Fish least likely to get ick

[spuds]

Just curious, however could everyone please post what they feel are the top reef safe fish that are least likely to get ick?

Thanks.

[jake]

I have had a pair of purple firefish for 2yrs and a spotted manderin for 1.5yrs that have never seen any spots of ick and i've gone through several ick attacks. I now have: a pair of cleaner shrimp, a pair of fire shrimp, a pair of neon gobies, and a coralife uv sterilizer. I have 5 different types of tangs including a hippo and poweder blue who still occasionally spot here and there but all still have healthy appetites.

[alton]

Purple Tang, Tank Raised Clown Fish, Sohal Tang, Fridmani, Chevron Tang, Madarian, Copper Band Butterfly

[ErikH]

Ones that have scales. :)

You are asking a very loaded question. What size tank do you have? We're going to be here all day.... :)

[captexas]

Yeah, instead of asking which fish are least likely to get ich, you should be asking how to reduce the chances of getting ick. All fish can get ich or another parasite or disease people blame on ich, so it's better to do what you can to prevent it and also be prepared for it when it happens.

[Bill S]

How about a green chromis. Can't catch or kill mine.

[coraline79]

mandrin dragnets, have some sort of a natural aversion to ick. I have had a diamond goby and a firefish goby that have never contracted it as well.

[spuds]

OK so here is the story, my tank has been running for about one month, its 125 gallon with 150lbs of live rock. Ive seen both the Ammonia and Nitrite cycle go to zero. SO I figured I go out and buy a fish. I purchased a Blue Hippo Tang and 3 days later the fish died of ick. Probably a poor choice of fish to purchase at this time Im suspecting after doing some research on it.

Also what precautions should I take with my tank being exposed to ick before I try to add another fish?

[ErikH]

Are you running a skimmer? If so which one? Are your plans for a predator style tank/fish only, or are you going to make the slow paces toward a full blown reef? 125 is a great size for a beginning tank since you are less likely to over correct, since the water mass is larger. Tangs in general are prone to ich, and will more than likely contract it. A blue hippo or a powder blue are even more likely to contract the parasite. Your focus should be on pristine water quality, and proper stocking. If you stock too much too quickly, you will have nothing but dead fish, and no fun :( Were all of the rocks from another tank, a fish store, or were they dry at the time of purchase? Are you using RO/DI water or Texas tap? What kind of lighting do you have? The more you can list the better!!!! :bigsmile: We're all here to help!

[captexas]

Aha, blue hippo tangs tend to be more prone to getting ich than others as they stress out easily. BUT, just because they or any other fish get ich it doesn't mean they will die. You've got a lot of live rock so there should be plenty of places to hide for it if it gets scared. Did you slowly acclimate the fish to your tank's water or did you just get home from the LFS and dump the fish in the tank? Did you keep your lights off for a few hours? How long had the fish been at the LFS and was it eating at the store? If it hadn't been at the store long or hadn't been eating yet, it may have been too stressed at the time you purchased it. If it was eating in your tank, did you try adding garlic to the food and the water? Garlic extract (I used Kent's Garlic Xtreme) seems to work well with blue tangs and ich.

Fish go through a lot of stress from the time they are captured to the time they make to the store. I spend a lot of time observing the fish at the store before I decide to purchase it. Watch it's behavior to make sure it is acting normal. I also like to make sure it has been there for at least a few days to adjust and make sure it is eating.

[Joshua]

The wrasses are usually immune IME, especially the ones that sleep in a mucus bubble or bury in the sand.

[spuds]

The tank does have a skimmer, an Octopus Dual HOB. I use regular tap water while using a declorinator. Stress-somthing is what the declorinator is called.
The live rock was all purchased at local shops, and yes its live, the proof is that Ive already got signs of aiptasia on a piece.

[captexas]

I wouldn't say having aiptasia is a sign of live rock. That stuff is like a weed, it will grow anywhere no matter how bad the tank conditions are.

Tap water is not good . . . a few people swear they get away with using it, but I would invest in an RO/DI system or go buy the water from an LFS or at least one of those water windmill places. It will make a difference.

[spuds]

As far as fish acclimation, whne I got the fish I acclimated over 3 hours, every 30 minutes I added some of my tank water to the store bag while the store bag sat in my tank with the fish still in it.

Eating wise, the fish ate everything from frozen brine to algae strips.

[Joshua]

I wouldn't say having aiptasia is a sign of live rock. That stuff is like a weed, it will grow anywhere no matter how bad the tank conditions are.



I've had a few live power heads and live snail shells! :p

[ErikH]

I will say this as it was told to me.... Tap is ok but when you are building a setup, you want as much of a buffer for accidents. Using RO/DI, and doing things "right" will make it worthwhile as you will have less and less unexplained issues since you can find a root cause easier. Seeing how troubleshooting is in my blood, I finally went out and splurged. Since I have done this, I have seen an immeadiate difference in my tank, and it has been for the good. For example, my anemone looks better. There are excessive metals, and other pollutants that we simply do not test for because the test kits just can't possibly measure for every little thing, unless you work in a lab. I did use tap for a long time, but if you want corals, make the switch. I also ran carbon and switched it weekly, 2 cups. I let the tap water sit for about a week before introducing it in the hopes that some chemicals would evaporate out of the water. That "seemed" to improve it, but it could have just been wishful thinking. I know of quite a few people that use tap, but only in FO systems.

[alton]

If your tank has only been set up for a month the water is not mature enough to keep alot of fish. It might be better to get a couple of tank raised clown fish, some crabs to add life, some easy coral. Get your tank looking perfect with some coraline algae and other growth on your live rock before adding Tangs or an Angel. The way I look at it if you add a fish to your tank he should be able to eat off the rocks to survive until you can get him eating prepared foods. Tangs - make sure they have natural algae to eat, Copper Band Aiptasia, Mandarian Copods, Mysis, and other bugs for him to eat. Also test your tap water for nitrates mine here at work on West Avenue is around 10. I use RO. Just remember nothing is guaranteed, you can have the perfect tank and conditions and still have problems with keeping fish alive. Don't lose hope!

[Mr Cob]

All I can say is Damsels!

Least likely to catch anything and are also least likely for you to catch them once in a reef tank!!!

[spuds]

I want to thank everyone who paricipated.

Ive decided to go with a few chromis which Ill pick up over the weekend and wait it out for a month until I get something else.