Help Ick!!!!

Hello all I'm new to Marine hobby, and can use some help....I just set up my first two saltwater tanks in the past month and a half. I have a 70 gal tank that I know I over populated to quickly, didn't QT, and now paying for it. I had a coral beauty and a flame angel die on me 3 days ago, didn't notice anything wrong with them. Then the next day I noticed my puffer had a couple of small white specks on him, and my yellow tang jetting around, and rubbing. Ick is what I thought instantly!!! Well Yesterday I noticed my dogface puffer, yellow tang, and lionfish all are covered in white specks. I have been reading tons of info on Ick and the different forms. I came to the conclusion that it more then likely is Amyloodinium and that I should use Crypto Pro that contains Quinine Sulfate....I see some people say use a QT and others say just leave in main tank. Raise temps slowly to 82-85 deg. for 10-12 days and hyposalinity at 1.015 clean all filtering equipment, change media, and do water change. Then treat them with tetracycline or penicilin for secondary.

I guess what my ? is should I use a QT to treat them and follow the recommendation of raising temp., and hyposalinity to kill ick in them main tank? Does Crypto Pro really work if I can find it in time? Is there another well known brand to treat tuff strains of ick? What do I do about my inverts, and starfish? Do I leave them in the main tank? What do I do about my LR?

Thanks in Advance for info.....

 

I would put them in a qt to do any kind of medication. Even if the meds say that they do not affect any other animals (inverts/coral), you must be cautious. Some animals are so sensitive that any trace of meds will kill. You rarely want to medicate your entire tank. Ick is in the water at all times, like the common cold is always in the air. It just depends if the animal is stressed enough to catch it. It will always be in the tank. You are treating symptoms. If you only medicate a qt tank then you do not have to worry about the lr and inverts. I personally never use meds. If the fish started off healthy then they should pull through. Hope everything works out.

 

Well I went to my LFS and got 100 % Organic Ick Attack, a cleaner warrse, and 2 cleaner shrimp yesterday morning as soon as they opened. Almost instantly I seen slimey stuff fall off my dogface, and a few other things. Then the cleaner warsse went to town just cleaning everyone. My fish were very pleased to have him around. This morning I got up to find the cleaner warrse was dead. Have no clue as to why. But my fish have very few spots on them, and seem happier today. I treated the tank again with the Ick Attack, gradually raised the temp. up to 82 deg. since yesterday, and lowered the salinity to 1.018 so far. My LFS sayed lower it to 1.016 so I'm working on that. So far things seem to be going well....oh and my crabs, and snails are all doing well even with the Ick Attack.

 

I just had ick in my tank and i got 1 clean shrimp and 1 blue and black striped skinny fish (not sure name) but LFs told me he eat the crap off the fish and he did and the fish loved it. Now its gone. The cleaner shrimp didn't do much to what i noticed.

 

That's the cleaner wrasse that MSM was referring to. A neat little fish.

You could also use some garlic guard, its supposed to boost a fish's immune system to help fight off the ich.

Good luck with it!!

 

Well I lost my yellow tang today. I did the FW dip and that did it for him. I wouldn't suggest doing that to anyone. But my lion fish, and puffer are looking good. I will be getting the Garlic Guard.

 

how long has this tank been established?????

 

The white spots didn't go away overnight...they hatched. That means that they will come back in greater numbers without the medication. Each "dot" is a cyst that will hatch a couple hundred more to swim until they find a host, this is when your meds will kill them. Probably rhetoric for you...

Sorry the wrasse didn't make it, they are very hard to keep alive even in well established tanks so hopefully you see the fish offering up to the shrimp. Be carful dropping your salinity it does need to be slow, I don't what your temp was when you started, but a 5 degree increase over 24hr really isn't even gradual.

Fresh water dips are good but you need to make sure that PH and Temp are the same or it is just as stressful to the fish to do this. It also depends on each fish as to wheter they are up to it. Good luck and I would treat the tank for twice as long as it recomends and then set up a quarantine tank for future purchases.

The other thing that you mentioned that I'd worry about was that you said your puffer shed its slime coat... that isn't waht you want so watch that fish and your params closely, somehting is still strssing this fish at least.

 

Well I've been treating for 4 days now. The lionfish, and puffer are eating very well and seem to be happy. I will be treating them for 2-2 1/2 weeks then going to treat them for a secondary to be careful.

My tank is only 1 1/2- 2 months old. But I purchased an established 29 gal. and took live rock, and water from it to seed my setup. I have been doing 10 % water changes on both weekly. I put the water from my 29 into my 70 to help, and also put a bacteria booster into them. I started out with just a few damsels in the 70 for over a month. I found a new home for them, and purchased the lionfish, and puffer less then 2 weeks ago. I will NOT be adding more fish for a few months maybe even longer.

 

Your on the right track, puffers and lions aren't the most delicate fish but also not the hardiest. Keep doing what you are doing and in a few months try adding a fish or two. Both these fish will cause more pollutants in your tanks because of the food they eat and the waste they create. That could have added to your problem in the beginning probably best not to introduce two like this at the same time.