 1.010) to assist in eliminating parasites, but I like to keep the quarantine tank at a "normal" specific gravity (1.022 – 1.026). Since you are working with a smaller volume of water in most cases, it’s important to follow a diligent schedule of small water changes. Assuming that your main system is healthy, you can utilize water from the main tank to replace the water in your quarantine tank. Since it is the water that your new charges will eventually be living in, I can’t think of a better use for wastewater from your main system’s routine water changes (you are doing regular water changes, aren’t you?). The quarantine period should last 21 days.

During the quarantine period, observe your fishes daily and be sure to keep a keen eye out for any potential infection. Obvious signs of illness, such as rapid respiration, open sores, fungus, etc. require recognition and quick action on the part of the aquarist. As you will find, the quarantine tank presents a perfect environment to treat fish diseases before they can spread to your main system. See elsewhere on the wetwebmedia site for information on the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of various afflictions that can affect your fishes.

What do you do if your fishes do become ill during the quarantine period? Two things: First, take the appropriate actions to treat your fishes, and second, congratulate yourself on having the foresight to utilize quarantine procedures with your fishes! Unfortunate though it may be, you will receive the best possible lesson on why quarantine is so important.

Keep in mind that, should disease rear its ugly head during quarantine, you’ll need to reset the clock for another 21 days after you have successfully eradicated the ailment. There would be absolutely no point in rushing to add your newly cured fishes to your main system at that stage of the game. Patience is truly a virtue with quarantine, and it will, reward you and your fishes handsomely.

Should you acquire more new fishes while you are in the middle of the quarantine period (this never happens, right?), you have two options: either add the new fishes to the quarantine tank (after appropriate prophylactic dips/baths) and reset the calendar for 21 more days, OR you can set up a new quarantine tank! Either way, you have to stick to the 21-day rule. It’s that important.

In addition to being an invaluable aid in the prevention of disease in your main system, the quarantine tank provides a perfect environment for newly-received fishes to "toughen up" and rest after the long ordeal of capture, shipping, and handling. Your fish will be refreshed, well fed, and most important of all, healthy after a stay in your quarantine tank.

When the 21 days are up, and your new fishes have been introduced to their new home, you can break down and thoroughly clean the quarantine system. Be sure that none of the equipment from your quarantine tank comes in contact with your main system before it has been cleaned, particularly if you were utilizing copper or other therapeutic agents in the tank. Your sponge filter or other filter media may then be sterilized and placed back in the sump of your main system to re-colonize beneficial, ready for your next new arrivals.

Hopefully, you are now convinced of the value of the quarantine tank, and the piece of mind and other benefits it provides. Such a simple concept, yet an invaluable tool. The quarantine tank is used at all public aquariums as a first line of defense against the introduction of disease. Aquarists at public aquariums cannot afford the risk of infecting their entire population of fishes, neither should you. Quarantine should become an integral part of YOUR fish keeping procedures.

 

[mnat]

Be VERY VERY careful with copper, it will cure ich but it can kill your fish too. Certain fish are very sensitive to copper. Bring the salinity down slowly and try that first. Ichs life cycle is about 4 weeks. If you put the fish back in there any sooner they can get infected again. Watch your QT and be prepared to do water changes.

 

[cmor1701d]

Skip the copper and just do a Hyposalinity treatment (1.009 SG) for 4 - 6 weeks!

I had a small outbreak in my 125g a few years ago. I went out and bought a 30 gallon tank, heater and HOB with bio-wheel. The first 2 weeks you need to be prepared to do twice daily partial water changes to keep the water parameters in check (depending on the size of the QT/hospital tank and the number of fish). After that the HOB filter kicks in, but I still did a PWC every day or every couple of days to keep the water parameters pristine. Since then I've that 30g as my QT tank and everything that came out of tank with fish was QTd first. I have not had an Ich problem since.

Yes, it was a lot of work, but it was worth it.
The best article on Hyposalinity I have found is at
http://atj.net.au/marineaquaria/hyposalinity.html

Other ICH articles
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/mini1.htm
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/dec2003/mini2.htm
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2004/mini3.htm
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2004/mini4.htm


http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2004/mini5.htm

 

[vangvace]

Ich's life cycle is about 4 weeks. If you put the fish back in there any sooner they can get infected again. Watch your QT and be prepared to do water changes.

Quoted for emphasis.

 

[jettie1767]

8 weeks of DT fallow not 4.

 

[njhcnwk]

As usual, thanks to all for the great feedback. Set up a QT tank today. What a disaster, it took 2 hours to net all the fish. Ended up taking apart my rockwork in the process to eliminate hiding spots and knocked just about all of my coral over. The plus side is that I like my new rockwork better and there's more room for frags.

 

[Hawkeye]

sending this thread back up (i know it's old - but the info in here is still relevant). Folks if you have ich - do read this.

Maybe we need a sticky on ich. I'll have to dig up some other good threads and maybe combine posts.

 

[The_Codfather]

The life cycle of Ich

1. Trophozoites mature in the skin of the fish.
2. Trophont (mature trophozoite) leaves the fish.
3. Trophont produces tomites.
4. Trophont bursts and tomites are released.
5. Tomites penetrate the skin of the fish, and the cycle is repeated.

 

[rodclement]

Hawk that sounds like a great idea to me! Want me to do some research or you got this?


Rod