• Folks, if you've recently upgraded or renewed your annual club membership but it's still not active, please reach out to the BOD or a moderator. The PayPal system has a slight bug which it doesn't allow it to activate the account on it's own.

Need help with ICH

Status
Not open for further replies.
N

nar_luvsu

Hi All,

I have setup new 75G FOWLR saltwater aquarium which has 4 blue damsels, 2 clown fishes, 1 firegoby and 1 tailfin with a help of local fish dealer.It has been more than a month.I have recognised that my tailfin is effected with ich.can any one help me how to treat ich in my tank.

Thanks in advance.
 
M

Mbodell

Hypo salinity or pull all of the fish and treat them for 6 weeks with paragaurd or some other ich treatment. I wouldn't treat the display due to contaminating the live rock if you ever want to have coral or any sensitive inverts.
 
9supratt4

9supratt4

Here is an awesome write up on how to set up a QT tank and how to treat with Hyposalinity from another site:

By jwtrojan44

Quarantine/Hospital Tank [QT/HT]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QT/HT, What is it and why should I do it?
A quarantine tank is an isolated holding tank where newly acquired fish are “quarantined” for a period of time—minimally 3 weeks. It is used to observe new fish for health and potential diseases. QTs facilitate easy treatment of recently acquired specimens if disease is present or arise during the QT process. But, most significantly, it prevents fish disease contamination of healthy fish in your main tank by not exposing healthy fish to incoming fish who may be carrying diseases. With a Quarantine/hospital tank you can either set up a permanent tank, or, "as needed" which is only used when new fish are going to be intro-ed to your tank or treated for a disease. The best way to do it is set up a permanent tank.

The emphasis is on QTing incoming fish. Done correctly, most fish who then enter your main tank will likely never need to be treated for diseases in a Hospital Tank.

Equipment?
You need a tank, a cover, a heater [if temperature control is an issue], mechanical filtration or a mechanical means of keeping water well circulated such as powerheads, biological filtration and décor---either fake rocks or PVC.

Tank size should be based on what you intend to quarantine. If you’re going to QT large fish, then you need a large enough QT to accommodate your largest fish comfortably for at least a 3 wks. Like your main tank, larger is better, the smaller the tank, the lesser the margin for error.

If setting up an actual “tank” is not possible, you can also use dedicated Rubbermaid or plastic garbage can containers to QT fish. I personally don’t do this, for reasons that should become clear when you read the Lighting section.

You will want to set up the QT with the filtration of your choice, it can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. Sponge filters, HOT mechanical/bio filters, the built in filters that come with Eclipses are good. Your choice. I have set up QTs just using leftover equipment that I wasn’t using any more. You want to make sure that in-tank circulation is good and that surface water agitation is good to ensure adequate gas exchange. Optimum water quality is your goal in the QT. You may need to also add a heater or, perhaps even a grounding probe [especially if you are going to place tangs and angels in the QT].

Of course, you need ammonia, nitrite and nitrate test kits to test the cycling process as well as to ensure that optimum water quality is maintained for the duration of your fishes’ stay in the QT.

What water to Use?
If the water in your main tank is good quality, you can use that water to fill your QT. Of course, you will then have to replace the water in your main tank with new pre-mixed, aged salt water. Doing this is a real plus because your main tank water will have bacteria in it that will help establish and cycle your new QT. Otherwise, you can do 50-50 water in the QT, meaning 50% water from your main tank and 50% pre-mixed, aged salt water. Or, if you are patient and don’t mind a slower cycling process, you can just setup the QT with all new salt water then cycle your tank. Up to you how you want to handle it.

Substrate?
None. At least not very much [more below]. Paint the bottom [on the outside] of your tank black or blue. Emphasis on the OUTSIDE. The reason you do this is because a QT should not have substrate. Without substrate, aquarium bottoms become reflective which can be disturbing and disorienting to fish. Don’t let anyone tell you that this is not a necessary step. It is. I have seen fish become disoriented and not able to eat properly due to reflective bottoms. Alternatively, if you have a black table top or stand, then you can place the aquarium on this and skip painting the bottom. Be sure to use black or blue. Some hobbyist will also paint the back and even the 2 sides black—further reducing reflectiveness in tank. That is optional.
Tip: You can add a couple of cups of sand from your display to kick start your QT. This will seed the QT and provide more surface for biological filtration.

Live Rock/Live Sand/ Bleached Coral?
None, generally speaking but see tip below. If it becomes necessary to treat your fish while they are in QT, then porous materials, such as sand, rocks and bleached corals can become an impediment. Live rock, sand, crushed coral, dead coral, etc. will absorb some meds that you may need to use to treat diseases making it extremely difficult to maintain a therapeutic dosage of the med during treatment. You want to create a sterile environment that minimizes fish stress and is conducive to fish treatment if it becomes necessary to deal with disease. If, however, you want to use some rock rubble, you can, just know that if the need to medicate your QT/fish comes up, then the rocks should come out [and not be returned to your main tank!]
Tip: A small piece or 2 of live rock or some rubble can be added to the QT to help seed it while setting up. This will add to the biofilter, keep the QT cycled when it is not in use, and provide comfort to fish in the QT. Don't ever add LR that has any corals or sponge attached or where there are other inverts visible. The exception would be small brittlestars and worms. All LR have these and there is no way to remove them. When medications are needed, it may be necessary to remove the LR to a temporary holding area [a bucket with a PH] because it is not advisible to keep LR in the tank while meds are in use. The rock will interfere with the effectiveness of the medication. Do not add more than a very small piece or 2 of LR or rubble.

“Comfort Zones” to replace Real Rocks?
Fish must have comfort zones to hide and establish a semblance of territory. Use PVC pipe to build a simulated rock structure for your QT, or, you can use fake tank décor [which are rather expensive but nice substitutes for the real thing]. Some hobbyists even get creative with the PVC and will clue pieces together to create a reef structure. One member here suggested using black or darker colored PCV. PVC does not react with any chemical additives but provides security for fish—an essential component to fish health.

All of these are viable ideas. Fish must be at ease in the QT so do not place fish in a wasteland tank with nothing but a heater to rest up against.

Cycle the Tank?
To cycle the tank, you can add a cupful of your substrate from your main tank, a piece of inexpensive LR, and some fresh shrimp. The point here is to get the tank into cycle mode, thus you need to add organic material. The LR and sand has nitrifying bacteria in it to help speed the cycling process along. However, if you don’t want to take LR or a cup of sand out of your tank, then you can just use the fresh shrimp…it will just take a bit longer to establish your QT. LR can be returned to your main tank after the cycle as long as fish have not been in your QT.

Need Lights?
No, but, I recommend it. All you need is standard NO’s, nothing fancy. . The reason I recommend lighting is so that you can observe your fish and see if they have parasites, what condition their fins are in, breathing, scales, etc. You will need to observe your fish closely during QT to check for health and any fish diseases that may have come with them—or diseases/problems that develop while the fish are in QT. WO a light it is hard to see if fish are sick or healthy. Thus, I suggest using tank lights. It is not absolutely necessary, however.

What about Maintaining the QT/HT?
Some choice here. Maintain it the same as you do your main tank, or set it up on an “as needed basis”. Optimum water quality is essential when fish are introduced to and maintained in the QT, so you will need to be diligent about maintenance while fish are in temporary holding. You want to maintain your QT at the same level as you main tank. Meaning pH, temp, etc.

If you don’t maintain a QT except when you need it [like when you are going to add new fish or treat sick fish] and you only set it up on an as-needed basis, then you will have to make sure you have cycled it again and the filter can support marine life before you add something to it. Even if you have it running empty all the time you must cycle it again prior to adding new fish or the filter will not be able to support the new fish you're adding and you will be defeating the purpose of using a QT. This is a common mistake made by new hobbyists.

Should I treat my fish even if I don’t see any Diseases?
You many also want to perform hyposalinity in the QT—regardless of the presence of parasites [ich] on fish. It can’t hurt to do it, can only benefit, but, then your QT time will be extended. You will need to reduce specific gravity/salinity over a 48-hr period, maintain the fish in hypo for 3 wks, then, over another 4-5 days bring the salinity back up to your main tank parameters. So, you are looking at another week in QT, in addition to the standard 3 wks. Hypo is a very precise process, however. You must get the specific gravity down to 1.009 and keep it there. It must not rise above that. To accomplish this, you need a refractometer or a salinity monitor to measure the salinity. Other instruments are not as precise, but you can also use a quality glass hydrometer.

Can we Get Down to the Procedure?
Quarantine procedures are as important as the equipment that you use to set up your main tank. When QTing new fish, buy only 1 at a time [the exception would be paired fish, such as mated clownfish, or schooling fish which you may need to get all at once]. The purpose of QT is to provide a safe, stress-free environment for incoming or sick fish, which is best achieved when fish do not have to compete with one another for food and space.

Acclimate the fish to the quarantine tank, which should match the water parameters of the display tank. Leave the lights off for at least a few hours after adding the fish to the QT, to reduce stress.

If you are setting up a hospital on an emergency basis, without having the benefit of establishing a viable biological filter, then the burden will be on you to maintain optimum water quality. This means, zero ammonia and zero nitrites in the QT/hospital. Because you’re working with an emergency setup, then this could well be a task involving daily water testing and water changes. BE PREPARD. In this kind of scenario, I suggest that you can use change out water from your main tank [which is aged and has bacteria] rather than using freshly mixed water. The fresh mix can go as change out water into the main tank. In this scenario, there is a benefit to performing hyposalinity regardless of parasite. The mass change out of salt water for fresh water needed to do hypo will be a significant diluting process if you are dealing with a new tank that does not have an established biological filter.

Minimum 3 wks in the QT. If the fish develops a disease while in QT, then you will have to follow the timeframe requirements of the treatment as well as the QT timeframe.


Tips:
While setting up a new QT, set any filter media, sponges, etc in your main tank. While you’re setting up, these items can get a kick start in establishing a biofilter.

Add a cup or 2 of your substrate to your QT...again, kick start your biofilter. This minute amt of porous material will have negligible, if any, effect on medication dosing, if it becomes necessary that you should need to medicate.

If you’re cycling the QT, or any tank for that matter, don't use fish, including damsels. Simply use a piece or two of Live Rock. And, don't forget to feed the rock. [This means give the rock fish food. LR is alive because of the animals within it. All animals need to eat, so feed your rock]. In a Qt, once the cycle is complete, you can return your LR to the display BEFORE you ever put fish in the quarantine.
 
9supratt4

9supratt4

Hyposalinity

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

by jwtrojan44

NOTE: This procedure can not be performed in an environment containing live rock, deep sand bed (DSB) or inverts [including crabs, snails, corals, etc.] If you have a strictly Fish-Only setup, then the treatment can be done within the display, otherwise, you will need to treat infected fish in a quarantine/hospital tank.

You will need: Refractometer or a glass hydrometer calibrated to tank temperatures, pH buffers, a tank or quarantine area for the infected fish that is adequately filtered.

Hyposalinity is a procedure involving lowering the salinity from normal tank levels to 14 ppt (1.009 Specific Gravity) over the course of 48 hours. This is done by doing a series of small water changes using fresh dechlorinated water. During the procedure, pH must be closely monitored as pH tends to drop as water become less saline. Fish are maintained in hyposaline conditions for three weeks after all symptoms are gone. Again, accurate measuring is essential, and the standard swing arm hydrometers are not going to work. A refractometer or large glass lab grade hydrometer calibrated to tank temperatures is needed. Once the fish have been asymptotic for three weeks, the salinity is then raised back to display tank levels over the course of a week. Fish can not tolerate rapid increases in salinity. Leave the fish in quarantine at display tank levels for another week.

Your display will now have been fishless for at least four weeks, sufficient time to allow the parasite’s life cycle to be interrupted. Crypto is an obligate parasite that requires a fish host. No fish=No host=No parasite. Ich is a fish-only parasite, it will not affect inverts.

Continue to monitor pH daily during the process and be prepared with buffers to address any pH problems. Also keep the water clean through proper filtration.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

You have to leave the DT without fish for at least 6 weeks(?) to break the life cycle even if you treat the fish in a QT tank.
 
M

Mbodell

ok, well a 10 gallon is too small for all of those fish. A 30 gallon would be better. Even a rubbermaid storage contain would be fine.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top