how do i treat ich?!?!?!
- Thread starter Robbiekrause33
- Start date
if ich that the fish are not shaking off themselves (or causing at least one fish death in your display), you need to act fast. you should transfer all fish out of your display tank for 60 days ("run fallow"). this will kill it in your display. you should treat your fish with chloroquine phosphate (2 weeks), copper (4 weeks), or hyposalinity (30 days). all options require reseach. you need to act fast.
most other paths have low success rates...no treatment is reef safe (although some can be FOWLR safe)...do not try anything else or wait if you have an infestation...you will spend much money/have fish die before reverting back to one of the proven paths...and if you do not run fallow for 60 days, you will treat fish then return them to an infested tank (thereby causing them to get Ich again)...
been there done that, so stay positive, you will beat it if you take quick/necessary steps...
most other paths have low success rates...no treatment is reef safe (although some can be FOWLR safe)...do not try anything else or wait if you have an infestation...you will spend much money/have fish die before reverting back to one of the proven paths...and if you do not run fallow for 60 days, you will treat fish then return them to an infested tank (thereby causing them to get Ich again)...
been there done that, so stay positive, you will beat it if you take quick/necessary steps...
I started using a product called metronidazole by seachem. You simply mix it with the food your fish eat. Once your fish eat it and it goes through their system it will clear out most or all parasites they have. I also use a garlic extract in their food. I had tremendous success with it so far. Even though ich is a cycle if you keep your fish on it, it will keep future parasites from reattaching. There are many ways to treat it, this is simply one. I will use it for about 3 weeks and take them off. If ich reappears i start using it again.
Kordon makes a reef safe Ich Attack which is an herbal formula with no dangerous chemicals. I have not tried it myself but heard its a good product.
http://www.novalek.com/kordon/ich_attack/index.htm
http://www.novalek.com/kordon/ich_attack/index.htm
It just says effective and safe treatment for several protozoan and anaerobic bacterial disease of fish on the bottle. However since you are not treating the water column with it and just the fish i dont see an issue. I have been using it for a month now with no adverse side effects. Corals, anemone and inverts are all doing fine. I should point out that i only feed small amounts so the fish eat all the medicated food. None is left free floating in the tank for other inhabitants. Mike from aqua imports educated me a bit on it and i have been happy with the results so far. Its about $10 a bottle and it lasts awhile.
I know that this doesn't help you now, but I just QT my fish in copper (safe) for 3-4 weeks. Just a simple small craigslist tank on the floor in the basement with some bio, a light and a heater will do - I use a 58G with a CPR Backpack, a UGF and a heater.
Running without fish in the display is a good idea to knock it down to nothing... for a while.
I am a believer that no tank is ever 100% ich free if you ever add anything after the fish, unless you keep your new inverts in a fish-free tank for 60+ days - there is enough water on frags, rock and especially inside of clams to bring in new ich. What is important is that your fish are healthy and stress free so that they can fight it off IMO.
Most of the stores that I have been to in my range north of I-70 don't use copper in their fish systems. This is new to me being new to town... most of the stores that I am used to always used copper on their fish... which is not as good as in-home QT, but better than nothing. They also never put fish in their invert systems.
For now, garlic is your best bet if you cannot get them out... and even trying to get them out might stress them enough to kill them.
Running without fish in the display is a good idea to knock it down to nothing... for a while.
I am a believer that no tank is ever 100% ich free if you ever add anything after the fish, unless you keep your new inverts in a fish-free tank for 60+ days - there is enough water on frags, rock and especially inside of clams to bring in new ich. What is important is that your fish are healthy and stress free so that they can fight it off IMO.
Most of the stores that I have been to in my range north of I-70 don't use copper in their fish systems. This is new to me being new to town... most of the stores that I am used to always used copper on their fish... which is not as good as in-home QT, but better than nothing. They also never put fish in their invert systems.
For now, garlic is your best bet if you cannot get them out... and even trying to get them out might stress them enough to kill them.