Marine ich issues and solutions

[rivetax]

I'm starting to think I'll never get a response on my other thread, so I'm trying again here. Got a clownfish that I'm pretty sure has Ich - the other one and my Blenny seem fine, though. It's weird, some days the spots are gone, but others they're everywhere. No QT for me, unfortunately, space and cash are tight.

[Cobyx]

Not having a QT is a common challenge many of us face, and we just have to adapt. Marine Ich is quite distinct from its freshwater counterpart, so some treatments like elevated temperature and salt won't be effective. For a fish-only tank without inverts, copper-based medications can be used to eliminate the issue.

However, in my experience, clean water and a well-fed fish are often the best defense against marine Ich. A healthy, stress-free fish will typically develop a natural immunity to the parasite, preventing future occurrences. This approach might not be suitable if the Ich infestation is severe, but for your situation, it's worth considering.

Adopting a "wait it out" attitude can be unnerving, but as a reef keeper, I've had to rely on this method since medicating would harm my corals. Surprisingly, it's been effective for me. To reiterate, this advice is specifically for marine Ich, so those dealing with freshwater Ich should disregard this.

To summarize, you have two options:

1. If you don't have inverts, you can use copper-based medications.
2. If you do have inverts, focus on keeping your fish well-fed, minimizing stress, and performing frequent water changes. Just be patient and let the fish's natural immunity take over.

If you're not comfortable with the second option, there might be some invert-safe medications available, but I've found they're not always effective in curing the Ich.

[onyzza]

I'd like to add that if you're considering an invert-safe medication for marine ich, be sure to research the active ingredients thoroughly. In my experience, I've yet to come across a legitimate product that effectively cures ich. Many of the supposedly reef-safe ich cures I've looked into over the years have had active ingredients that either wouldn't do much to combat ich specifically or were simply misleading. I recall one instance where a product even listed distilled water under a fancy name as an active ingredient, which is essentially useless.

[rivetax]

I just lost my Blenny today and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. I'm pretty sure it was ich, given that my other Clownfish now has it too. I've got a copper-based medication on hand, but with live rock, snails, Hermits, and shrimp in the tank, that's not an option. The ich doesn't seem too severe, and I've been feeding the recommended Formula One Ocean Nutrition Flakes. I've also been keeping the lights on for 4-5 hours a day, and doing water changes every week or two - salt isn't cheap, after all. I've got a bunch of Hermits - 13 to be exact - and 2 Peppermint Shrimp in the tank, and I'm worried about them eating the dead Blenny. It's in a tough spot, and removing it would be a real pain - lots of moving would be required. Will they be able to take care of it, or should I just suck it up and remove it?

[Riptide]

From what I've gathered, stress seems to be a major contributor to ich issues in saltwater tanks. So, it makes sense that keeping your hands out of the tank and maintaining a proper feeding schedule can help alleviate some of that stress, allowing the fish to recover on their own.

[lanky_bark]

I'm pretty sure I've heard that marine fish are less likely to get ich, not completely impervious though. I thought salt was supposed to be a natural deterrent for ich, but I guess it's not that effective.

[onyzza]

I thought marines were impervious to ich. Ich hates salt, right? Turns out, that's only half true - freshwater ich is one thing, but saltwater ich is a whole different story. It's called Cryptocaryon, and many marine fish are actually pretty susceptible to it.

[Cobyx]

Something worth mentioning is that marine ich, or rather crypto, isn't affected by higher tank temperatures. They actually thrive in warmer conditions. And as the names suggest, the marine version isn't technically ich but crypto, though it's often referred to as ich due to the similar appearance.

[rivetax]

Just got back from vacation - that Carnival Cruise ship stuck in St. Martin, yeah that was me. Anyway, the clownfish is gone, no body, nothing. So I decided to shake things up, got 5 pounds of new live rock and a skunk cleaner - was close to getting a pair of harlequins though. Rearranged the tank, kept the peppermint and skunk in a floating container for a bit, let them get to know each other, and now they're living together in harmony. No fighting, just happy shrimp. Since all my fish are gone and I've had it with blennies and clowns, I've scrapped my whole stocking plan.

In a few weeks, I'll add another fish. I'm thinking of sticking with what I have - another peppermint, maybe a scarlet skunk, more hermits, turbo snails. But I'm also open to new ideas. Some options I'm considering are a flameback angel, royal gramma, or a jawfish. Maybe a goby or cardinal - not sure about inverts like crabs and shrimp, or even a coflake, not sure if my lighting's up to it. Any suggestions would be great.

[Cobyx]

My advice would be to exercise some patience and hold off on adding new fish for at least 10 weeks. Marine ich can be a stubborn parasite, and while it's generally gone after 8 weeks in a fishless tank, I've seen cases where it's lingered for up to 10 weeks. Better safe than sorry, right? If you only wait a couple of weeks, you risk the ich still being present, just waiting for a new host to come along.