newbie

hello everyone! I am new to this hobby... always wanted a tank but was too afraid... after so many years of thinking I finally got one (55 gal salt water) about 5 weeks ago (thanks to my husband)...
anyway, everything was doing good until a couple days ago my porcupine fish got white spots all over him, it liked appeared overnight... when to LFS and they recommended some medicine i need to use for 4 cycles...
we have quarantined the porcupine fish and also the blue damsel and the five banded damsel and the cleaner fish (other fishes are not infected but we took it out of the main tank anyway)
my main problem is that we're currently in Okinawa and that we don't speak Japanese and of course communication is very challenging...
everything in out tank was taken from the ocean (sand, live rocks, fish, snails, crabs, water)
any suggestions on what we need to do to fix Ich problem and to avoid getting it again?
thanks in advance

agsansoo

Ich is an obligate parasite. Usually I suggest ...
1) quarantine all fish for six weeks in quarantine tank. (i.e. plastic container or trash can)
2) Start by bring the salinity down slowly to 1.020-1.022 in quarantine tank.
3) Purchase a copper treatment, such as Seachem Cupramine ( quarantine tank only ) and follow directions.
4) Make sure the fish are eating well.
5) Bring temp to 86 degrees in empty display tank for 6 weeks.
6) NEVER EVER use copper as a treatment in your display tank.

agsansoo

Leave everything in display tank except the fish and raise the temp. Do not treat the display tank. Ich need fish to survive. With no fish in the display tank, the ich will starve to death. After 30 days the tank will be ich free ! But wait the extra week just to be sure. Treat only the quarantine tank !

Peterpiper

Hi I am very new to marine and been looking at seahorses.
I have read that you can treat a seahorse that has a parasite by giving it
a fresh water bath for 3 min.
Not to sure how this would affect the fish, so do some reseach.
You would still need to treat the tank

agsansoo

Freshwater dips do not eliminate Ich. Freshwater dips may cause gill attached parasites to dislodge, but do not effect epidermal parasites. These are protected by the fishes own mucous layer.

newbie

have done the freshwater dip and the porcupine fish is doing a whole lot better now... still has a few white spots on the fins and and tail but he's eating well and the other fish are clean, so to speak...
how long should i use the medicine the LFS recommended and is it a good idea to transfer the protein skimmer to the QT or should i leave it in the main tank?

Peterpiper

I think the skimmer should be in the same tank as the fish.
Care must be taken so that you don't transfer problems from one tank to the other. The skimmer would need to be 100% clean & disinfected before it was transfered. Your LFS would know which product to use.
Don't forget to clean it again before placing it back in the main tank.
Good luck and hope all goes well!

reef freak

My Pacific Blue tang had Ich. All I did was not stress her, and fed her formula one pellets. She got bette within 3 days.

So, my tips are:
1: DO NOT STRESS THE FISH! If the fish has severe ich, don't try QTing it, will just make it worse.
2: Feed garlic and vitamin based foods. Formula one is perfect for this, and the fish love it
3:Make sure Params are good.

JM

newbie

ok... thanks for your tips but living here in Okinawa and not able to speak Japanese makes it hard to communicate with the LFS clerks (they don't speak english only a couple workers do but just a bit so communication is almost impossible)... any online sites you recommend to get those garlic and vitamin stuff?