# Easiest way to get rid of ich on tangs



## rastarainy

what is the easiest way (other than buying rid ich or kick ich) to get rid of ich that is on my tangs? i have heard that it is recommended to keep your tank temp. at 80 degrees F and have your Specific Gravity at 1.06 until it disappears. is this correct? or is their an alternative that works better/quicker?


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## Fishfirst

Questions:
Is it in a QT tank or the display?
Why don't you want to use medications?
What other fish are in with it?
Is the display a reef tank or fowlr or fish only tank?
Hyposalinity is effective IF you know that your instramentation is absolutely correct. If you have that kind of confidence (I do not) then you can lower your SG to 1.009-1.010 over a couple of days and keep it there for 3 or so weeks at 80*F.


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## rastarainy

its in my display reef tank. its just a hassle to go out and buy a gallon jug of ich med. at my LFS. plus the overprice it like crazy. stupid Petco.


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## Fishfirst

alright follow up question:
do you have a quarantine tank?

Salininty changes (especially down to 1.009) will kill all invertebrate life

Meds that kill ich and not a reef do not work most of the time, and will not eradicate ich entirely from the system

All fish should probably be medicated in quarantine to prevent reinfestation
the display should be fallow (without fish) for at least 6 weeks

If you are worried about price of meds please consider this website (from order to your door in about 24 hrs not sure with the holidays though... if not, you can do a freshwater dip with the same pH as your reef tank on the fish to relieve it while the meds are sent)

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/


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## TheOldSalt

There is easy, and there is cheap, and ne'er the twain shall meet.

The easiest methods cost the most, while the cheapest methods are labor-intensive.
I do hope you've learned your lesson about quarantine.

Get a big Ultraviolet Sterilizer. A big one. That is not cheap, but super-easy; just install it and watch your problems disappear.

On the other extreme, you could set up two containers of saltwater. Catch all the fish and give them a freshwater dip for a minute, and then put the fish into container #1. The temp in container #1 should be about 82, and the specific gravity about 1.008. Adda little Kyolic garlic extract to their food. Two days later, freshdip them again and put them into container #2. Clean out the first container and refill it.
Repeat the process, moving the fish back & forth every two days for a month. In the end they will be spotlessly perfect, and you didn't have to buy one drop of ickmedicine.

No?
Then you're stuck with having to do something in the middle both annoying and pricey. Still, you'd better hurry up and do something, because a tang is an ick-incubator like you wouldn't believe, and soon your whole tank will be wiped out but good.


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## Knight~Ryder

TheOldSalt said:


> Get a big Ultraviolet Sterilizer. A big one. That is not cheap, but super-easy; just install it and watch your problems disappear.


Would this be something to look into for myself with the tank I have? Is it really something I need?


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## Knight~Ryder

I would still like my question answered as to if I really need this for my tank. Thanks.




TheOldSalt said:


> Get a big Ultraviolet Sterilizer. A big one. That is not cheap, but super-easy; just install it and watch your problems disappear.



Great article here on UV sterilization:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumUVSterilization.html

FACTS ABOUT UV STERILIZATION;

Here are few things UV Sterilization will NOT do:

[1] UV sterilization will not cure infected fish of bacterial or fungal diseases. A UV can aid in cure by killing bacterial pathogens in the water column and fungal spores, also by improvement of the Redox potential (which is much more important then many realize based on scientific research) and general water quality.

*[2] A UV sterilizer will not kill ich trophozoites already on the fish (but then medications don’t either), but UVC can again slow the spread of ich tomites in the water column (but usually not out right kill ich tomites). However by water quality improvement (such as Redox Potential) and lowering of pathogenic bacteria, the fish has more natural resistance to fight Marine Cryptocaryon or FW Ich.*

[3] A UV sterilizer will not kill beneficial bacteria such aerobic bacteria, as this bacterium is effective when attached to a surface of high water flow such as the sponge of a sponge filter, not when in the water column. In fact relatively new scientific evidence shows nitrifying bacteria to be sticky and adheres to the surfaces like glue this is why the myth of UV Sterilizers killing beneficial bacteria is just that, a myth. It still may be best to turn off a Sterilizer unit when introducing bacteria in liquid form to seed a new aquarium. 

[4] UV Sterilization will not remove or destroy algae growing on tank or pond sides, rocks, decorations, etc.

[5] UV Sterilization will NOT kill off copepods and other small life forms in a Reef or Nano Reef Aquarium. These copepods live at or near the bottom of live rock piles (making a pile with small pieces is best for copepods), they are not active in the water column. If properly installed, the UV should have at least a fine pore sponge filter media as a pre-filter, which will further stop the “ingestion” of these and other minute life forms (the UV benefits as well by being more efficient). Also even “pods” that do mange to find their way into the UV Sterilizer are rarely killed due to size. 
The bottom line here is that I have maintained MANY Reef aquariums with UVs with growing copepod, anemone and other creature populations. Honestly this is one of the worst urban myths in the aquarium hobby about UVs (mostly spread on the internet in misinformed forums which never conduct or read scientific evidence to back up these absurd statements). The only truth to these statements is that UV Sterilizers can destroy some microscopic food sources needed by some of these organisms (usually planktonic algae, although timers that turn the UV on in the dark hours are an easy remedy for this possible problem).

[6] UV Sterilization NOT remove minerals from aquarium water, however UVC Sterilization will also aid in the removal of oil based (carbon based) pollutants.

[7] UV Sterilization will NOT make up for poor aquarium maintenance practices such as over crowding, over feeding, inadequate filtration, poor cleaning practices, improper water parameters, and more.


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## rastarainy

i'll look into the UV sterilizer. ill have to do some serious selling on ebay to rake in the money though


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## rastarainy

hey old salt, what brand of UV sterilizer would you recommend?


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## rastarainy

or maybe the "Green Killing Machine"?


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## Fishfirst

turbo twists are nice


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## rastarainy

they're more expensive though


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## Fishfirst

they have a design to maximize water contact time with the light... making it more effective and more efficient.


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## Knight~Ryder

rastarainy said:


> or maybe the "Green Killing Machine"?


No. Read the whole article and you will know. That's what it's for.


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