Ich in a reef.

[marcingo]

Hey. I bought two clowns today and when I got home tonight I noticed one has ich. Its pretty mild right now but its still there. What can I do for getting rid of this. I realize there are Ich meds but I know that these can kill corals. My tank currently has zoos mushrooms afeather duster and gsp. How can I get rid of the ich without hurting anything else. Putting the clowns in a quarantine tank isnt really an option since I dont have an extra tank setup with live rock in it. I heard soaking food in garlic oil might help is this true? Let me know what I can do. Thanks

[howdy20012002]

soaking the food in garlic only encourages them to eat the food
Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about it myself.
Clowns are very tough and ich is more of a nuisance than a killer
the only time it becomes an issue is when it affects their breathing..ie gills
I personally doubt the ability of a cleaner shrimp to get rid of it.
even treating them in a QT is too late now as your tank now has ich, not just your fish...
To get rid of it out a tank, it has to be without fish for about a month.
If your fish are eating and healthy and your tank is in good shape the ich will be dealt with on its own
this, of course, is just my opinion and I am sure others won't and don't agree.
good luck in whatever way u decide
Neal

[marcingo]

thanks for the suggestion. So if I leave it how it is and the ich doesnt get in their gills It will eventually die off?

[Psyire]

You could try this...

http://www.polyplab.com/medic.html

I haven't tried it, but perhaps others have??

[Flusher]

I know someone who tried this:

http://www.ichbegone.com/

She said it worked extremely well. There were no casualties in her tank at all.
________
FERRARI GG50 SPECIFICATIONS

[mark]

Think about the future, maybe more fish, transferring what you have to a bigger tank, should really try to get ich out of the tank.

A QT tank doesn't need LR (actually better if none) just some PVC fittings and the tank could even be a bucket. Even if you don't plan a full quarantine having a small tank around is also handy just to place new stock to have a really good look before placing in display.

And for next time, consider where you get your stock. Been to a couple of LFS in town where you can see infected fish another one that has a separate QT section for new stock. Also remember fellow reefers tanks aren't necessarily pest free either.

Though I preach QT I don't always practice and have been burned.

[marcingo]

Thanks for the info. See I thought every marine tank needed live rock. I guess the reason I didnt qt these two is because they were the only two in the tank but now I learned my lesson since I cant even dose the tank with meds because it will kill my corals

[marcingo]

So i called the lfs I bought the fish from and they tell me they always qt their fish and that none of their clowns have ich. He told me the ich could have come in on my corals. My tank has been fish free for 3 months so wouldnt all ich have died by then? If not and I qt my fish and medicate wont the ich still be present in my main tank as it has (supposedly) for the 3 months its been running. How would I get rid of the ich from my main tank if its on my corals?

[Canadbis]

I will probably be corrected, being a newbie myself but isnt ich a FISH bug. I dont think it would live in liverock or corals, but if I am wrong someone will speek up.

[marcingo]

Thats what I thought but the store tells me there is no way their fish had it. And I have not had any fish in my tank since I started it 3 months ago. I also havent had any inverts for 2 weeks.

I know this is part of the ich cycle that it falls off and becomes free swimming but the ich developed in the evening yesterday. Now I woke up and there is no more ich on the fish the one fish that was the first to have it has only like 1 speck left. Could the life cycle of Ich be that fast? Or was this not ich at all? I have no idea anymore