Something's wrong

[floral9]

My poor regal's got ich, it's such a nightmare. He's still eating fine and doesn't seem too bothered, but I've caught him rubbing against the rocks like crazy. Does anyone know where I can get some No More Ich? I've been treating him with Melafix but it's not making a huge difference so far.

[onyzza]

Melafix isn't gonna cut it for ich, it's a mild antibiotic that only targets certain bacteria and fungi - ich is a protozoan, so it's basically useless in this case.

[axonify]

You might want to consider Hyposalinity for your regal's ich issue. It's been effective for some tang owners, so it's worth looking into. Providing nutritious food can also help boost their immune system - something like garlic xtreme could be beneficial.

[zenoxa]

I'm with axonify on this one, Hyposalinity is the way to go. Spirulina and garlic, those are great additions to boost their immune system, especially when dealing with ich.

[floral9]

Anyone know why my cleaner shrimp freak out whenever my tang tries to get cleaned? They just back up and swim away.

I'm thinking of trying hyposalinity in a QT tank too, but the timing's terrible - I'm off on holiday Tuesday. What a great time to deal with ich.

[rusticore]

I'm thinking cleaner shrimp might not be too keen on snacking on ich. Apparently, scientists haven't found much evidence of ich cells in their digestive tracts in the wild. I recall reading something about this in RC's Common Misconceptions in the Hobby, it's worth a look.

[floral9]

Thanks mate musho. Ugh, stupid fish, right?

[axonify]

I'm thinking cleaner shrimp might not be too keen on snacking on ich. Apparently, scientists haven't found much evidence of ich cells in their digestive tracts in the wild. I recall reading something about this in RC's Common Misconceptions in the Hobby, it's worth a look.

So what's on the menu for cleaner shrimp then?

How's my regal tang doing? Still rubbing rocks, still eating, but still got ich.

[zenoxa]

I've seen cleaner shrimp make a huge difference in ich outbreaks - I've personally witnessed them bring an epidemic under control after being introduced to the tank. In the wild, they're known to clean even large morays, which would normally see them as a snack. It's worth noting that ich is relatively rare in natural environments, which is why we tend to see it more often in aquariums. I recall my old cleaner shrimp used to give my goby a cleaning, whether he liked it or not - usually resulting in a cloud of sand being flung everywhere.

[zeno9]

I had a trio of skunk cleaners and a lone fireshrimp when my tangs came down with ich. The skunk cleaners always backed away from the tangs, which I found interesting. However, the fireshrimp was a different story altogether - the tangs actively sought him out, and he did a decent job of cleaning them. I'm not sure if it was because of his size or something else, but my tangs definitely preferred the fireshrimp's services over the others.