Running out of time (and fish) with Ich

[NexDog]

Tank has been in hypo since Sunday (4 days). Angel and Anthias already died on Monday with no signs of Ich at all. My Coral Beauty is infested and gets worse every day. Still swimming and eating, just scratching alot. One of my clowns now has Ich and also looks like Brook. I have no formalin and can't get any quickly if it is Brook.

I'd like to save these fish but it seems hopeless. I'm useless at this and feel like a complete failure. Sometimes I feel like jacking it in. :(

Anything I can do for the CB and Clown's Ich short term? Fresh water dip? Without formalin, is the Clown doomed?

[Novato]

Treatment: There are several treatment for marine ich and the following have been proven to be successful:

I hope its not too late.

1. If no invertebrates are in the tank, copper-based medications are very effective against the parasite. Treatment may be required for up to 21 days to ensure killing all the stages of the parasite.

2. Garlic treatments have also proven to be effective. Simply add garlic to the feeding regimen, there are even some garlic products specifically prepared for feed marine livestock.

3. Hyposalinity is the newest trend for dealing with Ich and other parasites. Fish are transferred into a hospital tank with a specific gravity of 1.011. Most fish except sharks and rays can tolerate this introduction without any specific acclimation. Infected fish should remain in this for about 7-10 days and then reacclimated to NSW (Normal Saltwater) at no more than a .001 increase per day. The infected fish should remain in the hospital tank for up to 4 weeks to ensure the main tank has also been eradicated of Ich. If no host is available, they will all perish without reproducing.
Thanks to reefnut.com

[Gargausius]

Hold on with the copper based medications for the Coral Beauty. There was a person in this forum that did that and ended up doing more damage than good with his Flame Angel. Bottom line is, marine angelfish are sensitive to copper based medications. They can handle a freshwater dip just fine. Marine angels can handle a freshwater dip for 5 minutes.

Try doing a 50% water change. Usually water changes and a low stocking level helps with ich a lot. Sometimes ich is induced because of environmental stressors causing the fish's immune system to be weakened, hence a higher susceptibility for the ich cysts to take a hold.

There are also other kinds of ich medications that are non-metal based. Try those.

[NexDog]

The coral beauty is really hardy but I am worried that it will last out. I've tried to get a definite answer about how long it takes for hypo to actually rupture the toments (as that is what it's supposed to do) but despite all the knowledge and experience on this forum, no-one actually needs to know. I know the 6 week recommended hypo period is due to the different stages of life-cycle the parasite goes through but it would be really nice to know how long it takes for those toments to rupture and drop off the fish. If I knew such a thing, I think I'd be in a better position to weigh up the options.

More of a worry is the clown. Brooklynella kills fast - within 36 hours and 24 hours ago there was no sign and now it's looking very Brookish and I know of no other cure apart from Formalin which I don't have.

I soak food in Selcon before added it to the tank. Doesn't seem to be helping....

[Rivalpc]

just cleared ich from my tank, I used garlic guard mixed with the food and Kordon Prevent Ich in the tank. Ich went away in a week. You mix the Garlic guard with the food prior to feeding twice a day (for me) and use the prevent ich once a day.

[orlenz]

You can try using a UV sterilizer, it worked for me, just make sure you get one strong enough for your tank.

[marinegirl]

ive used Hypo along with seachem paraguard on more than one occasion now in hospital tank and i have also used it as a concentrate dip, along with a pure Fresh water /paraguard dips and massive water changes ive also used and you may want to try equlibrium in the tank if you have inverts its reef safe .. and brakes down after 5 days its quite awsome how it works for the first 3/4s of the treatment you think its doing nothing them wham no spot... it saved my tangs more than once but then so has the paraguard ... if you opt for the hospital /hypo / paragurard approach ( which is the cheapest ) and your living in a hot climate move your tank to a room with aircon. i have tried bottles filled with frozen water but they dont work to crash hot... good luck !

[NexDog]

My biggest worry is the clown. It's definitely Brook and it's almost dead. Any cures for that that don't include Formalin?

[Gargausius]

Try freshwater dipping your clown. The Brook will slough off.

[fd235158]

For one hypo takes a while to work but it has great results. I've found that it takes a week for things to improve and it also gets worse before it gets better. My tang had skin the texture of sandpaper for the first few days of hypo, I thought it was going to die. Assuming you're doing it correctly be patient. The only treatment I know of for brook is formalin but a FW bath can provide some temp relief. If you have both ich and brook I really wish you the best with treatment. Good luck

[NexDog]

I've lost clowns to Brook before and a FW dig didn't help. Anyhow, it died last night - less that 24 hours. Man, that Brook kills fast.

I'll wait it out on the hypo then. Thanks for letting me know.

[marinegirl]

sorry to hear of your loss

[Gargausius]

I've experienced many "unexplained" losses or losses due to stress or disease with my fish before. I now highly recommend all newly acquired fish to be treated for parasites regardless of whether I can see them or not. The medications if used properly and with discretion (certain fish are sensitive to certain types of medications), will not harm your fish. It will inevitably do more good than harm if you do so. Fish live longer under your care without making the hobby seen like a real chore.

[Gargausius]

Another note is to not keep Bi-Color Angels anymore. They are not hardy Pygmy Angels to begin with. There's something in their dietary needs that's not being met when they're kept in a tank. They end up dying sooner than many of the commercially available Pygmy Angels. Although scientists/taxonomists classify the Bi-Color Angel as belonging to the genus Centropyge, I have suspicions that it may be more closely related to Holacanthus angels, but much smaller, and therefore may have similar needs. I don't know, just an observation about the exterior likeness to Holacanthus angels rather than Centropyge.

[NexDog]

I think I'll try again in a few years maybe. What until I have a larger and more mature tank. They do appear to be huge grazers so probably need lots of pods and other live food. Learning lots of lessons - just wish they didn't have to be so hard...