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ICH- Bad day at the office
- Thread starter RFD4
- Start date
With my limited experience with crypto, it would depend on how bad the fish was infected. If I caught it early enough I’d go with the least stressful approach. I’m convinced that stress is a factor in the fish showing signs of crypto….especially with the ich-magnet fish…Hippos and Powder Blue Tangs. If you look at these fish funny, they come down with ich. I also thing that moving a fish to a small, barren hospital tank is, in itself, stressful to the fish.
Anyway, if a mild case, I’d leave the fish in the tank and feed garlic foods. I know this isn’t backed with research, but I’ve had success in doing this with a powder blue tang. Now if it’s a bad case, you’ll have to put the fish in a hospital tank. I’m not big on the medication route, so I’d do the hypo-salinity approach. Google this method if interested. It requires a slow drop in salinity and keeping the fish in the hospital tank for something like 6 – 8 weeks. You then slowly raise the salinity back up. Note that you can’t do this hypo route in your display tank because it would knock off inverts in the tank.
I know there are drug approaches, but I’m not familiar. I’m sure someone else will respond with that approach.
Anyway, if a mild case, I’d leave the fish in the tank and feed garlic foods. I know this isn’t backed with research, but I’ve had success in doing this with a powder blue tang. Now if it’s a bad case, you’ll have to put the fish in a hospital tank. I’m not big on the medication route, so I’d do the hypo-salinity approach. Google this method if interested. It requires a slow drop in salinity and keeping the fish in the hospital tank for something like 6 – 8 weeks. You then slowly raise the salinity back up. Note that you can’t do this hypo route in your display tank because it would knock off inverts in the tank.
I know there are drug approaches, but I’m not familiar. I’m sure someone else will respond with that approach.
I performed a 20% water change and am on my second dose of ICH-X- Lost Anthias, Saddleback, Heni and Dusky - Just got to ride this out- am I also going to lower salinity from .24 to .18 see what happens- funny a little spike in temp caused all this havoc. Will more aeration in the tank reduce the respiratory stress on the fish?
ich by itself usually wouldn't cause so much damage. there is something else in the water - my 2 cents.
RFD4 said:
No QT-
Only one fish looks like it might be infected now- one clown and i am gong to remove it tonight-
I have two clowns, Yellow tang. Bi color angel, Solon Wrasse,Starry Blenny, Diamond goby, Heni, Eel goby- I have added nothing to this tank in the past two months- only issue was the temp spike from 85 degrees and then dropped to 78 degrees- and my daughter messed with the light timer and the lights were on for two straight days.
My parameters have been perfect for close to two months.
Raf what else could be in the water?
Only one fish looks like it might be infected now- one clown and i am gong to remove it tonight-
I have two clowns, Yellow tang. Bi color angel, Solon Wrasse,Starry Blenny, Diamond goby, Heni, Eel goby- I have added nothing to this tank in the past two months- only issue was the temp spike from 85 degrees and then dropped to 78 degrees- and my daughter messed with the light timer and the lights were on for two straight days.
My parameters have been perfect for close to two months.
Raf what else could be in the water?
Ich is a pain and is tough to get rid of. Once it is in the tank it gets into everything....rocks sand you name it. You will need to treat all the fish if you decide to do so. Treating only the visibly infected one will not solve the problem.
A pic of the infected fish would go a long way to help see what you have.
If you decide to go they hypo salinity route make sure you have a refractometer and calibrate it before you begin the process.
Precision is the key. If your salinity goes to low then you could end up with this.
This had happened to me and my refractometer was calibrated. I went slowly with the drop from 1.024 to 1.010 over the course of 9 days from the high number to the low number.
Some people have luck with hypo but I am not one of them. Fought with ich for about 8 months till I finally got rid of it.
All my fish had died from it and I ended up leaving the tank fallow for 12 weeks and the ich was finally gone.
Then I got a powder blue tang and he occasionally gets a spot or two. Usually I do a water change and up his garlic intake and it tends to go away. For me its not worth ripping the tank apart to try to get him out to treat him.
A pic of the infected fish would go a long way to help see what you have.
If you decide to go they hypo salinity route make sure you have a refractometer and calibrate it before you begin the process.
Precision is the key. If your salinity goes to low then you could end up with this.
This had happened to me and my refractometer was calibrated. I went slowly with the drop from 1.024 to 1.010 over the course of 9 days from the high number to the low number.
Some people have luck with hypo but I am not one of them. Fought with ich for about 8 months till I finally got rid of it.
All my fish had died from it and I ended up leaving the tank fallow for 12 weeks and the ich was finally gone.
Then I got a powder blue tang and he occasionally gets a spot or two. Usually I do a water change and up his garlic intake and it tends to go away. For me its not worth ripping the tank apart to try to get him out to treat him.
I just have not seen ich killing so many fish all at once - usually other things are involved to cause this damage.
if parameters are fine and fish feel comfortable - simple ich should go away (becomes dormant) with some help of garlic and extra feeding.
once you have it in your tank - unless you are planning to go fishless for extended period of time (up to 12 weeks) to fully clean your tank - you are fighting a losing battle.
even you QT your fish for 4-5 weeks and there will be no obvious signs of ich - it doesnt mean you are clean and free in you display tank. therefore in the future you may have outbreaks if something is affecting the fish.
therefore stay away from fish that get ich just by looking at them - ala powder blue tang, purple tang, hippo etc.
I personally do not believe in my quarantine skills therefore buy fish from people who do that with provable success. There is a guy who qt fish and would help you with that probably.
if parameters are fine and fish feel comfortable - simple ich should go away (becomes dormant) with some help of garlic and extra feeding.
once you have it in your tank - unless you are planning to go fishless for extended period of time (up to 12 weeks) to fully clean your tank - you are fighting a losing battle.
even you QT your fish for 4-5 weeks and there will be no obvious signs of ich - it doesnt mean you are clean and free in you display tank. therefore in the future you may have outbreaks if something is affecting the fish.
therefore stay away from fish that get ich just by looking at them - ala powder blue tang, purple tang, hippo etc.
I personally do not believe in my quarantine skills therefore buy fish from people who do that with provable success. There is a guy who qt fish and would help you with that probably.
RFD4 said:
I would feed just a little bit more.
RFD4 said:
Please try to view images-
This is ICH correct?
http://s648.photobucket.com/albums/uu203/RFD4/?mediafilter=images
This is ICH correct?
http://s648.photobucket.com/albums/uu203/RFD4/?mediafilter=images
RFD4 said:
You can change the size of the pic from photobucket. I will do you a favor and post them. Give me a few.
The 1st pick makes it look like a fungus of some sort. Hopefully someone else will chime in
dnov99
FRAG SWAP VENDOR
That is not Ich, I have a feeling from the picture and the amount of deaths you have had it is marine velvet. Unless you treat the entire tank or QT them, you are probably going to lose all your fish. In addition, clowfish rarely get Ich because they have a very thick slime coat. Sorry.