Question on controlling Ich

[cjack]

I have an Ich problem in my tank. Its a small outbreak and I have not been adding fish to my tank. In order to control it, will a 100% water change solve the problem?

Or, do I still have to go fishless for 6 weeks even after a 100% water change.

Please advice.

[optimus prime]

you change 100 % water will results in other problems.normally i go

livestockless for 2 months

[cjack]

Mine is basically a FOWLR tank. Only have one hammer and a couple of Zoos.

What kind of problems will a complete water change pose?

[mun333]

Simply don't add in any new LS for atleast 6 wks...

[patrick123]

IMHO, change 100% of the water is not going to help. Because depending on the stage on the ich, it can be attached to the fish or in free swimming, or attached to the LR. If it is on the fish, after the water change, the ich is still there.

Wait for 6 weeks to add more fish is also not going to solve the problem since the fish in the tank already have ich. You cannot completely eliminate the ich this way.

The best way is to remove the hammer and zoo, and use hyposalinity and drop the salt level to 1.009. Keep it there for about 4-6 weeks. After that, your tank will be ich free. But any future addition needs to be quarantine first before you add them in.

Regards,

Patrick

[iori_del]

try a UV, i am also pinning the hope

[Gouldian]

Patrick123 has a point.

IMHO there are only two effectively ways of eradicating ich:

1. Chemical (Copper, Formadeleyne)

2. Hyposalinity

Garlic, UV and Ozone has been used with mixed results in PREVENTING ich not eradicating ich.

I am struggling with ich too and have been stubborn to admit that Chemical & Hyposalinity is the way to go.

I tried UV, Kick Ich (Reef Safe Chemical), Garlic, Selcon & Marine C.

My KIAs are:

1 x AT

4 x Lyretial Anthias

3 x Dispar Anthias

1 x Copperband

WIAS are:

1 x Hippo Tang

1 x Flame Angel

After going through a big fat detour, I have to admit my mistake and I will be removing all my fishes from the display tank to be 'Hypo' treated gradually for 4 - 6 weeks and leave the display tank 'fishless' during this time so that the #@$&^% ich will not have an host to continue their lifecycle.

[weileong]

If you do reduce the salinity remember to add kH buffer to the freshwater so that you keep the kH of the low salinity seawater at ard 10. If not the pH will crash and your fishes will die.

[Domino]

100% water change will not solve the itch problem at all, in fact it will only add stress to the LS and make more damage.

You need to make sure your fish are in the best conditions to fight the itch: good water, good food, some extra trace elements, viatmins.

leave the survivors in the tank for many weeks. Then add new well selected specimens one at the time (one/month). This will ensure that your system will adjust slowly and reduce stress. Patience is the key...

Always think of your aquarium as an ecosystem where things should be in perfect balance and harmony: the bacteria that recycles the waste of the LS are in balance with the amount of LS. Is you change too much at once, the system will break down because it cannot adust overnight. for example: adding 5 fish in one week in a 2ft tank is a catastrophic scale event from the small ecosystem point of view and the response of the system will be catastrophic too.

[Gouldian]

If you do reduce the salinity remember to add kH buffer to the freshwater so that you keep the kH of the low salinity seawater at ard 10. If not the pH will crash and your fishes will die.

Thanks bro, for the reminder.

I plan to use baking soda as buffer.

[minsmarine]

Jack,

leave it as it's. It'll gone by 4 weeks time. Mime all 4 tangs were like that. by 4 weeks time, they become ich free and since than I don't know how ich look like. I didn't do anything, no new live stock, no water change, no chemical in that periods.

I guess fish is stress so ich. After awhile they start eat likes pig than no more ich.

Just my 1 and half cent.