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How do I treat ich effectively in a display reef tank when I can't catch the fish? I have 7 clowns, a talbot damsel, scopas tang, inverts and softies in the tank.
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There is not an effective treatment that is deemed reef safe. So you more than likely will have to "manage" the ich if you cant remove the fish and treat them in a QT.
This thread should be of help to you:
Ich eradication vs. Ich management
Ich eradication vs. Ich management The purpose of this article is to discuss the pros & cons of ich eradication and ich management, and present the best methods for implementing each. Ich eradication - Simply put, this method means doing everything possible to keep ich out of your tank. That...www.reef2reef.com
Make sure it is ich also, a few times I tried to treat for ich and ended up being something else like brooklynella or HLLEHow do I treat ich effectively in a display reef tank when I can't catch the fish? I have 7 clowns, a talbot damsel, scopas tang, inverts and softies in the tank.
I already have an oversized UV light on my tank. I have read recently that adding more oxygen to the tank can help with management?
Also another option is ruby reef kick ich but it is not 100% effective by itself and it takes a long time - also would need to supplement the food with special products to fight of parasite - no easy way in a reef tank unfortunatelyHow do I treat ich effectively in a display reef tank when I can't catch the fish? I have 7 clowns, a talbot damsel, scopas tang, inverts and softies in the tank.
Make sure it is ich also, a few times I tried to treat for ich and ended up being something else like brooklynella or HLLE
Sorry for the late response. I ran out of the house after my last post. The reference picture you attached is a later stage of infection from the parasite. This is dangerously close to completely compromising the immune system of the fish in my opinion. You need to start treatment in a quarantine tank right away. One or two spots for a few days is normally the start. Check the size of the white dots, when they are large like the picture, they're causing real tissue damage and greatly elevating the stress level of the fish.This picture is for reference only. This is exactly what it looks like on my tang.
Sorry for the late response. I ran out of the house after my last post. The reference picture you attached is a later stage of infection from the parasite. This is dangerously close to completely compromising the immune system of the fish in my opinion. You need to start treatment in a quarantine tank right away. One or two spots for a few days is normally the start. Check the size of the white dots, when they are large like the picture, they're causing real tissue damage and greatly elevating the stress level of the fish.
I'm going with a straightforward 16 day Cupramine regiment at 0.55 mg/L. After that, I'll run a big bag of carbon on the qt for two days then treat with ParaGuard for 5 days to ensure everything is out of the water, help the fish repair any remaining lesions, and replace their slime coat. Then it's off to the upstairs tank. The downstairs tank has ich so I'm planning to leave fishless for 2.5 months. It has a lot of corals, inverts, anemones so still maintaining regular temp and other parameters.
Again, I strongly suggest immediate medication. In my not-so-experienced opinion, that is beyond 'management'.
Good luck! Hope everything ends well.Yeah, I found it this morning as I was heading out to work. It's been a long day waiting to get home to get it out of the tank and into QT.
Good luck! Hope everything ends well.
Try to clear one side or corner of the tank and use what you have to create walls. I have a couple glass lids that came with my qt and I used those standing upright to create walls that trapped the fish in one corner without a place to hide. From there it's just a simple net grab. Just chasing the fish around the tank with a net can take hours and you might hit your corals. I know from personal experience Plan ahead and block the fish in one place without an escape.My wife just got home from work and tried to catch it. No luck. I may have to pull out my rocks and corals. UGH
Ich management is definitely an option as a fish with a very healthy immune system can often overcome and resist ich. Once signs are prevalent and the fish has an outbreak, I think that's the turning point where management is no longer an option. Stress is normally the trigger than causes a fish to have an outbreak.Maybe i was lucky. But i took over two tangs and they developed ich after some time. Only the two tangs had visual signs. Since i don't have a qt i just increased feeding. Bought a 25w uv sterilizer. And after two weeks all visual signs were gone. I still believe that a tang with ich which has to be cought, qtd, and treated by heavy stuff will most likely also not benefit future health of the fish...