Medical advice needed

[Buckskin]

Last weekend I noticed what looked like the start of Ich on my two clowns and the Gramma. A few tiny white specs and a little white powdery appearance. Nothing on the P.J. Cardinal or Blenny. They were all eating normally and were acting o.k. except the Gramma was diving down onto a fist sized rock covered with Zoa and rubbing her sides on it. Also saw her do this on rocks as well. So Thursday I began a five day Melafix treatment, knowing that Ich is a parasite and Melafix is antibacterial. My thinking was to lower stress levels, heal any infections and let their own immune systems kick the Ich. So here's my question. All outward signs of the Ich are now gone, but the Royal Gramma continues to rub on the Zoa quite a bit. Is this due to embedded parasite discomfort or has she developed a bad habit or what? Suggestions appreciated. I've got today and tomorrow then I'll be done with the Melafix. Hope I get through it without loosing any corals. They definitely don't like it much. Dan

[carym]

Do you have any cleaner shrimp?

[jenglish]

Originally Posted by Buckskin

Last weekend I noticed what looked like the start of Ich on my two clowns and the Gramma. A few tiny white specs and a little white powdery appearance. Nothing on the P.J. Cardinal or Blenny. They were all eating normally and were acting o.k. except the Gramma was diving down onto a fist sized rock covered with Zoa and rubbing her sides on it. Also saw her do this on rocks as well. So Thursday I began a five day Melafix treatment, knowing that Ich is a parasite and Melafix is antibacterial. My thinking was to lower stress levels, heal any infections and let their own immune systems kick the Ich. So here's my question. All outward signs of the Ich are now gone, but the Royal Gramma continues to rub on the Zoa quite a bit. Is this due to embedded parasite discomfort or has she developed a bad habit or what? Suggestions appreciated. I've got today and tomorrow then I'll be done with the Melafix. Hope I get through it without loosing any corals. They definitely don't like it much. Dan

I'm gonna but in to LARK and throw out my .02

Well, it sounds like they have fought it down to a sub-clinical level. They still have ich and will continue to have ich until it is cured or the fish die. Some people keep ich in their tank at subclinical levels for years and never let the fish get stressed enough to have the ich visibly show up again. How much the fish suffer or if it shortens their life by maintaining the sub-clinical infection is not known. THe scratching behavior sounds like it may still be bothering the gramma. The ich will not directly affect corals or other inverts but the rubbing might. If you want to really cure the ich you will need a seperate tank and treat with a copper based treatment or hyposalinity treatment.

garlic may or may not help but has never been proven to do anything. UV likely does very little to help and the same goes for wrasses and shrimps. HTH

[pogodzib]

Originally Posted by jenglish

If you want to really cure the ich you will need a seperate tank and treat with a copper based treatment or hyposalinity treatment.

Ditto. If I were you, I'd catch all of your fish and treat them in a q-tank using either hypo or copper. That is the only way to ensure that you get it completely out of your tank and to make sure that everything survives.

[Buckskin]

Yes, I do have one Fire Shrimp, but I've only seem him once since I got him. I don't know how much help he'll be though since I've read that cleaners are only effective during certain stages of the ich cycle, and that once they're embedded in the fish's side the cleaners can't get them out.
It does seem like the best thing to do would be to q.t. them and get rid of the ich, rather than to always have it rear it's head every time they get a little stressed out. Then quarentine all newcomers for a month or so to be sure it doesn't get in again. At this point I'll only have to net 5 fish, and I certainly won't be adding any new fish until I get rid of it, so I guess this would be the best time to do it. Always somethin' eh?

[carym]

I would agree that is probably the best course of action, I asked about the cleaners only because I have had great luck with them getting the ich before it really becomes a problem. Skunk cleaners are better IMO, I do have a fire shrimp as well but he doesn't clean as well. Especially on tangs. I know I should QT my fish before putting them in the tank but I don't, I know huge risk, but right now I don't plan on adding to many more than what I have and all that I have are looking good. If I had the room I would setup a QT system and probably should just make the room, had one on the desk in the fishroom for awhile but when I didn't have anything in it for 3 months took it down...liked the room and never tried to set it back up...

[Loverotties]

For now I'd put them in a hosp. tank and cure them In the future QT first That's the safest way(big aquarium do that everytime why not us!)