Marine Ich

[TheHolding]

So I introduced a Royal Gramma to my marine setup and he has brought with him marine ich - thanks little fella!

I have learned a valuable lesson - quarantine!!!

I am fairly new to marines but have experience in brackish and freshwater.

All residents will be moved to a hospital tank for treatment tonight (cant wait to try and catch them) and the display tank left fishless for 6-8 weeks (from what I have read).

My question - will I need to add ammonia to the main tank to keep bacteria from the live rock alive? I'm assuming if I do not add any the bacteria will start to die off?

I will be using cupramine (at a lower dosage for my GSP) but I'm am concerned as people who have used this have had problems reading ammonia levels.

I have read however it is the better copper medication as it is less toxic (something of a priority for me as my love my GSP dearly).

 

[-Nemo-]

How many fish do you have and what else do you have in the display tank? (I.e. inverts)
What is GSP? Not familiar with that acronym.

 

[woody88]

How many fish do you have and what else do you have in the display tank? (I.e. inverts)
What is GSP? Not familiar with that acronym.

Green Star Polyps....?

Not sure on the marine side but When I had ich in my trop tank I just increased the temp by a couple of degrees and increased feeding!

My tank was ich free in about 5 days.....

But I think this is a no no in marine!....

 

[TheHolding]

How many fish do you have and what else do you have in the display tank? (I.e. inverts)
What is GSP? Not familiar with that acronym.

1 x GSP (green spotted puffer)
2 x Mono Sebae
2 x Clowns (Ocellaris)
1 x Royal Gramma

No inverts or corals just live rock.

 

[seffieuk]

You are correct, the tank will need to be fallow for approx six weeks, the cycle of ich!

you can however increase the heat, which is supposed to speed up the cycle - the live rock should be fine, but I would feed the tank at least once a week

Seffie x

 

[TheHolding]

Thanks Seffie.

All in QT now tank has been fishless for a week.

Sadly lost the Royal Gramma absolutely gutted!

Clowns and GSP look ok but my monos look awfull!

They don't seem to be reducing any white spots at all - granted it's only been a week but I expected some improvement.

Has anyone here used Cupramine? I am using Seachem copper testing kit and it says I should get a result in 20-30 seconds although when I do this it shows no copper trace!

If I leave the test for 20 mins I get a reading of 0.45 so there must be copper I'm the tank right?

I'm just using a canister filter with sponge and bio media - no carbon!

 

[lewiss]

I haven't but have you tried a fresh water bath? It literally destroyed white spot on my regal who was on deaths door and she managed to fight it off after that.

If you get some RO water in a container, put the infected fish(s) in an leave for 5 mins, watch their reaction throughout though, they should act normal. You should be able to see a visible difference in their appearence during the bath. It really worked wonders for me..

 

[jameshughes1989]

Thanks Seffie.

All in QT now tank has been fishless for a week.

Sadly lost the Royal Gramma absolutely gutted!

Clowns and GSP look ok but my monos look awfull!

They don't seem to be reducing any white spots at all - granted it's only been a week but I expected some improvement.

Has anyone here used Cupramine? I am using Seachem copper testing kit and it says I should get a result in 20-30 seconds although when I do this it shows no copper trace!

If I leave the test for 20 mins I get a reading of 0.45 so there must be copper I'm the tank right?

I'm just using a canister filter with sponge and bio media - no carbon!

Im sorry to hear this. I would just keep treating them and gove them time, hopefully they will be able to fight it off.

I haven't but have you tried a fresh water bath? It literally destroyed white spot on my regal who was on deaths door and she managed to fight it off after that.

If you get some RO water in a container, put the infected fish(s) in an leave for 5 mins, watch their reaction throughout though, they should act normal. You should be able to see a visible difference in their appearence during the bath. It really worked wonders for me..

I personally dont think this would help. From my understanding the parasite is underneath the hosts skin, meaning surely a FW dip would have no effect on the parasite. Hope thats right.


James

 

[lewiss]

I can only speak from experience and it seemed to work for me, I had read about this previously online aswell as a known method for removing marine ich. I'd say it's worth a try.

 

[lewiss]

On a side note : fresh water baths should be 85% RO water and 15% tank water. Been misleading in my last post!

 

[TheHolding]

Well when I got home I lost a mono

Not good! My other one is struggling - he won't eat and prob hasn't eaten in over a week.

I get the feeling it is only a matter of time for him as well baring in mind he prob has a very weak immune system at present.

All other fish are doing superb my GSP is swimming round causing trouble and eating loads - little fatty!

Clowns are also eating I fed them live enriched brine shrimp today and they seemed to enjoy it.

 

[lewiss]

I'd seriously do a fresh water dip on the last mono - u got nothing to loose and you might save him

 

[Yuma]

TheHolding-

Out of nowhere two night's ago my flasher wrasse showed up covered in ich (after being in quarantine for right at 3 weeks). I was absolutely torn up about it. After I calmed down and talked to a couple of people I now have a plan.

Read this, it's some good info on marine ich...thanks Nemo for the link.

http/reefkeeping.c...08/sp/index.php

Thankfully it wasn't in my display as yours was.

Anyway, all that to say, I brought some PURE RO up to temp that night and threw him in for 2 1/2 minutes. I was recommended no more than 3, but I couldn't do it that long.

Last night, 24 hours later, there is NOT A SPOT on him(he still looks a little rough from the stress, etc as wrasses tend to do). I know I'm not out the woods, I'm going to do a formalin dip and follow that up with hyposalinity treatment. Wrasses typically don't do well with copper so that is not an option for me.

I don't know on the mix of salt with RO versus straight RO, but I did the straight RO. My hope was to provide some relief because all the stores were closed by the time I realized how bad it was that night. Got the Hospital tank and will get it setup and start hypo tonight.

Hope the info helps you some. Good luck. Everything I've read says it takes some patience to get them through it.

 

[lewiss]

I must admit I did my regal on pure RO and then after, read it was supposed to have some tank water in! think it's to do with shock.. Either way he survived! And I couldn't see any White spot on her afterwards.

 

[-Nemo-]

I have never heard of freshwater baths being 85% ro and 15% tank water... What's the reasoning behind that supposed to be? I have freshwater dipped more than one fish in my time and none have died from doing 100% freshwater.