Help with ich

[BigEarsNYC]

Hey Guys,

It has been a while since I posted. My tank is about 10 months old now. I have a healthy collection of soft and hard corals, some zoas and mushrooms. I have a couple shrimp, two happy clowns, cardinal bangies, a royal gramma and yellow tang. Last week I noticed quite a few white spots on my gramma and tonight i see that there are a few on my tang.

How do we treat ich in a mixed tank like this?

I haven't added any new livestock from several months. Overall my water parameters are healthy. I'll do a 20% water change this weekend as it has probably been a month since my last one.

Thanks,
BigEars

 

[Nandez13]

I'd consider removing all fish into a quarantine tank and treating with copper (Cupramine). Going to have to leave the tank fishless for 8 wks to let the ich die off. It's a pain to go through, good luck

 

[salpet]

feed them and add selcon if they are strong fish they will get over it moving them will only stress them out more

 

[dubs]

def feed them a little more and if they strong they will pull true i had similar issue with my pbt and i never took it out its still in my tank currently healty and fat

 

[Frankie Marble]

You can try feeding with garlic added to the food. Should boost their immune system & help them fight through it. Good luck

 

[timberwolfny]

ich does not kill fish the infections do make sure it is only ich and nothing else

 

[Weicowireman]

Make sure it is not velvet which is alot worse. Velvet produces a film over the fish and they die alot faster. If you do have ich I would lower the tank temp down to 75-76 and get some garlic extreme and start mixing your food with it. Feed them garlic enhanced food and hope they can build up an immunity to it. It will not dissapear entirely. It may or will be still present in the tank until you cam catch all the fish and treat them all. Then you have to do water changes and run a UV to completely rid tank of ich minimum of 6-8 weeks fishless..

 

[d5332]

The fact is that in order to give it a real attempt at treating the parasite you would have to remove the fish and QT either with hypo-salinity or Cupramine, if you choose either, read upon it thoroughly.

Your other option is hit or miss
Leave the fish in the tank and follow the advice that you received which is feed.

If you truly have ich and do not plan to remove the fish then I suggest that you add a UV sterilizer to your fish tank and perform 25% to 50% water changes weekly for 10 weeks.

If you have the parasite each time it drops off your fish you will get the impression that you cured your fish with heavier feedings, 5 to 10 days later you will have more free floating parasite to re-infect your fish and the the others.

I have heard of people that never remove the fish from the tank and just feed but they have strong UV sterilizers.

I have seen with my own eyes a tank with three sick fish; yellow belly hippo, achilles and powder blue tang. Owner said he had beat ich before by adding garlic to the food. Several weeks later he told me all 3 fish died and the rest of the tank was now infected. He did not have a UV.

Hit or miss, your call.

 

[Weicowireman]

Good luck.. I would try catching as many fish as possible in one day and setup two quarantene tanks.