# Need help with ich



## andy (Jun 26, 2012)

Got ich on some of my fish now. Need advice to take care of it. If is gonna help that if I raise up the temp to 81? right now is 78.


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## joel.c (Sep 11, 2012)

Hi Andy...

Unfortunately Marine Ich is different from freshwater Ich in regards to the temperature increase. To really beat it, you must remove all of the fish to a QT. Hyposality works and so does copper treatment in the QT. The display must remain completely fishless for 4-8 weeks. Then you can put the fish back into the main tank. 

That is the only way.

**special note** if you main DT is coral free, you could in theory treat the fish there. Be careful of snails and inverts as most meds will kill them.

Good Luck,
Joel


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## andy (Jun 26, 2012)

joel.c said:


> Hi Andy...
> 
> Unfortunately Marine Ich is different from freshwater Ich in regards to the temperature increase. To really beat it, you must remove all of the fish to a QT. Hyposality works and so does copper treatment in the QT. The display must remain completely fishless for 4-8 weeks. Then you can put the fish back into the main tank.
> 
> ...


If i going to treat medication in the QT then i have to take out all the rock to catch them and yes my tank is full of corals.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Andy I would suggest doing the tank transfer method. You can do it with a few 5 gallon buckets and you can put the medication in the buckets instead of a QT tank. 

Do some google searches for Tank Transfer Method and you'll understand what I mean. It's less stressful on the fish and more reliable.

I did it with my tang and he's doing good!


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## joel.c (Sep 11, 2012)

*Good Luck...*

Fish trap is your friend, otherwise you will not get those fish!

Seen on another forum - ICH GUIDE;

http://reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/marine-ich-myths-and-facts.23132/

QT tank;

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2195588

Fish Trap Suggestion, maybe some local retailers have some?;

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/aqua-medic-fish-trap.html


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## andy (Jun 26, 2012)

altcharacter said:


> Andy I would suggest doing the tank transfer method. You can do it with a few 5 gallon buckets and you can put the medication in the buckets instead of a QT tank.
> 
> Do some google searches for Tank Transfer Method and you'll understand what I mean. It's less stressful on the fish and more reliable.
> 
> I did it with my tang and he's doing good!


You mean treat them all in a 5 gallon bucket?


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## Curtis22 (Dec 11, 2014)

Theres a few options to try and deal with your marine ich. I would buy an industrial brute garbage can, they will not leach anything like 99% of garbage cans like the ruffneck by rubbermaid will. It is large enough to offer space to feel secure and provide rocks for hiding, just clip a light on the side add your heater and a pump, hang on the back or canister to run.

Obviously you probably know ich is a parasite that lives on fish only, its life is short lays tons of eggs, can be microscopic and they will all team up and attack whichever fish is the most weak or stressed in your tank until they kill it...they will then move on the the next weakest fish. The only way to kill ich is to take your fish out and in 8 weeks the ich cannot live and will die.

Now the problem will be how do you remove the ich from your fish in your bucket for the 8 weeks it takes the ich to die in your main tank ! Ill leave this option to you as its very difficult and theres several options weather you use copper or not to treat your fish or hyposalinity.

Anyways, i just wanted to let you know that most things dont work although they will help your fish they will never remove the ich. The important thing is to try and figure out maybe why you got ich and why its getting out of hand. This is usually because you are either not supplying enough space to your species of fish needs, you are not feeding healthy enough diet.

I believe the best things you could do right now for the health of your fish would be to actually lower the salt to 1.024 (unless your doing hypo salinity treatment) and maintain a proper temperature that your fish will enjoy.

raising the temp will only stress your fish out more. You need to lower nitrates, provide more space and shelter / security and provide healthy boosted nutritious foods. 

Raising the temperature is not a cure for ich in a marine tank, but it can be part of the cure. Raising the temp shortens the three part life cycle of the parasite, and since medication (copper) is only effective during one of the three phases, raising the temperature moves the parasites through the phases more quickly (until they get to the free-swimming phase where copper is effective). This allows a shorter treatment regimen.

Although i dont recommend raising temp since your fish are already stressed.

To be honest ich often gets much worse when people treat it as you stress your fish out even more and change their entire home. Although its often necessary it can also simply be beat sometime by providing a healthier environment, more space or hiding spots, and better foods or supplemented foods and they can fight it off on their own until it eventually disappears as it will no longer attach to your fish. It will however re appear again when you add a new stressed out fish lol or change something in your tank.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Yes treat the 5 gallon buckets and transfer them from bucket to bucket. Don't put rocks or other things that might help the parasite live. Instead, put in some PVC pipe so they can hide in. Just google tank transfer method and you will understand


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

The Tank transfer method is your best bet even though it seems to be a bit more work (although it isn't). The buckets are the cheap and cheerful method as it is easier to do the required steps than with bigger tanks. Depending on the size and number of the fish you may be able to do it with a couple of 5 gallon salt buckets. You can then use a regular glass aquarium as an observation/quarantine tank while waiting for the required fallow period for the DT. No sand or rocks during the TTM as one of the parasite's stages will go into the substrate and rocks.... That's why you also leave the display fallow during treatment.

Remember, if one fish has it, the whole tank has ich even if you can't see it. Head over to RC and look for a thread on TTM and marine ICH.

Here is a good illustration of the various stages.


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## simba (Jun 9, 2009)

Please if i may add .This is my recent experience with ich in my 200g plus 75 sump tank.It is extremely hard to removed fishor take out everything once they are in your reef tank.Started with my clown fish then eventually tangs and a few others fishes Bodies fully cover with ich and a few fish has cloudy eyes also white small grain rice dot size on body .Fishes are still eating but not as fast as they were before.It's the fishes that are not eating that when i find nothing will works.I started to add aqua MEdic around $50.00.It reef safe 1provided spoon for 50 g twice.But i only use once a day due to fact my tank is at my work i am only there 4 hours a day.Mixed with tank or r.o water in a cup pure near a power head or high flow.You will begin to see some fish start shaking ther body it because of Medic working on infected fish.Do not over dose to speed things up it will removed and damage the fishes scales and skin . During the treament i have not lost any invertabite snail or shrimp they all fine.Do not pure directly near or directly on top of coral it might get burn.U.v and skimmer on at all time.Ifyou have carbon in your tank by chance it has used up most of it 's carbon 'No need to take it out .Just leave everything normal as it is .No crazy foaming in skimmer at all .I notice with most BTa it will shink tiny small but some Zoa begin to open up.Bta will slowly open to full size after 2 to 3 week of treament.I also add metro+ powder or metronidazole with garlic guard to thaw frozen food( mysis ) mixed well and refrige before feeding again i only feed once .Again do not add too much metro+ to your food it will cause ulceration in fish a gentle amount is sufficient.It will take about 2 week to 3 week because i only added Medic once a day .Product recomand twice a day.First couple days treat once then twice aday.Every 5 days i gently siphon the top layer of my sand bed small section with each 35%water change and continue treament.I wont happened over night but you will see after 10 days you will see less and less body cover and cloudy eyes began to diappeared.I lost one fish due to not eating .I only share my recent experience with using MEDIC .It worked for me in my 200 reef tank.Do not exceed recomend dosage it totally reef safe.


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