My 4-striped Damsel seems to have some ripped fins (Pectorals). They look a bit shredded. I'm thinking this might be Ich, because they've been under some stress. Are his other tankmates going to contract this ? 
HELP!! Ich??
- Thread starter HistoryGirl
- Start date
are you sure its ich and not getting picked on?
Do you have a UV as this does help combat ich.. If not then Octozin or Oodinex are reef safe treatments for this parasite. try dosing the food with garlic also as this helps.
Any fish in the same tank is at risk with ich but if the fish are not under stress and healthy they can usually fight the parasite off alone. Personally i would be doing alli can to assist this though.
Do you have a UV as this does help combat ich.. If not then Octozin or Oodinex are reef safe treatments for this parasite. try dosing the food with garlic also as this helps.
Any fish in the same tank is at risk with ich but if the fish are not under stress and healthy they can usually fight the parasite off alone. Personally i would be doing alli can to assist this though.
Might be Fin Rot
I think it might be fin rot, actually, since there are no signs of bacterial growth... And its not effecting any of the others. The Damsel in question is extremely aggressive and picks on the other fish so I'm guessing its battle wounds. I'm gonna quarantine him in case and put some Fin Rot solution in. Also... would him messing around in an anemone and getting stung have something to do with it?
I think it might be fin rot, actually, since there are no signs of bacterial growth... And its not effecting any of the others. The Damsel in question is extremely aggressive and picks on the other fish so I'm guessing its battle wounds. I'm gonna quarantine him in case and put some Fin Rot solution in. Also... would him messing around in an anemone and getting stung have something to do with it?
UV Sterilization is neither a preventative nor a cure for parasites in the marine aquarium. UV’s do provide a minimal amount of eradication but the meager benefits do not compensate for the overall cost to your system and your wallet. Along with killing bacteria (good and bad), they also destroy copepods and other essential life in the aquarium. Furthermore their effectiveness diminishes exponentially as the tubes dirty and the bulbs age. The practice of good husbandry, the use of a qt tank, and a clean hospital tank are the only effective ways to prevent and/or cure parasitic disease.
I have yet to see a UV wipe out a population of pods.
"IF" a UV is ran at the correct flow as recomended by the manufacturers then it will help.
I have a friend who owns a shop and time after time, people come in asking for ICh cures.. they try all the usual methods, garlic, Ocotzin, Oodinex etc.. and when none of this works they are sold a UV steriliser. WHen that person comes back later to say that the tank is clear the evidence speaks for itself.
Personally i keep one, its was the first thing on my list when i got my reef setup. When i have fish with such high values i like to make sure i have all bases covered. If i had an outbreak of ich and tried all other methods only to find that they failed and the fish died, i would be kicking myself if i had not also tried to save them with a UV. Granted the UV is not 100% effective, no treatment ever is. And i agree, water management and making sure the fish are kept as stress free as possible is the best way to fight this. However things can and will go wrong. When this happens i like to be sure that i have all possible options at my disposal.
"IF" a UV is ran at the correct flow as recomended by the manufacturers then it will help.
I have a friend who owns a shop and time after time, people come in asking for ICh cures.. they try all the usual methods, garlic, Ocotzin, Oodinex etc.. and when none of this works they are sold a UV steriliser. WHen that person comes back later to say that the tank is clear the evidence speaks for itself.
Personally i keep one, its was the first thing on my list when i got my reef setup. When i have fish with such high values i like to make sure i have all bases covered. If i had an outbreak of ich and tried all other methods only to find that they failed and the fish died, i would be kicking myself if i had not also tried to save them with a UV. Granted the UV is not 100% effective, no treatment ever is. And i agree, water management and making sure the fish are kept as stress free as possible is the best way to fight this. However things can and will go wrong. When this happens i like to be sure that i have all possible options at my disposal.
