Ick after QT

I must dissent and claim that I have seen the cover on the cyst of the ich removed by a shrimp. While you are right that the actual ich is not removed - I have seen the number of white spots reduced directly by the attention of a cleaner shrimp. It may be more of a "comfort" than a "cure" issue that the shrimp helps with.
Again, I agree with the part about them not removing and/or curing the actual disease. I am just saying that it will not hurt. I am not saying a cleaner shrimp will get rid of ich.

 

As has been said, a shrimp will do nothing to stop the infestation, but they do remove some of the parasites. Yes, there are a bunch of nasties deep within the fish flesh that they can't reach. But there are some just at and on the surface that they can. Have you ever put a cleaner in a tank with an Ich infested fish? They go freaking mad in their picking frenzy.

So it's not a "cure". But they DO eat some of the parasites.

The shrimp can also harass the fish with constant picking causing more stress..... just saying....

 

I just want to pass on what happened to me (right or wrong) just the facts.
I had purchased a 2 inch sailfin tang that I qt-ed for 16 days - all was great and dipped him into dt. immediately he was picking at the rocks and swimming around. fast forward 4 days - first noticed an ick breakout (very minor) eating doing fine a 3 on a 10 scale.
so I started to use garlic with the mysis shrimp for a few days and went out to get a cleaner shrimp.
The next day the ick was no longer noticeable (i know it does not go away) he was fine and swimming around and picking at rocks. yesterday morning I noticed he did not come out to eat and was hiding. Didn't think much about it (i should have) since I had an early morning meeting.
Got home and he was covered in ick and laying on his side gasping. desperate I gave him a fresh water dip (3 min) right temp. Never was able to right himself. Put him into the QT again but was not able to swim up right and could not right himself.
My theory - real or not - it actually was not ick at all (just a side effect) the cleaner shrimp did not help - looked like more harmful (did seem to shred bottom fin)
the part that perplexes me is he was not able to swim any more.

 

I would go with three, because five is just to pain full... and four seems do have short and or long term consequences....

I had a similar situation and went against the norm also treated DT tank since several were infected in addition added garlic to feedings. So far so good two weeks later....At first i saw spots everywhere on everything watch carefully.

E

 

To say the least (noticed I didn't say this) I did lose my sailfin tang - my first fish lost. One day totally ok - with in 8 hours almost dead.
0 ammonia
0 nitraite
under 2 nitrate
ph now 8.1
cal 410
this obsession does give and take.
I feel like I did everything I could with the resources I had on hand - but the shear speed of this made my options limited.

 

Sorry for your loss

 

i was having a similiar problem with my tangs, i have three in my 120, powder blue tang, purple tang, and a yellow one, the pbt was an ich magnet i removed him for 12 weeks to run a full cycle in the qt tank, he was fully better, the streess from moving him from qt tank to dt tank caused him to get ich again. these tangs are ich magnets, but then i started feeding more veggies in their diet and giving them purple seaweed. it has now been over 2 months since i have seen any ich on any of my tangs, so for me it was something as small as giving them more veggies in their diet which made them healthy enough to keep it away

 

Well this obsession does teach us.
So after more research and telling my story to other hobbyists - I think I have come up with the truth about the sailfin tang. When I got home last night my bangi cardinal had a second fin missing - and observed the two fire clowns beating him up on occasion.
So I think that the tang probably did have ick (like most tangs) but lost his real battle due to being bullied by the clowns.
So in order to save the rest of the inhabitants I have taken the fire clowns back to the lfs. (not an easy task)
And will re asses my live stock list.