Ick and cant catch the fish...Help!

[delpni]

I have a Hippo Tang who showed signs of ick after about 3 days in the tank(I did not put it in quarantine first and will NEVER make that mistake again!). I've never noticed ick on any of my other fish and still do not (I know it's always present in the tank).

Back to the tang...after about a week, I noticed one of my fish was harassing it. I tried to move the tank around, but to no avail, so I gave the trouble maker away. Shortly after getting rid of him, the ick cleared up on the tang. Well, now it's back and it's BAD. The problem is, I have a 75 gallon tank, anemones, corals, a clam, and over 100 pounds of rock and that little sucker is QUICK! The fish is still eating and seems okay but I'm afraid the ick is going to spread and / or the tang will eventually die from the ick. What can i do?

 

[smallblock]

try to stun him, meaning turn off all the lights and let him chill out, then when you are ready flick on the main lights and for a few moments he will be blinded, thats your best bet to catch him

 

[mikesommers]

delpni;553013 wrote: I have a Hippo Tang who showed signs of ick after about 3 days in the tank(I did not put it in quarantine first and will NEVER make that mistake again!). I've never noticed ick on any of my other fish and still do not (I know it's always present in the tank).

Back to the tang...after about a week, I noticed one of my fish was harassing it. I tried to move the tank around, but to no avail, so I gave the trouble maker away. Shortly after getting rid of him, the ick cleared up on the tang. Well, now it's back and it's BAD. The problem is, I have a 75 gallon tank, anemones, corals, a clam, and over 100 pounds of rock and that little sucker is QUICK! The fish is still eating and seems okay but I'm afraid the ick is going to spread and / or the tang will eventually die from the ick. What can i do?

My advice is to leave him be if he is eating. The more you stress him out the worse it will get. Its a little late at this point to prevent infection of the tank. I will tell you that if I go in and make major changes to my tank and upset my tang he will have Ich for a week. Its been 60 days since I have seen this. The longer the better. Trust me when I tell you this. the fish will fight it off IF he is healthy, eating and NOT stressed out IME!!!!!!

 

[mikesommers]

dawgdude;553049 wrote: Leave him in the tank, soak his food in garlic guard, metronitizole and focus from seachem.

+500! Anything else will just make it worse. TRUST me I speak from PLENTY of experience on this topic! Crypto knows how to fight a fighter:sad:

 

[1percula]

Try Kick-Ich. It does a decent job and does not harm the reef. Just make sure that you follow the complete treatment plan or it will just come back in spades.

 

[phatphong]

I have to tangs, a yellow and hippo tang, had ick a few weeks ago. I just left them in the DT and they recovered by themselves. I didn't soak the food in garlic extract, but fed them a lot with frozen and flake foods.

 

[cr500_af]

Delpni, as far as Kick-Ich, I don't want to start an argument with the poster above... but do some reading on this stuff and see if you can find evidence of it working before you waste your money on it.

 

[mikesommers]

1PERCULA;553084 wrote: Try Kick-Ich. It does a decent job and does not harm the reef. Just make sure that you follow the complete treatment plan or it will just come back in spades.

I suggest not adding anything to the display no matter what the bottle says. I only speak from experience on this. I spent loads of money on meds a couple of years ago trying to beet ich. I tried it all. Had a 75 gallon qt. Changed a million gallons of water. All fish got better when I gave up through them in the display and just fed some Rod's Complete. There is a million opinions on this topic. Everyone has great ideas. I'm just stating what works for me and some lfs owners out there. When a fish is stressed it gets sick. A clean healthy display of the right size, good food and a little time to get used to his home and he will get better. Do you run UV? That will help -WILL NOT CURE- but help if sized correctly.

 

[mikesommers]

cr500_af;553103 wrote: Delpni, as far as Kick-Ich, I don't want to start an argument with the poster above... but do some reading on this stuff and see if you can find evidence of it working before you waste your money on it.

It did nothing for me. Was a waste of money...... The way it is supposed to work is that it carries the Tomites out through the skimmer. So in one since it is helping but UV is better for attacking the Tomites. I would seriously hope that this has not gotten that far out of hand. I always feel for people that have this issue. I really ruins the hobby. I read an article that stated that one of the top reasons people get out of this hobby is ich... That sucks.

 

[delpni]

Thank you all for the wonderful advice! A lot of you seem to recommend metronitizole and focus; I think I am going to go that route, drop my lights to 4 hours/day for a week or two (?), and bump my temp up to 82 (SLOWLY). I appreciate the feedback!

~Nick

 

[delpni]

I'm a bit confused with the "Focus." The bottle states it is "Marine & Freshwater Medication", but in the following sentence, it says it is intended to help bind medication and is not, itself, a feed. ?? It's $25, so I just want to be sure I have the right stuff here before I buy it! :confused2:

 

[delpni]

delpni;553215 wrote: I'm a bit confused with the "Focus." The bottle states it is "Marine & Freshwater Medication", but in the following sentence, it says it is intended to help bind medication and is not, itself, a feed. ?? It's $25, so I just want to be sure I have the right stuff here before I buy it! :confused2:

Never mind...the metronidizole (sp?) is the med., right? :doh:

 

[fish scales2]

Raising the temp will shorten the life cycle of ich but is that truly helping the situation or making it worse? You are likely to create even more stress on the system and increase algae growth and loss of color to coral.

 

[delpni]

Thanks guys! I'll check that site and turn my heater back down.

 

[jennm]

Focus shouldn't be $25. It does have some antibiotic properties, but its primary use in this application is to bind the Metronidazole to your fish food. Metronidazole+Focus+Frozen Food paste.

Garlic helps mask the nasty taste of the Metronidazole, it's an attractant and it will help boost the fishes' immune systems.

Jenn