Ich free for one month - will it come back?

kamil5000 · #1 11/08/2007, 09:46 AM

Hi,

The only time i did not QT a fish i got an Ich outbreak in my tank. Through extra feeding and otherwise pristine water conditions the Ich 'seems' to be have disappered from my Tank.

I know that most people would say that Ich is still in the tank somewhere and may rear its ugly head if fish become overly stressed again. If this is the case what should I do before adding a new fish to the tank? Should I still QT all new fish in 1.008 SG (for Ich only) for three weeks before adding them to the display tank (which may still have Ich - even if not visible) or do I not QT scince the tank is already contaminated from the previous outbreak of Ich?

Tks

P.s. it will be impossible to remove the fish from the display tank and leave tank empty for 4 weeks to completely rid the tank of Ich.

kamil5000 · #2 11/10/2007, 04:20 AM

Anyone? Any thoughts?

Freed · #3 11/10/2007, 06:17 AM

I don't see why you would say it's impossible to remove it. There are numerous methods you can try BUT yes ich is still probably in the tank and more than likely will reappear at some point unless you QT the fish you have in there now and all incoming fish as well for NO LESS than 4-6 weeks at 1.009 SG

kamil5000 · #4 11/10/2007, 12:07 PM

Tks Freed,

Well not impossible, but to get all the fish out would me breaking down the whole tank, and since I have a mandarine in there as wll, which cannot be quarnteed (lack of live food).

So does this mean that it would be pointless to QT (for Ich only)any new fish since Ich is already in the main tank?

kar93 · #5 11/10/2007, 04:04 PM

the ich will still be in the sand bed and live rock but after a few weeks it should just die off

Freed · #6 11/10/2007, 08:09 PM

Don't count on it.

guardrail · #7 11/11/2007, 04:53 PM

i would qt ALL fish that come in reguardless of ich being in your tank or not... there are far too many other things that a fish can get to chance it plus it helps the fish get on a good eating habit before being in a competitive tank... you dont want to have to rip apart your rocks to get to a sick or dead fish unless you have to. its no fun...

Midnightbreeze · #8 11/12/2007, 12:45 PM

How does hyposalinity work when ich can be found in fresh tanks as well?

Freed · #9 11/12/2007, 12:58 PM

Two different animals...Cryptocarion irritans is the salt cousin to the fresh water disease. They are both called ich basically just for lack of better terminology. Easier than saying crypto... blah blah all the time.

kamil5000 · #10 11/15/2007, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by guardrail
i would qt ALL fish that come in reguardless of ich being in your tank or not... there are far too many other things that a fish can get to chance it plus it helps the fish get on a good eating habit before being in a competitive tank... you dont want to have to rip apart your rocks to get to a sick or dead fish unless you have to. its no fun...

So in this case should i still QT at Hypo levels or regular SG levels?

Freed · #11 11/15/2007, 08:21 AM

It's up to you. If you decide to QT at regular SG then a couple weeks down the road the ich may appear in QT and then you will have to start hypo from that point for no less than 4-6 weeks. So tentatively you could look at a total QT time of 6-8 weeks or longer instead of 4-6 weeks total.

paulamrein · #12 11/15/2007, 08:24 AM

Hypo doesn't hurt the fish. there were studies that shows it can help the fish, they don't have to work as hard to get the fresh water their body needs.

Pescado Racing · #13 11/15/2007, 09:34 AM

Ich is present in every marine system. There are three stages basically; egg or dormant, free swimmer (these are the ones you treat for) and the attached parasite. New fish introduced in a closed system do not have resistance to the crypt already in your system, while your older fish would be, surviving it previously. Qting for Ich is valuable since it is the predominate disease in fish keeping. Hypo is also beneficial, but other parasites thrive @ lower SG.

killagoby · #14 11/15/2007, 09:42 AM

Try not to stress the fish out, and feed them garlic and vitamins.

Freed · #15 11/15/2007, 09:42 AM

Pescado, please do more research. You WILL find that it is possible to have and maintain an ich free system. That myth is way outdated.

Pescado Racing · #16 11/15/2007, 06:23 PM

Yes Freed it is possible, but very unlikely. Myths are fictional stories, this is a disease previlant especially in closed systems. Ich rarely kills in the wild. Research, I have spent plenty of time in school focused on marine bio. I WILL continue my "research", keep on bustin' myths. Hey, how's Nessy these days?

Freed · #17 11/15/2007, 07:24 PM

It's only unlikely if one does not put forth the effort. Please don't make it sound as if it isn't possible at all. Let me know when you find her.

Freed · #18 11/15/2007, 07:38 PM

Yes, ich may rarely kill in the wild and I would agree but you are making it sound as if ich can't be eliminated in captivity and that one shouldn't even attempt it.

killagoby · #19 11/15/2007, 09:33 PM

When my Hippo Tang was 1 inch big 3 years ago he got ich 3 seperate times. Each time I fed vitamin enriched foods soaked in garlic. Each time he kicked it and he grew to be about 7 inches long. He got comfortable in the tank and never got it again. He turned out to be the biggest fish in my tank and was the most boisterous as well. It is usually not the ich that kills the fish but the secondary infections. Maintain a low stress envoirment, keep good water conditions, and feed with Selcon and garlic, and you should be okay.

kamil5000 · #20 11/16/2007, 02:20 PM

I believe that you can have a completley Ich free system - I did for three years - until I introduced an unquarinteened tang.

If Ich need fish, and Hypo kills Ich, then if all fish are qt'd before being introduced into a tank - then logic would have it that a system could be ich free forever.

350nine · #21 11/17/2007, 02:11 AM

I don't know. There is so much conflict on this subject it's like religion versus evolution. I got ich as soon as I started my system. I placed all fish in hospital with copper and hypo for 4 weeks while leaving the main tank go fallow. Didn't work. fish went back in hospital, this time for 8 weeks while main tank go fallow. Didn't work either. Now I just try to manage and stay on top of these nasty little bugs. Still fighting it. So far no loss of life.

Spracklcat · #22 11/17/2007, 10:21 AM

Part of the problem is that the trophonts can lie "dormant" and unseen between the layers of skin of the fish for long periods of time--longer than most quarantines, so you could very well have ich reproducing below your level of detection for years. Just because you can't see it on any fish doesn't mean it isn't there. Remember that by the time you can see white dots on the fish, the ich is pretty well established.

That said, I do not think it is impossible to have an ich free system, but I also don't know how you could definitively say that it is ich free (other than not seeing signs).

Pescado Racing · #23 11/17/2007, 06:39 PM

I do agree, a fish can show no signs of Ich and still carry it in a number of places such as the gills and epidermis. So not seeing any signs does not mean there is an Ich free system. I am not saying it is impossible to maintain an Ich free system for years. I have done it, but to say the parasite dosen't exsist if fish are hypo QTed still dosen't float with me. Funny thing about biology, "Life, it happens!" Now Freed, I am not implying anything of the sort. In fact, I run a 30 to 35 day QT on everything I OWN and WORK with. Please try to keep your ideas seperate from my own, I can speak myself, and I can clarify if you need. How about a little less hostility there? The topic is a great debate, but take it easy man...