[jtravapd]

so i added two new tangs to my tank the other day...both were being kept in another tank for about a week, with no problems at all...now i noticed one tang has ick.......it has had it for about 2 days now, and no other fish seem to have it...he is eating and isn't rubbing on the rocks yet...anyway im nervous now, i added one dose of seachem's metronidazole to the fish food because i was told it was reef safe, and now im reading on the internet its not reef safe...i really hope the one dosing doesn't kill my tank...as for the fish with ick...i can't catch him, so hopefully the other fish that have been in the tank for the past year wont die....i have a 40watt uv light on my tank, i guess thats not really working..lol.. should i continue the medicine?..or just let the tank be?...i have two cleaner shrimp and wrasse but i read they do nothing for parasites, they just help clean wounds....

[patrick1234]

get a cleaner rass they eat ich

[Waterlogged]

Read this:
The Marine Ich Epidemic « Joe Jaworski’s Weblog

[rlcline76]

So do you want me to step in and tell you what you did wrong or did you already know from the get go and decided to take those fish out of QT early?

[Waterlogged]

Originally Posted by rlcline76

So do you want me to step in and tell you what you did wrong or did you already know from the get go and decided to take those fish out of QT early?

I would like to hear exactly what you do with quarantine.

P.S. I just lost a fish in QT from stray voltage.

[rlcline76]

I know, I am sorry to hear about the stray voltage incident. New heater time.

I like to QT for 3 weeks...longer if I see signs of illness. I want 3 weks in QT with no BS. It is so much easier than 1) Putting the veteran fish in DT at risk & 2) going fallow for 6 weeks.

[Waterlogged]

How long do you QT inverts such as snails?

[rlcline76]

I do not QT snails

[Ganrin]

From the article linked earlier:

"Free Swimming - The Ich parasite swims around your tank looking for a host. If it can’t find a fish within 6-8 hours, the parasite dies of starvation.
Attachment - It finds a fish and attaches to the skin or gills. It stays put and feeds off the fishes body fluids for 4 days.
Encystment - The parasite is now nourished and encased in a hard shell. It drops off the fish. The cyst floats around the aquarium for up to 18 hours looking for a place to settle down.
Reproduction - Once settled in, the cyst begins to reproduce (by cell division) splitting about 9 times which produces roughly 500 baby parasites within the cyst. This can take up to 28 days. "

Bolded for emphasis

The ich reproductive cycle is up to 33 days. It makes sense to quaranteen at least that long after the last ich is seen.

[rlcline76]

Some people do 2 weeks, some do three...pogodzib does 6 weeks...no BS in his tank!

[Waterlogged]

Is BS what I think it is or is it an aquarium abbreviation.

[Jeremy0322]

If it was from someone else i would look for an abbreviation. Becky is a feisty one and I have no doubt it sounds for Bull****...lol

[jtravapd]

ok, it was a false alarm.....everything seems to be fine...i just got nervous......this hobby is soo stressfull..lol.....i need a beer...hahah

[Lightsluvr]

Originally Posted by jtravapd

ok, it was a false alarm.....everything seems to be fine...i just got nervous......this hobby is soo stressfull..lol.....i need a beer...hahah

Tangs are ICH susceptible... If in doubt, supplement tang feedings with garlic.

JMHO

LL

[Waterlogged]

Originally Posted by Waterlogged

How long do you QT inverts such as snails?

I was curious to have a marine biologists answer this question so I emailed one. They said:
inverts should not be an ich threat, but it is a good idea to quarantine for 24-48 hours to observe health and look for any other issues before adding to a show tank

[malawi]

get a cleaner shrimp they eat parisites

[msbdiving]

Before you rush out and buy something I think the article is a good read.

From personal experience, I have not seen wrasses and cleaner shrimp eat Ich. Others may have actually seen otherwise versus just reading about it. I had a run with Ich at the beginning when I was new, dumb and didn't qt. Now I am a bit more experienced, found out there is even more that I don't know but now I qt and my fish live. Go figure.

The only success I have had in preventing disease is through qt and copper. My qt times are different in what I observe the fish as being able to handle. For example I only had my tang in qt for two weeks because I saw that it was getting stressed in the tank. Others I will qt for about 4 weeks.

Just don't put anything that isn't a fish in there (copper that is). Though I would love to hear the crack of Becky's whip again, I don't want you to kill something from not looking into it or rushing.

[rlcline76]

My whip is tucked safely away.
I have to agree with Michael cleaner shrimp and wrasses. I have never seen them actually eat ich. Some say that the shrimp only eats the necrotic tissue of the sick fish and neither will stop the cycle from happening.

QT seems to be the easiest route and meds if necessary, definitely a lot cheaper...

[RyanG]

Originally Posted by malawi

get a cleaner shrimp they eat parisites

Cleaner shrimp do not eat off ich...

[malawi]

they don't?I thought they did; well what does let me know please Thank You

[spanko]

So what do you mean false alarm? How is th tang and the rest of the fish?

[RyanG]

Originally Posted by malawi

they don't?I thought they did; well what does let me know please Thank You

Put your fish in a separate tank and use copper for about 1 month to fully get rid of ich.

[rlcline76]

I do not know of any natural predator of ich. It's called a good QT period and whatever treatment your fish can handle.

[jtravapd]

Originally Posted by spanko

So what do you mean false alarm? How is th tang and the rest of the fish?

i was worried because i put medicine in the fish food and i read conflicting reports that it was so called reef safe..i only did it once...then with the help of my friend who has been in the hobby for a long time i seemed to have beat the ick....there are many conflicting reports on what ick is and how to treat it....he told me that tangs get ick alot, he said do not put any medicine in the tank, and since i couldn't get the fish out, he told me to feed the fish more for the next few days and see if the fish get better...well, only one tang had ick and i fed the fish three times a day for the two days..and the ick on the tang is gone...hopefully it stays gone...my guess is the feeding helped with the stress?..and thus the fish was able to recover?...i dont know....im just happy its gone for now...lol..

[wesley6610]

Originally Posted by rlcline76

Some people do 2 weeks, some do three...pogodzib does 6 weeks...no BS in his tank!

I do four weeks from the time of first dosing with medication, which is a week after QT. So 5 altogether for all live stock, what's the rush, right?