Please can you talk or share your experiences about the ich? Share your experience to fix this issu

llutin

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Please can you talk or share your experiences about the ich? Share your experience to fix this issue
 

amer

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I can help you from my Modest Experience :

you have to do some things like :

1 - Change 25% from you tank water a month
2- got low the salinity to 1.22 ~ 1.20
3- got a high temp from 27~28 C
4- try to get a UV Sterilizer
5- use Garlic Guard in your fish's food
6- close your lights from 3~5 days
 

Aquaph8

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Copied from the sticky at the top of the fish forum, pretty spot on in my opinion. QT is the way to go!

I figured I'd start a discussion on Ich, in Marine fish. The reason I'm doing this is because there's a lot of myths and mis-information, regarding Ich, in Marine Fish, as apposed to Ich in Freshwater fish. I figured some of these myths needed to be "brought to light." Lately, on a couple of Reef Forums, a lot of new hobbyists have been struggling with Ich. It seems I've been reading 2 or 3 new threads every day. Unfortunately, some members are giving out bad information, which will only make matters worse. So I decided to start this thread, hoping it'll lead someone in the proper direction!!

To start with, Ich is a parasite that can infect Marine and Freshwater fish, HOWEVER, it's two totally different parasites. Some treatments for Freshwater Ich won't kill Saltwater Ich.

Marine Ich=Cryptocaryon irritans
Freshwater Ich=Ichthyophthirius multifiliis

It's important to properly identify Marine Ich, before treatment begins. Just as in Freshwater fish, Ich will present itself in a way that looks like someone sprinkled salt on your fish. It will come and go, with the Trophont, ProTomont and Tomont stages of the life cycle. Trophont is when the parasite is actually attached to the fish and usually lasts 3-7 days. After this, the parasite falls from the fish and lives in the substrate (ProTomont stage) for a period of hours. Then, during the Tomont stage, the parsite encysts, dividing into hundreds of "daughter" parasites, called Tomites. Tomites are non-infectious and this stage can last from 3-28 days. After this Tomite period, the eggs hatch, becoming Tomonts and go in search of a Fish Host.

Another interesting thing about Marine Ich, is that it seems to drop off Host Fish, AND search out Host Fish at "night." This creates a problem for the fish. Most Marine fish chose the same spot to "sleep," every night. Because of this, the Ich parasite falls off of the fish, goes through it's reproduction cycle, and easily finds the same Host Fish, when it's ready.

Here are some "treatments," that don't work.

Increasing temperature.

While increasing temperature is a common, and somewhat effective way to treat Freshwater Ich, it does absolutely nothing to help with Marine Ich. There's some studies to show that it "might" speed up the life cycle of the parasite, but even these studies are controversial. Marine Ich also has a higher "optimal temperature," so raising the temperature could actually benefit the parsite. Raising water temperature also has the negative effect of lowering the oxygen content of the water.

Garlic

While garlic has been shown to have immunity boosting properties, among Freshwater Fish, it has been shown to NOT have the same ability among Marine Fish. Studies have shown that garlic "may" inhibit the parasites ability to find fish, by smell, in Marine fish, so "might" result in a reduced ability to parasitize. Garlic is also thought to "possibly" increase a Marine Fish's appetite, keeping the fish healthy and able to "fight off" Ich, but even that is only anecdotal and hasn't been reproduced, scientifically, in many studies. Garlic HAS been shown to cause liver damage, among Marine Fish.

UV Sterilization

The use of a UV Sterilizer will reduce the number of Ich parasites, but not significantly. The problem with UV is it will only kill stuff that passes over the light, and ONLY if the UV light is strong enough and the life form passes over the light slow enough for the UV Strength to kill it. The Ich parasite is only in the water column for a short time, while dropping off of a Host Fish, or in search of a Host Fish. It can only pass through the UV sterilizer during the period of time that it's in the water column. Unfortunately, UV will only kill a small portion of the Ich parasites, IF the UV sterilizer is powerful enough (wattage) and the flow rate is slow enough.

Marine Ich is present in all Marine Fish and is in all Marine Tanks and is a result of a fish being stressed

A huge myth!!! Research has shown that, with proper QT procedures and treatment, Ich can be eradicated from a Marine Aquarium. Without a Fish Host, Marine Ich will die. However, the life cycle of Ich has to be taken into account, so the Ich parasite needs to be void of a Fish Host for a period of 6-8 weeks.

Now I'll outline some SUCCESSFUL treatments for Marine Ich.

Hyposalinity

Hyposalinity treatment is probably the most successful and least stressful treatment, if done properly. Unfortunately, this can't be done in a reef tank. However, it can be done in a Marine Fish Only tank, with a caveat or two.

Hyposalinity is treatment by lowering the salinity of saltwater, to a level that it will kill the parasite, but NOT kill the fish. In fact, lowering salinity eases a fishes ability to "respire," and increases oxygens ability to mix with the water.

Changes in salinity do need to be done correctly, as to not stress the fish. Lowering the salinity can be done quicker than raising the salinity. Typically the salinity can be dropped from 1.025 to 1.009 in a matter of a couple of days, without negatively effecting the fish. However, once treatment is over, the salinity should be raised back up to 1.025 slower (over the period of a week.) Treatment needs to be done for a period of 6-8 weeks, OR at least 2 weeks after all visible signs of Ich are gone. At that point, salinity can be slowly raised, over a 1 week period. During this same time, the display tank must remain "fallow," or fishless. Without any Fish Hosts, the Ich parasite will die.

1.009 has been shown to be the level where Ich can no longer survive, without negatively effecting the fish. Again, this cannot be done in a reef tank, as motile and inmotile inverts will die. In a Fish Only system, this can be done, however, beneficial bacteria, micro fauna, micro flora, amphipods, copepods, etc. will perish. Those things will re-populate, over time.

Hyposalinity is best done in an established QT tank.

Copper

Copper treatment CANNOT be done in a reef tank and shouldn't be done in a FO (Fish Only) Tank. The copper will leach into the live rock, sand substrate, etc. Later, the copper will leach back out of these materials, poisoning the tank. Copper is very fatal to any Marine Inverts.

Copper treatment needs to be done very carefully and with a very accurate Copper Test Kit. At too low of dosage, it won't kill Ich. At too high of dosage, it kills fish. It's very important to follow the manufacturer directions AND have an accurate test kit.

Transfer Method

This method is effective, but a lot of work...lol.

It involves having 2 available tanks. Each day, the fish are moved from one tank, to another. In between, each tank is emptied, cleaned and refilled with Saltwater. The idea is that the Ich parasite will be left behind, in the used water. This process should be done for a period of 10 days. This treatment is also quite stressful to the fish, with being moved every day. Also, the display still needs to remain fallow for 6-8 weeks.

Here's some further reading, for those interested.
Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part I by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...2004/mini4.htm
Garlic: What has been Studied Versus What has been Claimed by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com
 

Aquaph8

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I can help you from my Modest Experience :

you have to do some things like :

1 - Change 25% from you tank water a month
2- got low the salinity to 1.22 ~ 1.20
3- got a high temp from 27~28 C
4- try to get a UV Sterilizer
5- use Garlic Guard in your fish's food
6- close your lights from 3~5 days

None of these will cure ich :),
 

slugwall

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Went to WalMart got the cheapest ich which was for freshwater.
Opened it up put it in the tank and next day ich was gone from all 20 fish.
Its a coral dominated tank...
 

bwrag

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I tried fallow twice, copper and tank transfer. Now I finaly just manage it and have been for almost a year with no loses. I feed high quality food with vitamins, extra c, selcon, and seachem focus and metro. I'll see a spot ralrley and all fish do great I added a fish the other day and no spots on anyone. I know this isn't ideal but works for me. I have had more fish die in qt from copper and stress than in the tank from ich
 

Z06-Hec

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In the past i tried fighting it a few times. I tried the salinity change and the copper treatment. Both had fish lost, in fact most of my fish were lost. The only one that made it was my Majestic Angel which i still have.
Now if i see an outbreak in the tank i just leave it be. All my fish are fed well even the ones that hide all day, regular water changes of 35Gal every 2-3 weeks out of my 150 gal.
Been over a year with the 150gal and no losses from Ich. It comes and goes.

Chasing fish, Catching them, Netting them (possibly getting fins caught), Moving them to a new environment and dosing with some strong meds like copper, changing salinity is a HUGE stress to fish. This most definitely plays a big part in losing an already sick fish.
 

Reefing Madness

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I just made sure my fish ate. They beat it themselves. My Hippo Tang will still come down with it when I stir up the tank, and she gets rid of it herself, and none of the other fish ever get it.
 

sager1966

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I just made sure my fish ate. They beat it themselves. My Hippo Tang will still come down with it when I stir up the tank, and she gets rid of it herself, and none of the other fish ever get it.






I do have to agree....you let them beat it.....keep them fed and as stress free as possible and let them build up the immunity to it. I have 5 tangs in my tank, 210g, a total of 16 fish altogether....my powder brown tang will get it here and there, but he keeps fighting it off and none of the others seem to get it. So, just keep them fed and let them fight it works for me as well
 

Kworker

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I went fallow for 10.5 weeks. My fish went into hypo salinity for 5 weeks during the fallow period (1.008). It's only been a month since my Achilles, Tomini and Chromis were added back in. But there is not a single spot on the Achilles when I used to see one on occasion beforehand... My newer fish went through Tank Transfer and Ich is gone (one of which is a Hippo tang).

I don't understand when people say "just feed well".. you should be feeding well to begin with. It's a parasite, a parasite needs a host. If it does not have a host it will die in given time. I understand why some people will say it goes away, but just because its not visible does not mean its not on the fish. Ich will also attach itself within the gills of the fish.

Ich won't actually kill the fish, it will stress the fish and make it susceptible to other complications. I just can't live with knowing there is something affecting their health, just my 2 cents.
 

Engineergoby

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I had observed ich in my 90 on and off over the past 2 years it was usually my hippo tang that came down with it. In sept I moved everything over to a 156 and the stress of the move provoked an outbreak. I added nothing new to the tank so I know my fish had been living with it for a long time. My powder brown was looking really bad along with the Hippo tang. I fed them nori soaked in metronidazole but it didn't seem to help. I made sure there was a constant supply of nori in the tank and everyone seems fat and healthy now. In my experience keeping quality water, low stress and good eating ich can easily be managed.
 

Kworker

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Just read the sticky that Aquaph8 copied/posted..

I wasted time "waiting it out" as people told me to do. After a month or so of watching my Achilles completely covered in it I moved them all. If you use a well made trap it will be done with minimal stress. I think people over exaggerate the moving the fish and stress correlation. I lost no fish from moving the fish into QT or the procedure to treat Ich. The only fish I lost were clownfish because I was dumb enough to leave a hole for them to jump out of the QT.
 

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