Kick Ich

photo of bottle not exact

KICK-ICH™ is a copper free water treatment for the control and elimination of ich (a.k.a. “whitespot disease”) in marine and freshwater aquaria.  It has been scientifically formulated to interrupt the free swimming, infectious stage of the ich lifecycle while being safe for all freshwater and marine aquaria. The product has been on the market for fourteen years, after three years of development and extensive testing, and has been unequivocally proven to be safe for all fish, corals, invertebrates and plants. KICK-ICH™, whether used alone or in combination with RALLY™, has no impact on biological filtration. KICK-ICH™ is the safest and most effective product for treatment of Ich currently available. KICK-ICH™ has a long shelf life at room temperature and is supplied in easy to use, self-dosing bottles.

Is KICK-ICH™ reef safe?

Yes.  KICK-ICH™ is safe for all fish, corals, invertebrates and macroalgae, as well as the facultative anaerobes and nitrifying bacteria essential to biologic filtration.

How is KICK-ICH™ different from other “reef safe” ich products?

What’s in it? 

KICK-ICH™'s safety has been widely proven in hobby and commercial applications.  KICK-ICH™ contains precisely blended reagents, of certified pharmaceutical purity, whose specific methods of action have been identified and confirmed in research and clinical laboratories around the world.  It was therefore possible to develop KICK-ICH™ as a water treatment focused specifically on free swimming tomites, but without unwanted side effects and secondary activities. No previous manufacturer has been able to provide 5-nitroimidazole reagents in a neutral aqueous solution, nor in any aqueous solution that confers stability upon dissolved nitroimidazoles.

What’s not in it? 

No Copper!  Nor does KICK-ICH™ contain mysterious “natural ingredients” or other undefined “extracts” whose predictability is based largely on folklore.  Finally, KICK-ICH™ contains no hyper-irritants (e.g. Tabasco sauce and similar hot pepper extract preparations) that induce super sliming, exfoliation of epidermal layers and attending extreme stress for the duration of the treatment period (Imagine there is no available shade and you have a 2nd degree sunburn!).  Similarly, KICK-ICH™does not pretend to provide a one step treatment for the control of ich:  given the choice of addressing spots on the fish, or controlling the progressive infection and reinfection of the fish, the KICK-ICH™ strategy is structured to interrupt the free-swimming infectious stage over the 12 – 15 day time course during which release of free swimming “tomites” from maturing trophonts in the aquarium peaks and declines.  Fish that have been stripped of spots by hyper-irritants, with the attending secondary effects and stress, are especially vulnerable to reinfection by tomites that may be present in the water.

Can KICK-ICH™ be used in combination with other RUBY-REEF™ products?

KICK-ICH™ can be used with RALLY™.  In fact, the simultaneous use of KICK-ICH™ and RALLY™ is often recommended and is safe for all aquaria.

Can KICK-ICH™ be used in combination with other products or antibiotics?

KICK-ICH™ can be used with phosphate and ammonia adsorbants, but not with activated carbon or related products.  Use of KICK-ICH™ with antibiotics or other medications is not recommended.

What is the shelf life of KICK-ICH™ and how should it be stored?

KICK-ICH™ is stable for at least one year if stored at room temperature and out of direct strong light.

Do not freeze or store in the cold.  Do not shake bottle prior to or during use and replace caps immediately after use.

Why is KICK-ICH™ so expensive for a water treatment?

The reagents in KICK-ICH™ are expensive to produce at commercial scale, even for applications requiring only technical or even industrial grade levels of purity; by comparison KICK-ICH™ contains the highest pharmaceutical grade available.  The unique 1-liter and 2-liter bottles with calibrated dosing spouts are expensive to purchase and label, while staging and filling require unique, customized operations to meet long-term stability requirements.  Finally, KICK-ICH™ must pass rigorous chemical quality control tests at every stage of production and packaging.

How to use Kick-Ich?

Turn off protein skimmers and UV sterilizers, also remove carbon filtration and any absorbent media that would remove Kick-Ich from the water. Dose on days 1, 4, 7, 10, and 13 for normal infections. For severe infection dose on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 13. Add two ounces of Kick-Ich per 25 gallons of total water volume including the filtration system.