ich need advise

[num54]

hi i just noticed today that both my hipo tangs starting to scratch on the rocks and have some ich like spot so does sometwo of my other tangs whats the first step to setting a hospital tank up i got a tank i was reading the need hiding spots what can i use will a regular hang on filter work can i also use calurpa for nitrates first time setting one up do i need sand rocks thanks for the advise

[glaukos]

imho you could use only the hang on filter and some pvc to create 2-3 hiding places

calupra will die using some meds and rock,sand will absorb some others...

it will also make easier cleaning the tank from uneaten food and fish poop.

[Gwynhidwy]

+1 To what glaukos said. No rock or sand in hospital tanks and the caulerpa isn't a good idea either. You won't have to worry about nitrates, but you will need to watch ammonia very closely. I like the ammonia alert badges for that. Make sure you have more than one hiding place for each fish. I use PVC pipe in hospital tanks. I'd use water from your DT to fill the hospital tank and if you can use some mechanical filter media from it too or get some now and seed it in the DT so you'll have some biological filtration in your hospital tank.

[num54]

What do u mean by using filter material out dt ?

[ginger7286]

I know many will disagree with me but I had an Ich outbreak several months after I had my tank set up. By the time you notice ich it is in your tank, everywhere. I used "Kick Ich" by Rally. I decided to treat my entire tank instead of just one or two of my fish. It was a little expensive but...it worked like a charm and I didn't have to stress out the fish to catch them or tear down half my tank to do it. Sometimes our QT are not big enough to house more than one or two tangs once they begin to grow. Just my opinion but I used that stuff for one cycle and I have not had an ich outbreak since then. Good luck.

[hitachi753]

place new filter media in your main tank for a few hrs then put it in the filter on the hospital tank this will transfer some biologicals to ur hospital tank which will help control ammonia, nitrites faster.

[Gwynhidwy]

You can take filter floss or a filter pad like is used in HOB filters and place it in your DT for a few days, preferably in an area that gets some water flow. During that time the pad will pick up bacteria that are floating in your water and they will colonize (grow on) the pad. Some of these bacteria will be the bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate. You can then use that filter pad to help control ammonia in a hospital tank. The seeded pad gives you a basic biological filter for your hospital tank.

Some people use mechanical filter media (like filter floss and filter pads) in the filtration of their DT all the time. If you have a setup where that is the case, you can just take that filter pad and use it in the hospital tank.

[RBU1]

I know many will disagree with me but I had an Ich outbreak several months after I had my tank set up. By the time you notice ich it is in your tank, everywhere. I used "Kick Ich" by Rally. I decided to treat my entire tank instead of just one or two of my fish. It was a little expensive but...it worked like a charm and I didn't have to stress out the fish to catch them or tear down half my tank to do it. Sometimes our QT are not big enough to house more than one or two tangs once they begin to grow. Just my opinion but I used that stuff for one cycle and I have not had an ich outbreak since then. Good luck.

Yes you are right many will disagree. Those reef safe products dont work. I would be willing to wager that it will just be a matter of time and your ich will be back. When you add a new fish to the tank don't be surprised to have it come down with ich.

[regina]

Okay there is many opinions out there I am sure however, I must put my 2 cents in. I just went through the whole Ich thing. I used the reef safe expensive treatment and it did absolutely nothing, seemed to cure one fish and then another broke out in it. I did water changes, I tested and retested keep all good as gold including but not limited to garlic soaked food, vitamins etc. I found the only thing that assisted me in the crisis was the UV sterilizer. I bought and hooked one up to my 125 gal tank and in two weeks things look better. My fish have absolutely no signs of Ich, I am continuing to do vitamins and garlic intermittenly.
I have ordered another for my 75 gal tank also. Pro & Cons to everything but in my opinion I am keeping my UV running.

[RBU1]

Okay there is many opinions out there I am sure however, I must put my 2 cents in. I just went through the whole Ich thing. I used the reef safe expensive treatment and it did absolutely nothing, seemed to cure one fish and then another broke out in it. I did water changes, I tested and retested keep all good as gold including but not limited to garlic soaked food, vitamins etc. I found the only thing that assisted me in the crisis was the UV sterilizer. I bought and hooked one up to my 125 gal tank and in two weeks things look better. My fish have absolutely no signs of Ich, I am continuing to do vitamins and garlic intermittenly.
I have ordered another for my 75 gal tank also. Pro & Cons to everything but in my opinion I am keeping my UV running.


UV sterilizers do work. But you have to have one properly sized for your tank. I met a couple nice guys that work for Emperor Aquatics. They make some real nice UV units. The trick is to get a unit you can run proper flow thru to kill the ich. I was told that for my 300 gallon tank I would need a 120 watt unit to effectivly kill the ich.

[rkelman]

There is no proof UV alone can cure a tank. How do you make sure every tromphant goes through the uv light? You can't / they won't = no cure. Breaking the life cycle by removing fish and treating with copper or hypo in QT are the only proven methods.

[RBU1]

There is no proof UV alone can cure a tank. How do you make sure every tromphant goes through the uv light? You can't / they won't = no cure. Breaking the life cycle by removing fish and treating with copper or hypo in QT are the only proven methods.


You may be correct...But it will drastically reduce the numbers giving the fish a better chance of fighting it off....

And everntually all will go thru the UV.

[rkelman]

I agree it will reduce numbers but why spend the money / electricity on a UV and the associated maintenance when you can treat once and just QT new arrivals and be rid of Ich forever? Even without ich you need to QT all fish anyways. I don't see a down side...

[Gwynhidwy]

None of the 'reef safe' treatments have been proven effective.


And everntually all will go thru the UV.

Unfortunately this is simply not true. There is no reason to think that the theronts won't find a host prior to encountering the UV. Also, it isn't just a matter of flow speed that reduces the effectiveness, you'd need to take the turbidity of the water in your system into account (how many of us measure that?) and without a ridiculously overpowered unit that chars everything solid that passes through it, a parasite could easily be shielded by a floating piece of algae or any other debris making it through the UV unscathed.

UV can help reduce the populations of pathogenic microbes, but it does not effectively eradicate them.

[wooden_reefer]

UV will never be strong enough to eradicate ich. But in theory, there likely exist a big enough UV that can effectively duplicate the dilution effect of the ocean if used continously.

How big does such UV need to be? I don't know. I only know that 15 watts in 50 gals won't do. May be 150 watts in 50 gals may.

Practically, UV is not effective in even slowing down the spread of ich.

[wooden_reefer]

+1 To what glaukos said. No rock or sand in hospital tanks and the caulerpa isn't a good idea either. You won't have to worry about nitrates, but you will need to watch ammonia very closely. I like the ammonia alert badges for that. Make sure you have more than one hiding place for each fish. I use PVC pipe in hospital tanks. I'd use water from your DT to fill the hospital tank and if you can use some mechanical filter media from it too or get some now and seed it in the DT so you'll have some biological filtration in your hospital tank.

You will need to watch ammonia in about three weeks.

If you start to cycle a medium intended for QT in a separate container now using the wet-dry setup, your cycle will be completed in three weeks.

To eradicate ich, you need to actively treat ALL fish for eight weeks. It is better to do WC/Amquel for only three weeks rather than eight weeks.

After three weeks, you can use the cycled medium in QT. Just trip QT water on the cycled medium.

[RBU1]

None of the 'reef safe' treatments have been proven effective.



Unfortunately this is simply not true. There is no reason to think that the theronts won't find a host prior to encountering the UV. Also, it isn't just a matter of flow speed that reduces the effectiveness, you'd need to take the turbidity of the water in your system into account (how many of us measure that?) and without a ridiculously overpowered unit that chars everything solid that passes through it, a parasite could easily be shielded by a floating piece of algae or any other debris making it through the UV unscathed.

UV can help reduce the populations of pathogenic microbes, but it does not effectively eradicate them.


Well we don't have to agree on everything:spin2:

I personally think UV will work if you have a properly sized unit. I know there are a number of fish wholesalers that use UV. So for me I believe they work. Will I rely on them for to eradicate ich from my tank not sure....But I can tell you I hope to never introduce it to my main tank again.

[wooden_reefer]

I personally think UV will work if you have a properly sized unit.

I agree only theoretically.

UV large enough to control ich may well over heat a tank in the summer, I think.

The equipment that will slow the spread of ich is the diatom filter, properly sized and charged.