ich

[howdy20012002]

garlic will not kill ich. All garlic does is entice them to eat...which gives the fish a better chance of fighting off the ich.
even copper just causes irritation to the fish which causes the fish to produce more of a slim coat...thus making it more difficult for the ich to host on the fish...copper at the low concentration that fish can tolerate will not kill the parasite.
besides leaving your tank empty for a month, Hypsolanity is the only way to kill the ich as far as I am concerned.
the parasite is not able to deal with the reduced pressure and literally explod.
I have a hard time believing that no power or water movement killed ich.
by that premise, no fish should have ich when I bring it in from the states as they are without power or water movement for over 24 hours. however, I always have at least one ich outbreak of ich each shipment.
Not sure what caused the ich to die off, but in my opinion, it was not the lack of power.

[marie]

Originally Posted by howdy20012002

garlic does entice them to eat...which gives the fish a better chance of fighting off the ich.
even copper just causes irritation to the fish which causes the fish to produce more of a slim coat...thus making it more difficult for the ich to host on the fish.
garlic or copper, as far as I know, do not kill ich...just give the fish a better chance of fighting off the ich.
besides leaving your tank empty for a month, Hypsolanity is the only way to kill the ich as far as I am concerned.
the parasite is not able to deal with the reduced pressure and literally explod.
I have a hard time believing that no power or water movement killed ich.
by that premise, no fish should have ich when I bring it in from the states as they are without power or water movement for over 24 hours. however, I always have at least one ich outbreak of ich each shipment.
Not sure what caused the ich to die off, but in my opinion, it was not the lack of power.

copper kills ich, thats why you can't use it in a reef tank, it kills inverts...actually its not real good for the fish either but at least they tolerate it

[howdy20012002]

It depends on where you read I think.
some sites say that it is used to generate a thicker slime coat.
others say that it is used to kill the parasite.
either way it doesn't have a 100 percent kill rate.
the only way that I am aware of to definitely kill it off out of your tank is hyposalinity and or no hosts for at least 4 weeks.
Neal

[Aquattro]

Copper is in fact a parasiticide. Garlic is not. Feeding garlic, in both my cases, made ich go away. Do I care how? No. Will I use it if I ever get ich in my tank again? Yes.

[Aquattro]

some info on copper From Merck Veterinary Manual, http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in.../bc/170404.htm




Copper sulfate (CuSO4) is not approved by the FDA; however, a number of compounds containing CuSO4 have been approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as algicides for use in aquatic sites. CuSO4 is currently designated as “of moderate regulatory concern” and is used in food fish practice; however, practitioners must keep themselves informed of possible changes in the status of this chemical. CuSO4 has been used for many years as a parasiticide and is particularly useful in large production ponds because of its relatively low cost. Copper is highly toxic to fish, and safe use depends on its interaction with carbonate salts in water. In freshwater systems, the concentration of CuSO4 applied should be based on the total alkalinity (TA) of the water. If TA is <50 mg/L, copper cannot be used safely without performing a bioassay. If TA is 50-250 mg/L, a safe concentration of CuSO4 can be determined by dividing the TA by 100. For example, if TA = 100 mg/L, a safe concentration of CuSO4 would be 1 mg/L. If TA is >250 mg/L, the concentration of CuSO4 should not exceed 2.5 mg/L. Other concerns when treating a pond with CuSO4 (in addition to its direct toxicity to fish) relate to its algicidal activity. Rapid death of an algal bloom can precipitate a catastrophic oxygen depletion. Use of CuSO4 in ponds not equipped with supplemental aeration is risky. Use of CuSO4 is hazardous if a pond has a heavy algal bloom (secchi disc ≤18 in.) or if the water is already deficient in oxygen due to other factors, (eg, cloudy weather or high water temperature). CuSO4 is efficacious against most protozoal parasites, is economical, and despite these concerns, may be an excellent choice when multiple treatments are required (eg, in an epizootic of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis ). In saltwater systems, copper is sometimes applied in a chelated form because it stays in concentration longer. Chelated compounds may be difficult to use safely and require careful monitoring. CuSO4 can be used to treat marine fish, but the concentration of active copper must be closely monitored (test kits are available) and should be maintained at 0.2 mg/L for up to 3 wk. Safe and effective use of copper in marine systems requires that Cu2+ concentrations be tested at least once a day. Copper is extremely toxic to invertebrates, so these must be removed before the water is treated. Copper is also toxic to plants and should not be used in ornamental ponds that have been stocked with valuable plants. Finally, copper will impact bacteria in biofilters and a transient increase in ammonia should be expected for several days following treatment. Monitoring ammonia until measurable concentrations subside is recommended.

[Pier Pressure]

My cleaner shrimp eat ich. I had a Royal Gramma who seemed to get ich from transport. The day after I put him into my reef tank, he was covered in spots. My cleaner shrimp (I have two of them) went to town, and by the next day I could not see any spots. I have not had any other signs of it, either, and this was several months ago.

[Veng68]

I've heard that Neon Gobies act as cleaners but I've no experience with them.

Cheers,
Vic [veng68]