My boxfish has ich
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Fish
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about fish.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2725
Printed Date: June 18 2025 at 6:14am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: My boxfish has ich
Posted By: Skyetone
Subject: My boxfish has ich
Date Posted: June 09 2004 at 4:25pm
|
It's a camelback box fish I have had for a wile. He is just small and has had small white spots for a long time. They look like ich in freshwater. I have a Ribbon eel and a few triggers and gobies. I don't know how to get him to eat garlic very well, I also don't know weither to try and isolate him and med him with ????? Meds that ACTUALLY work. But I am worried that it will stress him out and cause it to get stronger. Is salt water ich stress induced? A few of the other fish seemed to have it a little a few weeks back, but it seemed to go away from everyone but him..... Advice? ------------- I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it. Magna |
Replies:
Posted By: Ryan Willden
Date Posted: June 09 2004 at 4:27pm
| Do a search for ich and try the Garlic thing. Talked about lots before. |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: June 09 2004 at 4:31pm
|
Yes stress induced. If you can catch him, then do. Try garlic in his food, and try copper if you can move him to his own tank. What is the salinity of your tank now? Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Carl
Date Posted: June 10 2004 at 7:18am
|
Definately do the Ich can be triggered by just about anything, but it is definately stress related. It could be the addition of something new, water quality, the moon being in Jupiter, etc. ------------- In Syracuse "I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting." - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf |
Search thing. It's been talked about almost as much as using Utah's sand and rock resources in our reefs.Posted By: Skyetone
Date Posted: June 10 2004 at 5:32pm
|
If you remember some of the topics I actually have been part of the topics. I was looking for ideas of how to get him to eat food that had garlic. I was also looking twards if pulling him aside would really freak him out. ------------- I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it. Magna |
Posted By: Carl
Date Posted: June 11 2004 at 7:49am
|
Removing a fish will cause stress, unless you dose with valium. Freaking out is also a possibility. To get the specemin to eat garlic soaked food shouldn't be too difficult. Just soak their normal food (don't change on them) in the juice. I usually defrost their frozen dinner in tank water and would add the extract or concentrate or whatever into that water. But, I haven't done that in months since they adjusted to the new tank and got out of their ich funk. If it's not eating, there could be other issues, or it could be too late. But, I haven't seen a fish not take their favorite food just because it is soaked in garlic juice. Actually, they seemed to like the change. ------------- In Syracuse "I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting." - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf |
Posted By: Skyetone
Date Posted: June 11 2004 at 7:52am
|
well thats the funny thing.... He acts normal. I tried to soak his flake in garlic (not kiolic I'm out) a couple different times and he suddenly don't want any. MAybe i will soak some blood worms. He is so small mouthed I can't soak the tiger shrimp he can only nibble. Luckily for me he seems healthy, but would the ich stay if he wasn't stressed anymore? Like mono for fish ------------- I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it. Magna |
Posted By: Carl
Date Posted: June 11 2004 at 8:11am
|
I wouldn't chance it. I have always had an agressive approach to ich. I HATE ich. Luckily, I have only had it twice. I would say try the wrasse and keep trying the garlic. I have had fantastic success with No-Ich Marine, but others say they have not. I don't know... Good luck! ------------- In Syracuse "I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting." - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: June 11 2004 at 8:20am
|
The liquid capsules from health food stores seem to have a garlic that has been more successful. Have you tried it? Soaking it's favorite food may not always work because it likes the current taste of that food. When a fish gets hungry enough, it will usually eat something.
Is this Box Fish in a FO tank? Stress in FO tanks is often caused by reduced water quality because of overfeeding. Strive to add variety to the tank which will consume uneaten food and thus improve water quality. By variety, I mean any organism (plant or animal) that will live with the Box Fish and not compete directly for the same food. More specifically, I'm talking about herbivores, detritivores(poop eaters) and algae. Often in FO tanks, the LR will become somewhat lifeless because of predation. Try placing good LR in a pile where the fish cannot reach the inner surfaces. Also think about hooking up a reef tank to a FO tank. The water coming from the FO tank enters the reef, is cleaned and sent back to the FO tank. If the Box Fish is in a reef tank, is there another organism bothering it. Is the temperature fluctuating too much? What other changes have occurred lately that could have led to stress? My 2 cents ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
|
Posted By: Skyetone
Date Posted: June 11 2004 at 9:16am
|
Mark as always you are full of.... good questions. The fish is in a FO tank. THere are a few triggers, a few stars, a ribbon eel, a few emerald crabs, a couple gobies, several hermits and snails. 100+ lbs of Lr and a reasonable LS bed. The fish has had the white spots for probably 2 months-ish? I was just figuring that it was part of the coloring, but within the last month or so I figured it was ich. I have tried the garlic a few times, but it doesn't seem as though he eats it. I'll try smaller food like brine or bloodworms tonight. My water quality if anything has gone up in the last two weeks since adding a large mech. filter to the system. The fish has no visible signs of abuse from other fish. He swims eats and such as I would call "normal". No other fish seem to have the spots. How long does marine no ich take to fix the problem? A few days, or a few weeks in isolation. Or could I add it to the tank and not hurt my eel(scaleless). My PH is a little low... How do I bring it up? Two weeks ago I tested everything and everything else seemed in the peramiters needed to keep salt... As far as LR goes..... Mark... What does this statement mean? VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
------------- I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it. Magna |
Mark Peterson wrote:Posted By: Shane H
Date Posted: June 11 2004 at 10:00am
| Are you sure it is ick? How large are the spots? Are the spots protruding from the body or do they seem flat? 2 months seems like a long time for a fish to have ick and not die?????? I've got a powder blue tang (see Powder Brown thread) and it also has spots, but it isn't ick. I've tried garlic without success. You may want to go for a cleaner wrasse or treat the whole tank with malachite green. This will of course wipe out your LR. That may be the only sure fire way to rid your tank of whatever it is you have? If, as Mark suggests, the LR is already devoid of critters, it may not be a huge loss to "fumigate" your tank. However, this should be a last resort (IMO). |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: June 11 2004 at 10:38pm
|
Numerous Triggers, Box Fish, Stars, Ribbon Eel...Skye, do you know what these animals eat, and how much?
They eat the life on the reef, all of it! That's what I mean by the LR becoming lifeless. It doesn't become entirely devoid of life but all that's usually left is bacteria. And as important as bacteria is, it's not enough. The full circle of life is necessary for the aquarium to thrive, be healthy and fight diseases and parasites. With Shane, I also wonder what the BF really has. ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
|
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: June 11 2004 at 10:50pm
If your water quality has gone up by adding a mechanical filter, that says that you have too many fish, are feeding too much and have too little biological filtration. Low pH means that you have too much food and detritus in the aquarium. You raise it by removing some fish, feeding less and getting/allowing more biological filtration. If the water parameters were okay, why are you worrying about the BF. It will be fine.  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
|
Posted By: Skyetone
Date Posted: June 12 2004 at 7:55am
|
I got him to eat some bloodworms and really small shreds of tigershrimp with garlic powder on it. The spots do protrude, they are even on his eyes a little. I too am surprised that he hasen't croked. I did notice ( i think) that the spots got smaller just from a little attempt at garlic I agree mark that I don't have enough boi filtration. What is it on the LR that a trigger, ext eats that is part of the reef sytem in bioville? ------------- I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it. Magna |