I use natural sea water...ich eradication not possible.

[Miami Reef]

I get natural sea water delivered once a month for water change.

Is ich eradication not possible for me?

I watched this video where someone says they feed garlic to their fish. He said that every new fish gets ich in his system. He said the garlic doesn’t kill ich, but it keeps the fish eating...and fish who keep eating won’t die.

I think this is sound advice for me. I run a UV sterilizer but I doubt it’s actually helping. Probably keeps population under control. Right now I’m redoing my tank (no water right now. All sand removed.

There’s no ich in my 300 gallon system, but won’t ich come back with the sea water that gets delivered to me?

 

[Jekyl]

I've heard garlic is snake oil.

 

[Kershaw]

IMO garlic is a myth, so is ginger, ich x and anything other then copper and one other thing I can’t think of.
garlic may help entice the fish to eat. Just feed the fish really well, fresh and live food will help manage it.

 

[Miami Reef]

I've heard garlic is snake oil.

It doesn’t kill ich. It is snake oil in that sense.

 

[Miami Reef]

IMO garlic is a myth, so is ginger, ich x and anything other then copper and one other thing I can’t think of.
garlic may help entice the fish to eat. Just feed the fish really well, fresh and live food will help manage it.

Hypo salinity? Tank transfer method?

 

[Miami Reef]

I know copper works, but what good is it if I just reintroduced ich with my water changes?

 

[Kershaw]

Hypo salinity? Tank transfer method?

I was thinking of a medication but yes those work as well

 

[Kershaw]

I know copper works, but what good is it if I just reintroduced ich with my water changes?

That’s why I said to feed well. You should also reduce stress by not over crowding tank. Give plenty of hiding places.
As you said if your brining in potentially contaminated water there isn’t much point.

 

[BadPanda]

maybe a cleaner wrasse. Had ich for a week then disappeared after introducing my cleaner wrasse. I try to go natural route first before adding chemicals in my tank. I just recently introduced an aptasia eating filefish to help with my aptasia infestation.

 

[Miami Reef]

That’s why I said to feed well. You should also reduce stress by not over crowding tank. Give plenty of hiding places.
As you said if your brining in potentially contaminated water there isn’t much point.

Awesome. Thank you so much!

 

[ZoWhat]

Ok..... here's the deal with Garlic.

Garlic added to food makes the food more enticing to fish, so they eat more of the food. If the food is higher in nutrition, then the added food will aid in the overall health of the fish. More nutrition equals a healthier fish more able to fight off ICH thru immune system

With a Cleaner Wrasse or Shrimp, the ICH is not eaten by either. A good cleaning makes the fish feel better and less stress. Less stress equals more ability to fight off ICH thru immune system

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[mdb_talon]

Is there a reason you have to use NSW? I mean if I believed it was going to lead to a neverending ich management scenario i would not go that route.

Alternatively can you store the water for a couple days before doing the water change? As i understand it the free floating stage of ich only lasts less than 48 hours before they die if no host is found. As additional safety it may make sense to use the UV on the makeup water rather than the tank....that is the stage a UV can kill them.

 

[BadPanda]

Ok..... here's the deal with Garlic.

Garlic added to food makes the food more enticing to fish, so they eat more of the food. If the food is higher in nutrition, then the added food will aid in the overall health of the fish. More nutrition equals a healthier fish more able to fight off ICH thru immune system

With a Cleaner Wrasse or Shrimp, the ICH is not eaten by either. A good cleaning makes the fish feel better and less stress. Less stress equals more ability to fight off ICH thru immune system

.

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So the cleaner wrasse just eased my fish and hence help fight the ich. Kinda off topic, but my tank didn't go on any fallow period. Does that mean they're still ich in my system just laying dormant? Also thanks for the correction.

 

[gentlefish]

Natural sea water may not be free of pathogens. You could treat it, however what stops from making your own saltwater or try to work with a non water change system? I do not believe that fish suffering from ick is unavoidable. Tanks can be ick free and kept ick free.

 

[ZoWhat]

ICH needs a host every regeneration.

If all fish have successfully fought off ICH, the ICH is hostless and eventually doesn't exist in the tank bc it dies off without a host.

Period of time before all regeneration of ICH is gone? Hard to say, every tank is different

 

[SoggyNW]

What if you used a dosing pump to transfer the water slowly through a UV sterilizer before it goes in your tank. You could even set up an auto water change system with an inline UV. I would think that would nuke anything in the water.

 

[Devaji]

I hear lice white worms or black worms with live clams are better than garlic.
that is what I am going to use.

if I lived where I could get NSW again I would in a heart beat. like said above let water sit in your storage tanks for a few days and/or run UV through it before WC?

OR just have healthy fish that can fight off the ich
IDK the longest running reef on R2R prob. the world 50 years is running NSW.

 

[jeffchapok]

I manage ich in my tank, and a UV sterilizer has proven essential for me. I seldom see a spot, but had a bad breakout last year and lost two fish. It turns out my UV bulb had burned out and I didn't know it because it was inside a sealed enclosure (Green Killing Machine that was only 3-4 months old).

My female clown had it badly and I was afraid I was going to lose her as well. Once I discovered the bulb was out, I replaced it and within a couple of days all the fish were clear again. I built my own unit so that I can see if the bulb is lit or not.

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Any reason you choose nsw over making your own?

 

[Miami Reef]

i use NSW because it’s cheaper and saves time compared to making and mixing my own water for my 300 gallon tank.