Using Polyplab Medic with Halichoeres

[Mr Hughes]

Currently dealing with a bit of an ich outbreak and figured I’d dose Polyplab Medic on my approximately 100 gal water volume tank (including sump) to knock it down while I install a UV sterilizer for continuous management. Did my first 4 scoop dose last night and come down to find the dusky wrasse I added a week and half ago (has been in the sand since) swimming like it’s in duress and my 4 spot wrasse that’s normally out nowhere to be found. The dusky was just swimming back and forth along the glass, not paying attention to food, fins are a bit tattered, has a piece of white poop hanging and appears to have a scrape on one side. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen it since it came in so I have no idea how long any of this has been on it.

I did give the dusky a freshwater dip to hopefully give some reprieve and it seemed to work for now. Don’t have a QT so unfortunately had to go back into the tank.

My LFS did mention cleaner wrasses have issues when they dose medic but didn’t mention others. Anyone else have issues dosing medic with wrasses or have information showing this? Also, I have api erythromycin and chemiclean on hand if you think that could/should be dosed to the tank at the same time. All other fish, corals and inverts seem fine.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Currently dealing with a bit of an ich outbreak and figured I’d dose Polyplab Medic on my approximately 100 gal water volume tank (including sump) to knock it down while I install a UV sterilizer for continuous management. Did my first 4 scoop dose last night and come down to find the dusky wrasse I added a week and half ago (has been in the sand since) swimming like it’s in duress and my 4 spot wrasse that’s normally out nowhere to be found. The dusky was just swimming back and forth along the glass, not paying attention to food, fins are a bit tattered, has a piece of white poop hanging and appears to have a scrape on one side. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen it since it came in so I have no idea how long any of this has been on it.

I did give the dusky a freshwater dip to hopefully give some reprieve and it seemed to work for now. Don’t have a QT so unfortunately had to go back into the tank.

My LFS did mention cleaner wrasses have issues when they dose medic but didn’t mention others. Anyone else have issues dosing medic with wrasses or have information showing this? Also, I have api erythromycin and chemiclean on hand if you think that could/should be dosed to the tank at the same time. All other fish, corals and inverts seem fine.

Polyp lab Medic is peroxide salts and may, and I say MAY work with Mild outbreak and UV unit will break down these salts leaving you with no treatment. UV unit will also address what is free floating and not what is preexisting . Your best bet is coppersafe treatment or last resort hyposalinity which can stress certain fish.

 

[Mr Hughes]

Polyp lab Medic is peroxide salts and may, and I say MAY work with Mild outbreak and UV unit will break down these salts leaving you with no treatment. UV unit will also address what is free floating and not what is preexisting . Your best bet is coppersafe treatment or last resort hyposalinity which can stress certain fish.

Without having a QT, I don’t think I can use coppersafe unfortunately. Anything I’m going to do has to be in the display which limits the available options.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Currently dealing with a bit of an ich outbreak and figured I’d dose Polyplab Medic on my approximately 100 gal water volume tank (including sump) to knock it down while I install a UV sterilizer for continuous management. Did my first 4 scoop dose last night and come down to find the dusky wrasse I added a week and half ago (has been in the sand since) swimming like it’s in duress and my 4 spot wrasse that’s normally out nowhere to be found. The dusky was just swimming back and forth along the glass, not paying attention to food, fins are a bit tattered, has a piece of white poop hanging and appears to have a scrape on one side. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen it since it came in so I have no idea how long any of this has been on it.

I did give the dusky a freshwater dip to hopefully give some reprieve and it seemed to work for now. Don’t have a QT so unfortunately had to go back into the tank.

My LFS did mention cleaner wrasses have issues when they dose medic but didn’t mention others. Anyone else have issues dosing medic with wrasses or have information showing this? Also, I have api erythromycin and chemiclean on hand if you think that could/should be dosed to the tank at the same time. All other fish, corals and inverts seem fine.

First - are you 100% certain it is ich, or that there are not concurrent infections? I ask because the scrape on the one side of the wrasse and trailing feces are not symptoms of ich.

I don't know of any specific sensitivity of wrasses and peroxide salts.

If you have any fish showing symptoms, posting a video would allow us to try and confirm the issue.

Depending on the severity of the infection, you may or may not be able to "manage" it in your DT. Polyp Lab medic can work in mild cases, but you generally need to combine its use with other ich management techniques. Here is a post I made about that:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ich-management.1028274/

 

[Mr Hughes]

There are only a few spots on the other fish that disappear and reappear elsewhere. Thinking ich for those fish but could be wrong entirely. To your point, I was also thinking the dusky wrasse could have bacterial infection or something else entirely. The four spot emerged and was fine all day so leaning towards the dusky being its own problem and not something with the Polyplab Medic. Would love to take a picture or video but the little bugger buried itself again and I have no idea where. If it is fin and tail rot or some other bacterial infection, is it safe to dose erythromycin alongside the oxidizer in your experience? Tried to find something to state either way earlier but struck out. I am about to read your post so maybe it’ll answer itself there.

As for the ich, definitely working on getting the fish through the current outbreak and managing its presence going forward with UV and whatever other techniques are called out when I read your post. For now I’ve just been feeding the crap out of the fish with 4 different pellets, 3 varieties of frozen foods and nori (gotta be enough variety there to ensure all needs are met I hope) , lowered the tank temp a couple degrees to 76 to slow down the fishes metabolic burn through while also slowing down the ich reproduction rates, then dosing medic in the off-chance it helps with even 5% of the issue. UV will be here tomorrow sometime and then running by the end of the day. Any other guidance is greatly appreciated!

 

[MnFish1]

There are only a few spots on the other fish that disappear and reappear elsewhere. Thinking ich for those fish but could be wrong entirely. To your point, I was also thinking the dusky wrasse could have bacterial infection or something else entirely. The four spot emerged and was fine all day so leaning towards the dusky being its own problem and not something with the Polyplab Medic. Would love to take a picture or video but the little bugger buried itself again and I have no idea where. If it is fin and tail rot or some other bacterial infection, is it safe to dose erythromycin alongside the oxidizer in your experience? Tried to find something to state either way earlier but struck out. I am about to read your post so maybe it’ll answer itself there.

As for the ich, definitely working on getting the fish through the current outbreak and managing its presence going forward with UV and whatever other techniques are called out when I read your post. For now I’ve just been feeding the crap out of the fish with 4 different pellets, 3 varieties of frozen foods and nori (gotta be enough variety there to ensure all needs are met I hope) , lowered the tank temp a couple degrees to 76 to slow down the fishes metabolic burn through while also slowing down the ich reproduction rates, then dosing medic in the off-chance it helps with even 5% of the issue. UV will be here tomorrow sometime and then running by the end of the day. Any other guidance is greatly appreciated!

It sounds like Ich to me (with the moving spots) - Unless it's sand grains - What you're doing can also be a double edged sword. Although Ich multiples and dies off quicker at higher temperatures, the 'inactive particles' that are encysted can last longer, the lower the temperature. Glad you're getting a UV - and Good luck

 

[Mr Hughes]

It sounds like Ich to me (with the moving spots) - Unless it's sand grains - What you're doing can also be a double edged sword. Although Ich multiples and dies off quicker at higher temperatures, the 'inactive particles' that are encysted can last longer, the lower the temperature. Glad you're getting a UV - and Good luck

Double edged sword indeed. Figured it wouldn’t be too harmful since each only had a few spots. I too thought it was possibly sand but figured sand on 3 fish at the same time would be improbable. Saying that, the spots were visible 2/6, disappeared 2/7 and then came back on all three a few days later 2/9 and 2/10 but have been nowhere to be seen for the last two days. Those three fish (Blue eye bristle tooth, flame angel, splendid dottyback) are still turning themselves upside down and scraping on the sand occasionally so figure something is still bothering them. The bristle tooth does have a crusty looking sore on its side close to the dorsal fin today that is tan and looks more like a scab from scraping itself.

I did see the dusky wrasse againtoday, which was swimming normal vs Sunday when its pectoral fins were flapping like a cartoon tiny-winged bird trying to fly. Threw in some food real quick which it ate a tiny bit but then hit the sand before I could grab my phone for a video. No spots but fins definitely look like a bacterial infection so hopefully the erythromycin I started yesterday knocks that out.

The plan is to finish out the two more days or Erythromycin, complete the remaining week of the ten day Polyplab Medic treatment, add UV today and then let that run for two weeks after the completion of the treatment. If the fish are still doing consistent summersaults at that point, I’ll try to get one fish out and do a freshwater dip to see if they have flukes or something else I can’t see currently. I didn’t see any after I dipped the dusky wrasse Sunday but I’m going to treat him as an outlier for now. I don’t plan on quarantining corals, inverts or fish prior to adding them to the tank in the future so I need to implement methods for full in-tank management and treatment.

 

[MnFish1]

Double edged sword indeed. Figured it wouldn’t be too harmful since each only had a few spots. I too thought it was possibly sand but figured sand on 3 fish at the same time would be improbable. Saying that, the spots were visible 2/6, disappeared 2/7 and then came back on all three a few days later 2/9 and 2/10 but have been nowhere to be seen for the last two days. Those three fish (Blue eye bristle tooth, flame angel, splendid dottyback) are still turning themselves upside down and scraping on the sand occasionally so figure something is still bothering them. The bristle tooth does have a crusty looking sore on its side close to the dorsal fin today that is tan and looks more like a scab from scraping itself.

I did see the dusky wrasse againtoday, which was swimming normal vs Sunday when its pectoral fins were flapping like a cartoon tiny-winged bird trying to fly. Threw in some food real quick which it ate a tiny bit but then hit the sand before I could grab my phone for a video. No spots but fins definitely look like a bacterial infection so hopefully the erythromycin I started yesterday knocks that out.

The plan is to finish out the two more days or Erythromycin, complete the remaining week of the ten day Polyplab Medic treatment, add UV today and then let that run for two weeks after the completion of the treatment. If the fish are still doing consistent summersaults at that point, I’ll try to get one fish out and do a freshwater dip to see if they have flukes or something else I can’t see currently. I didn’t see any after I dipped the dusky wrasse Sunday but I’m going to treat him as an outlier for now. I don’t plan on quarantining corals, inverts or fish prior to adding them to the tank in the future so I need to implement methods for full in-tank management and treatment.

I don't have any specific debate points against your plan - however, velvet is difficult to treat in tank (and I would say is rare to come in on coral) - but as you know its not impossible. Since one of the few medications/compounds that can be used in the whole tank is Ruby Reef Rally Pro - I would have some of that on-hand if you can. And BTW - Ruby Reef Rally Pro - though it says it treats velvet is slower to 'work' than others. I would not use it in conjunction with other medications. Even they recommend the best way to use it is in a hospital tank. If you do - follow their directions vis a vis invertebrates, etc

 

[Mr Hughes]

I don't have any specific debate points against your plan - however, velvet is difficult to treat in tank (and I would say is rare to come in on coral) - but as you know its not impossible. Since one of the few medications/compounds that can be used in the whole tank is Ruby Reef Rally Pro - I would have some of that on-hand if you can. And BTW - Ruby Reef Rally Pro - though it says it treats velvet is slower to 'work' than others. I would not use it in conjunction with other medications. Even they recommend the best way to use it is in a hospital tank. If you do - follow their directions vis a vis invertebrates, etc

I will have to get me some reef rally at some point. I see it has mixed opinions, but I feel that’s similar to most in-tank options. Anything that is pushing the line between killing parasites while not killing inverts and corals probably has a low tolerance for dosing errors in my opinion. Just like us humans and dieting, theres no magic pill just yet. If I do introduce velvet, I will just ask everyone for thoughts and prayers since that seems so effective everywhere else in life.

 

[MnFish1]

I will have to get me some reef rally at some point. I see it has mixed opinions, but I feel that’s similar to most in-tank options. Anything that is pushing the line between killing parasites while not killing inverts and corals probably has a low tolerance for dosing errors in my opinion. Just like us humans and dieting, theres no magic pill just yet. If I do introduce velvet, I will just ask everyone for thoughts and prayers since that seems so effective everywhere else in life.

BTW - if you add more fish - I would quarantine them with copper/prazipro per protocol