Reef Safe Ich treatments?

[rcmike]

Hey guys, I have had a few minor ich outbreaks over the years but they usually go away on their own after a few days. Usually it is just one fish that is either new or stressed that gets it. For the last week though I have had quite a bit of ich showing up on several fish. I know the best thing to do would be QT all the fish for several weeks but I am sure I would lose some fish such as my scooter blennies and mandarin goby due to lack of food in a QT setup for them. I know some people on here have had some success with treating fish in the display tank. What treatments have everyone tried? I remember seeing something at the Critter before that is supposedly reef safe but I can't remember what it was called. Not sure if it works at all though. Any success with garlic?

Thanks,
Michael

 

[ibbennyb]

Hey guys, I have had a few minor ich outbreaks over the years but they usually go away on their own after a few days. Usually it is just one fish that is either new or stressed that gets it. For the last week though I have had quite a bit of ich showing up on several fish. I know the best thing to do would be QT all the fish for several weeks but I am sure I would lose some fish such as my scooter blennies and mandarin goby due to lack of food in a QT setup for them. I know some people on here have had some success with treating fish in the display tank. What treatments have everyone tried? I remember seeing something at the Critter before that is supposedly reef safe but I can't remember what it was called. Not sure if it works at all though. Any success with garlic?

Thanks,
Michael

none of the reef treatments work.. i just recently went through this and was caused by a powderblue that i got that didnt make it once i added it to the display.. basically only way to "cure" ich is to go fallow for 8-9 weeks and treat the fish with hypo salinity in qt.. the other treatment you can do but not a cure would be to get a heavy duty uv sterilizer, soak all food in garlic.. and make sure water is in prestine conditions.. that will reduce / limit the amounts of outbreaks.. by no means eradicating it..

 

[palvyre]

I've read that UV filters if sized properly can reduce the ich population in the tank to the point where the fish won't get sick. I have been running UV since I started and not 1 ich outbreak so far.

 

[Reefer5060]

Ok uv will work but it will only kill the ich that is in the free flotation portion of the life cycle. I just read a new paper in some journal about the adaptability of ich ( various spec) is rising , basically through out the paper the only sure way to kill ick is to get the water up to a certain temp for a sustained period of time. Prolly not good for fish. I think I remember hearin that metrodionazole was safe for iverts and would kill ich but I'll look into it more and I'll see if I can find that paper.

 

[rcmike]

The water is probably in as good a condition as it ever has been. I have started running my ozone all the time the last few days which should help but like UV it will only kill what makes it through it. I have been putting metronidazole in the food as well but can't tell much difference. The main fish affected now are two neon gobys and a powder blue tang.

Oh btw. Everything I keep reading says raising the temp doesn't work. It works on freshwater ich but not SW.

 

[Dowtish]

The stuff at the critter that you are referring to is called 'herbtana' made by microbe-lift. It requires you to dose for 10 days, and you cannot run your skimmer for that entire time. I ran it for 4 days at one point, and it still took 4 waterchanges and 7 more days before my skimmer would not overflow. I don't think there is any reef safe treatment out there. the only thing to do as far as treatment in the DT, is to get lots of seaweed, garlic, and selcon, and hope for the best.

 

[rcmike]

The stuff at the critter that you are referring to is called 'herbtana' made by microbe-lift. It requires you to dose for 10 days, and you cannot run your skimmer for that entire time. I ran it for 4 days at one point, and it still took 4 waterchanges and 7 more days before my skimmer would not overflow. I don't think there is any reef safe treatment out there. the only thing to do as far as treatment in the DT, is to get lots of seaweed, garlic, and selcon, and hope for the best.

That's probably what I'm going to do. I usually just let it ride and it goes away. It's been years since I had it though so I figured maybe they came up with something in the mean time.

 

[sohal tang]

I agree with Chris...a few hail Marys and cross fingers and your fish are still good as dead! There is noooooo chemical that can be added
to a reef DT that will safely kill the ick! It is a terrible disease and get ready to lose money and fish if you get it in your tank...Remove the fish and quarantine them and treat with copper/hypo salinity etc is best chance....but nothingggggggggggg cures ick in display tank. I love the statement,however that UV can get the ick level low enough that fish wont get sick...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm interesting concept.

Tim

 

[palvyre]

Not that interesting. Ich is present in the oceans as well, but given the volume of water the fish's immune system can more than keep up with it. So while a UV filter cannot eliminate ich, it can keep the amount present in your system low enough to prevent outbreaks.

 

[pickupman66]

I can vouch for the UV. I recently had ich in the tank and adding more than enough UV did a number on it in my tank along with another disease. I had it cured with hyposalinity when I first setup my tank but reinteoduced it by stupidity.

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[Salty Dog]

the best treatment is quality sea water, period. you get that right and your in great shape. I never put chemicals in my water

 

[rcmike]

I agree with Chris...a few hail Marys and cross fingers and your fish are still good as dead! There is noooooo chemical that can be added
to a reef DT that will safely kill the ick! It is a terrible disease and get ready to lose money and fish if you get it in your tank...Remove the fish and quarantine them and treat with copper/hypo salinity etc is best chance....but nothingggggggggggg cures ick in display tank. I love the statement,however that UV can get the ick level low enough that fish wont get sick...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm interesting concept.

Tim

Actually I can't recall ever loosing a fish to ich unless there was something else going on. I've been keeping saltwater since the early 90s so I've seen it a few times. Just wondering if they came up with something new.


The fish infected are looking much better today. I know about the life cycle and in a few days it could come back 10 times worse but for now they are looking a lot better. Most of the times it clears up with good water conditions and good food. I got some garlic yesterday and started adding it just in case it might help.

 

[rcmike]

Well, I lost the powder blue but it wasn't due to ich. His stomach started getting distended severely a couple of days ago and I found him dead yesterday morning. He must have had something internal going on. He was eating well but not enough to blow his belly up like that. The ich was nearly gone on him and the other fish are clear of it.

 

[reewik]

Darn man.... You could always try putting the finsh in the cockpit of an RC and scare the ich right out of it!

 

[andywe]

Sounds like a parasite. I got a fish and it ended up having flukes...a beautiful Annularis Angel....He didn't make it but he was infected from the LFS. My Lavendar tang started showing signs and I treated him..caught it early enough and he is healing nicely..almost all his color back. Laso infuse some garlic guard and vitamins..or selcon with the food. Helps them fight internally through the blood stream.