ICH

I know there are other threads on this very subject, but I want to make sure that I am going about things the right way here. So here's what is going on...

Last night I noticed a few white spots on my Sailfin tang, and after observing my fish for a while, I noticed that my Yellow Eye tang also had them, except he has many more, and all over his body. I would have noticed earlier, however he almost always hides and when he is out he is moving quickly and makes it very difficult to observe his health. I am fairly certain that they have ich.

So far I have removed all fish from the tank and now have them in a quarantine/hospital tank. I have not decided on a treatment yet, but I will likely be using hyposalinity in combination with medication(s). For now everyone seems to be eating well, though my powder blue is a bit hesitant to eat and generally will eat after the other tangs have finished most of the food.

I will be testing my water later today, so parameters will be posted later. I did however check my salinity and temperature last night; specific gravity came out as 1.025 and the temperature holds steady at 78-80F. The tank is a RedSea Max 250, which is 66 gallons. It's been running for about 2 months now, although a large portion of the livestock came from a 28 gallon nano cube that was running for a year prior to the upgrade. I am running all of the standard equipment, with carbon in the media chamber. I do not have a UV sterilizer or a refugium.

Fish:
-2 Oscellaris Clownfish
-1 Yellow Eye Tang
-1 Sailfin Tang
-1 Powder Blue Tang

Parameters:
S.G.= 1.025
Temp.= 78-80F

All top offs and water changes are done using RO water. I plan on doing a 30% water change today, even though the fish are not in the tank, it will at least help to remove some of the free-floating ich, and restore nutrients for the corals. I plan to keep the fish out of the main tank for at least 3 weeks, possibly longer depending on how long treatment lasts. This should ensure that the ich is gone in the display tank, right?

I would appreciate any/all advice possible! I've never had to deal with ich before, and I know that there are people here who have plenty more experience in this hobby than I do. Thank you!

Edited by Ann_A - February 12 2012 at 11:02am

Ok well my planned treatment just jumped to 10 weeks out of the display tank. Would a 50 gallon tank with an oversized canister filter work well for a hospital tank? I will also be getting a UV filter for the both tanks, not that I really want to spend the money, but as a preventative measure and I can use the hospital tank as a quarantine tank in the future, and obviously will keep the other UV filter running on the RedSea Max.

I am with Adam. I think moving them puts more stress on them and therefore, increases your ich problem. Every tank I have ever had and every fish I have ever had, has had and does get ich, Really not a big deal. Just put fresh pressed garlic in the food you give them... I have never lost a fish to ich....

So general consensus is to put the fish back in te tank and feed with garlic-coated food?

How bad are they?  Covered to the point of not eating?  Do they seem stressed right now? Just a few spots  and eating still?

It's a total judgement call.  I feel the stress will be a lot less, in the environment they are accustomed to.  Tangs don't do well together in small areas usually.  But it may be easier treating them in a QT tank.

I agree with hyposalinity. It works, and it works well. It is actually beneficial for the fish as most of their energy and metabolism is used up removing salt from their body systems. A hyposaline environment not only kills the parasites, but lets the fish use it's energy more efficiently to recover. A UV sterilizer is a great investment but they are never 100% effective as their flowrate determines kill ratios and what is killed off. I recommend everyone keep a QT system running at all times. The bare minimum is relatively cheap. You can even use a rubbermaid tote, a HOB filter, and a heater in place of a more complex system. I QT all my incoming fish in a hyposaline system with UV. This also allows me to treat them for any internal infections by feeding them foods fortified with neded medications. It really does make a world of difference.

Edited by CapnMorgan - February 12 2012 at 8:48pm

While Mark makes some valid points, a canister filter is plenty adequate for a QT tank. The main thing is haveing adequate and established biological filtration. This can be sped up by adding a live bacterial culture (like Micobacter7).

I also see in your post at the top you are doing a water change, I wouldn't worry about it. Free swimming Ich must find a host within 3-5 days or it will die. It's the cysts you really have to worry about. They drop into the substrate and will remain there dormant for up to 4 weeks. That is why running your tank fallow for 6 weeks is neccessary if you want to completely rid yourself of Ich. Otherwise your fish will be healthy enough to fight it off naturally but it will always be present in your system waiting for a stressed fish to infect.

As Steve alluded, the HT needs to have adequate biofiltration. A canister, even oversized as you put it, is not enough. Just recently. in several other threads. I have recommended that canister filters be removed because in a marine environment they seem to cause more problems than they solve. Even if this HT has LS and has been running for 2 months or more, adding 3 large fish and 2 smaller fish is overtaxing it's biofiltration. Pollution is rising even as we speak. HT's are usually meant to house a single fish, not the entire population. The result is going to be Ammonia rising to toxic levels and then comes the elevated Nitrite which, along with the Ammonia will certainly stress and possibly kill the fish, which are in a weakened state already.

My final comment and then I'll shut up.
It is highly improbable and very impractical for us ordinary hobbyists to believe that we can keep Ich out of our community tanks. Even after the fallow period, the survival of just one Ich parasite in any of it's stages or reintroduction of just one Ich life stage via a single drop of water, a piece of gravel, LR or a straggler parasite that was protected from medication while inside a fish, is all it takes. Just one single surviving Ich organism in any of it's stages is able to multiply, produce dozens or even hundreds of Ich parasites for the next stage of it's development. By far the better method in my opinion is to make the tank environment so healthy that the fish feel very much at home and to prevent Ich by dosing food with Garlic Oil. Two points I made in the thread but people sometimes miss is the method of best delivery and to try different types of Garlic. We have found that different Garlic products work in different tanks. If Ich does not decrease within 2 days try another Garlic Oil product. The proper delivery of the Garlic to the fish is very important, also described in that thread. I have never had to use these on my personal tanks, but a UV Sterilizer or O3 in the skimmer can be used to partially overcome any lack of healthy conditions in the Ich contaminated tank.

What type of garlic oil would you recommend? Is roasted garlic ok?

Here's what's in it:
-Canola/Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Rosemary
-Minced Garlic
-Thyme
-Oregano
-Pure Garlic Oil