Bought a coral beauty with ich

[Volturi21]

I just bought a coral beauty with ich. At the store, there was no evident signs of ich on the fish so the disease must have been in it's early stages. Now it's more then apparent. What medication out there can cure ich that won't kill any of the inverts in my tank? Thanks.

[RBU1]

None...

You would have to treat in a seperate tank.

[skibum9884]

+1, there are a few that claim to be reef safe, however in my experience (and others) they don't work.

[Volturi21]

What are some good products for this? Never had a sick fish before.

[RBU1]

You would have to set up a seperate treatment tank and make sure that tank has enough established bacteria to keep it from cycling. I have been using Cupramine.

[Volturi21]

Originally Posted by RBU1

You would have to set up a seperate treatment tank and make sure that tank has enough established bacteria to keep it from cycling. I have been using Cupramine.

I don't know about that. Yes I can put it in another system but it's just going to be the coral beauty and some clean decorations with new saltwater. I don't have to worry about cycling.

[RBU1]

If it is a new setup yes you have to worry about cycling. You would need something with established bacteria. Like a hang on filter from your amin tank.....

[Volturi21]

Originally Posted by RBU1

If it is a new setup yes you have to worry about cycling. You would need something with established bacteria. Like a hang on filter from your amin tank.....

It depends how you setup and how big the water changes you do but that's besides the point. Either last night I was hallucinating or my coral beauty is ok because there is absolutely no white spots on him/her at all. I'm not sure what those white spots were but they are gone now.

[RBU1]

That could be the normal life cycle. It falls off and reproduces. But keep your fingers crossed.

[jjsan]

cupramine or hyposalinity would be best.

[sedor]

If it is a new setup yes you have to worry about cycling. You would need something with established bacteria. Like a hang on filter from your amin tank.....

Not entirely true...in a QT tank which is only water, a simple filter and maybe a piece of PVC you don't need to worry about a cycle, because water does not cycle. You do however have to make sure to change the water regularly so ammonia does not build up.

Your new fish probably has always had ich and it only became apparent because of the stress of moving into your tank. This is very common. If the fish is eating, then everything is fine. Just give it time and the ich will disappear. This is a very hot topic and has been debated for years, but I can tell you that pretty much every fish in my tank has had ich at one point or another and I have never treated. I have never actually lost a fish due to ich. Ich by itself is not very fatal, we just think ich is doing the damage because it is the only visible parasite. Most of the time there are other factors involved. Good luck.

[MR HONDA]

sedor is right.

[RBU1]

Believe me you will get a cycle. Doing 100% water changes can help with the amonnia but having an established filter is the way to go.

[Volturi21]

Originally Posted by RBU1

Believe me you will get a cycle. Doing 100% water changes can help with the amonnia but having an established filter is the way to go.

I agree with sedor. I've done a few quarantine tanks in the past and as long as I did regular water changes I never got a cycle. Think about it, I'm using a few airstones with with a clean decoration for them to hide in with no live sand or rock. As long as I do regular water changes the ammonia will never be able to build up quick enough.

Thanks sedor. I think that's what happened with my coral beauty. The ich fell off and now he/she is perfectly fine and eating. Of course I'll keep an eye on the situation but everything is normal now.

[goochesfish]

My blue hippo has had a bout of ich that resolved on it's own. It was impossible to catch in a 150. No other fish have shown any signs of ich. Kepp your tank clean and in my limited experience fish will recover.

[bclever]

You could try installing a good UV filter and leave the fish in the main tank.
This worked for my regal blue tang that showed up with ich after I brought him home.

[skibum9884]

Careful with UV, depending on the flow rate and wattage it could do little more than give the parasites a sun tan.

I tend to agree with RBU, unless you're very experienced in QT'ing fish, Ammonia can build up much faster than you think and can kill in short order. Another option is to keep Prodibio products on hand that will keep Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate in line.

Also, be careful, assuming you're treating for Ich with meds, using ammonia binders such as Amquel and others is a toxic and lethal combo.

[Volturi21]

It's really not that hard to keep a fish alive in a quarantined tank. Frequent water changes is the key. The tank is 10 gallons. I change 5 gallons every other day. With no sand or gravel and a few decorations, it's hard for waste and uneaten food to accumulate and avoid the water changes. Anyways, this is all irrelevant because I didn't set up a quarantine tank for the coral beauty. The coral beauty looks healthy and is eating well. I'll still keep an eye for ich though.

[Travis]

In my early reefkeeping days (8-11 years ago) I always used a product called Kick-Ich and it always worked and never hurt any of my corals or inverts. This is just my anecdotal experience. I would do a search and read other's experiences before using it.

[Volturi21]

Originally Posted by Travis

In my early reefkeeping days (8-11 years ago) I always used a product called Kick-Ich and it always worked and never hurt any of my corals or inverts. This is just my anecdotal experience. I would do a search and read other's experiences before using it.

I'm going to trust RBU1 and others that told me not to bother with medicating the tank with inverts inside. Not worth the risk.

[RBU1]

Originally Posted by Volturi21

I'm going to trust RBU1 and others that told me not to bother with medicating the tank with inverts inside. Not worth the risk.

Its not about the risk with that kick-ich medication. Its just that they usually do not work and are just a waste of time and money.

[skibum9884]

Originally Posted by Travis

In my early reefkeeping days (8-11 years ago) I always used a product called Kick-Ich and it always worked and never hurt any of my corals or inverts. This is just my anecdotal experience. I would do a search and read other's experiences before using it.

Interesting you say that you used it 8-11 years ago and it worked. I wonder if the formulation has changed at all. I'm thinking it is possible this medication works for certain strains of ich and not others. I remember reading recently about a particularly difficult strain of ich that is circulating in the hobby right now. Not sure if it's true or not, just what I heard. That would explain your successes in the past, and more recent experiences to be failures.