Ich

R

Rsxjh

Premium Member
Sailfin tang became infested and the LFS recommended "ich attach" a reef safe natural formula. After a week and a half of treatment the tang is now doing well, but just noticed the clowns are fully covered with it now. Do I just stay the course and continue treatment, this is getting frustrating.
I just raised the temp to 80 degrees from 79.....anyone have luck with "ich attack" by Kordon?? If I setup a quarantine, it will take weeks to cycle....

Ideas..suggestions??
 
Here are some good articles if you haven't already found them:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/11/mini
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/12/mini
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/1/mini
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/2/mini
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/3/mini

From what I've seen and read, raising the temperature does not affect Marine Ich the same way it does with freshwater ich. I am assuming you have a reef setup with inverts so that in-tank treatments like copper are not possible.

You could try to setup a temporary system so the main system could remain fallow for 8 weeks and use one of the quick-cycle bacteria additives that have been proven to work, monitor ammonia levels with a SeaChem Ammonia Alert, and have lots of extra salt water ready for water changes if cycle time for a QT tank is the only thing stopping you from getting another setup going.

As to treatment, there are a few options. If you don't want to setup another tank you can try to let them fight it off while feeding them an enriched diet or one with anti parasitic agents. If you are willing to setup a separate system you can try hyposalinity, copper, or tank transfer. It all depends on what you are comfortable going with.
 
A natural holistic approach would be introducing a cleaner shrimp into the tank if you haven't used any copper based products in your system.
 
Thanks - I introduced a cleaner shrimp 2 weeks ago when I noticed the ich on the tang. The clowns are not going over to him to get scrubbed off.
MBSL55 can I use the display water and setup a QT with zero cycle time? I can then look at copper based treatments and treat the fish.

I have also noticed my phosphates rising, measuring .08 and brown algae growth on the rocks. I ordered a phosphate reactor with media to combat. Do you know if phosphates effect ich? My plan is to get the reactor up and running when it arrives on Thursday.
 
Ich can happen when your fish are stressed out. I use liquid phosout for ponds but only dose it along with 2 part calcium alkalinity because it can drop the pH. It binds the phosphates and skimmer pulls it out.
 
Using your display water will bring some bacteria over but you can also use some of your existing live rock or sand in order to jump start things. Just be aware that bringing rock and sand over would affect copper treatment to a degree as some copper will leach into rock and sand and it would lower copper levels until and equilibrium is reached. I've successfully reclaimed rock that has been treated with copper by doing an acid wash and then putting the rock in a tub with a carbon reactor. Sand would probably just need to be ditched.
 
For me, all of my fish go through a copper treatment in QT before they go into the display tank. With that said, I don't think I would rush them into a QT environment under your current circumstances. You would be taking fish that are already very stressed and adding the stress caused by a move, a new tank, and potential cycling issues. That sounds like a recipe for multiple fatalities to me. This is what I would do if I was in your shoes:

1) Leaving the fish in their current tank and give them what they need to fight their way through the current outbreak. Keep them well fed with high quality food soaked in garlic and increase your water changes by 25% to improve the water quality.
2) While the fish are working on getting through the current ich outbreak, Put a foam filter in your sump. After about 2 weeks, it will be fully seeded with bacteria and ready to go in your QT tank. I use this one.
3) Once the fish are through the current outbreak and the foam filter has been seeded for 2 weeks, move the filter and the fish to QT. Their stress level should be lower now.
4) Treat the QT tank with hypo or copper.
5) Run the display tank fallow (no fish) for at least 6 weeks to allow any remaining ICH in the tank to die off completely.
6) Move your ICH free fish back into your now ICH free tank.
7) Put a new foam filter in your sump so you are ready to set up your QT the next time you buy a new fish.
8) Never add another fish again without first putting him through hypo or Copper in QT.

Good luck!
 
Clown fish will rarely go to a cleaner shrimp. I have read that by utilizing the cleaner shrimps services, it removes the slime coat that they develop to protect their skin from the anemones they host.
 
Thanks everyone for your advise. Qt tank setup and dosing with cupermine. The Tang didn't make it, but the two clowns are enjoying themselves in the new tank. It's tricky maintaing a .05 level while doing water changes to fight the ammonia. I'm trying to prepare red sea pro water and dose cupermine in the bucket then preform water changes.

I'm using seachems test as the API copper test did not work - my goal is to keep the clowns in the qt for six weeks while the display tank ich life cycle is dead.
 
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