Ich attack - need help please

satiger · Nov 24, 2008

I have 55G Seaclear system 2 aquarium for last 13 months. It is an established tank with a clown, watchman fish and a sand drifting (white) fish.

10 days back I purchased blue tang and a copperband butterfly fish from a local shop. I followed acclimation procudure and introduced them into the tank. I don't have QT. Few hours later noticed that tang got some white dots. That time I didn't know about ich and assumed it must be salt particles.

Lately, he started rubbing against the rock but eats well. That's when I started reading about ich on this forum. Yesterday I started treating the fish tank (whole tank) with Kondon organic (http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI...view~idProduct~NV39446~idCategory~FIMEPS.html ).

Other fishes seems to look good. I believe that I had the Ich well before I introduced the fishes as I remember seeing small white dots floating or sticking to the tank wall.

My questions are:
1. Based on my reading, UV can provide permanet solution to Ich etc. If so, what type of UV sterilizer suits my tank?. I prefer something hidden in the back of the tank than placing it in the front. Please refer this link for tank configuration at the back (http://www.casco-group.com/system2aqua.html ). Mounted the heater vertically. Is there any vertical UV sterilizer available?. Do I need a separate pump for it?. Any suggestions?

2. How does a power head works?. Do I need a separate pump for that?.

Since I am not familar with these products, appreciate any inputs.......

Reefscape · Nov 24, 2008

satiger said:
I have 55G Seaclear system 2 aquarium for last 13 months. It is an established tank with a clown, watchman fish and a sand drifting (white) fish.

10 days back I purchased blue tang and a copperband butterfly fish from a local shop. I followed acclimation procudure and introduced them into the tank. I don't have QT. Few hours later noticed that tang got some white dots. That time I didn't know about ich and assumed it must be salt particles.

Lately, he started rubbing against the rock but eats well. That's when I started reading about ich on this forum. Yesterday I started treating the fish tank (whole tank) with Kondon organic (http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI...view~idProduct~NV39446~idCategory~FIMEPS.html ).

Other fishes seems to look good. I believe that I had the Ich well before I introduced the fishes as I remember seeing small white dots floating or sticking to the tank wall.

My questions are:
1. Based on my reading, UV can provide permanet solution to Ich etc. If so, what type of UV sterilizer suits my tank?. I prefer something hidden in the back of the tank than placing it in the front. Please refer this link for tank configuration at the back (http://www.casco-group.com/system2aqua.html ). Mounted the heater vertically. Is there any vertical UV sterilizer available?. Do I need a separate pump for it?. Any suggestions?

2. How does a power head works?. Do I need a separate pump for that?.

Since I am not familar with these products, appreciate any inputs.......

Hey...first and foremost, the tank you have is too small for a regal tang, bare minimum should be 75, even moving to a larger system as it grows..

Ich has to arrive in your tank from somewhere, and i would say its arrived with the tang, as they are notorious for carrying the ich parasite. I would not think that the particles you have seen were ich..probably sand particles or minute copepods..

A UV is only effective when the parasite reaches the theront stage, or commonly called free swimming. If the ich parasite in your tank gets to the free swimming stage, most, if not all fish are more than likely infected, and all need treating with hypo in a QT tank, and the main display tank ran fallow for about 6 weeks....Personaly, i dont think a UV is the way ahead here.

Please take the time to read the following article on Ich and hypo...it should help...

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144242

The up-shot is, you need to get yourself a QT tank to deal with this, as i never personaly seen any in-tank solutions out of a bottle to effectivly deal with Ich...

I think a lesson is to be learned here...Quarantine all future purchases...

Additionally, adding garlic to the foods will help bolster the fish's immune system as you fight through the ich infection...

satiger · Nov 24, 2008

Reefscape said:
.....
Additionally, adding garlic to the foods will help bolster the fish's immune system as you fight through the ich infection...

Thanks for the quick response. Can I use house hold garlic along with frozen brine shrimp?. If so, should I mix them as liquid garlic or as tiny particle?. What ratio should I follow (brine shripm to garlic)?.

Thanks again.....

skene · Nov 25, 2008

Garlic will not hurt the fish, so just use liberally.
As for Ich, you need to keep in mind that it will always be in the water. Whether you choose to believe it or not.
Blue tangs tend to stress easily, that is why you observed it quickly. Other fish have may show no problems and may easily not contract the parasite even with something like the tang showing symptoms.

So good luck.

Reefscape · Nov 25, 2008

satiger said:
Thanks for the quick response. Can I use house hold garlic along with frozen brine shrimp?. If so, should I mix them as liquid garlic or as tiny particle?. What ratio should I follow (brine shripm to garlic)?.

Thanks again.....

I used to use normal garlic, yes, and blend it too a puree, mix a small ammount with foods....

skene said:
Garlic will not hurt the fish, so just use liberally.
As for Ich, you need to keep in mind that it will always be in the water. Whether you choose to believe it or not.
Blue tangs tend to stress easily, that is why you observed it quickly. Other fish have may show no problems and may easily not contract the parasite even with something like the tang showing symptoms.

So good luck.

Ich will not always be in the water if it is dealt with...hence why a tank is left to go fallow..If the ich parasite does not have a living host, it will die..

GregAW · Nov 25, 2008

If, by the unfortunate chance, you do get the display tank infected, and you have a reef tank, how would you treat the whole tank to eliminate the ick problem and not kill of the corals and invertebrates?

satiger · Nov 25, 2008

I am feeling much better today. Blue tang ate well last night (mixed brine shrimp with garlic). He didn't eat much on previous night. I have been treating the whole tank with Kondon Organic substance (2nd day) and live rock and shrimps seems to be doing good. Thank you so much to all of you for sharing your thoughts/ideas.

As far as GregAW's question on treating a reef tank, I will leave that to a more experienced people to answer.

lenny491 · Nov 25, 2008

satiger
Keep in mind that there's no such thing as reef-safe medicine! If it's safe for the reef, it's probably safe for the cryptocarion parasite as well.. The best thing to do is not to stress the fish! Do not move the corals, Live Rock etc. Feed your tang well and add vitamins. If you don't have an epidemic (if no other fish are infected) the ich will disappear by itself. I think the vast majority of blue tangs go through the ich stage when they are introduced to a new tank or when they get stressed. The cleaner shrimps could help too.

satiger · Dec 27, 2008

Just thought of giving an update on my treatment:

I treated the display tank with Kondon Organic for about 11 days and still the tang had the white spots and rubs against the rocks. Then with the frustration, I treated the tang (DT) with Kondon Rid Ich+ which doesn't have copper. I was prepared to loose some corals and even may live rocks. I continued the treatment for about 7 days with 3 times water change (20%) in between.

Also when I started Rid Ich+, I had started feeding the fish with garlic soaked food mixed with vitamins. Towards end of 6th day, I introduced cleaner shrimp. It was unbelieveable that tang goes towards cleaner shrimp and give his body for cleaning!. Initially shrimp shy away from tang. Lately, shrimp cleaned the tang. Last few days I am seeing tang doesn't have any white spots and doesn't rib against rocks.

In short, I am not sure exactly what helped curing the tang. My feeling is that chemicals may have prevented more hatch, but good nutritious food and frequent water change and the introduction of cleaner shirmp might have played crucial role (nature way!). As long as fish eats well, it is better to feed with good stuff in order to have better immune system.

Also, I added submersible UV sterilizer and hoping ich shouldn't appear in future. Just added few photos showing cleaner shrimp in action!.

MarineDream · Dec 27, 2008

Reefscape said:
Hey...first and foremost, the tank you have is too small for a regal tang, bare minimum should be 75, even moving to a larger system as it grows..

I'm just curious, and i've always thought the same about the regal tang;however, I have a friend that has had one for about a year and a half now in a 29g oceanic biocube, and he has never had any problems with it. As far as I know it has barely grown as well. Infact, the local fish store has one in a 20g display tank.

Is it just a standard that you should only have a Tang in a 75g+ tank or are there exceptions?


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Ich attack - need help please

satiger

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Reefscape

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satiger

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skene

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Reefscape

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GregAW

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satiger

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lenny491

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satiger

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