Ich question for a display tank

[polarbear]

Sorry for another question regarding ich. I know there is another thread going right now but it doesn’t really help me out with my problem and I didn’t want to highjack the thread. I don’t have a QT at the moment so I can’t take the fish out of the main tank to use a copper based medication. The thing is I'm not really sure what’s going on with my hippo tang and fox face. Somedays they will have a couple spots of ich on them and other days they won’t have anything. I mostly see it appear late at night or in the morning. I have a cleaner shrimp in the tank so I’m not sure if it’s cleaning the ich (what little there is) off the fish. Today I am picking up some MaxAmino and vitamin supplement to add to the fish food to help improve color and health. Will this help with the ich.


I would like to hear from other members that do not have a QT and that have dealt with ich. What medication or methods did you use to treat your fish?

[Kristy]

You are right on track. That's what the blue hippos do, they seem to have no ich for weeks or months, then someone looks at them sideways or there is a thunderstorm or whatever and they get a few spots, but usually just at certain times of day like you mention. I like Zoe for the vitamin supplement, have used MaxAmino although not specifically in conjunction with ich. And just offer food several times a day, keep their feeding response up. Hang nori every day, offer some quality pellet (I like New Life Spectrum), and feed frozen mysis/spirulina brine/whatever you prefer daily as well.

[polarbear]

Most of what you said above is what i do except for the supplements which I will start doing today. Im getting the brightwell's vitamin supplement. As for their feeding habbits they both eat very well. The hippo likes the frozen mysis and the New Life Spectrum (which is what I use as well) and the fox face loves the New Life Spectrum but only eats a little of the frozen mysis.

[allan]

Dude, you're doing good.

IMO Kristy is exactly on target. I wouldn't bother even attempting to catch the fish because they've already got it and you know it's in your sand bed. I know they say to disregard what's in the stickies... but it's a very good read. And once you've understood the process that ich goes through... then you can rest easy each time you've seen those spots.

Even with no stress I occasionally see the ich on my fish... in particular the blue hippo, a timid fellow at best. And you know the fox face is timid as heck.

[polarbear]

Both of you have made me feel better about this whole thing. I wasnt to concerned in the first place but it gets you thinking when you see it on the fish. Thanks for the feedback.

[kkiel02]

Yep they nailed it. Keep them well fed and healthy if they are already in the display. They will go through stages where ish will look bad then better then bad again, etc. Dont really panic as long as the fish are eating readily. The fish should start to fight off the parasite. Taking the fish out would only add stress which would weaken the immune system and cause more ich. So if you can only do this as a last resort.

[polarbear]

Thanks.

[alton]

Your on track keep up with the good food and vitamins. I have had two hippos in my life one was normal and one was not. The un-normal one I bought from CB Pets, who had him for months, put him in my tank and in a week had ich, so I took him out placed him in QT and it cleared up. Put him back and same thing, took him out and it cleared up. In the mean time I moved a Bubble Anenomoe with a gold stripe marroon clown into this same tank. After a few weeks I placed the Regal back in, and in a few days ich reared its head again. Sometimes you get to where you do not care and give up, well after a few days the ich was gone and after watching the regal he started swimming into the anenomoe acting like a clownfish. So for a month I had a clownfish and a Regal that thought he was? After another month of staying clean the regal stopped going into the anenomoe for ever.

[polarbear]

That's funny. My hippo tang followed around my 2 clowns when I first put him in the tank. The clowns didn't like it to much and after awhile the tang got the picture. Now he follows around the fox face.