Marine Ich

[honey76]

I posted a thread a while ago about my flame angel dying and my blue chromis, well its about 2 weeks go now, but they didn have no signs off white spots or strange behaviour.

On Tues one off my clowns died same again no spots no strange behaviour, now i hve noticed tonight my other clown is covered inwhites spots and looks rather fluffy, i only hav him left and mybrown tang. I dont wantto lose ny more off my fish iam findin his very upsetng.

I have a UV Steriliser and my water tests are all fine as i have them checked by my partner every week and by the pet shop to be safe every 2 weeks.

Please any body any ideas i think my tank is crashing help!!!!!!

 

[blabadie]

Have you quarantined any of the fish? If not, you should be. I would suggest doing this now, you might consider (at this point) using some sort of medication (copper or something) in the QUARANTINE TANK ONLY. Set up a 10 or 20 gallon and get it going. If it's an emergency, you can take water out of the main tank and use it to fill up the QT half way and then top the rest off with RO water or whatever you use. Make sure all of the levels match your display tank. I would then do a 50% water change after a few days. Let the tank settle down. I don't know if I would ever set up a tank like this so fast, but since you sounded desperate I am thinking you should. You should've actually set up your QT (or hospital tank, whatever the terminology) at the first sign of a dead or sick fish. Remember this in the future. Also, quarantine all new fish/inverts/corals when you buy them- then you will never have this problem.

I don't know. If you think your clown isn't going to make it, I would def use some sort of medication. Do some freshwater dips as well. I would continue to do regular water changes (maybe 10% every 3 days) so that you keep the water crystal clear. Establish a good filter on this tank as well. Anything you use in this tank CANNOT go back into the display tank (good example: a thermometer or filter media).

If you've never set up a QT or Hospital tank, here's a quick run down

10-20 gallon (depending on fish, maybe even larger)
heater
filter w/ established media (usually you keep a filter pad floating around in your sump for emergencies, but just get something with carbon in it)
thermometer
2-3 pieces of pvc pipe (this will serve as the "substrate"- all hospital/QT tanks should be bare bottom and no live rock should be used)

Hope this helps.

OH, and by the way, a UV sterilizer does not cure or prevent ich...sorry...

Brandon

 

[honey76]

Have you quarantined any of the fish? If not, you should be. I would suggest doing this now, you might consider (at this point) using some sort of medication (copper or something) in the QUARANTINE TANK ONLY. Set up a 10 or 20 gallon and get it going. If it's an emergency, you can take water out of the main tank and use it to fill up the QT half way and then top the rest off with RO water or whatever you use. Make sure all of the levels match your display tank. I would then do a 50% water change after a few days. Let the tank settle down. I don't know if I would ever set up a tank like this so fast, but since you sounded desperate I am thinking you should. You should've actually set up your QT (or hospital tank, whatever the terminology) at the first sign of a dead or sick fish. Remember this in the future. Also, quarantine all new fish/inverts/corals when you buy them- then you will never have this problem.

I don't know. If you think your clown isn't going to make it, I would def use some sort of medication. Do some freshwater dips as well. I would continue to do regular water changes (maybe 10% every 3 days) so that you keep the water crystal clear. Establish a good filter on this tank as well. Anything you use in this tank CANNOT go back into the display tank (good example: a thermometer or filter media).

If you've never set up a QT or Hospital tank, here's a quick run down

10-20 gallon (depending on fish, maybe even larger)
heater
filter w/ established media (usually you keep a filter pad floating around in your sump for emergencies, but just get something with carbon in it)
thermometer
2-3 pieces of pvc pipe (this will serve as the "substrate"- all hospital/QT tanks should be bare bottom and no live rock should be used)

Hope this helps.

OH, and by the way, a UV sterilizer does not cure or prevent ich...sorry...

Brandon

Thanks alot brandon for the advice as for seperate tank not really an option i have started doing the freshwater dips and i will begin with the water changes, thanks for all your advice

 

[Matty P]

What is the temperature in your main tank, keeping it maybe a LITTLE bit warmer could prevent your fish from getting any more ich!

Matt

 

[AndyS]

What is the temperature in your main tank, keeping it maybe a LITTLE bit warmer could prevent your fish from getting any more ich!

Matt

All raising the temp does is increases the rate at which Ich goes through its various stages, this means it has less time to find a host before it dies, but wont prevent fish getting Ich.

 

[blabadie]

I don't want to sound harsh, but IMHO, you should MAKE the hospital tank thing work. If you can't, then you probably shouldn't be keeping marine fish. Also, quarantine is a very necessary step in fish keeping.

Again, my opinion, but it is very cruel to animals to put them in a contaminated environment (or leave them there for that matter).

Brandon

 

[Ehudd]

All my fish died from white spot. After 8 weeks fish still got it that i added.
I waited 2 months and finally the whitespot must have died off.

 

[AndyS]

All my fish died from white spot. After 8 weeks fish still got it that i added.
I waited 2 months and finally the whitespot must have died off.

Thats odd, iv never heard of Ich spores living that long without a host, normally its a matter of days, unless they feeded off the bacteria in your tank in some way. Did you get all of the fish from the same LFS?

 

[Eversurf]

The ich cycle actually lasts about one month. It attaches to the fish for about a week, then they drop in the sand and reproduce and then carjack the fish again. The best thing I found was to lower the stress you a causing to the fish. You a probably freaking out and it's freaking out the fish. Just let them be, they need to calm down. I find that trying toi catch a fish is 1. Hard to do 2. Just causes stress to the fish.


IMO just relax and let the course of ich be. The fish will be fine. Make sure they eat well and you shold be fine.

 

[Ehudd]

The ich cycle actually lasts about one month. It attaches to the fish for about a week, then they drop in the sand and reproduce and then carjack the fish again. The best thing I found was to lower the stress you a causing to the fish. You a probably freaking out and it's freaking out the fish. Just let them be, they need to calm down. I find that trying toi catch a fish is 1. Hard to do 2. Just causes stress to the fish.


IMO just relax and let the course of ich be. The fish will be fine. Make sure they eat well and you shold be fine.

Really look at the word "SHOULD" be. I cant believe your brown tang hasnt got it. They are usually the first to show signs (usually). I find (personally) that whitespot is a absolute terror and is hard to get rid of. Once my fish manage to get it i cant seem to get rid of it. Hyposalinity, copper meds, FW dip. I tried all. But i gotta say Hyposalintiy works very well. I dont want to discourage mate, but we gotta be realistic. If you dont have coral, bomb your tank with some copper meds.

"IMO just relax and let the course of ich be. The fish will be fine." The end of the ich cyle is when the fish is dead. Fish with white spot will not be fine, they need treatment. If you leave it, the ich multiplys.

 

[AndyS]

If you dont have coral, bomb your tank with some copper meds.

Whoah, forget that idea if you keep, or ever want to keep any form of invertebrates, as they are highly sensitive to copper and it can stay in things like silicone even after the tank is drained completely.

 

[Eversurf]

My blue Hippo tang, my yellow tang and my clown all got white spots when I changed the lights. I did let them be and it went away.

My Bi-color angel had whitespots...I tried to catch it for about an hour. I used some sort of med recommended by other forum members and I did water changes and he died, but what do I know....I'm just a computer geek


Good Luck!!!

 

[Ehudd]

If you dont have coral, bomb your tank with some copper meds.

Whoah, forget that idea if you keep, or ever want to keep any form of invertebrates, as they are highly sensitive to copper and it can stay in things like silicone even after the tank is drained completely.

run abit of activated carbon in your filters for awhile and it should come out fine.