Ich Help

[blooper74]

My friend has a 55gal. Reef and has found ich on her green clown gobby. She has seen one spot on her scopa tang as well. What can she use besides garlic to treat her fish. She can't get the fish out of the tank without taking all the live rock out. She has inverts in the tank and can't use a lot of the traditional meds. Can someone please give me some info to pass on to her. I would do it myself but I am a little on the busy side to do a lot of research. Thanks everyone.

 

[wrightme43]

Uhhhh there isnt anything that works. It either kills all the inverts, or doesnt kill the invert that is ick.
Basicly the only answer is to remove the live rock, remove every single fish, leave the tank fishless for at least 6 weeks, and leave the fish in quar. for 6 weeks after the ick is last seen. Read up on hyposalinity. It works, very well.
No quick easy fixes for ick.

 

[blooper74]

Yeah I was think that myself. What if she got a UV sterilizer unit?

 

[steve-s]

A UV will not cure the problem. At best there will be reduction in the theronts. The fish are still very much at risk. FWIW, garlic is by no means a cure either.

Cheers
Steve

 

[blooper74]

Ok, I will let her know that it is time to take the tank apart. Not going to be fun since all of her rock is glued together She gonna hate me now...lol

 

[james734]

It might help when Ich is in a free floating state, but it will not cure it. Like WrightMe says QT with Hypo.

 

[james734]

She won't hate when it saves her fish..

 

[blooper74]

I will tell her to try and get the fish out.

 

[blooper74]

Yeah, I know. I called her and told her the knews. She started crying because her tank is almost solid from the bottom up. Time to break out the hammers and prybars to break the tank appart. Wrecking crew party at her house.

 

[wrightme43]

Use a bow saw blade and just put duct tape around the end to hold it.
It cuts thru rock like butter. I am worried that prying and hammering might break the tank.
Another thought is to move the lights, and the inverts to the quar tank. Then treat the display as a hypo tank. Downside is its really hard on the diversity in the live rock. It basicly will kill it all.
Tell her its going to be ok.

 

[blooper74]

Yeah she will have to get all of her corals free from the rocks first before breaking them appart. That in itself will be a chore, her tank is absolutly full of corals.

 

[steve-s]

Before you do that, try two options first. Wait an hour or so after lights out and then try to catch the fish. Make sure the tank room is dimly lit as well. The fish will not see you coming as long as you don't cast shadows. The other is just simpley drain the tank. A fish with no water at all is amazingly easy to catch.

Cheers
Steve

 

[NaH2O]

What about a fish trap?

 

[blooper74]

I relayed all these ideas to her. It is up to her now. I will let you all know, thanks for the help.