thisisit
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Ich without treatment
- Thread starter ErikVR
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thisisit
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I was told by a small pet store owner to raise the temp of the tank to 80 degrees I have always kept my saltwater tank temp at 80 and have never had ich in the last 20 years.
tatmanfish
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I'm on the management side of the argument. If they are well fed and healthy, they tend to beat it and I never see it them with ich after that. I have used peroxide/poly lab medic and can't really say it made any difference the few times new additions got ich and I tried it(even did dosing a couple weeks before introducing new fish).
If you've ever taken a disease transmission or cross contamination course, it's easy to see how the average person can have trouble despite following the basic principles of QT. Theres also some research showing there are copper resistant strains of ich as well. Some fish don't tolerate copper well. I personally don't see the need for all the added stress.
If you've ever taken a disease transmission or cross contamination course, it's easy to see how the average person can have trouble despite following the basic principles of QT. Theres also some research showing there are copper resistant strains of ich as well. Some fish don't tolerate copper well. I personally don't see the need for all the added stress.
Spare time
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At what temperure?
Spare time
10K Club member
How would ich tell if a fish is stressed?
Jeremy_d
Active Member
I have left a royal gramma and Firefish goby untreated in my display anfter noticing spots on both, and with keeping the water quality great, and feeding on a set schedule, I no longer see any spots. And it’s been months. I know ich is still in the tank but I didn’t want to risk knocking anything over trying to get the gramma or firefish out. I feed new life spectrum pellets only and hikari algae wafers for my hermit crabs and conch.
In the past I have had a hippo tang that was a persistent ich carrier but as long as it was happy the spots would come for a few days and then **** off for a few months.
Neither instance did I notice any other fish with spots. Just the tang when I had it, and the gramma and firefish now. They are happy and healthy
Reeferbadness
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Insane proposition. UV sterilizer and heavy feeding and my fish are all fine. Why would I go fallow only to likely be infected again at some point. Almost all tanks have ich, its how u deal with it
Keep your fish well fed, as said before almost every tank has ich. A given strain of ich will die off after about 100 generations, this equates to around 4 years. Until then keep your fish fat and happy and they should persevere. My tank had it but I’ve not seen any signs of it for years.
woejillis
Community Member
This is purely anecdotal, but it is my experience.
I started seeing ich spots on my blue and white tail tangs. I immediately replaced my UV bulb (it had been previously replaced more than 8 months prior) and bought a cleaner wrasse. I also started using "Intestipro" by mixing it in their food, along with "Focus".
After about a week the ich was no longer present on the tangs and no other fish seemed to get sick.
I started seeing ich spots on my blue and white tail tangs. I immediately replaced my UV bulb (it had been previously replaced more than 8 months prior) and bought a cleaner wrasse. I also started using "Intestipro" by mixing it in their food, along with "Focus".
After about a week the ich was no longer present on the tangs and no other fish seemed to get sick.
Nemo&Friends
Well-Known Member
My 3 years hippo got itch, became almost white instead of blue, and he recovered completely. No other fish got sick.
butcherreef
Community Member
In my experience, a good UV although costly and difficult to set up In some cases can be a complete game changer for ick. It is very difficult in my experience to not see ick time to time on tangs. However with a uv sterilizer on my tank all I do is up feeding and it is gone by the next day. I also have 3 cleaner shrimp in the tank, although I have not seen them personally eat any off of the tangs it could also be a factor.
AstroMelly
Active Member
I’m sorry to hear about your situation! Must be very frustrating after all the precautions you took but I think most reefers who have been in the hobby for several years would agree that ich is present in every tank but is kept at bay somehow.
We saw an ich outbreak in our tank about a year in. The rabbitfish and one of the tangs started to show it. The first thing I did was spec a UV to halt/slow the lifecycle. If you look at the lifecycle (and I am sure you have) in detail the parasite is extremely virulent and will multiply exponentially if left unchecked.
After a few weeks running UV things started to improve. We could almost see the lifecycle of the ich as the waves of spots came and went, gradually diminishing.
Roll on a couple of years and 2 bulb replacements (I feel that is important) and I seldom see any white spots - but sometimes I see the odd one or two on my blue tang. They go away and don’t come back.
I hope you’re not against running UV because as I see it this is the most effective form of ich management. Our fish seem to have either developed resistance to it or more likely the UV filtration is suppressing it successfully.
I really hope you have success after your long struggle - I think it all depends on how far it has got in your tank at the point you add a UV. Hopefully it’s not too late!
I’m running an Aquamedic Helix 2 36w UV on a waterbox 6ft peninsula.
Good luck!
EDIT: I just (re-)read the excellent article by @Jay Hemdal on the subject. As soon as I saw it I recalled reading it many times when this happened to us. Point number 1 is install a UV. I hope you go for it and have success!
We saw an ich outbreak in our tank about a year in. The rabbitfish and one of the tangs started to show it. The first thing I did was spec a UV to halt/slow the lifecycle. If you look at the lifecycle (and I am sure you have) in detail the parasite is extremely virulent and will multiply exponentially if left unchecked.
After a few weeks running UV things started to improve. We could almost see the lifecycle of the ich as the waves of spots came and went, gradually diminishing.
Roll on a couple of years and 2 bulb replacements (I feel that is important) and I seldom see any white spots - but sometimes I see the odd one or two on my blue tang. They go away and don’t come back.
I hope you’re not against running UV because as I see it this is the most effective form of ich management. Our fish seem to have either developed resistance to it or more likely the UV filtration is suppressing it successfully.
I really hope you have success after your long struggle - I think it all depends on how far it has got in your tank at the point you add a UV. Hopefully it’s not too late!
I’m running an Aquamedic Helix 2 36w UV on a waterbox 6ft peninsula.
Good luck!
EDIT: I just (re-)read the excellent article by @Jay Hemdal on the subject. As soon as I saw it I recalled reading it many times when this happened to us. Point number 1 is install a UV. I hope you go for it and have success!
ReefRondo
Valuable Member
Soooo many opinions. I hope whatever method you choose Erik you have success. Try not make any knee jerk reactions. Having torn tanks down myself in the past it has rarely ended without other issues arising. Breathe.
peterhos
Active Member
In 22 years only had ich once. I did nothing other than increase water changes and my blue tang recovered and all the fish survived. Maybe I was just lucky. I read once that the spores (??) lurk in the sand bed so best to be gentle there.
OP
OP
ErikVR
Active Member
UV is the first thing I added when I first got ich. Incidentally the same unit as you are running. It has been running 24 hours a day for the last 7 months or so.
AstroMelly
Active Member
Oh no! I’m sorry if I missed that in your postings so far!
I would look at your throughout in that case. I am running mine at:
About 4.5 litres a minute
= about 270 litres an hour
= about 1/3 tank turnover each hour
This a little slower than I would like to run it due to running from a manifold in the sump off the return but I guess for ich management slower is better. I measured the flow rate by filling a jug from the outflow and counting how many litres per minute several times.
Anyway good luck I hope you achieve success!
Oh and just one final point if you have ever had your unit powered with the flow off I would replace the bulb. Might be worth doing that anyway. I managed to do this just a couple of times for short periods and I think I burned the original bulb. Bulbs are cheap so I would say do that anyway? I think they say at 9 months the bulb is 85% effective so preventative maintenance?
I would look at your throughout in that case. I am running mine at:
About 4.5 litres a minute
= about 270 litres an hour
= about 1/3 tank turnover each hour
This a little slower than I would like to run it due to running from a manifold in the sump off the return but I guess for ich management slower is better. I measured the flow rate by filling a jug from the outflow and counting how many litres per minute several times.
Anyway good luck I hope you achieve success!
Oh and just one final point if you have ever had your unit powered with the flow off I would replace the bulb. Might be worth doing that anyway. I managed to do this just a couple of times for short periods and I think I burned the original bulb. Bulbs are cheap so I would say do that anyway? I think they say at 9 months the bulb is 85% effective so preventative maintenance?
InvictusReef
Active Member
Just feed heavy and keep them eating. My tangs get ich from time to time and they always pull though with the heavy feeding. You should also get a UV sterilizer and stop worrying about treating the ich and just manage it. Marine Velvet is the scary one. Ich isn’t that serious.
Jay Hemdal
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That is actually just coincidental. Raising the water temperature to 84 degrees will help eliminate freshwater ich, but marine ich is a different species. It actually prefers warmer water!
Black Clover
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Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, I lost 7 of 9 fish, even after trying to quarantine… only survivors were 2 clownfish. I lost a coral beauty (initially carrier), flame Angel fish, fire fish, Chromis, and a
I have UV on all of my tanks, I’ve also successfully used Polylab medic and peroxide treatments…
through it all, I’d pull my fish and hit em with copper if at all possible
Edit add: not sure if wrasses or cleaner shrimp are of any help for ich
through it all, I’d pull my fish and hit em with copper if at all possible
Edit add: not sure if wrasses or cleaner shrimp are of any help for ich
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