First Ich/Parasite Outbreak - Need Help!

Greg129 · 09/03/2006, 06:52 AM

Well, it was bound to eventually happen. Last night, I did a 10% water change after neglecting the tank for about 2 or 3 weeks (focused on getting back to school). This morning, I find ich! The salinity was raised from 1.024 to 1.025 (don't know if this contributed to the stress or not). Anyways, I'm not sure what my treatment options are. It would be impossible for me to catch the Coral Beauty, Firefish, and Wrasse for QT or a dip. They're all way too fast. I have an urchin, leather coral, and a few snails so that eliminates most medicines. The ich is not too horrible yet. The clowns have about 3 spots on them, the Coral Beauty about 2, the Firefish about 2. They don't seem very stressed out yet. So, what should I do?!?! Maybe add a Skunk Cleaner Shrimp? Would that help? Thanks.

debdellac · 09/03/2006, 07:02 AM

I had a similar thing happen to me. I had been reading a lot about garlic and had purchased some Kent Garlic Xtreme. I read the directions and followed them...within a few days the ich was gone from my royal gramma. I have a cleaner shrimp also and this product is (according to Kent) is safe for all corals. It worked for me and saved me from removing 80 pounds of LR to catch the royal gramma.

Good luck!

t34418l3fit · 09/03/2006, 07:57 AM

to remove ich from your fish and the display tank the fish have to be quarantined and the display tank fishless for about a month and a half. otherwise the ich will almost always linger around hidden somewhere in the system.

Hal · 09/03/2006, 08:04 AM

There's really only two things that cure ick: hyposalinity or copper. Anything else, including garlic, just hasn't been PROVEN to be effective. There's some anecdotal evidence that garlic can help, but the key word here is "help", not "cure".

Don't be tricked by the ich disappearing for a bit. It might just be that the parasite is entereing the stage where they sit dormant on the bottom of the tank, and not on the fish. Also don't be tricked by the ich only being present in the morning, and "disappearing" later in the day. This is normal.

Cleaner shrimp may help a little, but they just aren't going to get all of the parasites. You'll still have active ich in the tank.

I'd be very surprised if the slight change in salinity caused the stress. A .001 change is pretty minor. Similarly, I really doubt that skipping water changes for 2-3 weeks made any difference.

As far as catching the fish, you might try a clear plastic jar. The fish have a difficult time seeing the clear plastic in the water, and are much easier to herd into such a jar by using a net, which the fish can see and will try to avoid. I use this method all the time.

Lastly, if you can remove all of your fish from your display tank, leave it fishless for 6 weeks. This will kill off all the ich in the display tank. Then use a QT for all new additions and this will keep you display tank "ich free". Make sure you're treating the fish in the QT for ich too of course.

Greg129 · 09/03/2006, 12:06 PM

Thanks for the input. Before I saw all of your posts, I went out and bought a Skunk Cleaner Shrimp. Hopefully it'll help a little. Hal - you're right. The ich was on the fish this morning and now it has vanished. Would it be wise to vaccuum up the bottom of the tank to get out the dormant ich cysts? I really do not want to QT the fish.

Hal · 09/03/2006, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Greg129
Would it be wise to vaccuum up the bottom of the tank to get out the dormant ich cysts? I really do not want to QT the fish.

Vaccuuming should theoretically help. I've never seen any studies on how effective it is. It would depend on how firmly the ich parasite is stuck to the bottom.

QT'ing the fish is really the only way to get rid of the ich. Otherwise it will stick around in your main tank. You could look into the "tank transfer" method too as another way to "quarantine" your fish.

If you don't QT, then your fish may get over it, but you leave the possibility open that the ich will remain at visually undetectable levels, just waiting for that next stressor of the fish to multiply.

Don't worry about the cleaner shrimp. I've got one purely for aesthetic reasons. They're cool little creatures.

Greg129 · 09/03/2006, 12:24 PM

Thanks, Hal. I'll try vaccuuming. It's worth a shot I guess. I'll keep you all updated.

HolyScoly · 09/03/2006, 02:42 PM

i just moved from my place and had to move my tank i guess from the stress my purple tang and solar wrasse got ich from my previous expieriences with ich i just left them alone and they cleared up within 3 days 1 month later no ich.imo just leave them alone.

wayne in norway · 09/04/2006, 03:11 AM

I would be very wary of diagnosing ich just because you did a water change and likely improved the water quality. Every time I do a water change my fish get a few white dots on them too - it's not ich, it's disturbed fine sand settling out onto a sticky surface (fish slime).

If it really is ich then leaving it alone is not likely to help. But 2 or 3 dots after a water change could be a lot of things.

09/03/2006, 06:52 AM	#1
Greg129 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 687	First Ich/Parasite Outbreak - Need Help! Well, it was bound to eventually happen. Last night, I did a 10% water change after neglecting the tank for about 2 or 3 weeks (focused on getting back to school). This morning, I find ich! The salinity was raised from 1.024 to 1.025 (don't know if this contributed to the stress or not). Anyways, I'm not sure what my treatment options are. It would be impossible for me to catch the Coral Beauty, Firefish, and Wrasse for QT or a dip. They're all way too fast. I have an urchin, leather coral, and a few snails so that eliminates most medicines. The ich is not too horrible yet. The clowns have about 3 spots on them, the Coral Beauty about 2, the Firefish about 2. They don't seem very stressed out yet. So, what should I do?!?! Maybe add a Skunk Cleaner Shrimp? Would that help? Thanks. __________________ 65 gallon Glass (36" x 18" x 24") -36" 2x96W Coralife Aqualight CF hood -Remora Pro Protein Skimmer -3x Maxijet 1200 Powerheads -2x False Perculas -1x Melanurus Wrasse -1x Coral Beauty Angelfish -1x Yellow Tang -1x Red Firefish -1x Purple Pin Cushion Urchin -1x Leather Coral

09/03/2006, 07:02 AM	#2
debdellac Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hollis, ME Posts: 98	I had a similar thing happen to me. I had been reading a lot about garlic and had purchased some Kent Garlic Xtreme. I read the directions and followed them...within a few days the ich was gone from my royal gramma. I have a cleaner shrimp also and this product is (according to Kent) is safe for all corals. It worked for me and saved me from removing 80 pounds of LR to catch the royal gramma. Good luck! __________________ I don't know the key to success...but the key to failure is trying to make everyone else happy.

09/03/2006, 12:06 PM	#5
Greg129 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 687	Thanks for the input. Before I saw all of your posts, I went out and bought a Skunk Cleaner Shrimp. Hopefully it'll help a little. Hal - you're right. The ich was on the fish this morning and now it has vanished. Would it be wise to vaccuum up the bottom of the tank to get out the dormant ich cysts? I really do not want to QT the fish. __________________ 65 gallon Glass (36" x 18" x 24") -36" 2x96W Coralife Aqualight CF hood -Remora Pro Protein Skimmer -3x Maxijet 1200 Powerheads -2x False Perculas -1x Melanurus Wrasse -1x Coral Beauty Angelfish -1x Yellow Tang -1x Red Firefish -1x Purple Pin Cushion Urchin -1x Leather Coral

09/03/2006, 12:24 PM	#7
Greg129 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 687	Thanks, Hal. I'll try vaccuuming. It's worth a shot I guess. I'll keep you all updated. __________________ 65 gallon Glass (36" x 18" x 24") -36" 2x96W Coralife Aqualight CF hood -Remora Pro Protein Skimmer -3x Maxijet 1200 Powerheads -2x False Perculas -1x Melanurus Wrasse -1x Coral Beauty Angelfish -1x Yellow Tang -1x Red Firefish -1x Purple Pin Cushion Urchin -1x Leather Coral

09/03/2006, 07:57 AM	#3
t34418l3fit Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: gainesville, fl Posts: 52	to remove ich from your fish and the display tank the fish have to be quarantined and the display tank fishless for about a month and a half. otherwise the ich will almost always linger around hidden somewhere in the system.

09/03/2006, 08:04 AM	#4
Hal Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Longmont, CO Posts: 1,889	There's really only two things that cure ick: hyposalinity or copper. Anything else, including garlic, just hasn't been PROVEN to be effective. There's some anecdotal evidence that garlic can help, but the key word here is "help", not "cure". Don't be tricked by the ich disappearing for a bit. It might just be that the parasite is entereing the stage where they sit dormant on the bottom of the tank, and not on the fish. Also don't be tricked by the ich only being present in the morning, and "disappearing" later in the day. This is normal. Cleaner shrimp may help a little, but they just aren't going to get all of the parasites. You'll still have active ich in the tank. I'd be very surprised if the slight change in salinity caused the stress. A .001 change is pretty minor. Similarly, I really doubt that skipping water changes for 2-3 weeks made any difference. As far as catching the fish, you might try a clear plastic jar. The fish have a difficult time seeing the clear plastic in the water, and are much easier to herd into such a jar by using a net, which the fish can see and will try to avoid. I use this method all the time. Lastly, if you can remove all of your fish from your display tank, leave it fishless for 6 weeks. This will kill off all the ich in the display tank. Then use a QT for all new additions and this will keep you display tank "ich free". Make sure you're treating the fish in the QT for ich too of course.

09/03/2006, 02:42 PM	#8
HolyScoly Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: miami Posts: 155	i just moved from my place and had to move my tank i guess from the stress my purple tang and solar wrasse got ich from my previous expieriences with ich i just left them alone and they cleared up within 3 days 1 month later no ich.imo just leave them alone.

09/04/2006, 03:11 AM	#9
wayne in norway Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Stavanger, Norway Posts: 1,271	I would be very wary of diagnosing ich just because you did a water change and likely improved the water quality. Every time I do a water change my fish get a few white dots on them too - it's not ich, it's disturbed fine sand settling out onto a sticky surface (fish slime). If it really is ich then leaving it alone is not likely to help. But 2 or 3 dots after a water change could be a lot of things.