Ich! Help

[Kannon50]

Ok so I'm about 90% sure I have ich in my tank. Other than wanting to go a beat the crap out of the Lfs owner I don't know what to do.

I bought a yellow tang(Saturday) and two days after I got him I woke up to him covered in white spots. I took him back to the store(Monday) and they QT'd him. He called me several hrs later and said that it was just sand. I believed him, but decided to leave the fish there for awhile. ..... Before picking the tang back up I bought a blue jaw trigger from a different more reputable lfs and put him in my tank on Friday. Saturday I went to pick up my yellow tang, and actually traded him for a smaller one and was given a blue tang to complete the trade. Today is Tuesday and both tangs had white spots and died. Upon father investigation my blue jaw has spots!!!!wth.... I rushed out and bought a 10gallon system to set up my own qt system. I took water out of my DT and put it in my QT, along with the blue jaw. I do not want to lose this fish. Currently treating the QT with Parashield because that's all petco had.

Additionally I do not know what to do in my DT? I have other fish that don't seem effected and I have a few corals that I don't want to lose either. Never had this problem before and seriously need some help.

I just checked on the blue jaw, doubt he will make it through the night. Merry Christmas to me! Not!!!

Can someone please tell me where to go from here?

Other than cutting ties with the LFS?

[Denbf58]

leave your dt fellow (no fish) for 6-8 weeks treat blue jaw with copper read stickies on treating ick and be sur to qt all fish for at least 4 weeks

[Denbf58]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1985626

[Kannon50]

I read the stickies, but didnt see anything about what to do with my corals in my DT?

Good news, so far the blue jaw is still alive.

How many fish can i keep in my QT?

What about snails and crabs, do they have to go in the QT as well?

[muttley000]

Snails crabs and corals are fine in your display tank, but no fish. Do not treat it and do not add any fish for 6 weeks. Opinions vary on qt, but in mine it is the buyers responsibility to qt, do not count on the store. Also it was a mistake to continue to add life when you knew you had an issue on the tank. The para shield is useless (maybe worse than useless) as far as I am concerned. I would invite you to explore the quinine compounds, or to treat with copper. Lastly, a 10 gallon qt is very limited as far as the number and size you can keep specimens in for the 6 weeks your tank needs to be fallow. Good luck and keep us posted!

[billsreef]

Ich only survives on fish, so the corals don't need to be treated. Just leave the DT and it's non fish inhabitants alone with no fish in the tank for a good 6 to 8 weeks, as Denbf58 mentioned. This allows any ich cysts to die out and thus prevent reinfection of your fish when you add them back in after they have been treated.

BTW, don't blame the LFS. All fish from any source should be considered carriers. There are also other common parasites that won't be noticed in the store. That's why it's always good to QT all your fish for yourself

[Kannon50]

Originally Posted by billsreef

Ich only survives on fish, so the corals don't need to be treated. Just leave the DT and it's non fish inhabitants alone with no fish in the tank for a good 6 to 8 weeks, as Denbf58 mentioned. This allows any ich cysts to die out and thus prevent reinfection of your fish when you add them back in after they have been treated.

BTW, don't blame the LFS. All fish from any source should be considered carriers. There are also other common parasites that won't be noticed in the store. That's why it's always good to QT all your fish for yourself

Thanks to all! Lesson learned for sure! Good news is i have a QT!, as well no new dead fish. My QT is actually a 13 gallon "widescreen" bought the bundle on a christmas deal for $40. I have my marine beta, blue jaw, and engineer goby in there. I hope thats not too many?

I will be going out tomorrow and buying some ich treatment, not exactly sure the brand to buy so any advice on that would be helpful, too many clouded reviews online have got me stuck with no direction.

The 6 weeks will give me plenty of time to redue plumbing and all that. I will keep you all posted thanks again for all the info.

After the 6 week mark all fish will be QT'd for sure. Never want to go through this again!

[bnumair]

if you need step by step guide to treat ich, i have written 2 guides. 1 treating with copper and other with hypo. here are the links to help you in right direction. Good Luck.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2300497
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...1#post20614751