Ich problem

[ReefBoy101]

Hello R2R,

I just inherited a hippo tang from a friend who had it for over a week without any problems. I placed it in QT for a week without any signs of sickness. I decided to move it to my ST. Two days ago, after I did a 30% water change I noticed today the Hippo has a severe ICH breakout all over its body. The Hippo is currently active and eating okay.

Question: Assuming ICH is contagious, what should I do to avoid spreading it to other tank mates. (+180G Reef Tank with about 10 other fish)
It's impossible to get the Hippo out of the ST with all the rocks and reefs. I have a UV, been soaking food with garlic, and water parameters are normal. Is there any safe medication (non-copper) that I can add to the ST?

 

[sawdonkey]

You need to assume all of your fish now have ich. You need to treat all of them with copper or hypo, neither of which you want to do in your display tank. Time is important, so whatever you do, do it now. The sicker the fish get, the less likely they are to recover. Good luck.

 

[Reefing Madness]

If the Hippo has it, then its in the ST. No mess up the tank and stress anyone out. Just leave them be, keep them eating, and they can beat it themselves.

 

[sawdonkey]

If the Hippo has it, then its in the ST. No mess up the tank and stress anyone out. Just leave them be, keep them eating, and they can beat it themselves.

This is the treatment, or lack thereof, that wiped out my whole tank twice. I've had ich three times(over 15 years of reefing) and the only time I successfully treated it, I used copper in a hospital tank. Now I qt every fish with copper and prazi, so I don't plan going through this again.


From my experience, I don't recommend using hope as your medication.

 

[ReefBoy101]

has anyone successfully used Seachem metronidazole and sulfathiazole to treat ICH? I read they are reef safe.

 

[NanaReefer]

I don't know how ICH can be beat. It is a parasite! Unless killed it will remain on the fish, happy healthy and eating and reproducing! Some fish can live with the parasite feeding off of them, many others cannot.
I agree with sawdonkey. The ONLY sure fire way to treat & protect ALL your fish is to hospitalize them, treat to kill the parasite and allow your tank to fallow for at least 8wks.

 

[Reefing Madness]

This is the treatment, or lack thereof, that wiped out my whole tank twice. I've had ich three times(over 15 years of reefing) and the only time I successfully treated it, I used copper in a hospital tank. Now I qt every fish with copper and prazi, so I don't plan going through this again.


From my experience, I don't recommend using hope as your medication.

Sorry didnt work in your tank but stressing the crap out of fish while chasing them around with a net is not good stuff. And more than likely to speed up the process.
Ive had Ich in my DT several times, and all those times it started with my Hippo, and I never lost a fish because of it. It's all in how its handled. If the fish is eating to begin with, they stand a very good chance of survival.