|
First of all.... Stop buying fish!!! That solves the basic problem of you keeping introducing healthy fish to an unhealthy environment.
Your eel will generally never get ich because of it's thick layer of slime.
You need to have that tank free of fish for a minimum of three weeks, (the lifecycle time of C. irritans, (ich)). For you I would suggest 6 weeks because you seem to have a patience issue.
As someone else has already pointed out - Quarantine Tank!!! The are very inexpensive - especially when you consider how many fish you have lost due to the lack of one. Never _ever_ add a new fish to an established population without first quarantining for at least 3 weeks - I don't care how pretty you think the fish will look in your display tank or how lonely you think he seems in the Q tank - 3 weeks with no signs of stress or disease is _the rule_.
Also, as pointed out as well, the cleaners of the reef are fine for diversity and interest but they are simply unable to keep up with a fish that has reached the level of infestation that makes it noticeable. You need to remember that while you can see the ich on the fish there are many, many more in their larval form in your sand bed and water waiting to take over residency as soon as they are ready. Cleaners are not a disease control solution in a captive environment, period.
Be patient. Make sure your tank is "spot on" and stress free and then add fish one at a time starting with the least aggressive and most hardy, (if possible). The first one can go straight into the reef, after that you need a Q tank or you will be back where you started. Each fish has to show three consecutive weeks, (preferably four), that are disease and stress free before new fish are added to the existing population.
|