I think I got ich from LFS!

[Batmanjay28]

I just started up my saltwater tank about 4 weeks ago. I added a tomato clown last SAturday thinking everything was going great....nope. Last night I noiced that my clown at about 10 little ich spots on him.....sad..... but when I got up this morning the ich was completely gone...I only have him and 5 hermit crabs in the tank and need to know what I should do to treat the tank? I also have about 25 pounds of liverock in the tank....please help because this is really stressing me out....thanks

And for the use of gralic, what do I do to get him to eat it?

[5xevy]

Hi there. The garlic is usually garlic extract that you can buy at most stores that sell fish. You can even buy crushed garlic or make your own. You just soak its food in it. This won't cure the ich, but may boost your clown's immune system to hopefully help fight it off easier.

Do you have a quarantine tank or a separate tank even not in use? You won't be able to use hyposalinity or copper in a tank with inverts (or live rock for that matter). Some people rely on "reef-safe" medications but there is no proof they work either.

Do you happen to have a UV sterilizer? Please provide us as much information as you can. Do you believe 100% that it's ich? You seemed to notice it fast, which is good because early detection can help you start helping your fish immediately. :)

[Batmanjay28]

I have had ich in the past with one of my freshwater tanks. But with a SW tank I have no idea what to do. I do have a 10G tank but it's not in use and sitting in my shop. My PH is 8.2. What do I do with my live rock? I so mad about this! I have a 60G bio filter and a 40G bio filter running in the tank but no skimmer yet. I have about 50 pounds of live sand in the tank too. My temp is around 80 degrees.

I need someone to tell my exactly what I need to do. Could I just raise the temp, add a chemical ich treatment, at gralic to the diet, and add a UV?

[Pallen81]

Last night I noiced that my clown at about 10 little ich spots on him.....sad..... but when I got up this morning the ich was completely gone...

Wait, didn't you just say the ich is gone? So now the clown isn't covered in the spots....? I'm confused now.

[5xevy]

I have a 10G tank but it's not in use and sitting in my shop.

I need someone to tell my exactly what I need to do. Could I just raise the temp, add a chemical ich treatment, at gralic to the diet, and add a UV?

Okay, is there any way you can dig out your old 10G to make a temporary QT?

Raising the temp will only cause the parasite's life cycle to speed up, but it won't cure it. The garlic may help boost the clown's immune system. The UV can kill some of the parasites in it's free floating stage and can also help as a preventative but is also not a guaranteed cure.

Here's a link that explains marine ich:

http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/marineich.html

It's important to understand the life cycle of the parasite. Once you decide what to do, we can help you along the rest of the way if you need it.


Wait, didn't you just say the ich is gone? So now the clown isn't covered in the spots....? I'm confused now.

Yeah, that's quite common. A lot of people notice it comes and then "disappears." But then a week or so later, BAM, it comes back much worse. The truth is that it never went away. It's all part of the parasite's natural cycle. The above link should explain it more in detail.

Batman- I can give you different/multiple links to hyposalinity and copper if you choose to go that way. If you happen to choose other alternatives, we can try to help you with those too. :)

Here's another thread with someone going through the same thing. Maybe some of the things in there can help you with yours.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107284&highlight=omega

[5xevy]

Scott Fellman's article on treating with copper:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichart2mar.htm

Most of the above site's participants are against hyposalinity.

Please see Post #4 of this thread:

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=127007

This site is very pro-hyposalinity. There's other great information on that thread too regarding QT tanks, refractometers and other treatments.

[Batmanjay28]

Thanks for the help. I'm in high school and today when I went home from lunch I went in a looked at my tank. My clownfish looks great and is very healthy looking. He came right up to the glass and greeted me when I was in there....he looks good but I do think he has ich....thanks so much for the help and if anybody has anything else that can help me please do.