ICH

missed a while page of posts here. Sorry to hear about your sailfin. I lost one a bit ago due to ich and being gone for xmas at the same time.

Akira, now that you've had ich, it will more or less always be present in your system. It now becomes a mater of keeping your fish healthy enough to fight off any further cases of it (Or should I say, keep your fish from succumbing to ich. They may still come down with ich, but not die because of it). I compare garlic to human consumption of vitamins. People take them in order to maintain their health, but yet can still catch a bug from time to time. There are no cure-alls.

I wish I had read this post a few days ago, I lost my red sea sail fin tonight and it just killed me to watch him suffer like he did. I had been using garlic and fresh water dip to save him for a week. I have a yellow and hipp o tang , 2 clowns, 2 chromis , and yellow belly damsel in a 72g bow. I bumped my temp from 75 to 78 to help shorten the life cycle of the ich . I added a uv today but was way to late to save my favorite. :( All the other fish are active and as crazy as ever, when the sailfin became lethargic the hippo was nipping at him and i didnt notice until tonight. So combined with the ICH and the pestering by the hippo he was lost. From thurs to fri the sail was eating like crazy then fri he just stopped and i knew he was a gonner. So having added a uv and using garlic 1 time a week will the be enough to prevent another out break for the livestock i have, and how about future purchases if i dont run a QT tank ?

Ann don't be discouraged. We all learn from ALL our mistakes. That's what so great about this board.... I for one can't keep a powder blue alive either..

Damn Ann your post is perfect. I couldn't write that well, nor articulate in a professional manner the way you did and I'm twice your age.

Adam
ps- as is DLindquists

Mark Peterson wrote: Dear Ann, I'm not surprised to hear of the success of the fish in the Display. I am surprised and dismayed about your question regarding what Garlic product to use and I am grateful for Brad's quick response. Your question indicates that you did not bother to read the link. Have you read any of the information in the Reefkeeping Tips? That information was carefully organized to provide new hobbyists with a source of wisdom that I acquired over 20 years of intense involvement in this hobby and my experience learning from more than a thousand WMAS hobbyists since 1993. My purpose in providing that organized information is to freely share what God has so graciously given me as I have enjoyed this wonderful hobby over the years. Perhaps I should charge $30 per copy. Would that help you take it more seriously?

I must have overlooked it. I was in a hurry since not only do I have to deal with my tanks, but I also have family things going on, doctor appointments, as well as school and work to deal with. I also must point out that I have only been in the hobby for 1 year, and despite doing plenty of research, I don't know everything. I admit there is plenty that I don't know and I am sure that your experience is far superior to mine, and therefore your information is likely to be a much more valid and helpful resource for me. I don't see why you don't charge for your tips, other than that as far as I'm aware, this forum is for sharing free knowledge and helping each other, rather than criticizing people's knowledge, or lack there of. I do give you plenty of credit for my success this far since I HAVE read large portions of the Reefkeeping Tips, and found the advice given to be very helpful and informative. My apologies for overlooking that bit of information in my haste.

Edited by Ann_A - February 14 2012 at 4:21pm

Dear Ann,
I'm not surprised to hear of the success of the fish in the Display.
I am surprised and dismayed about your question regarding what Garlic product to use and I am grateful for Brad's quick response. Your question indicates that you did not bother to read the link. Have you read any of the information in the Reefkeeping Tips? That information was carefully organized to provide new hobbyists with a source of wisdom that I acquired over 20 years of intense involvement in this hobby and my experience learning from more than a thousand WMAS hobbyists since 1993.
My purpose in providing that organized information is to freely share what God has so graciously given me as I have enjoyed this wonderful hobby over the years. Perhaps I should charge $30 per copy. Would that help you take it more seriously?


Edited by Mark Peterson - February 14 2012 at 9:58am

Ok thanks

What type of garlic oil would you recommend? Is roasted garlic ok?

Here's what's in it:
-Canola/Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Rosemary
-Minced Garlic
-Thyme
-Oregano
-Pure Garlic Oil

As Steve alluded, the HT needs to have adequate biofiltration. A canister, even oversized as you put it, is not enough. Just recently. in several other threads. I have recommended that canister filters be removed because in a marine environment they seem to cause more problems than they solve. Even if this HT has LS and has been running for 2 months or more, adding 3 large fish and 2 smaller fish is overtaxing it's biofiltration. Pollution is rising even as we speak. HT's are usually meant to house a single fish, not the entire population. The result is going to be Ammonia rising to toxic levels and then comes the elevated Nitrite which, along with the Ammonia will certainly stress and possibly kill the fish, which are in a weakened state already.

My final comment and then I'll shut up.
It is highly improbable and very impractical for us ordinary hobbyists to believe that we can keep Ich out of our community tanks. Even after the fallow period, the survival of just one Ich parasite in any of it's stages or reintroduction of just one Ich life stage via a single drop of water, a piece of gravel, LR or a straggler parasite that was protected from medication while inside a fish, is all it takes. Just one single surviving Ich organism in any of it's stages is able to multiply, produce dozens or even hundreds of Ich parasites for the next stage of it's development. By far the better method in my opinion is to make the tank environment so healthy that the fish feel very much at home and to prevent Ich by dosing food with Garlic Oil. Two points I made in the thread but people sometimes miss is the method of best delivery and to try different types of Garlic. We have found that different Garlic products work in different tanks. If Ich does not decrease within 2 days try another Garlic Oil product. The proper delivery of the Garlic to the fish is very important, also described in that thread. I have never had to use these on my personal tanks, but a UV Sterilizer or O3 in the skimmer can be used to partially overcome any lack of healthy conditions in the Ich contaminated tank.