Well I know you should QT the fish before adding to the tank, but it wouldn't happen to me. Well lesson learned. My new tang has a 3 grains on his fin and a couple on one side 5 0r 6 total. He is showing no ill effect other than a little rubbing on a rock. Getting the QT tank up and running but the copper and test kit for copper is in the mail should be here on 3/1/10. What should I do while I wait for it? Thanks Larry
ICH
- Thread starter fulkerl
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krisfal
Well-known member
Have you looked into doing a hyposalinity treatment instead of copper?
Instead of copper, I would treat with hyposalinity. It's much safer. All fish will have to be treated, for a period of 8 weeks. During this same 8 week period, your display tank must remain fishless. This is the only way to be 100% sure that you eradicate Ich from your display tank.
I have done alot of reading here and copper looked to be the best for me. As far as the fish all will be treated now, only two other damsels. What I was woundering is, should I be doing any thing for the fish till the copper gets here? Thanks Larry
mcoomer
Who's your daddy?!?
I've had several tangs come down with a few spots of ich after being added to the main tank. As long as the fish is active and eating you can probably beat it. As long as your water parameters are good I would simply keep nori sheets in the tank for the fish to graze on and feed other foods as necessary to remove any competition for food. Yeah, it's more than you would normally feed the tank but don't let the food clip go empy. Competition for food is a key cause of stress in the tank and a stressed fish is less capable of overcoming these parasites. Without that stress and with a healthy tank to swim in a fish with only a few spots will probably make it past these few parasites. Monitor the fish and if the spots grow in number start treating with hypo.
Mike
Mike
mcoomer
Who's your daddy?!?
Essentially, yes. I'm saying that a healthy fish with no undue stress can make it past a minor infestation. When I first started reefing I'd hustle a fish out of my main tank at the first signs of illness, injury, or infestation and the results were never good. I don't think I ever put a fish back in QT and had it survive. I know that people do it all the time but it never worked for me. So, I quit doing it at the first sign of trouble and started leaving the fish in the tank and helping them keep big fat bellies. So far I haven't had any trouble doing this and I've been doing it for years now. Keep in mind though that I'm talking about a few spots. Once the fish is covered in ich, the ich drops off and comes back, or the fish begins to slip away you need to get it out of the tank and treat in QT using your preferred method for combating the parasites.
Basically, while you're waiting on your copper keep setting up your QT and get it ready to receive patients. At the same time, feed your fish enough that they're content. Make sure the food clip is never empty. Watch the fish and see if the ich returns after it drops off. If it doesn't, great. Keep feeding the tank for awhile. If only a spot or two return, keep feeding the tank. But if several more spots come back or you see it on other fish it's time to act.
Mike
Basically, while you're waiting on your copper keep setting up your QT and get it ready to receive patients. At the same time, feed your fish enough that they're content. Make sure the food clip is never empty. Watch the fish and see if the ich returns after it drops off. If it doesn't, great. Keep feeding the tank for awhile. If only a spot or two return, keep feeding the tank. But if several more spots come back or you see it on other fish it's time to act.
Mike
Keep in mind that copper treatment will not eliminate Ich from your display tank. The only way to eliminate Ich from your display tank is to leave it fishless, for a period of 8 weeks. This will guarantee that all Ich in the display die.
Skawt
Active member
8 weeks sounds like longer than what I have been reading. I understood the the tomont stage was just a few days and that thermonts would die within a couple of days if they cannot find a host.
I am taking advantage of getting a new tank to QT the rock in the new tank and the fish in the old tank (with copper treatment). I had been thinking that 2 weeks would be adequate to insure the cycle had been broken.
I might need to rethink that.
the reason behind treating copper in a QT tank is it will leach into your silicone, sand, rock, bugs, etc and remain, killing any corals you would add to a tank later on
I second what everyone else says, try hypo first, its cheaper (you don't have to buy the copper treatment) and you don't waste a tank by tainting it with the copper treatments.......
I second what everyone else says, try hypo first, its cheaper (you don't have to buy the copper treatment) and you don't waste a tank by tainting it with the copper treatments.......
Well in Lee's guide Hyposalinity Treatment Process, I quote "he only different equipment needed besides the above is a refractometer and pH meter. They are less than $50 and $80 respectively and well worth the investment." I don't have 130.00 dallors right now.
Skawt I read and i quote "Cycle can be completed in less than 7 days, but usually within 24 days BUT can go as long as 72 days. Literature usually quotes ‘average’ number of days. 72 days is rare; 60 days usually encompasses more than 99.9% of the observations and research" I beleive this is were the eight weeks comes from. Thanks Larry
Skawt
Active member
Thanks for the extra detail. I certainly don't want to rush things. I know that the 75g has been running at 80-82 so that should certainly be speeding things along (Really having trouble keeping that tank below 80f, I'll be happy to see it leave). Spots have been gone for a while now, everybody made it and is looking happy (Hippo and Sailfin were really hit hard).
The new 125g tank is fishless and only the LR and inverts came from the old tank.
I am never in favor of 'waiting.' I understand the problem -- not having the right equipment and medication on hand.
However you do have the alternative and that is hyposalinity. Waiting 3 more days before any relief is in site to me is putting fish through unnecessary risk of death or permanent life span reduction. However, that time is not too long.
Other than beginning the hyposalinity treatment, about all that can be done is keep lighting low, make sure the fish are fed extra well, keep them all in the best water (quality) as possible, and lower the specific gravity to 1.016 to 1.018 (if you will not be performing the hyposalinity treatment).
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However you do have the alternative and that is hyposalinity. Waiting 3 more days before any relief is in site to me is putting fish through unnecessary risk of death or permanent life span reduction. However, that time is not too long.
Other than beginning the hyposalinity treatment, about all that can be done is keep lighting low, make sure the fish are fed extra well, keep them all in the best water (quality) as possible, and lower the specific gravity to 1.016 to 1.018 (if you will not be performing the hyposalinity treatment).
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I am never in favor of 'waiting.' I understand the problem -- not having the right equipment and medication on hand.
However you do have the alternative and that is hyposalinity. Waiting 3 more days before any relief is in site to me is putting fish through unnecessary risk of death or permanent life span reduction. However, that time is not too long.
Other than beginning the hyposalinity treatment, about all that can be done is keep lighting low, make sure the fish are fed extra well, keep them all in the best water (quality) as possible, and lower the specific gravity to 1.016 to 1.018 (if you will not be performing the hyposalinity treatment).
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Thanks Lee, will lower specific gravaity, I'm at 1.024 now. How fast should I take it down?
