need help today 02/11

[gina]

have 90 gal reef tank-treating whole tank for ich/white spot using stop ich.
some one on this forum told me to up the temp in the water which i am doing. i have also not used the protien skimmer or uv lights while i am treating this problem,my question? i am leaving for 4 days tomorrow, should i leave off the protien skimmer and uv lights while i am gone? or turn them back on? also how long should i keep the temp up? someone also said to give them garlic, how often should i do this? i hope some one will help me before i leave. please help and thank you

[Samurai]

I can't adequatly answer most of your questions, but feeding your fish food soaked in garlic extract seems to be more preventative medicine than a cure. If you want to use it then I would use it from now on, maybe once a week or so. This way your fish might not be so susceptible to ich next time it rears its ugly head.

[matrixnyc]

What livestock do you have in the tank?

What is the temp set to now?

do you have your filter running?

Need that info to help you :)

[RazerCorals]

Well I would raise your temp to around 80F.

Well I am also assuming that you have no inverts but fish.
The inverts should not be affected by ich but treating the water is going to kill the inverts from the copper. The lights aren't going to do a thing whether they are on and off. I also don't think the protein skimmer will have much of an effect either. As for any fish consider them pretty much dead, chances are when you get back your amonia is going to be high. This could ruin your whole tank. If it is one fish just remove it.

[killroysrevenge]

Ick is a battle. Here are some things to do:
Lower salinity to 1.019
Raise heat to 80 degrees
Feed with garlic.
Try Maracyn II

If you have another tank that has no inverts the best thing to do is place the fish in it and treat with copper. This is the only proven method IMO.

The others work but sometimes not fast enough and the fish die.

You could also go quickly to the LFS and purchase a Cleaner shrimp or a cleaner wrasse.

[gina]

i have coral banded shrimp,blood shrimp,peperment shrimp,emerald crabs,snails. i have regal tang,naso tang,cow fish,scooter blennys,maroone clown,neon gobys,mandarin dragonet,and 2 damslels, and a strawberry dotty back.
i also have a zina coral,yellow polyp,pagoda cup and a moon coral.
the temp is 79.4 the protein skimmer and uv lights off, i am treating the whole tank with stop ich. i have no quarenteen tank and could never catch the fish anyway. the cow fish has a lot of white spots on her and so does my regal tang. i went to another link and it said if you have inverts and raise the temp that they will die. so i turned the heater back down.

90 gal reef/100 lbs live rock

[matrixnyc]

You should really look into putting the 2 worst fish into a quarenteen tank.

Also 80 Degrees should be fine for the inverts for a period of time.

They like the tank to be around 76-78 Degrees. Just keep an eye that it doe not go to 82+ Degrees :)

How long have you been treating the tank?

[RazerCorals]

STOP treating your main with ICK STOP or w/e. It will kill your inverts and corals. Actually I'd take all the fish with ick out.

[Samurai]

Your bio load has got to be pretty high with all of those fish and inverts. They sound like they are kind of cramped together too- that might be why your fish are sick. I would also watch your Coral Banded Shrimp around your other shrimp. Otherwise they might become the shrimp that eats like a meal for your Coral Banded Shrimp. You also have some really difficult fish- fish that might be too hard for a beginner to keep. Some of those corals aren't the best beginner corals either. Get a q-tank. It doesn't have to be huge and 10 gallon tanks sell for under $15 around here, that way you could use copper based medications without endangering your inverts. I wouldn't reccommend the cleaner wrasse because they are very hard fish to keep and it's just that much more load on your biofilter. Regal Tangs get sick a lot (lateral line disease and ick) so I really would reccommend that you start using the garlic method. Water changes might help also.

[Chryocon]

is Rid Ich safe for inverts...? If not then why are you worried about the temp but not the Rid Ich

[Samurai]

Probably didn't know about copper based medications being harmful to inverts. If your LFS is selling you all of this stuff knowing what is in your tank then I really suggest that you either have a talk with them or stop giving them your business. If your inverts don't die from the Ick medication- NEVER EVER USE IT IN YOUR TANK AGAIN! (If it's copper based, which it probably is.) Copper based medications can stay in your tank for just about ever, so even though a tank hasn't had any copper based medications used in it for months it doesn't mean that the copper based medication can't still kill inverts.

[on_fire_8]

Tank doesnt sound overstocked for a 90 gallon. I keep my tank at 82 degrees all the time. I have peppermints, pair of CSBs, blood shrimp, 3 cucumbers, sea urchin, too many corals to list. This tempature has never hurt my inverts. My tank also has never had ick.

Q-tank treated with coppersafe is the best method of getting rid of ick. Treat them for a week after they have quit showing signs of ick.

If you are worried about catching them. www.transfishsupplies.com has fish traps. They work very well and do not harm the fish.

[Pineapple House]

I would be extremely worried about that cowfish (AKA Box Fish). When stressed, or when they die, they release a toxin that can easily wipe out a whole aquarium. If that fish has ich, I would be extremely worried!

I would buy a Q-tank, no questions asked. The treatments which are invert safe suck, and hardly do anything to help the situation. I would Q-tank those guys ASAP. You can buy a cheap 15 gallon tank, a small PVC pipe, and an Aquaclear filter, which shouldn't cost you more than $30.00. Then, just add some tankwater to the Q-Tank. No cycling required. You can buy 'The Trap' off the site meantioned, and catch the most infected fish. Add them to the Quaratine tank, and trea for ich. Copper based medicines can be used, as well as Hypo Salinity.

I would really recommend hiring someone in your area who has the proper knowledge on how to care for fish, and who you trust, to watch you fish. Leaving this off for 4 days, or trying to treat while you're not there to moniter the situation, can be fatal.

Saltwater ich is caused by the protist parasite Cryptocaryon irritans. This parasite usually multiplies and spreads throughout the tank when one of your fish is stressed; Poor Water conditions, too small of a tank, over stocked tank, etc. Ich will look like the fish has small white bumps all over its bodies, you might think these are 'Pimples.' You will usually see Itching (the fish will be rubing against rocks and substrate) as well as heavy breathing, and/or getting pale in color.

For ich treatment, I would personally use the Copper Method, as well as hypo salinity, although can be expensive compared to the freshwater dip.

Transfer the infected fish to a quarantine tank and leave the main tank free from any fish for at least 48 hours, better still for a week. You do not cycle a quarantine tank, basically you only need to put a fresh and sterile seawater. You need to attach a filter to the quarantine tank, do not use any biological filteration, only mechanical filtration and if you could provide ozonation or UV irradiation, so much the better.

Feed your fish only once every three days for the rest of treatment. To treat find any specialty medicaments for salwater ich, it should contain a copper compound (malachite green). If you could not get these treatments, then just find malachite green and a general anti-bacterial and anti-fungal medicine (not antibiotics). The quarantine tank should be dosed with malachite green to form a bath, dosing rate should be equivalent to 3 mg/ liter.

The following can be used to form a bath in the tank, Nifuripinol at 0.25 mg/ liter, Parachlorophenoxyethanol at 20 mg/ liter, and Phenoxyethanol at 100 mg/ liter (refrain from using anti-biotics). Replace the quarantine tank's water every 24 hours and dose out for a new bath (or every three days if you want ot be economical). Continue treatment until symptoms are gone for a week. When symptoms are gone the water need only to be replaced every three days.

These are just some ideas and ways to get rid of the disease ich in your aquarium.

HTH

PH =)

[killroysrevenge]

I dont remember if anyone suggested an airstone in the Q-tank and I dont want to read all the post over, but an airstone/bubbler is a must when dealing with Ick. Ick affects the fishes gills and makes it hard for the fish to breath. For this reason you need oxygen enriched water.

[RazerCorals]

Isn't a lower salinity recommended also?

[Samurai]

For ich treatment, I would personally use the Copper Method, as well as hypo salinity, although can be expensive compared to the freshwater dip.

Isn't that what hyposalinity is?

[phistio]

hyposalinity is a way by means of lowering the salinity over a period of time.

a good level for a hypo q-tank would be 1.017.

hypo has to be done slowly as to not stress the physiology of the fish.

[gina]

i had to fly out before i could do anything, i will keep my fingers crossed they live till i get home. my dad is looking after the tank somewhat.
the stuff i am using for ich is safe for inverts and coral. when i get home i will get a q tank and the copper stuff. when you say to get rid of the fish what do i do with it? flush it? i will have a hard time doing this. will the store take them back? i live close to the gulf of mexico could i let them go there? i guess i am learning about tank problems earlier than i imagined i would have too.

[RazerCorals]

No do not release them back into the wild. This is how we get weird specimens like piranhas in the river etc. This is not benefical for you, the fish, and the ocean.

[Samurai]

i had to fly out before i could do anything, i will keep my fingers crossed they live till i get home. my dad is looking after the tank somewhat.

I sincerely wish you good luck with your situation, some things cannot be avoided.

when you say to get rid of the fish what do i do with it? flush it? i will have a hard time doing this. will the store take them back? i live close to the gulf of mexico could i let them go there?

Take it back to the fish store (if they will take it back) or give it to a friend (obviously someone with the proper setup) for a while. I wouldn't flush a live fish myself. Save it if you can, throwing it in the toilet WILL kill it so you might as well let it stay in your tank, at least that we it has a chance. Please don't even think about releasing your fish into the ocean. Who knows what problems that could create in the ecosystem (wouldn't be the first time an ecosystem was screwed up that way). Also by now those fish are used to being fed what you are feeding them and may have a hard time fending for themselves in the big bad ocean.

[Samurai]

Aww you beat me to it Watchman. Must be that "pouncing" you have been talking about.

[RazerCorals]

I think someone understands "pouncing." :wink:

[Samurai]

I think someone understands "pouncing." :wink:

Hahaha. I've done it myself a few times :).

[Si]

Rid ich may harm some invertebrae and may not be safe to use in aquariums containing these animals.

I got that off of an old bottle of rid ich that I had used in a quarantine tank trying to get rid of ick many many months ago.

The only way that I finally combated ich in my reef tanks was to place the fish in a 30 gal quarintine tank with heater maxi jet and small air stone (all of the fish). I had to remove all of the rock to catch the fish but put the rock back in the tank after the fish were retrieved. I reduced the salinity in the quarintine tank to 1.010 over a two day period and did not let it raise above this or go lower than 1.009. Kept the salinity at this level for 2 weeks. I did a 5 gal water change with a salinity of 1.010 every 3 days to ensure no ammonia build up. (2 weeks - 2 life cycles of ick cysts) Then slowly raised the salinity back up to 1.025. I was using a refractometer to get absolute readings. This lowered salinity got rid of my ick and gill flukes that tend to be on the fish.

I left them in the quarintine tank for another two weeks monitering and changing water periodically. Each fish had a small clay pot to hide in. No signs of ick during this 2 week observation then back into the main aquarium they went. During this period my main tanks were fishless for approximately 4 to 6 weeks, so ick had been irradicated from them also.

Now any fish that I receive goes straight into quarintine. This saves you lots of heartache and headaches. I know that it seems like a lot of work but to me it is worth it to ensure a healthy environment for all of my fish and corals. I just wish that I would have known to quarintine before putting any fish into the main tanks.

Si