Ich Treatment

[naesco]

Originally Posted by Ryan

So far its only been 24 hours scince I have noticed it. I have bought some Garlic Extreme and Selcon which is soaking up in some NLS pellets as I type this. I also bought a Cuppermine bottle and Copper test but am hoping I wont have to use it.

Please feed the fish as much as they can eat and feed often and feed only the soaked food.The ich will return but once the fish are 'full of ' the garlic and selcon the ich will not attach. They will remain in the water so continue doing this for some time. If it returns catch it at the begging and continue treatment.
Good Luck

[Ryan]

If I dont see any improvment by the weekend I am treating with Copper.

[daddy01]

ryan,
I had ich outbreak awhile back while I was away for a week, and my son was babysitting.
What I did was lower Salinity to 1.02 (slowly) for a week, and feed Garlic and selcon then slowly raised the salinity. I havent' had ich since.
Jim

[sitandwatch]

When I had my ich issue I also feed garlic that I made myself, the funny thing is that after a feeding the tank, the water smelt like I was marinating my fish in garlic.

[Ryan]

Well 24 hours into the Garlic food and my skimmer has stopped building foam and my anemone has receded. Would this be because of the Garlic?

[icecool217]

I think I am on the same boat as Ryan now. I don't have a spare tank and my clowns have ich.
I am using garlic guard by seachem. Is this good enough? I am considering setting up a hospital tank very soon.
As for the main tank, I have cleaner and fire shrimps. If I leave the tank empty for 6-8 weeks, would i be able to treat ich that way or would they stick onto the shrimps?

[naesco]

Originally Posted by icecool217

I think I am on the same boat as Ryan now. I don't have a spare tank and my clowns have ich.
I am using garlic guard by seachem. Is this good enough? I am considering setting up a hospital tank very soon.
As for the main tank, I have cleaner and fire shrimps. If I leave the tank empty for 6-8 weeks, would i be able to treat ich that way or would they stick onto the shrimps?

First of all make sure that the clowns have ich and not clown fish disease which is fatal if not treated immediately.
Some of the garlic treatments are nothing but watered down garlic juice that is not concentrated enough. I do not know about seachem but IMO invest in a bottle of garlic extreme or garlic extract which you can get from a health food store or squeeze your own which is a really smelly way to go.
I suspect that those who have not had success with garlic treatment use a weak solution or do not load the fish with extract. ie feed very often and only garlic soaked food during treatment.
If you use frozen food, the mysis is loaded with water and will not absorb enough garlic.
I agree with I have crabs that garlic acts on the immune system to fight ich. I also think the ich chooses not to attach to a fish that is garlic laden.
But, I disagree with I have crabs about the use of cleaner shrimp and neon gobies. Both these fish help by removing some ich from the sick fish.
UV will also help if the light is strong enough and the flow through the UV slow enough.
Water changes also help by diluting the ich concentration especially if you sipon near the bottom.

If you remove all the fish for eight weeks in your main tank there will be no ich in your tank as ich requires fish to survive.
Good Luck