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Coral Vue Hydros

ICH! Water changes before new dosage?


waveland

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Hi All,

 

Got some ich in my IM30L. I wanted to try to treat the tank without taking apart everything to get my 4 fish out, so LFS recommended Ruby Reef Kick-Ich. It says dosage on days 1,3,5 etc.... and to remove all filtration and turn off my skimmer.

 

I've dosed it day one yesterday and my fish look a LOT better already (day 2)....though I know that the ich falls off as part of the cycle as well.

 

Do you think it would make sense to do a 25% water change (5 gallons) each time before dosing and THEN add the new treatment? My thought being to remove a percentage of the ich with each water change as well as maintaining water and reducing fish stress?

 

Thanks for your input!

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Snow_Phoenix

You're pretty much limited to two options - letting the fish ride it out, or QT all the fish in a hospital tank for 8 weeks and treat them with Copper. I heard hyposalinity 'works' but I've never tried it, so I can't speak up for it. There's no reef-safe method of curing ich as Jedi said.

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You can try using metroplex and focus blended with their food for 4 to 6 weeks. The metroplex gets in the blood stream of the fish and the parasites in turn get poisoned by feeding on the fish. I haven't heard of anyone in salt water using it, but its popular in fresh water treatments. I am doing it in my tank now since I had a tang die unexpectedly. I was treating for a different thing (some worm my clowns have) but since the tang died so suddenly and i don't know why, I am going to treat it as if it were ich.

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Cencalfishguy56

Bummer on the no reef-safe method! Snow_Phoenix, what do you mean by letting the fish ride it out??

Some fish have a great immune system are fighting protozoans and other disease causing agents, my purple firefish fought off ich but all my other fish died I also treated with parashield and a freshwater dip on a clown I got from petco not sure if it worked but whatever may have been died, but fw dip you have to match temp and ph so you don't completely shock your fish

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Hypo can work but it's sometimes difficult to execute because you have to be very accurate with your salinity. the other methods are tank transfer and as previously mentioned - copper in a qt. whichever method you choose, your dt should remain fallow for up to 2 or 3 months. all other methods are not scientific and a waste of money.

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Cencalfishguy56

Hypo can work but it's sometimes difficult to execute because you have to be very accurate with your salinity. the other methods are tank transfer and as previously mentioned - copper in a qt. whichever method you choose, your dt should remain fallow for up to 2 or 3 months. all other methods are not scientific and a waste of money.

I did 5 weeks and it was fine, a protozoans life cycle isn't very long

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jedimasterben

I did 5 weeks and it was fine, a protozoans life cycle isn't very long

Not necessarily - C. irritans tomonts can stay dormant for a very long time, not completing its life cycle. The longest recorded was around 100 days, but typical is 72.

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NirvanaandTool

It's in the DT so regardless of what method you treat with, you have to stay fallow for at least 8-9 weeks, but preferably 10, on the DT.

 

I like Tank Transfer as it's easy to do and easy on the fish. You can also combine it easily with meds like Prazipro for treating new fish for internal parasites.

After you finish whatever treatment you choose, you'll have to keep the fish in an observation tank for the remainder of the fallow period.

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It's in the DT so regardless of what method you treat with, you have to stay fallow for at least 8-9 weeks, but preferably 10, on the DT.

 

I like Tank Transfer as it's easy to do and easy on the fish. You can also combine it easily with meds like Prazipro for treating new fish for internal parasites.

After you finish whatever treatment you choose, you'll have to keep the fish in an observation tank for the remainder of the fallow period.

I agree, the tank transfer method is the "easiest" on fish as you aren't using any medication and don't have to mess with hyposalinity.

 

If you leave the fish in the display, and they survive/look better, what is happening is they are developing an immunity to the ich. As soon as you add a new fish in, bam it's back again. You really need to run fallow to kill off the ich

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So.....if the fish develope an immunity to the ich does that mean the ich is not affecting/infecting them anymore?? And if that is the case, will the ich cycle break and die with just the immune fish in the tank over the 10 or so week period? I have a Atlantic Blue Chromis and a Neon Goby only in the tank now and both seem to be doing fine.

 

Hope this doesn't sound dumb.... I'm just trying to sort out what immunity and "ride it out" mean :)

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Cencalfishguy56

Not necessarily - C. irritans tomonts can stay dormant for a very long time, not completing its life cycle. The longest recorded was around 100 days, but typical is 72.

True, forgot they are able to go dormant, basically hit or miss situation

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Sooooo.....my tank is empty of fish. How long should I keep it that way so I don't run into this mess again?? I've read everything from 60 days to 72 days to a 100 days?

 

I CAN add invertebrates, etc....during this time, just no fish, right?

 

I guess now it's time to research quarintine tanks! :)

 

Thank you all for your invaluable help and information!

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jedimasterben

Not necessarily - C. irritans tomonts can stay dormant for a very long time, not completing its life cycle. The longest recorded was around 100 days, but typical is 72.

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I wouldn't add ANYTHING new to your tank during the fallow period. Corals, inverts etc can still carry ich. You introduce something new, your 73 day clock starts over unfortunately.

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I'm day 5 void of fish and I'm seeing tiny white dots on my side tank glass walls that seem to be moving independently of each other. They're no more than specks, smaller then a grain of salt. Could this be the ich in the free swimming stage??

 

I've removed my fish and done two 50% water changes since the outbreak. All my levels are good and my inverts are thriving and the tank is crystal clear. I also added a JBJ Nano Zap UV filter.

 

Any thoughts??

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I'm day 5 void of fish and I'm seeing tiny white dots on my side tank glass walls that seem to be moving independently of each other. They're no more than specks, smaller then a grain of salt. Could this be the ich in the free swimming stage??

 

I've removed my fish and done two 50% water changes since the outbreak. All my levels are good and my inverts are thriving and the tank is crystal clear. I also added a JBJ Nano Zap UV filter.

 

Any thoughts??

 

No. Most likely pods. Ich is very difficult to see with unaided eyes.

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Thanks Cjjon,

I started another post about it and had several replys saying they were copepods, which I'm finding out is good! Forgive my "newbeness" on this. After the ich scare I saw those and thought "now what!"

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No problem! Do you have a magnifying glass? Best thing ever. I also use a camera with 150mm macro lens with a 2X teleconverter. You should see all the things that are in the tank at magnification! I freaked out last night over some feather duster poop!

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Cjjon.....you da man!! I've got a lense from an old school overhead projector that I use to check out my coins. It's about to be re-purposed! I watch my tank more then I watch TV!

Peace

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Wow lots of replies...

 

Ich sucks, just read up on it hardcore and decide on a course of action (treatment plan). Try to stick to your plan unless you find it's not working then you step up to something more drastic. I will say that cupramine (a form of copper med) works wonderfully for most fish in a hospital tank.

 

Try not to speculate too much or incorporate too many ideas into your plan. Read up on the parasite from a more definitive source because there's just too much conflicting information in this thread and similar threads like it.

 

Are you 100% sure on your diagnosis? It's pretty common so I have no reason to doubt, but a correct diagnosis is important.

 

I've never read anything about the parasite infecting inverts. I suppose it's possible cysts could land on/attach to them? Neebles I think it falls on you to provide a source for the claim that the parasite will continue to reproduce in a tank with only inverts. My experience tells me that as long as you wait long enough without fish the eradication in the display tank should be total.

 

It goes without saying, but incorporating a quarantine period for all new additions would be a good way to avoid this happening again.

 

Good luck!

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Yeah, I'm 100% sure it's ich. All the symptoms. I made the beginnner mistake of dumping the LFS water in along with the fish in my tank.

 

I just ordered an IM10 Fusion that I'm going to use as a fish only display/quarantine tank during the time I'm fallow on my DT.

 

It was my hope to add some more inverts and start adding coral during the 3 months I plan on keeping the tank fish free, but Neebles comments are making me reconsider and at least research that more.

 

Thanks!

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