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View Full Version : Help please, ICK outbreak Overnight


caspar
03/14/2010, 11:09 AM
Someone please give me some help, total water volume 67 gallons, blue tang, yellow tang, bristletooth tang all 2" +/- week ago had few spots show up on blue, was told to raise temp to 81 - 82 deg add uv sterilizer within 3 days should show signs of going away, wich it did. Until I did water change last night 14 gal temp salinity all same, oh and always use ro/di water, woke this morning to find mass outbreak on blue and yellow tang hardly anything on bristle salinity is 1.022 - 1.023. Can not treat tank due to inverts and lots of LPS & SPS also nearly impossible to catch fish due to all LR in tank. What are my option's please help, I think I am panicking more than fish are, lol really due to wife raising you know the rest........lol Any ideas appreciated

RegalAngel
03/14/2010, 11:17 AM
http://www.fishvet.com/no-ich.htm

Safe for your tank...some will say reef safe does not work...I say if done correctly, ie add according to directions, it will work.

Read up on the Ich Cycle:
http://www.fishvet.com/no-ich_faqs.htm

caspar
03/14/2010, 12:25 PM
What about keeping temp at 81 - 82 and dropping salinity down to 1.019? would that work?

rkarteron
03/14/2010, 03:36 PM
microbe life herbtana works get. my coral beauty broke out with ich 2 days ago i started treatment and there is only one spot today

RegalAngel
03/14/2010, 05:56 PM
What about keeping temp at 81 - 82 and dropping salinity down to 1.019? would that work?

Unlike FW rising the temp. does nothing to hasten the cycle.
You can use Hyposalinity but it needs to be 1.009 for 4+ weeks. Your inverts and corals won't like it.
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23131-hyposalinity-treatment-process.html

JacobO
03/14/2010, 06:01 PM
Hello, I'm having an Ick outbreak it seems also. One of my clowns is getting a dusty coat of white spots on him. I have a bottle of API Liquid Super Ick Cure and it says that it is saltwater safe but it also says that it is not reef safe and I have some softies in the DT. Should I setup my 5 gallon QT with 50% DT water and 50% mixed saltwater and do the treatment?

I'm worried because I don't have a 2nd stable tank setup as a QT and I don't want to rush and make things worse. I also know that Ick acts quickly and I don't want my clown(s) to die :/

Any help would be appreciated.

Chris27
03/14/2010, 09:14 PM
If the bottle says it's reef safe, it won't eradicate the parasite from your aquarium and it won't rid the fish of the parasite. Look at it this way, you simply estimate your tank volume, then dump some in. There is no way to determine the concentration and there is no way of knowing how long the medication stays active.

QT is the only way - and any fish can be removed from an aquarium - it just takes a little patience.

Copper and hypo are basic concepts and the effectiveness of both have been proven time and time again. A few weeks of treatment, and a little patience, and a Crypt free tank is an achievable goal.

JacobO
03/14/2010, 10:30 PM
I got the QT setup this evening. I plan on moving the fish over and starting treatment in the morning.

While the treatment is taking place what would you suggest I do to my DT to rid it of Ich? Just large 30 - 40% water changes? or less? It's only a 10 gallon nano mind you - my water parameters are fine I just didn't QT these guys from my LFS because they got them in the day before I bought them and figured they'd be ok - silly newbie :/

Thanks for the help again,
Jacob

Monster00101
03/15/2010, 01:40 AM
If theres no fish for the ich to host on the ich will run its course in a month or so and it will die off. U will have to qt all ur fish if one fish has it they all potentially do.

Chris27
03/15/2010, 07:08 AM
If theres no fish for the ich to host on the ich will run its course in a month or so and it will die off. U will have to qt all ur fish if one fish has it they all potentially do.

Exactly, when the parasite hatches into the free swimming stage, it must find a fish host. No-host, and the parasite will die in about 12 hours or so....but it's impossible for us hobbyists to determine when this is, so it's a good idea to raise the temp in the display to 80-82 F, and leave it fishless for at least 5 or 6 weeks. The higher temp doesn't necessarily speed up the cycle, but it helps keep the cycle from slowing down significantly.

wooden_reefer
03/15/2010, 12:15 PM
Exactly, when the parasite hatches into the free swimming stage, it must find a fish host. No-host, and the parasite will die in about 12 hours or so....but it's impossible for us hobbyists to determine when this is, so it's a good idea to raise the temp in the display to 80-82 F, and leave it fishless for at least 5 or 6 weeks. The higher temp doesn't necessarily speed up the cycle, but it helps keep the cycle from slowing down significantly.

+1

The essense is easily stated: treat all fish in QT for eight weeks and leave DT fishless for the same period.

This is hard in that you have not prepared the QT in advance. It is easier if you had.

Preparing the QT to eradicate ich involves cycling the medium for DT in advance. Otherwise, you will have to do WC in QT for a long time and a lot of it.

You can still start a cycle in a separate container now. It is better late than never; fish that survive the time to cycle will be easier to deal with.

JacobO
03/15/2010, 03:31 PM
+1

You can still start a cycle in a separate container now. It is better late than never; fish that survive the time to cycle will be easier to deal with.

As of last night I have the QT set up. It's a 5 gallon tank with heater and filter for flow - there is no carbon pad or mechanical floss in the filter. There is absolutely nothing else in the tank but water as of yet. The salinity, pH, and temp are the same as the DT. Is it safe to put my 2 clowns in there and start dosing?

It's a small QT so I'm sure I could keep up with a 20% (1 gallon) water change daily over the treatment period.

The directions on the bottle state: Remove activated carbon from filter and continue aeration. Add 5 ml per U.S. gallons of aquarium water. Treatment may be hastened by raising the temperature to 82 F. Repeat does after 48 hours. Wait another 48 hours then change 25% of the aquarium water and add fresh activated carbon.

When I was younger and had freshwater fish that got Ick I would just buy the liquid medication, add it to my tank and voila! Why can't it be that easy! :lolspin:

PS - I noticed today that the "fine dusting" on my clown has cleared up quite a bit. It's basically not visible at all so I'm worried I could be over-reacting, haha. I'll try and get a pick up soon. Thanks everyone for your help!

JacobO
03/15/2010, 04:06 PM
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad177/johl101/DSCN1586.jpg
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad177/johl101/Picture003.jpg
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad177/johl101/Picture004.jpg
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad177/johl101/Picture005.jpg
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad177/johl101/Picture006.jpg

Sorry for the bad images but I did my best. Do you guys see any Ick spots?

wooden_reefer
03/15/2010, 04:26 PM
Is it safe to put my 2 clowns in there and start dosing?

It's a small QT so I'm sure I could keep up with a 20% (1 gallon) water change daily over the treatment period.

The directions on the bottle state: Remove activated carbon from filter and continue aeration. Add 5 ml per U.S. gallons of aquarium water. Treatment may be hastened by raising the temperature to 82 F. Repeat does after 48 hours. Wait another 48 hours then change 25% of the aquarium water and add fresh activated carbon.

When I was younger and had freshwater fish that got Ick I would just buy the liquid medication, add it to my tank and voila! Why can't it be that easy! :lolspin:


PS - I noticed today that the "fine dusting" on my clown has cleared up quite a bit. It's basically not visible at all so I'm worried I could be over-reacting, haha. I'll try and get a pick up soon. Thanks everyone for your help!

It is safe initially, but ammonia is bound to increase.

20% WC daily is likely not enough. You must also remove as much poops and uneaten food as you can.

That is way QT against ich without nitrification is PITA.

JacobO
03/16/2010, 01:43 PM
QT has been up for 2 days.
Ammonia - .25 - .5 ppm
Nitrite - undetectable
Nitrate - 10 ppm (probably from the 50% DT water)
pH - 8.0
Temp - 76 - 77


Thinking about going and buying a bottle of BioSpire to speed up the cycle process.
I do have a question tho - since I have nothing in the tank but water will the cycle complete and stabilize? Or do I need to add some LR or PvC for bacteria to cling onto? I'm going to have to take the carbon pad out when I dose the Ick meds.

wooden_reefer
03/16/2010, 05:10 PM
QT has been up for 2 days.
Ammonia - .25 - .5 ppm
Nitrite - undetectable
Nitrate - 10 ppm (probably from the 50% DT water)
pH - 8.0
Temp - 76 - 77


Thinking about going and buying a bottle of BioSpire to speed up the cycle process.
I do have a question tho - since I have nothing in the tank but water will the cycle complete and stabilize? Or do I need to add some LR or PvC for bacteria to cling onto? I'm going to have to take the carbon pad out when I dose the Ick meds.

You mean there is not yet fish in the QT and there is already ammonia?

Why?

Yes, no chemical filtration with meds.

You should not be using LR pieces to QT. Use either crushed coral in sacks or polyester floss or sponges, placed inside a power filter. Cycle in a separate container (may be a rectangular plastic container) without livestock in it. Using some DT water to provide the bacteria seed and then use a source of ammonia to cycle. After the cycle, you then use the cycled medium in QT. You should have done so already.

Don't need any bacteria from a bottle.