Ich (Cryptocaryon Irritans) Treatment

[ChuckG]

The only 'changes' in the tank that have been going on is that I add live juvi sergeant majors (food) maybe 15 at a time - they are free, I live near the ocean. Mass fish additions can cause stress, I know this but I sort of figured this would be different - since it's food.

OK - no one answered my first question. Why are my snails still alive?

[DaveK]

You are adding live fish caught from the ocean. This is an excellent way to bring disease into your system. In addition to the stress, it only takes one paracite to infect a system.

Some snails can tollerate a wide range of salinity and other water conditions. When visiting the New Jersey shore, I've seen snails on the tidal mud flats. They are often out of water at low tide, and often in tidal pools where the water temp can get extreme in the summer.

[ChuckG]

The snails that are surviving happen to be just that kind. Nassarius Obsoleta - normally found on mud flats.

Guess I'll stop feeding them "natural" food if the fish survive. The lion actually is 'attempting' to eat today. The trigger now looks like it may have velvet in addition to the ich. Me thinks the whole tank may be doomed............

[DaveK]

It your fish actually has velvet (Oodinium), it is very very serious. Hyposalinity will NOT cure this disease. The only thing that I have ever used on this disease that I felt works was copper sulfate.

See this RAG link -
http://www.reefaquariumguide.com/for...=51971&page=28

[ChuckG]

I don't have a QT tank big enough for the fish. If I put copper in the tank I will destroy everything. It's a 45 gal with a Fluval 304 and HOB refugium along with about 45 lbs of live rock.

[peelosophy]

As a somewhat relevant anecdote: I had a friend in college who was interested in researching ich. She got grants for funds and even got a whole lab to use for her research at the university we attended. She was never able to experimentally induce ich in her fish, despite all the horrilble mad scientist things done to them. Not one fish contracted ich, until diseased specimens were added to the experiment thus introducing the parasite.

[ChuckG]

OK - I get the point - no more live food

[DaveK]

Originally Posted by ChuckG

I don't have a QT tank big enough for the fish. If I put copper in the tank I will destroy everything. It's a 45 gal with a Fluval 304 and HOB refugium along with about 45 lbs of live rock.

Yes, copper would do just that. This is why velvet (Oodinium) is so serious.

You will need to get something to treat the fish in or move everything else out.

The various rubbermaid trash cans can work well for this. You could also go out and get another tank for QT use, and this is something we should all have.

Usually tanks in the 30 gal - 50 gal range are not too expensive, and you don't need all the other stuff.

[ChuckG]

Guess it's not Velvet. Fish appear to be starting to come around. They are even eating.

If parasites can't get to the fish at 1.010 - why not just leave your tank like that?

[DaveK]

Glad to hear things are turning around for you and the fish are eating. That is a good sign.

The reason we don't keep fish at 1.010 is that it does put stress on them. So, it's not a good thing to do long term.

Some people do keep fish only systems at a slightly lower SG than would normally be used on a reef system. The idea is that the lower SG makes it hard on the paracites, and lets the water hold more oxygen.

Normal SG for a reef is about 1.025. For people using a lower SG with fish only, they will typicaly use about 1.018 to 1.022.

Like anything else, there are advantages and disadvantages to this. If your LFS uses 1.025 for it's fish, you'll have a long acclimation period for every fish you want to try.

Personally, I perfer to use 1.025 with a full reef system, or fish only system.