Has anyone successfully had ich outbreak and managed it?

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Fish dying in QT is likely because they were introduced to the medicines too late, at too low of a level, or the keeper failed to manage some other aspect (stress, oxygen, ammonia, etc.). Your lfs likely tells you that qt kills because they are wanting to sell you fish and not have you wait 45 days between every purchase. LFS are not a good source of unbiased information. They are salesmen and people foolishly take their advice as honest information. If an LFS were to give people proper advice, their sales would drop across all of their livestock.

I agree - I have fish die in quarantine but they don’t die FROM quarantine. That is to say, the methods I employ don’t kill the fish, but the method doesn’t solve every issue - some, like microsporidians, can’t be treated. I’d rather have those fish die in quarantine than carry that scourge into my displays.

Jay

 

[OrionN]

Fish dying in QT is likely because they were introduced to the medicines too late, at too low of a level, or the keeper failed to manage some other aspect (stress, oxygen, ammonia, etc.). Your lfs likely tells you that qt kills because they are wanting to sell you fish and not have you wait 45 days between every purchase. LFS are not a good source of unbiased information. They are salesmen and people foolishly take their advice as honest information. If an LFS were to give people proper advice, their sales would drop across all of their livestock.

There are fishes that do not do well with bare QT system. Not eating well unless they are in natural setting.

 

[nereefpat]

It is not lazy to provide a premium diet of live and fresh foods, to maintain optimum water quality, and provide an appropriate house, not crowded, limited stress, and separation between healthy and sick fish. Lazy is to rely on chemicals as an exchange for those things I mentioned.

This chemical solution is the same solutions so many humans use for themselves.

You can QT while still providing a good diet, water quality, and limiting stress. Separating fish is part of QT. I don't think any of us that are in favor of QTing and using copper and prazi as prophylactic would disagree with following other best practices.

Chemicals (really, medicines in this case) are all a risk/reward thing. The medicines I recommend, Copper Power/Copper Safe and Prazi, seem to be harmless if administered correctly, and the reward is eliminating ich, velvet, and flukes.

 

[Neptune 555]

I would like to hear from reefers who have done both? Ich free tank and ich management and see your point of view?

* Ich Free tank w/ out meds 10 years was hard work doing TTM but no stress b/c so darn easy. Every 72 hours just move fish. My fish after going in reef live YEARS.

Ich Management: Easy to just QT in a small reef system but STRESS b/c fish show spots every now and again. Only 2 months in so I don't know what lies ahead?

In 10 years I can compare and contrast the effort, success, and health of my fish against each method.

Jay has an outline on the sick fish forum on how to treat fish in QT - thank you to all those who created this with photos of the illnesses this and treatments ideas are helpful. Their is no outline of how to do ich management on the same forum. It is hard to find the manual on ich management? When I first ffound I had ich I was overwhelmed and the only answers I could find were treatments.... in the end I did nothing and so far all my fish lived... but from reading the sticky notes I would have thought I was taking a huge gamble. Now after reading this thread and seeing the amazing tanks that have ich I actually feel more comfortable with my decision.

Ich management where I need more info?
* UV sterilizer vs diatom filter? The threads on how to ensure you uv sterilizer is at the right speed are super hard. The where to get a diatom filter and how to use is hard also. I was told that Paul B used UV Sterilizer... but then messaged him directly and he said UV sterilizer will give your fish a tan and not effect ich... but the diato filter is the answer?

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I use uv and run ALL return water to the display through it. Difference is that I have to oversize the uv a little bit to keep at least 3-4x turn over gph wise through the sump. I tried sump return with uv some years back and it didn't cut the mustard with disease control/eradication.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

If an aquarium, including a public one, uses natural seawater, it might as well not quarantine livestock? Is that what you're saying?

Kind of asking about the efficacy of that practice in the face of biosecurity measures like prophylactic treatments of fish. So I guess that is more a question than a statement.

 

[RiftRaftReefing]

I have been dealing with an outbreak with current management for about 6 weeks now acanthurs tangs are doing much better currently the only 2 left with ich they are very fat and active I have photos and videos if anyone is interested it’s very similar to humble fish but I did add a couple extra steps because in the beginning my outbreak got so bad all the fish started comming down also no loses do to Ich in the future i definitely would do things differently like only keeping 1 acanthus tang for every 150 gallons because they will get enough icy for every fish in the tank and any you plan to get in the future

 

[apb03]

I have ich like many other people. Once in a while, my Hippo Tang has a couple of spots for a few days but that's about it. If I list all the things in my tank that I worry about, ich is pretty low on it.

 

[peterhos]

I'll start by saying I'm specifically interested in those of you that have multiple tangs, had an ich outbreak and didn't do anything asides from normal routine maintenance and had the ich go away by itself. How many deaths did you experience, if any? I want to know about those that were successful and unsuccessful. Specifically

1. How old was your tank
2. Size of your tank
3. How many tangs/ ich prone fish
4. What did you do if anything do manage ich

Managing ich is certainly a lot easier if you only have clownfish, wrasses, gobies and other ich resistant species. It's very hard for them to get overwhelmed by ich unless they're unhealthy anyways. Personally I've always chickened out when it comes to managing ich. I said I'd manage it. Last about three days before I pulled everything out to treat. I've never successfully treated all fish without some dying. Particularly wrasses that don't handle copper well.

Appreciate any and all experiences you've all had!

Hi There Many years back my blue tang had ich. I simply concentrated on water changes and I guess good water helped the tang survive. Never had it again.

 

[Idech]

I have ich like many other people. Once in a while, my Hippo Tang has a couple of spots for a few days but that's about it. If I list all the things in my tank that I worry about, ich is pretty low on it.

I think that’s how It is for most Canadians, as we don’t have access to medication. So the mindset towards ich is very different. Around here almost everyone has ich in their tank and it’s not a hot topic. It’s just part of aquarium keeping and you live with it.

I do have ich in my tank as well.

 

[FishTruck]

At the amateur level - the well being of the fish keeper and the family is the priority. To tear down your tank to catch all the fish... and QT or not? What is best for the fish keeper is the answer, IMO. Best practice and practical realities are often two different things for us mortals. One just has to admit which path you are on if the ich breaks out.

 

[apb03]

At the amateur level - the well being of the fish keeper and the family is the priority. To tear down your tank to catch all the fish... and QT or not? What is best for the fish keeper is the answer, IMO. Best practice and practical realities are often two different things for us mortals. One just has to admit which path you are on if the ich breaks out.

Well said. Ich eradication advice is tossed around far too liberally around here. The vast majority of folks are not experienced enough nor have the resources to safely and adequately address this.

 

[Squidward]

I think that’s how It is for most Canadians, as we don’t have access to medication. So the mindset towards ich is very different. Around here almost everyone has ich in their tank and it’s not a hot topic. It’s just part of aquarium keeping and you live with it.

I do have ich in my tank as well.

You can do TTM to eradicate ich. No chemicals needed. I prefere TTM over copper anyway.

 

[RiftRaftReefing]

You can do TTM to eradicate ich. No chemicals needed. I prefere TTM over copper anyway.

Ttm in my opinion is just insane and extremely stressful on the fish yeah it works, if I’m able to handle all the fish I’m going with a clean medicated system anyday of the week. That being said I wouldn’t rule it out for smaller stock that needs smaller tanks but the bigger you go the more unrealistic it is.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Ttm in my opinion is just insane and extremely stressful on the fish yeah it works, if I’m able to handle all the fish I’m going with a clean medicated system anyday of the week. That being said I wouldn’t rule it out for smaller stock that needs smaller tanks but the bigger you go the more unrealistic it is.

I agree, TTM can be really rough on the fish. It also does not handle other diseases very well like flukes. Then, I always have trouble having people use it because you must have an ich free tank to move the fish into, so you can’t use TTM on your display tank fish - they’d have nowhere to go.

Jay

 

[Idech]

You can do TTM to eradicate ich. No chemicals needed. I prefere TTM over copper anyway.

I don’t see the need to, honestly.

 

[Paul B]

I hate the term "Ich Management" because thats how the fish live in the sea. They are not managing ich, they are living with it and repelling it as they should and naturally do. Most people in the hobby, especially Noobs don't keep their fish in a state of health where they can forego quarantining but after a number of years you figure it out and if you do it correctly, your fish will never get sick from any "communicable" disease.

That being said as to the original question I think we all had ich problems at one time. When the hobby stated in the US in 1971 we thought all fish had spots and we used to put copper pennies in the water to control ich.

Eventually some of us learned how to keep fish healthy with no drugs or quarantine. But it takes a while to figure it out.

In the early 70s I lost many fish to ich. Then I learned how to keep my fish immune so I don't have those disease concerns any longer. :)

Including tangs and butterflies.

 

[Nemo&Friends]

I inherited a tank with 2 damsel from someone getting out of the hobby. No idea if he ever quarantined or not, but I never did. I have a hippo tang who has spots on occasionally. I bought it 4 years ago and it is doing very well. I probably have ich in the tank, but I never worry about it.

 

[ReefED!]

I would love to do ich eradication when I upgrade my system but I don't know how feasible it is.


I'll be changing the aquascape and doing new sand, so it's really a matter of how much comes in on coral frags or the asymptomatic fish themselves - I won't be pulling the water over.

Otherwise I'd be looking at doing a massive QT of my entire stock in one tank without corals while setting up a simultaneous system of corals etc. to run fallow for 76 days and that's not feasible with a 120g and 180g in my household.

 

[ReefED!]

I would love to do ich eradication when I upgrade my system but I don't know how feasible it is.


I'll be changing the aquascape and doing new sand, so it's really a matter of how much comes in on coral frags or the asymptomatic fish themselves - I won't be pulling the water over.

Otherwise I'd be looking at doing a massive QT of my entire stock in one tank without corals while setting up a simultaneous system of corals etc. to run fallow for 76 days and that's not feasible with a 120g and 180g in my household.

For what it's worth I've seen two specific things of note when it comes to ich management:

* UV sterilizer works. With the bulb engaged (turned on), I've seen healthy new Powder Tangs get almost no new Ich symptoms.

I've also forgotten to turn the bulb on (after water changes where I turn it off so it doesn't burn dry) and seen Powder Tangs show ich symptoms within 48 hours.

* Acclimation boxes seem to make Ich worse for fish that catch it - the parasite gets focused in the box with minimal flow and has a short trip down and back up to contact the fish.

This is all anecdotal but what I've witnessed with the same species of fish introduced to a tank that 100% has ich in it which is managed and almost never shows itself.