Icky Cowfish treatment?

[Tempest]

I have a thornback cowfish (1 inch long) with ick. (Yes, I know they can get to be about 6 inches long - he'll be transferred to a bigger tank when he grows) I've done 2 freshwater dips (equalizing RO water for temp and pH). After each dip the ick cysts dissappeared, however, they returned after 3 or 4 days. I've been feeding him Hikari frozen mysis soaked in Garlic Extreme and am treating the tank with NO-ICK. However, he does not seem to improve for any great length of time. Would a dip in freshwater with cupramine be advisable? I can't use hyposailinity because there is a Saron shrimp in the tank. Is there any way to set up a quick hospital tank for the inverts (shrimp, snails and hermits) so that I can use hyposailinity on his tank?

 

The tank ( 6 months old)

10 gallon FOWLR

AC 150 and powerhead set at about 45 gph

Ammonia, nitrite = 0; Nitrate about 10, pH 8, alkalinity 5.5 meq/KH

Salinity 1.024

13 lbs live rock, 20 lbs live sand.

[Masoch]

Why not set up a hospital tank for the fish? Copper or hypo will kill the life on your LR and LS, causing an ammonia spike ... and getting the copper completely out of your tank will be virtually impossible. You'd need new rock, new sand, and probably a good bleaching of your tank.

 

Just a thought.

[Tempest]

Thanks for the reply. I didn't want to set up a hospital tank for the fish because it would be difficult to keep there long enough to insure that the ick was gone from the tank. I don't have one ready and am concerned with keeping the water clean - cowfish are pigs. I'm afraid that if I wait for a tank to cycle properly he'll be dead by the time its ready. I agree about the copper and have no interest in putting any in the nano itself. I didn't know that hyposalinity would cause another ammonia spike/cycle - I may have to rethink this.

[drdrew]

garlic and maybe a cleaner shrimp....

[Masoch]

You don't need a fully cycled tank for a QT. No, really, you don't 'cause you're going to do daily 10+ % water changes and have one of those cheap, handy ammonia badges on your tank. Water changes = instant removal of ammonia.

 

Just use a sponge filter + air stone, or bio-wheel + poly-filter if you're not using meds. In a few days, they'll start whomping an amazing amount of ammonia out of your tank and you'll probably be able to cut the water changes back to every other day, or small, 5% ones.

[Tempest]

Thanks for your suggestions Masoch - Just to make sure I understand your suggestions:

 

1. Put the cowfish in the hospital tank and do daily 10% water changes - add med, garlic etc.

OR

2. Were you suggesting put the inverts in the hospital tank while I hyposalinize (look ma, a new word) his home tank?.

 

If I put the fish in the Hospital tank.. would I be able to keep him there for about 30 days so as to let the Ich die off in his home tank? Should I put in some live sand (the pre-bagged kind) and/or cured live-rock in the hospital tank or leave it bare and just use ammonia pads in the filter and water changes?

[Tempest]

Nevermind... yeesh I'm an idiot.

 

I read up on QT tanks and hyposalinity. Here's what I'm gonna do. Set up a bare bones QT (heater, HOB filter with ammonia pads no carbon, and a piece of PVC). Fish go in QT for about 5 weeks of hyposalinity treatment; meanwhile (back at the ranch)Ich in display tank perishes. Return fish. I'll follow the Hyposalinity procedure found on the Petsforum site written by Trevor Jones. It's amazing what you find after you stop panicking and pull your head out of your butt

[Masoch]

 

Watch your fish for signs of stress as the salinity drops. I have two clowns in hypo; they're doing great ... but I have a royal gramma that was freaking by 1.012. Also, keep some buffer on hand. As your salinity drops, so will the pH. Fish might like hypo in general, but they absolutely can't deal with low pH.