Ich...damn this parasite

[typrobin]

hi all, hai......

its the same problem most reefer face.....ICH!!!

my powder blue got it....now putting him in quaratine tank....

my quarantine tank has nothing but just a polyfilter...the tank is actually a 1ft tank with internal overflow system.i didn't put any rocks or sand...its an empty tank...heard that the parasite can't mutiply if there are no rocks and sand for its baby parasite to host..

my queries

1) how is the quarantine tank gonna control the bio load?

2) if my powder blue gets well (hopefully), are there anymore parasites in my main tank?currently none of my fishes has any syntoms of ich.

3) i am feeding all my fishes with fish flakes + minched garlic.will it help?

4) any medication for my powder?

hai........

[roidan]

if your powder got it in the main tank and you took it out...chances are the main tank has traces of ich parasite also...

but at least you have isolated the powder that is affected most to prevent it from becoming a recurrent host for the parasite...

if u want to keep it simple....regular water changes will be able to control the load....

[lightningstrike]

i hv always believed in and used Waterlife Octozin. It is reef safe. juz make sure u read the instructions carefully. u might wanna give it a try. juz me 2 cents.

[typrobin]

hhhhmmmm....water change? how often?

basically the empty tank has not place for bacteria to grow...

as for my main tank, its been up for about 2mths...never any sight of ICH until i added my powder blue...how to ensure that there is no domant parasite in my main tank?very very upset already....thanks....

[typrobin]

Waterlife Octozin....where to get it? does it help get rid of the parasite or does it juz help to clear the white spots?

[Michael Young]

If I were you, I'd add a skimmer to your quarantine tank and since there are nothing in there except your powder blue, I would treat it with copper. I would also put in a PVC pipe for the fish to hide in while it recuperates.

The only way for you to be sure that you are rid of the dreaded Ich in your tank is to remove all your fishes and quarantine them. Keep it free of fishes for at least a month. Only when your aquaria has no fishes for this parasite to cling on to will they die out.

If you do not wish to remove your fishes, other remedies include:

1. Dropping the SG and increase the tank temperature over a period of few days.

2. Use garlic supplemented food to enhance the immune system of your fishes.

[weileong]

wouldn't just by reducing the salinity of the quarantine tank for 2 weeks be good enuff to ensure non of the parasites can survive the free floating stage? No need to use copper.

Dropping the SG will kill the corals as well.

[typrobin]

i know about the theory of decreasing SG but wat about the temperature? by increasin the temperature, i can simply switch off my fan but wat is the theory behind it?

[typrobin]

anyway, dropping SG...how low? i heard 1.020-1.021 is enough...juz need more clarification...thanks...

[Michael Young]

If your SG is 1.023, you need to drop it slowly to 1.015 or lower. But you need to watch your corals.

[Michael Young]

wouldn't just by reducing the salinity of the quarantine tank for 2 weeks be good enuff to ensure non of the parasites can survive the free floating stage? No need to use copper.

Dropping the SG will kill the corals as well.

Wei Leong, I was suggesting that he use copper in his quarantine tank. It is much faster than altering the salinity of the water. Its true that corals will not like low salinity but if you're careful and drop it slowly, they should be ok.

[typrobin]

wah, drop so much ah??

okok...will try to drop about 0.005 per day...issit ok?

as for the Waterlife Octozin, where can i get it??

[ben]

so little drop/day? until old, hehe.

[Michael Young]

wah, drop so much ah??

okok...will try to drop about 0.005 per day...issit ok?

as for the Waterlife Octozin, where can i get it??

If you drop the salinity by .005 per day, it would only take 2 days for you to reach 1.015 if assuming your current SG is 1.025. Too fast in my opinion. I'd rather err on the side of caution. Drop .002 per day.

[ben]

sorry thought he wrote 0.0001

[Michael Young]

i know about the theory of decreasing SG but wat about the temperature? by increasin the temperature, i can simply switch off my fan but wat is the theory behind it?

Missed this one.... The answer is quite simple really: Ich doesn't like high temperature. U see, these so called remedies are really a double edge sword; on the one hand you can drop SG and increase temperature to get rid of Ich but by doing so may cost you your corals as well.

So the best policy is really to quarantine your fish before introducing them to the general population.

[RAV-65]

typrobin,

read this, might help :

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.htm

&

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/skip/sp/feature/index.htm

Good luck!!

Vincent Ho

[RAV-65]

If you using QT, make sure the water is clean, you have to reduce feeding, maybe once every 2 days, dun worry, the fish wun die.... If the fish has not been eating prior to getting white spots, feeding would only pollute the water...

Vincent Ho

[vicky]

drop Sg immediately. Sg dropping work well . and let your main tank left about few days without fishes. . not need a month. once they cant find host to cling on, all will die.

[typrobin]

where to buy powder blue coffin?

he's not feeding at all....dropped a few pellets in and no response....still swimming around but....think it's juz a matter of days....

[Michael Young]

where to buy powder blue coffin?

he's not feeding at all....dropped a few pellets in and no response....still swimming around but....think it's juz a matter of days....

Sorry to hear that... I guess you should stay off Powder Blues until you have enough reefing experience to keep one.

However beautiful they may be, they are not the easiest of fishes to keep.

[RAV-65]

yup, I agree, when there's an outbreak of ich in your tank, or some fishes having it, do refrain from adding new fish, coz the new fish normally gets it too...

Vincent Ho

[typrobin]

yup,decided to quaratine all the fishes till further notice....let the damned parasite die off 1st....but i am very afraid that my quarantine tank cannot handle the bioload...

RAV already suggested to reduce feeding....my bro-in-law say do weekly water change...Vinoth willing to lend me his spare sump(2.5ft) as quarantine tank....michael gave me valuable advises....so did lightningstrike, roidan, ben and weileong...thank you all....

if my powder were to know of this, he will definitely RIP....

another death, another upset, another disappointment, another tear dropped.....

he should had been happily swimming in the ocean, but instead had to end up in my tank for my personal viewing, now he is suffering the worst disease.should i have left it alone, he could have survived in the wild.i vow to learn more and improve my water condition to pay tribute to his honourable death.....may he be in peace, my lovely powder....

hhhmmm.....he's not dead yet....hope he survives the disease....

[typrobin]

haahahaha.....i think he's getting better....this morning when i woke up i shot straight to take a look...to my surprise, he is still surviving...i took a closer look, his white spots are gone....last nite, he was almost 90% infected....then i tried feeding him...and he add....

i think he is recuperating well....hehehehhe

[ben]

glad to hear that. whats the salinity and temperature in ur this quarantine tank? adding a cleaner shrimp will help more too.

I like to ask can we mix garlic liquid into the the tank? will the fish be ich resistant in future as seen some reefer said their tang is resistant to ich when they were selling their tangs.

whats the best temperature u guys think is suitable killing ich and wont harm tangs?