Ich, Cat Shark

[Planefanatic]

Hello everybody! I have a Pink taled trigger i bought two weeks ago, and i belive he brought ich into the tank. I have dealt with ich before, but my banded cat shark just hatched and started eating!!!! I am not sure if they like copper so much....anybody know???? I had a cat shark once before and he didnt like it so much (died) tho i think what got that one was my ammonia (it had went really high). Any help with this would be awesome.

Oh i have a Grouper and a Marron Clown also. The shark, clown, and grouper show no signs of ich.

 

[Bifferwine]

Does the trigger show symptoms of ich? If so, is it still eating? If it's still eating, then I wouldn't worry about it, the trigger should be able to fight it off itself.

 

[Planefanatic]

I saw the trigger scratch 5 times and he swims in the current from my return, tho only when the light is on. The trigger is a PIG!!!! He will eat anything i put in the tank, as well as the clown. The shark eats when i turn my lights off. The grouper has pop eye that i have been treating and has been slowly getting better.

 

[dcantucson]

I would start supplementing with garlic and vitamins too.

 

[Planefanatic]

So on Monday I bought a reef safe ich med. Its called Kick Ich. I dosed the tank for day one, and i also did a freshwater dip on my trigger. He was fine in the fresh water so i left him in there for 15-20 minutes. After that he looks much calmer and i havent seen him itch. Maybe gone??

Also i have never added garlic and vitamins, How do i go about that??

 

[Reefrookie]

Let the liquid garlic and vitamin supplements soak in your food befor feeding. You could try GarlicGuard and VitaChem. Both should be available at your LFS

 

[Bifferwine]

Kick Ich won't actually kill or get rid of the ich. No "reef safe" ich med has ever been proven to actually do what it says. The only two proven methods of getting rid of ich are copper and hyposalinity. Plus, even though it says "reef safe", more often than not it will have some detrimental effect on corals and inverts. Be careful using that stuff, and don't be too surprised if you continue to have problems...

 

[sen5241b]

Kick Ich won't actually kill or get rid of the ich. No "reef safe" ich med has ever been proven to actually do what it says. The only two proven methods of getting rid of ich are copper and hyposalinity. Plus, even though it says "reef safe", more often than not it will have some detrimental effect on corals and inverts. Be careful using that stuff, and don't be too surprised if you continue to have problems...

I used Kick Ich recently on a fish that had been sick with ich for 10 days or so and getting worse each day. I put Kick Ich in there and the fish was better the next day and had no signs of ich after about 5 days. I don't think the "reef safe" treatments are 100% but they do seem to make it easier for the fish resist ich in the same way that garlic does.

Also, apparently Kick Ich is truly reef safe unlike similar products.

The Effects of Various "Reef-Safe" Treatments on Xenia sp. in a Controlled Setting by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

 

[U4BOYZ]

I have two fish in my tank that show signs of ich occasionally. I ignore it. It sort of comes and goes (with stress?). It's never spread to any other fish. I splash garlic oil and vitamins on their food daily---this has seemed to keep it to a minimum. Just my experience...

 

[Planefanatic]

I got the Kick Ich because it said that its reef safe and also safe to use with Lions sharks ect. My LFS told me to do the freshwater dip also. I dont have any iverts or corals so i am not worried about that, i just didnt want to kill the cat shark. Tomorrow i will get the garlic and vitamins, and start soaking the food. Any other suggestions??

 

[OhNoNemo]

Biff is right,there are only 2 PROVEN ways to kill ich,as she stated.Some choose to live and deal with it thru garlic and such,and others choose to kill it.I have been back and forth and this before with alot of you here,so no need to do that again:D....but for people to think kick-ich,rid-ick,no-ick,go away-ich,whatever you want to call it works,it just doesn't....(ich will be back,because it never really left).I am now in the process of doing it the proven way!just my :twocents:,i like that little symbol.:D

 

[Sharkie]

watch your shark closely and make sure you don't over feed them. Sharks are pretty hardy and don't get diseases (which is why there are shark liver capsules, people believe because sharks don't get diseases that if you eat them neither will you... stupid logic of people :grumbe: ) but he will eat himself to death. Cat sharks are hard to get to eat and once you do they will keep eating until they turn their stomachs, only feed them 1-2 tiny pieces of silversides/shrimp every other day, they have to have time to digest the food that you've given them otherwise it'll rot in their stomachs and they will die from a turned tummy :( hatching sharks is fun :) i recently hatched my own here at home but had an electrical bout with my tank and lost him :( what type of catshark? a bamboo, banded or marbled?

 

[Planefanatic]

It is a banded cat shark, and my girlfriend is in love with it. Lol. This is my third shark in all the years of tanking. The first one died due to copper, the second my amonia went way up (dark green). That is why i stayed away from copper, and got the kick ich. I figured i would try it and see how it worked. Damn ich is so frustrating :frustrat:. It will go dormint then just when you think its gone it strikes again.

 

[Alexander]

I sure hope you figure things out and get it stable. maybe we could see pics of your shark too :) we would love that.

 

[Planefanatic]

This always happens when i start a new tank. I want to post some pics of my 110 single overflow and my soon to be 45 reef. I am staining the the desk i turned into a fish tank stand. as soon as its done drying i will take some pics of the progress. It will be a couple months tho, i need to save some cash for the lights. I have every thing else tho.

Back on topic tho, the trigger shows no signs of ich after his freshwater bath the other day. I am just going to finish out the Kick Ich stuff. :helm2: