Another ICK question

[SteveM]

I have read all the information on Ick and the different treatments for it here, Reef Central and the internet but have a question that I have not seen addressed. If you have a reef tank with a lot of live rock, corals and inverts, what do you do when removal of your fish to a QT is not an option?

 

I have seen several pictures of member

[jason the filter freak]

Hey I saw a product on my self tonight called Ich Attack... it said it was all natural and safe for marine reef tanks... whats anyone think about this product...?

 

Description on bottle

 

The proper diagnosing of diseases associated with the keeping of aquarium and pond fishes and other aquatic animals is a real challenge for most aquarists and pond keepers. Symptoms are often misread and are often from many causes. Diseases caused by bacteria, fungus or protozoans can be either primary or secondary infections. Knowing whether a symptom is primary or secondary can be very important when selecting a treatment regimen and determining which is which can be complicated. Because most available treatments are selective and toxic, proper treatment selection is difficult and beyond the scope of most aquarists and pond keepers. Mistakes are often lethal. Ich

[dandy7200]

Catch the fish, rip the tank apart and catch them if you have to or put a UV on as a bandaid and just let the fish live with it. No other way, period.

[phisigs79]

No product that kills ICK is reef safe no matter what they say!

Edited January 10, 2007 by phisigs79

[gsedlack]

No product that kills ICK is reef safe no matter what they say!

 

 

Chris - any update on your ICK attack? I hope they both pull through

/George

Edited January 10, 2007 by gsedlack

[phisigs79]

They went in QT 8 hours after they entered my frag tank. Just got the Salinity down to 1.010 and need to drop it to 1.090 tonight. They are both eatting well but very skiddish when i come in the room and hide. Ick looks to have cleared already so 6 weeks or so they should be ok to put in the tank!

Edited January 10, 2007 by phisigs79

[flowerseller]

They are both eatting well but very skiddish when i come in the room and hide.

Why do you hide?

Is this some new technique?

If I was in a glass box and some guy walks into the room and then hides,

I'D BE SKIDDISH TOO!

[phisigs79]

 

Your a funny guy!

[Jenny]

Since I am pretty new to all this I was curious about this issue and how to address it. And before everyone says it, I know that everything should be quarantined before it goes in the main display tank, but even after taking that precaution someone has to have experienced an outbreak of Ick. (Or maybe it

[howser]

If you are diligent and QT anything(fish, snails, corals, sand, rock...) going into your tank for minimum 6-8 weeks

 

Is 6-8 weeks really the standard incubation period for Ich? Seems like the overall cycle is less than that. What about a fresh water dip, then QT for 2-3 weeks then the main tank?

 

I understand that there's some level of risk anytime you add something new to the tank, but 6-8 weeks seems a little long to me.

 

Opinions? horror stories? Am I too impatient?

[Rascal]

If the outbreak is not too bad, it is possible to successfully "treat" fish in the display, IME. I use quotes because by treating I really just mean taking better care of them. I agree with Chris, there is no such thing as reef safe medication for ick. Anything that will kill the parasite will kill off lots of benificial stuff in your tank -- even if it is not immediately toxic to corals. Ditto for hypo.

 

My approach, in order of the importance I place on each:

1) control temp swings - seems to be esp important for tangs

2) stability of all other water parameters

3) eliminate any other sources of stress (i.e. -- plenty of hiding/sleeping places; no aggression)

4) biological cleaners (cleaner shrimp and neon gobies have both worked well for me, but the gobies neve seem to last long in my system -- I think my royal gramma eats them)

5) UV -- slow down the flow if you are trying to kill parasites

6) good diet (variety is key here)

7) soak food in freshly crushed garlic -- seems to help them expel what's on them, boosts immunity for a while

 

I had some spots on a couple of fish when I first added fish 3 years ago, and then on and off on my hippo tang for about 4 weeks in Aug. of this year after upgrading and at the same time losing AC in that room for a month during some remodelling. I never used meds or hypo, just a lot of TLC as described above. Haven't seen a spot in 5 months now.

 

To be clear, I am NOT saying don't QT your fish first - prevention is without a doubt the best cure. Also, in no case did I see more than 5-15 spots of ich on a single fish and it did not start to spread to any of the other fish. I probably would have attempted removal and treatment in either of those cases. I just wanted you to know you don't necessarily have to panic and tear down your entire reef just because you saw a few spots. If your fish are healthy and happy, they may be able to fight off the parasite on their own.