reoccurring ICK problem

[ikarus]

i had a bad outbreak of ick and tried various medications except for the copper-based ones (i have a puffer so i can't use them). i have to say, the meds didn't work at all and ended killing my other fish, so i went the natural way. i kept my infected tank fish-free for 2 months with the light off at 82 degrees to speed up the life cycle of the ick, and put the puffer in a smaller quarantine tank (no substrate, only smooth plastic decor, heater at 82 degrees) for 2 months. i did a 25% water change every day in the quarantine tank for two months (you might call this excessive but my puffer was about to die) and frequently scrubbed the glass and cleaned the plastic decorations. he hardly ate at first and rolled around the bottom of the tank all covered in white spots, but i fed him krill and clams infused with a few drops of garlic supplement (from GNC) every day. he was fine in a few weeks, but i kept him out of the main tank for 2 months just in case. that was my one and only case of ick and i haven't had any problems since. i add a drop of the garlic supplement to his food (and the tomato clown's food) every day. it's worth the pain of taking the extra time and energy to get rid of it for good.