How to Get Rid of Ich??

Its a 90 gallon tank. I did research and see that the sailfin alone would have needed about 135gallons according to a book. The reason I bought them was because number one they looked really cool and the yellow and sailfin were in a 65 gallon display tank at the LFS for a good month together without any problems. So my thinking was if they got along fine there they'd be ok in my 90gallon. I introduced live rock into the system the 5th of jan. Tank never cycled tho. Been dosing with brightwell aquatics microbacter at the recommended dosage, no chemical changes to indicate a cycle since introduction of live rock. I'm doing another chemical test today, but as of the last week 8.2pH, 0NH4, 0 NO2-, and 0 NO3. that was right before the big algea bloom and signs of ich.I did a 25 gallon water change two weeks ago and I am planning on doing a 15 gallon one this weekend. The way I've been introducing the fish (which may completely wrong and misguided by the LFS) was I introduced two clowns at first waited a week and no change in chemicals so I added a few more lbs of LR, waited a week, no chemical changes, added the yellow tang and randall's shrimp goby i think at the same time, waited a week, no chemical changes, added two cleaner gobies and snails, waited about 4 days then got the bi color blenny and then this past weekend was about a week or a little more since the blenny and I added the hippo and trigger. If I've been an idiot let me know and give me some recommendations to fix my stupidity please.

 

Agustim - certainly you have been no idiot at all.

This is a tough hobby and one minute everything is going right and the next . . . .

It seems the main issue you have is stocking too many fish too fast. It seems as though your tank was never allowed to properly cycle and continually adding fish to this system has added a "snowball" effect. The fish are a bit crowded and therefore much more prone to illness.

If you can, you best bet is to get rid of the Ich magnets (hippo, yellow, sailfin) or at least one of them to lighten the load. Treating the tank as it is will be a band aid fix. You need to decrease the bioload of your system to bring it back to health. That is my first recommendation.

What do you have running for a skimmer? Sump? Aeration/surface agitation? All of these factors are important to your overall system health and involve no chemical dosing which IMO should only be used as a last resort or if it is the only known cure. Ich is like the common cold in some ways - most fish carry it in some stage at some point in their lives.

About your LFS:
A lot of LFS do not have the best reputation for upholding the guiding principles of this hobby - they are more interested in lining their wallets a lot of the time. That being said - it's not surprising they would have those fish in that small of a tank. Also - you have to remember when comparing to your tank that every system is different. Maybe that particular tank was tied into a 1000 gallon SW system - giving great water quality despite only being in a smaller DT. Also the different species of fish in a given system are all likely to influence the behavioral of your fish.

So no, you are no idiot - and it seems like you have done at least some research.

My advise is to get rid of some of your livestock as they will only continue to cause the same problems no matter how many treatments your system undergoes.

 

I have 20 gallon long sump with a reef octopus NWB-150 skimmer, a live rock section, with a bubble trap and in the bubble trap I have a small media bag with GFO, and then the return section. I have two MPw10es vortech pumps in the DT for flow. I use brightwell aquatics biofuel to aid the skimming and dose daily with microbacter. I have befriended the LFS owner and I guess I do rely on his advice more than I should. Since the sailfin is the only one not showing signs of ich, I'll probably try to take him back to the LFS. What should I do if he doesn't want to take back the fish? and then..what would be my next step towards stabilizing the tank?

 

So I called the fish store since it's a slow day at work...as you can see by many posts this morning....and their advice is to buy some metrochlrozine? don't know if thats correct, but I should soak frozen food in it along with garlic and feed it to them. Also they said ich is not a major issue because they only live on the fish for 3-5days then fall off, live in the sand and repeat the cycle. I am planning on removing the sailfin tang, but I have to wait next week to do it. That's the only time they'll take him. I'm assuming ich just presents itself when the immune system is low and then can help infection/diseases set in and that's what kills the fish? any ideas on their advice?

 

yep, ich is opportunistic and will take hold when the fish are stressed or with "less than ideal" conditions. Some fish are much more prone to ich. Tangs are ich magnets. I assume you plan on enjoying this tank for a long time? If so, return some fish and take your time stocking. you dont want to use up all your fun fish shopping in the fist month of your tank

 

This might have been a mistake(and prolly why I rushed it), but I am planning on taking it apart in july or in november. I'm moving in april, but its at my girlfriends apartment and she may be staying longer than july. I won't be able to set it back up until a year or a little less from now, so this is just a temporary/ get my feet "wet", no pun intended, in saltwater aquariums.