Ich/Ick???

Question

Other than that blue stuff that stains the items and silicone in the tank, how can you help your fish to get better without making them worse or killing them? Any suggestions??

Answer 1

First things first: More about ich and what it is

Is it white spot disease or is it Ich? You need to know the difference between the two since they are treated differently.

Cryptocaryoniasis, White Spot Disease or Marine Ich is caused by an infestation of the ciliated protozoan Cryptocaryon irritans. Although Cryptocaryon becomes a parasitic organism at one stage in its life cycle like Oodinium and Brooklynella do, and it progesses less rapidly than these other ich diseases, in a closed aquarium system it can reach overwhelming and disasterous numbers just the same if it is not diagnosed and treated upon recognition.

Unlike Oodinium and Brooklynella that typically attack the gills first, which allows these ich diseases to advance into life-threatening levels quickly as they go unnoticed, Cryptocaryon usually appears at the onset as salt-sized white spots visible on the body and fins of a host fish, and when the organisms become parasitic, it is then that they move inwards to the gills. Because crypto is more easily recognized in its beginning stage, this makes it much easier to treat and cure before it gets out of control.

Aside from the appearance of the white spots, fish will scratch against objects in an attempt to dislodge the parasites, and rapid respiration develops as tomonts, mucus, and tissue debris clogs the gills. Fish become listless, refuse to eat, loss of color occurs in patches or blotches as the trophonts destroy the pigment cells, and secondary bacterial infections invade the lesions caused by the trophonts.

Although copper is very effective on Oodinium, and it works well to eliminate crypto organisms in their free-swimming tomite stage, it is not as effective on the Cryptocaryon trophonts that burrow deeply into the tissues of fish. A combination of freshwater and formalin treatments adminstered by means of dips, baths, and prolonged treatment over a period of time in a QT is recommended

Reinfection will occur no matter how effectively the fish have been treated if Cryptocaryon is not eradicated from the main aquarium, which can be accomplished by keeping the tank devoid of any fish for at least 4 weeks. For fish-only aquariums hyposalinity can be applied, and to speed up the life cycle of the organisms, elevate the tank temperature to 85 degrees for 10 days to 12 days. For treating reef tanks, FishVet No-Ich Marine, Ruby Reef Kick-Ich, and Chem-Marin Stop Parasites are Cryptocaryon specific remedies that are said to be "reef safe". Several days prior to returning fish to the main aquarium, clean all filtering equipment, change any filtering materials, and do a water change.

Remember to remove all filters media and turn off protein skimmers when treating for any types of Ich.

Although many over-the-counter remedies contain the general name Ich or Ick, carefully read the product information to be sure it is designed to specifically target and treat "Cryptocaryon"

Brooklynella hostilis - these protozoa reproduce asexually by means of simple binary fission through conjugation, which is why they are able to multiply so much more rapidly than Cryptocaryon (White Spot), and Oodinium (Velvet Ich), and why it can kill fish within a few days and even hours upon recognition

Most similar symptomatically to Oodinium, this too is a parasite that primarily attacks the gills first. At the onset fish may scrap up against objects, rapid respiration develops, and fish often gasp for air at the surface as the gills become clogged with mucus. Fish become lethargic, refuse to eat, and colors fade, but the most noticeable difference that sets Brooklynella apart from Oodinium is the heavy amount of slime that is produced. As the disease progresses a thick whitish mucus covers the body, usually starting at the head and spreading outward, skin lesions appear, and it is not uncommon for signs of secondary bacterial infections to arise.

Suggestions range from copper, malachite green and other remedies, with some recommended being used in conjunction with formaldehyde. However the general consensus is these types of medications are either largely ineffective or do not work at all, and that the best and most effective treatment for Brooklynella is formaldehyde alone. Typically a standard 37% formalin solution (shop & compare prices) is mixed with either fresh or saltwater in a separate treatment container, initially all fish are given a quick dip or a prolonged bath, followed by continued treatment and care in a QT. Of course the longer fish are exposed to the formalin treatment, the more effective it will be at eliminating this "disease". Whether to administer a dip or a bath to start with is something you will have to determine yourself, but there's a very simple way to do this.

Since these are Free swimming parasites which are in watersources, come attached to our fish etc. The only way to ensure NO ICH is to get a UV Sterilizer and addit to the tank. The UV Sterilizer kills the free swimming forms of various ich and other parasites.

Feeding your fish with garlic soaked fish flakes help to ward off ich as well.

DO NOT excellerate the salt in your tank. The amount of salt you need to drop the parasite from your fish has more problems than it helps. I really wish this myth would go away.

Salt does not kill ich. The parasites (ich) do not like salt but it doesn't kill them. they drop from the host and are now floating in your tank. Salt baths help since the majority of the parasites that drop off into the container you are using as a dip. Elevated temperatures also do not help. Increasing your tank temperature from 78 degrees to the 90+ required for "killing" ich would stress and kill your fish first.

The only true way to prevent ich from maturing in your tank is a UV Sterlizer.

To prevent ich, keep your fish from becoming stressed.

Answer 2

My husband and I have a 150 gallon saltwater tank and about 3 or 4 months ago, we got a Sailfin Tang and Powder Brown Tang at PetCo. BAD mistake! The Powder Brown had really bad ich (we didn't know it was ich at the time). Luckily, PetCo said they would take it back. We kept the Sailfin because he didn't seem to have ich, but he got it a few days later. Our local fish store recommended Ich Attack by Kordon because it's gentle on your fish due to natural ingredients. It's this dark brown color and it kind of smells like balsamic vinegar. We put it in for 3 or 4 weeks straight every day. During the time of treatment, we added a Lunare Wrasse and a Red Volitans Lionfish, and they are all fine. After the 3 to 4 weeks we did a partial water change and now we have no more ich! I think Ich Attach worked great for us. It doesn't stain. The only thing is the smell, but if you could get past that, it's fine. I'm just glad none of our fish died! Good luck!

Answer 3

Lots of ways. Salt with raised temperatures is the most traditional. There are a number of medications (blue, green, and otherwise). And some really oddball methods (hot peppers?!).

It would be hard to give advice without knowing the species of fish, as some are more sensitive to certain medications than others. What I'll do is give you this link which discusses the different methods (including the hot peppers!), dosing, sensitive species, use with planted tanks, life stages of ich, length of treatment, etc.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ich.php

Answer 4

Depends on your fish. the easiest fish to cure ich with are the cichlids.
In the case of cichlids it is a good idea to put them in a quarantine tank and if you cant do this it is not neccessary,
for curing cichlids simply do the following
1-raise the temperature to 86
2-add half a tea spoon of salt
3-add the medicine and remove the carbon
4-when adding the medicine remove all plants in the tank so they dont get stained
If you follow these steps the ich should go away in 4 to 5 days

Now in the case of scaless fish and those sensitive to medicine and salt do hte following
1-raise the temperature by 3 degrees
2-dont add any salt i repeat DONT ADD ANY SALT THEY WILL DIE
3-remove the carbon and add the medicine
4-remove all plants
5-When applying the medicine to fish like catfish and tetras or other scaless and sensitive fish make sure you apply half the recomended dosage, because they are sensitive and might die.
Ich is not a dangerous disease when properly taken care of. I refer to it as chicken pox because it is basicly the same thing, Dots on your skin, easy to take care of, fatal of ignored, goes away in a week, and the host must be quarantined. they are basicly the same thing lol.

Answer 5

Keep the water dark as the microbe uses light for energy and raise the temperature to 85 degrees for ten days. If you have a high population of fish in your tank, the higher temperature will severely stress them and may kill some fish, as it can not carry as much oxygen when it is that warm. The higher temp is ver hard on goldfish and others that need a cooler temperature.

Answer 6

Use aquarium salt, and warm the tank, that is one safe way to help cure ich.

Answer 7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyophthirius

Lots of good info and treatments listed there. I prefer using the higher temperature and salt method.

Answer 8

the answer i, say is to get a good pump in ur tank and also get a good nice size sucker fish