Need help dealing with Ich

[Collink91]

Have Ich in my tank. It’s been there for about a month or so.

Haven’t lost any fish, and I’ve only seen dots on two fish, my kole tang and my powder brown. Pretty sure my powder brown was the originator of the Ich.

I’ve been using metroplex and focus to bind reef safe medication to the fish food. Neither fish has stopped eating.

My question is how do I go about ridding the tank of Ich effectively?

I know I could just fish trap the two tangs, put them in quarantine, and copper medicate them. But won’t ich still be very present in my system? I don’t think it’s feasible to take all of my livestock (4 anthias, 2 clowns, 3 tangs, 3 wrasses) all into a 30 gallon quarantine tank, right?

Help me out!

 

[ichthyoid]

The most convenient thing to do, without removing fish, would be to add a UV sterilizer.
The size UV depends on your tank volume.
Before you go down that road, be aware that there are a LOT of opinions about UV.
IMHO, you don;t have to cook everything going through a UV & in your system. In fact, that is arguably detrimental to a healthy reef tank.
Just need to sterilize enough pathogens to keep your fish healthy.
What sized tank do you have? Total volume, including sump/refugium/etc.
FWIW, tangs are notorious ich magnets.
PS- welcome to the ARC!

 

[Collink91]

I have a UV

 

[Collink91]

 

[Anthony king]

Whens the last time the bulb was checked maybe the uv wasn't operating properly not that 100% anyway imo

 

[FutureInterest]

With ich in the tank you're in ich management mode like 99% of all tanks out there. Keep the fish well fed, continue doing metro with focus when you see severe outbreaks... make sure the UV is properly sized with the correct flow... and it will come into balance on its own. It will flare up every time you add a new fish to the system or they get severely stressed out but otherwise it will barely be noticeable. Yes, you can go the QT and fallow route... but its a lot of effort for something that isn't that worthwhile imo. Also, I remember reading that ich can go into a dormant state in low oxygen areas which can far exceed the recommended fallow duration.

 

[jcook54]

Completely agree with @FutureInterest Ich is so, so common that it's almost always lived with rather than eliminated. Tangs get ich, they just do and treating/dealing with it is the way to go. You could eliminate it entirely from your system but it's so very common that even a good QT systems might not be enough to keep it out of the tank again.

 

[Collink91]

Whens the last time the bulb was checked maybe the uv wasn't operating properly not that 100% anyway imo

Replaced the bulb about 4 months ago

 

[ichthyoid]

Also, what is your -
-system volume, and
-UV make/wattage?

 

[elfloyd]

...and, what is the flow through the UV?

 

[anon28342]

Isn't ick a lot of times brought about by stress? I've always been told make sure water parameters are right, make sure the fish isn't being picked on, you could try dipping the fish, also maybe a cleaner wrasse?

 

[Eric_n_Ga]

There's a solid thread on UV here that rivals anything I've read about the subject . Odds are you flow rate is to high for your UV unit to kill the ich .

 

[casper75]

Here is a good read on UV I am dealing with inch and I just in a 75watt uv and I am following the level 2 to try and help http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumUVSterilization.html#whatsize

 

[Eric_n_Ga]

Read the first page of this and take notes , do the math . See if it adds up.

https://atlantareefclub.org/boards/index.php?threads/properly-sizing-uv-sterilizers.15871/

 

[Nifftiness]

I swear by garlic soak. If I suspect ick I soak my
Fish food in garlic for a week or two. Followed by another week or so of garlic every every other day. It will keep the Ich parisite off your fish, and boost the fishes immune system. The bonus is the garlic won’t effect anything else in your tank. It has worked every time for me. The trick is following through with the garlic feeding consistency like an antibiotic and not stoping as soon as the Ich symptoms clear.

 

[anthony]

When it comes to U.V. 's bet way to go is powerful bulb. 40 watt minimum and slow flow. You can go with lower wattage but water needs to flow slowly.

 

[markwood]

I had it about 6 months ago and used Sechem Metroplex with Seachem Focus. It took care of it.

 

[jwils27]

I am of the opinion that ick can not be eradicated with out QT. However you can manage it. Feed good food I like LRS or Rods soak it in Aminos, selcon, vit C. Select fish that are hardy and not crazy susceptible to ick.(No powder blues or achilles). Low stress and clean water. You will never "eradicate" it but it may not matter if your system is healthy.