Copper or Hyposalinity

[NorCalTRD]

So,

My Potters Angel has ich. I set up a QT tank yesterday and will be moving him in there today. I'd like to start treatment asap because he seems really unhappy and it's sad. I read lots of posts that beat around the bush about treatment but I want to do this right the first time. Copper and Hyposalinity are aparently the only two proven meathods to take care of it. Which one would you recommend? Either one less stressful for him? Do I really need to leave him in QT for 4-6 weeks?

 

Thanks a lot,

Jordan

[Six]

So the fish is sick for sure? I read and answered your other post.

 

Usually good food and clean water will do it. Hyposalinity can work, I've never seen it work as well as people say.

 

Personaly, I'd work with tonic treatments like good variety of food (boosts immune system naturally) and clean water (ocean water has no nitrate, that is what the fish is used to). I'd feed garlic supplements and angelfish specific frozen foods. (Potter's eat a lot of benthic inverts that you cant commonly buy).

I'd leave copper as a last effort.

[NorCalTRD]

Okay,

I'm on my way to the LFS to get some stuff. I will try the holistic route first and hope that he will go for that. I got some angel specific food but his appetite just hasn't been up to par other than picking at algae in the sand. I will try the garlic on the food and see if he goes for that. I'm still going to QT him(if I can catch him) just to get him out of the tank if the is ich in there. I'd rather be safe than to lose this beautiful fish. How do some of these treatments work such as things like Paraguard or the like? Are they worth it?

 

Thanks,

Jordan

[harlock]

Okay, so this new 6 line wrasse i got (that looks as if it has an ich spot) should get better, and not infect the other fish, if the water is really clean?

 

This is a new 55g i'm talking about here, and the water is SUPER clean. I haven't registered ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate yet (1 week plus after using BioSpira), and the 2 original fish (coral beauty, long-nosed butterfly) are doing great. The new 6 line has the questionable spot, but eats well, and is active.

 

I have carbon filtration running, and just put in a sweet 14 pound piece of LR (not nearly enough, but there's more to come).

 

Anyway, should this 6 line get better with the super clean water, or will it get worse, and infect the other fish?

 

-h-

[NorCalTRD]

Okay,

I have some questions for you Harlock. How new is the tank? What does the questionable spot look like? Usually ich is a bunch of small spots that look like salt and can get bigger. If they are in the system then your other two fish will be VERY suseptable to getting it as well. Feed them with either fresh crushed garlic on their normal food that you give them or try a product from Seachem called Garlic Guard. There are also products out there that are labeled as "stress coat" products. Right now I am using Pro Tec coat made by Kent and as soon as I dose it my angel seemed VERY pleased and MUCH more active. Maybe something else to try.

 

Jordan

[harlock]

The tank is about 1.5 weeks old. I cycled with BioSpira, and put the coral beauty and long-nosed butterfly in hours later. The entire week (and even as we speak now) the water quality is perfect. This past weekend is when i got the 6 line wrasse, and 14 pounds of LR. The questionable spot does look like salt, and has dimention to it. It doesn't look as if it has grown or multiplied. I've seen ich before, and this looks like ich.

 

I checked a LFS for the garlic supplement, and found one that was really garlicie smelling, however i did not buy it. THe 6 line wrasse is very active, eats often, and doesn't rub-to-scratch. The others haven't developed any symptoms yet either.

 

Think i should wait on the garlic treatments? Will the garlic treatments make my house smell like garlic?

 

-h-

[NorCalTRD]

Well,

I definitely don't think that the garlic would hurt. All it does really is helps to give a little boost to the immune system so I think it might be a good idea for all of your fish. Just FYI it is a VERY good idea to cycle live rock for a minimum of a few weeks before adding fish. Even if the rock is cured there could still be an ammonia spike that could kill your animals. The garlic does smell but it shouldn't make your house smell. It goes away after a lil while. At least with mine it does... hope that all helps.

 

Jordan

[Caesar777]

Wrasse - QT all new fish. The other fish, if healthy, may be fine, but if not, then they could get ich as well. Its spores are released into the water and take about a month with NO fish in the tank to starve to death. Next time, quarantine your new fish.

[Reef_Mad_Man]

Hyposalenity works man.

Ick in a marine enviorment as well as many other prasties cant survive in low salenity situations for long. ESPECIALY if you lower the salenity and dose a little meds.

But DONT ADD copper unless the fish is in quaratine.