Marine Ich (cryptocaryn irritans) - Page 2

Tommy Gun · 02-06-2007, 10:28 PM

Up until very recently, I have never dealt with marine ich, however my heniochus butterfly had/has it, so I am not really experienced at all with this subject. However, I can say that from all outward signs, it seems to me that my UV filter has done a great job as far as stopping the progression of Ich in my tank. The butterfly is getting a lot better, which is either from the ich dropping off or becuase one of my cleaner shrimp are helping out a lot more than I would have expected. The main point though is that even with a hippo tang and numerous other fish in the same tank with the butterfly, none have any signs of Ich. So, I think that a UV may help more than some may think...but that is just my one experience and surely not definitive scientific proof and I realize that.

Still, I think that if I was to go with the freshwater dip method, coupled with the UV, it may be more of a practical solution.

I just wanted to bring this experience of mine up in the hopes of fueling a deeper conversation about Ich treatments.

rayjay · 02-06-2007, 11:00 PM

I find it hard to believe that someone would want to do a temporary measure when proper treatment can be successfully completed.
I'll be the dialysis patient would love to have a treatment so he wouldn't have to undergo dialysis again.

rayjay · 02-06-2007, 11:14 PM

I personally choose not to UV my systems as the UV also wipes out the zooplankton that my tank produces and to me, the zoo is more benificial to my systems than a UV system.

alexfevery · 02-06-2007, 11:14 PM

But like failing kidneys, a permanent treatment may be hard to obtain. the medecations are mostly designed to destroy the parasites swimming in the tank. meanwhile your fishs gills are covered with medecation imune stages of the parasite that are slowly killing him by sufocation. So how then can you ease his pain and stress of not being able to breath: you can A, let the parasites burst into swimming form and then let the medication kill them which could take hours or even days for them to burst(meanwhile your fish can hardly breathe) or B you can destroy the parasites attached all over his gills imidiatly with a freshwater dip and instantly restore his normal breathing. and then let the medication destroy the free swiming forms.

rayjay · 02-06-2007, 11:26 PM

But, a permanent treatment is at hand for our inhabitants.
That dip should only be required in unusual circumstances as the hobbyist should be pursuing a treatment long before the fish is in such a state.
I have to admit that it did happen to me when I was away for a long weekend years ago, but that was before I undertook to rid the tanks of ick via removal of all fish to treatment tanks for copper and hyposalinity, depending on what fish were involved.
Every fish I add now gets the same treatment before being placed in my tanks.

alexfevery · 02-06-2007, 11:32 PM

this is true, but what about for the novice aquarist who has recocnized his problem to late and has an advanced case of ich, with his fish severly infected.

Chitown1 · 02-07-2007, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexfevery

this is true, but what about for the novice aquarist who has recocnized his problem to late and has an advanced case of ich, with his fish severly infected.

That is exaclty the reason not to post that a fresh water dip works, it is very deceiving and untrue, it is not a cure at all and a severly infested fish that is just dipped than put back into a display is the worst course of action, in my experience. I certainly do not claim to know it all or that I am a expert, but I have been keeping my own tanks for over 15 years, and been in contact with tanks all my life and still learn everyday.

Chitown1 · 02-07-2007, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayjay

I personally choose not to UV my systems as the UV also wipes out the zooplankton that my tank produces and to me, the zoo is more benificial to my systems than a UV system.

Zooplankton generally only comes out in mass at night, if you run the UV only during the day you get the best of both worlds. I run mine with the actinics and would never run a tank without one, I have them on all my tanks and would never consider running without one.

alexfevery · 02-07-2007, 07:44 PM

It does so work.

Tommy Gun · 02-07-2007, 08:18 PM

In the interests of healthy debate, lets not go too over board. Like Ray points out in his own signature, there are many ways to succeed and the one thing I noticed first in this hobby is that some people can have immense success in one method where others would fail miserably.

I have never used the freshwater dip myself, but I know first hand that one person on this forum had success with it on a porcupine puffer. In that case, the circumstances may have been different than most, or maybe not...who knows. I am not defending one method over another, but just keeping that door open.

Also, let's face it, not everyone has a q-tank and while the best advice would obviously be to get one, or get out of the hobby, that is not something a whole lot of people would be attuned to listen to. So, maybe a freshwater dip, or medicated dip, may be the only alternative for one person in a pinch. So....what then?