ich question

[John B]

Can inverts be harmed by ich? I ask because a majority of ich meds say
"remove invertibrates before treating."

[Toni]

"John B" > wrote in message
...
> Can inverts be harmed by ich? I ask because a majority of ich meds say
> "remove invertibrates before treating."
>


It is not the ich that hurts the inverts- it is the medications used to
treat the ich, and they are deadly.


--
Toni
http://www.cearbhaill.com/reef.htm

[Microbot]

Inverts are not harmed by the Ich, but they are harmed by many forms of
medication used to remove Ich, so it is wise to remove them prior to
medication.
I have read that Invertebrates can carry the Ich with them when you remove
them from the infected water, so quarantining them is a good idea.

Cheers
Microbot

"John B" > wrote in message
...
> Can inverts be harmed by ich? I ask because a majority of ich meds say
> "remove invertibrates before treating."
>
>

[[email protected]]

On 31-Jul-2004, "John B" > wrote:

> Can inverts be harmed by ich? I ask because a majority of ich meds say
> "remove invertebrates before treating."

If you don't want to remove your inverts you can do something else. Try
using garlic, garlic extract is the best thing. Daily, take some frozen
brine shrimp, add a couple of drops of garlic extract. Allow the brine to
thaw, stir the mixture and feed to fish. This will help the fish out.
Garlic is not a cure but neither is copper. It will help the fish immune
system and the brine shrimp will encourage the fish to eat. Even after you
win the battle of ich continue the garlic and brine once a week. You might
get some small outbreaks, if you do, go back to daily garlic feedings. Keep
this cycle (once a week of garlic) up until you don't see any ich for 2
months. You may have won the battle. If an outbreak occurs feed daily
garlic again.

This above method has worked for us and we have not lost any fish nor any
inverts. We have been ich free for over a year now and all is good in our
tank.

Some things to remember when buying new fish:
1. Check fish before buying them, will they eat, do they look ok, any signs
of ich?
2. Always buy fish from a place you can trust and know have good practices.
3. Always quarantine new fish for 6 weeks or longer.
4. Buy cleaner shrimp, they work
5. If a fish stops eating in main tank, move the fish to a quarantine tank,
make sure they will eat in there before moving back.
6. Use garlic to help prevent ich, garlic is not a cure but helps the fish
immune system.
7. Inverts are not affected by ich but can carry ich, also live rock,
corals, live sand, and of course the water can harbor ich.