Does anyone feed with fresh garlic to prevent/fight ich?

[cabrego]

Hey all,

My new powder blue tang has just started to show signs of marine ich.
Is medicine the best way to treat her. I sure don't want to loose this new beauty.

I am sure I have ich in my tank, because my previous tang also contracted ich and died. I am getting a UV tomorrow, and I fixed up a batch of minced garlic with pellets. I know the UV is not going to directly help the cysts that are visible, but I hope it will improve my water conditions over time. I would like to avoid using coper if possible.

Is copper the best solution?

[PaulieWalnuts]

if you have a reef and inverts copper is a no no, i have 2 yellow tangs that have ich and they are fighting it well, with lots of nori, weekly water changes and vitality and garlic in their food. I also run a 9 watt uv but will be getting a 36 watt soon.

[Kieth71]

I would stick the fish in a qt and treat with cupramine and then leave you display tank fishless for 6 weeks minimum.You can try hypo if your way against copper but copper works and works well.

[2_zoa]

I am curious how long you went between the two tangs?

[cabrego]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13608484#post13608484 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 2_zoa
I am curious how long you went between the two tangs?


It was about 2 weeks since the last tang died.

I probably should have been running UV during the mean time, but I did not appreciate the fact that the ich was still in the tank. I am still kinda new to tank keeping so, live and learn.

[atvdave]

I have 3 tangs. Hippo, yellow & powder brown. All have had Ick at one time or another. I started using Garlic Gard with there food and haven't seen any signs of ick in about a year.

You will never get rid of Ick in your tank unless it goes fish free for about 6 weeks. Garlic just helps them fight it off.

[JR719]

I had tangs in my last tank and never noticed Ick. I fed Spectrum food and occasionally dripped a little garlic juice on it. I also had several cleaner shrimp. I don't know if either of those, or both helped. I could have just been lucky, but never noticed any Ick.

[2_zoa]

I thought that the ich would die out after 6-8 weeks even if there was fish in the tank? Even if the fish are in there they aren't infected so essentially there is no host for the ich. No host no survival right?

[NCSUsalt]

^ no, your fish are infected. just because you can't visibly see signs of the infection doesn't mean anything excep that your fish are carrying a low level infection. add a source of stress and boom outbreak.

[atvdave]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13609067#post13609067 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NCSUsalt
^ no, your fish are infected. just because you can't visibly see signs of the infection doesn't mean anything excep that your fish are carrying a low level infection. add a source of stress and boom outbreak.

This is what I have always been told as well.

[2_zoa]

Okay thank you, I misunderstood the info. Sure am glade I have been set straight. If I ever get ich then I will be sure to run the tank fallow and keep my inhabitants in a QT.

[tbar]

I feed garlic soaked Nori every day My kole and the others have never shown any signs of ich. I'm BB and think that helps too as I believe part of the cycle is for it to be in the substrate for a while. I know it's more complicated but that is the jist of it. Am I correct on that?

[NCSUsalt]

^ if you vigorously vacuum your bottom during an outbreak it will help, but the cysts will still attach and replicate new free swimming stages of the cryptocaryon life cycle on a BB tank

[SMOOTHIE]

Don't use copper. Small tanks to use for qt's are so cheap right now and really worth it. Don't need good lights just flow, a few places for the fish to hide, garlic soaked foods, keep the water quality up and hypo the qt. Even if the tank came with reg flourescents you can turn it into a nice planted tank when you're done. Grow some live algaes for your tang.

[cabrego]

Ok so here is better description of my situation, my actions so far, and current status.


While doing routine maintance water change, algae clean, carbon swap, and cleaning anything else I thought needed cleaning. I noticed small signs of ich on my powder blue. At this point the ich was barely visible. By the end of the night (2-4 hours later), the ich was significantly more noticeable.

here are the things I did:

1. Placed a UV sterilizer in the tank.
2. MIxed a batch of minced garlic into pellet food.
3. Slightly elevated the temperature. ~82-83.

This morning, there are no visible white spots on the fish. I know I am probably not out of the woods yet, but I think this is about as good as a response as I could have hoped for. Thanks for your input.

[wayne in norway]

That's entirely predictable - it will in all honesty be few months till you know you're out of the woods.

[cabrego]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13610204#post13610204 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wayne in norway
That's entirely predictable - it will in all honesty be few months till you know you're out of the woods.

Well in my other battles with ich in the past, I have either ended up with a dead fish or many more white spots. So, I was not expecting such a good response. Thanks for the reply.

[john rochon]

you CAN have ICH disappear from a tank even with fish in there.
if you have an outbreak and the fish survive and develop an immunity to it then the ICH can die out. I'm not sure why people seem to believe different here?

yes fish can have ich without signs [new additions] but eventually they will have to either showns signs one way or another.
I single parasite will cause some irritation be it in the gills or on the skin. you'll see your fish do wierd swimming patterns or scratching.


ICH can be introduced and die off on its own. it doesn't just ''HIDE''

[NCSUsalt]

people have it "appear" after months with no visible signs and no new additions all the time because it is able to maintain a low grade infection until a source of stress weakens the fishes ability to fight it off

[vito is hooked]

I soak all my food in garlic extreme, all my tangs have had ick and it has always gone away. Make sure you feed your fish well, the fatter the better when fighting ick!! I beleive in garlic, it dont kill ick, but it helps the fish fight it.. Good Luck!!!

[ReefEnabler]

some reports say that quickly raising the tank temperature can make the ich go into a dormant state, extenting their tomont stage from weeks into months. I am not sure how true it is, but I have to wonder..

[nikkipigtails]

Garlic is NOT a treatment for marine ich.

Ich is a parasite and the white spots you see on the fish are actually cysts filled with ich larvae. Once the larvae have matured, they drop off the fish (this is when some people think that the ich is cured) once the lights go out. The ich parasites have to attach to a source (a fish) in order to keep reproducing and survive and because fish sleep in the same place at night, they attach back onto the fish.

The only way to completely rid your tank and fish of ich is to remove the fish from the display tank and treat them with a copper-based medication. In the meantime, your DT should remain fallow for at least 6 weeks. This ensures that the ich parasites have starved to death thus completely ridding your tank of the parasite.

Some fish are more susceptible to ich than others, tangs, blue tangs in particular, are one of those fish that are "ich magnets". Blue tangs are also known to get HLLE if not in a proper size home so make sure that your aquarium is large enough to support this fish or you will have more problems down the road.

[cabrego]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13611371#post13611371 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nikkipigtails
Garlic is NOT a treatment for marine ich.

Ich is a parasite and the white spots you see on the fish are actually cysts filled with ich larvae. Once the larvae have matured, they drop off the fish (this is when some people think that the ich is cured) once the lights go out. The ich parasites have to attach to a source (a fish) in order to keep reproducing and survive and because fish sleep in the same place at night, they attach back onto the fish.

The only way to completely rid your tank and fish of ich is to remove the fish from the display tank and treat them with a copper-based medication. In the meantime, your DT should remain fallow for at least 6 weeks. This ensures that the ich parasites have starved to death thus completely ridding your tank of the parasite.

Some fish are more susceptible to ich than others, tangs, blue tangs in particular, are one of those fish that are "ich magnets". Blue tangs are also known to get HLLE if not in a proper size home so make sure that your aquarium is large enough to support this fish or you will have more problems down the road.

Sure, I agree with that. I do not think anyone here is trying to say it does cure ich.

Well, I hope the ich is at least under control.

[catfisher]

I had an ich outbreak in my tank a few months ago. I lost a few fish before I began using garlic oil soaked food. It saved my pair of Clowns(they looked really bad). For some reason my Foxface never showed any signs of ich. I got the garlic oil capsules and cut them open to get the oil out. It didn't harm my tank other than screwing up the skimmer. I also used "Ich attack" organic ich cure. I haven't had any problems with ich since...

[Michael]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13611371#post13611371 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nikkipigtails
Garlic is NOT a treatment for marine ich.

Ich is a parasite and the white spots you see on the fish are actually cysts filled with ich larvae. Once the larvae have matured, they drop off the fish (this is when some people think that the ich is cured) once the lights go out. The ich parasites have to attach to a source (a fish) in order to keep reproducing and survive and because fish sleep in the same place at night, they attach back onto the fish.

The only way to completely rid your tank and fish of ich is to remove the fish from the display tank and treat them with a copper-based medication. In the meantime, your DT should remain fallow for at least 6 weeks. This ensures that the ich parasites have starved to death thus completely ridding your tank of the parasite.

Some fish are more susceptible to ich than others, tangs, blue tangs in particular, are one of those fish that are "ich magnets". Blue tangs are also known to get HLLE if not in a proper size home so make sure that your aquarium is large enough to support this fish or you will have more problems down the road.


at last well done:thumbsup: id suggest 7-8 weeks though, apparently it can actually survive for up to 11 weeks (ek):eek2:

[john rochon]

use garlic extract not oil. theres no proof it works on ich but it does seem to entice them to eat which is part of the battle and there is a belief that the ich doesn't like the taste of garlic.

also, yes I know all about ich and its stages and soon but what I'm saying is it is very possible for ich to disappear on its own .
age of a tank,good flow, good water parms etc.. and ich can be erradicated from a system on its own.

[vito is hooked]

Say what you will...It worked for me.. Garlic Extreme saved all my fish.. or I just got lucky! Whatever, ICK FREE for1yr and still soaking!! Peace :beachbum:

[Michael]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13612050#post13612050 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vito is hooked
Say what you will...It worked for me.. Garlic Extreme saved all my fish.. or I just got lucky! Whatever, ICK FREE for1yr and still soaking!! Peace :beachbum:


old wives tale garlic, lovely in spagetti bolognaise though:lol:

[nikkipigtails]

Ich doesn't "disapper on it's own". Fish can build up an immunity to it but the immunity only lasts for a little while and the ich symptoms will eventually return..

The garlic is like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. Unless you treat the cause of the problem, you'll always have the problem. Sure, if you have the fish in quarantine, it can entice them to eat and will speed up the healing process, but the best cure for ich is quarantine, copper-based medication and letting your DT go fallow.

[vito is hooked]

I Plead IMMUNITY!! Keep On Soaking!:beachbum:

[cabrego]

Ok, here is a bit of an update. This is my first bout with marine ich so this maybe common sense for some of you.


I reported last time that the ich cysts appeared to be gone the morning after I discovered them.

Afterwork, the cysts were visible. This morning the cysts are gone. Why are the cysts coming and going as I describe? Is this typical?

[2_zoa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13617665#post13617665 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cabrego
Ok, here is a bit of an update. This is my first bout with marine ich so this maybe common sense for some of you.


I reported last time that the ich cysts appeared to be gone the morning after I discovered them.

Afterwork, the cysts were visible. This morning the cysts are gone. Why are the cysts coming and going as I describe? Is this typical?


I have noticed this same thing when I had ich on my royal gramma. it won't be long before the fish will be covered all the time. I believe this is due to the life cycle of the parasite. It lays it's eggs and has to drop off to hatch then they re-attack the fish making the population bigger.