Ich / Velvet Do Nothing Treatment Thread!

[damsels are not mean]

I'd rather just never lose a fish to preventable diseases. I have so far managed to dodge bullets, but now new fishes are coming from QT vendors and I am taking biosecurity seriously, including frags and snail shells. With the resources we hobbyists have these days to deal with disease (such as peroxide and pre-QT fish) I just don't understand the mindset of knowing about these diseases and playing Russian roulette any time I want to add something to the tank. It's not hard to HTTM new arrivals and fish from QT vendors are not expensive enough compared to mystery fish to justify taking the risk to me. I would be absolutely livid if I lost my clownfish (the first SW fish I got, 10 years ago) to velvet or brook despite knowing how to prevent them from entering my tanks at all.

 

[ozziede]

Just coming off an an experience I like to share. I've been doing ich management since the start and I knew 4 months ago I had ich in the tank when I had 3 fishes. A couple of clowns and a blue tang. Fed them well on dry, frozen mysis, shaved clams and they all seemed to get over it. Few months later the tank was stocked up to 5 inhabitants and no signs of ich. I then added my 6th fish a bristle tooth tang and bam the next day my Coral Beauty died with no symptoms other than not being itself the night before, blue tang broke out in white spots clown fishes started flashing. A week later the bristle tooth suddenly died showing no symptoms other than being lethargic the night before. 5 days later the Female clown died with skin falling off people would say it would look like brook and all fish show symptoms of ich, flashing, classic salt grain spots. So off to the LFS and they recommended Reef Revolution Parasite Remover. A reef safe peroxide salt remedy to control ich. 2 days later the other clown died but it could be because it was too little too late. The blue tang recovered but foxface was hiding and eating less and less. 7 days later Fox face stopped eating I knew this was the beginning of the end. I decided I would go the UV route and purchased a V2ectron 600 for my 250L (75 gallon) tank. Surprisingly there is so little information on the internet on UV brands and what kills ich. The model was definately oversized for my tank but still less than half the price of pentair and eheim uvc60 which my LFS was trying to push onto me. I got a separate pump to control the UV flow. Getting home from the LFS the foxface was on its deathbed. Camoflauged and lying on its side barely moving I would have given it another 2 hours before it would have stopped breathing. Hooked up the UV and started it off. My skimmer overflowed and dumped 1/4 worth of skimmate into the tank . Somehow 30 minutes later the foxface was swimming around the tank. 1 day later the foxface is swimming out in the open and started taking more and more foods. Scars are on the body but color has come back to the fish. Don't know if UV can solve ich that fast in fish or a heavy nutrient water gave the foxface a new lease on life. My phosphate and nitrates had a huge jump but corals are actually looking better and I suppose with the UV the small algae problem I had is going away and water looks clearer. Skimmer has been working overtime but has accumulated all the skimmate it lost previously. For me UV does do wonders for ich management and well worth the price and wished I've done it sooner. Just wondering if you have uv running will you get fish losses to ich?

 

[Paul B]

I just don't understand the mindset of knowing about these diseases and playing Russian roulette any time I want to add something to the tank.

There's that "Russian Roulette" thing again.

 

[Jon!]

OP Update - my tank is still very healthy as are all the fish. I've lost none to disease. I like the do nothing approach - meaning stay more on top of feeding high quality foods and water changes, water quality. A fat fish is a happy and healthy fish.

 

[Paul B]

Today I added a small long nose butterfly but he doesn't look to good. Time will tell. I also added a leather coral.
No ich yet but I will wait another 50 years to see if it rears it's ugly head.

Have a great day.

 

[Jon!]

I should say that I only add fish that I judge are from disease free systems (after 45 years in hobby I'm a decent judge) or preferably come pre-quarantined professionally. There are a few good places out there that QT fish before they sell.