copper, hyposalinity, or garlic?

[Big Red]

I have a Powder Blue that has been doing well for almost a year but he now has ick. He is still eating well but the spots appear to be getting worse. I have a 20g tank I could use to try and treat with copper or hyposalinity but would need to catch him plus 2 percs and a bicolor to clear the display tank. In addition, I'm not sure how everybody would get along in a tiny little 20 gal for 3-4 weeks.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a specific protocol for hyposalinity?
Thanks.

 

[jethro]

I have not seen ick in years but I was successful in warding it off by simply raising my temp to above 86 degrees ferenheit for two weeks. I have fish only with live rock so if you have corals you may want to look for other advice.

I would try all means possible without using meds.

Ick is on the host for a few days (forget how many cause I haven't had the problem) and swims free for a few days. It can't survive above 86 degrees temp when free from the host.

 

[jethro]

By all means, avoid using copper. Only use it at last resort. It is very hard to get out of your system.

[ April 22, 2002: Message edited by: jethro ]</p>

 

[Osama]

You can run a querry on this board for hypersalinity and for ich. I have tried successfully soaking flake fish food in garlic solution obtained from health food stores. I continued using the soaked food for two weeks after all ich spots disappeared. I used this method in a 180g reef tank